Our weekly news round-up: Study confirms flies are an oft overlooked vector for disease transmission; Uber admits in 2016 it covered up a big hack of 57m users' data and paid off hackers to delete it; Calls for glitter and other sources of microplastics to be banned; Reading out loud to yourself shown to boost memory; Humpback dolphins indulge in gift giving; Aussie judge presses VW on why emissions cheating software was installed on its cars; Perth set for test of Uber-style driverless cars; Magnesium battery technology offers safety advantages over conventional lithium ion; Amazon officially launches in Australia - challenges local retailers.

Our weekly news round-up: Study confirms flies are an oft overlooked vector for disease transmission; Uber admits in 2016 it covered up a big hack of 57m users' data and paid off hackers to delete it; Calls for glitter and other sources of microplastics to be banned; Reading out loud to yourself shown to boost memory; Humpback dolphins indulge in gift giving; Aussie judge presses VW on why emissions cheating software was installed on its cars; Perth set for test of Uber-style driverless cars; Magnesium battery technology offers safety advantages over conventional lithium ion; Amazon officially launches in Australia - challenges local retailers.

A new theory suggests a correlation between Earth's slowing rotation and the incidence of major quakes.

A new theory suggests a correlation between Earth's slowing rotation and the incidence of major quakes.

The semi is said to be more reliable and cheaper than a diesel truck, while the roadster has insane racing car performance. Expect delays for both.

The semi is said to be more reliable and cheaper than a diesel truck, while the roadster has insane racing car performance. Expect delays for both.

The South Australian Government plans to legislate for mandatory police access to private phone and computer passwords.

The South Australian Government plans to legislate for mandatory police access to private phone and computer passwords.

Our weekly news round-up: Scientists message ET and ask for a reply on June 21, 2043; NASA debates locations for Mars 2020 lander; European regulators flag privacy nightmare of kids' smart watches; Spectacular meteor flash over Finland; Facebook changes its 'delete post' option; Gamers unite against Star Wars Battlefront 2 micro-payments; Global software update enables ATM bitcoin transaction support; Google Assistant can troubleshoot your phone; Google busts itself for copyright breach.

Our weekly news round-up: Scientists message ET and ask for a reply on June 21, 2043; NASA debates locations for Mars 2020 lander; European regulators flag privacy nightmare of kids' smart watches; Spectacular meteor flash over Finland; Facebook changes its 'delete post' option; Gamers unite against Star Wars Battlefront 2 micro-payments; Global software update enables ATM bitcoin transaction support; Google Assistant can troubleshoot your phone; Google busts itself for copyright breach.