The economy of the future will be built on science and technology and if we stand still we'll be left behind. Science and business leader David Thodey says Australia's quality of life will depend on the application of digital technologies together with policies to manage the workplace transition.

Cambodia's construction boom is based on blood bricks. The huge demand for bricks is met by debt-bonded families working in the kilns under horrible conditions. It's modern-day slavery.

In Australia we compel citizens to vote, or at least to submit a ballot paper. But this is not the only way Australia does elections differently

You don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy watching athletes in action. Whether it be the Olympics or a time-trial, there’s always the possibility that a record will fall. But will those records keep falling or are we fast reaching our limits? Athletes and sports scientists debate the physical and mental boundaries of elite sport.

Is romance really dead? Are sexual companion robots the future of relationships? After the news Big Ideas looks at one of the biggest mysteries of man kind – love.

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about women in politics. Whether we have enough of them and how they’re treated by their male colleagues. But it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. When Natasha Stott Despoja became a senator in 1995, the media focussed on her looks, marital status and bringing up baby. Natasha Stott Despoja and Annabel Crabb discuss gender equality on International Womens Day.

What does it mean to ‘belong’ in Australia, if you’re of Asian heritage?

Fungi are the unsung heroes of recycling. They play a vital role in breaking down organic matter for plants to use. Now we've discovered fungi can clean up oil and plastic. And their root systems are being used to create alternatives to plastic , wood and bricks. Who knew the humble mushroom could be so versatile?

Can plants think, learn and communicate? We used to believe that only humans and other animals had that ability. But science is showing that plants are smarter than you think. Plant scientists describe how plants talk to each other, respond to sound and share resources.

Are you the forgiving type? Or does your forgiveness depend on the circumstances? Forgiveness is often discussed as if it were a single, straightforward, phenomenon. The reality, however, is not so simple.