Beyond Infinity

The whole country is revelling in the wonders of science and the achievements of Aussie scientists. From 10-18 August, there are over 1000 events for kids, uni students, citizen scientists and the general public. We discuss why National Science Week is important and offer a taste of what's happening.

The Republican Senator for Missouri says social media is "a parasite on productive investment, on meaningful relationships and a healthy society". His latest salvo against Facebook et al, the Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology Act, aims to curb social media addiction.

Artificial intelligence has been proven to fast track technical breakthroughs and human progress by sifting through millions of scientific papers, finding connections that humans may have missed. But the need for explainability is vital yet not always available from AI analysis.

The Feds are moving to clamp down on Google and Facebook - to protect citizens' privacy and online security; to more effectively tax tech giants; to even de-monopolise. BUT, just as we may not trust the commercial holders of big data, can we trust our government?

Researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast find that bone spurs at the back of the neck could be caused by long-term smart phone use, especially among young people.

Popular Russian-based FaceApp uses machine learning and facial recognition technology to show how you might look when you're older. But what else is being done with your precious biometric data, once you've clicked 'Agree' to all the T's&C's?

The US space agency will launch a nuclear-powered drone to the solar system's second largest moon to fly between multiple locations over hundreds of kilometers, take samples and look for prebiotic chemistry. Called 'Dragonfly', the mission will image the surface, gather weather data and perform seismic studies to detect subsurface activity and structure.

NASA wants to gradually commercialise the International Space Station and is offering 2 paying visitors up to 30 days each on board at US$35K a night. If this sounds cheap, you might want to consider your transport costs, which come in at US$58 million for the round trip.

New Zealand is one of the most ambitious and advanced users in the Western world of artificial intelligence to streamline government decision-making. But there are concerns about the need for explainability.

A dangerous and hard-to-treat ulcer is spreading among residents and visitors on the Mornington Peninsula. The Victorian Government and health authorities are scrambling to understand the enigmatic bacteria which causes infection. To restrict a possible disease vector, an extensive 'fogging' campaign may be used to target mosquitos from October. But activist Simon Mulvany of Save The Bees Australia has grave concerns about the effects of pesticides on bees and other insects. His petition on change.org garnered well over 8000 signatures in 3 days.