Mars: we may have solved the mystery of how its landslides form

Dec 03, 2019 03:46 am UTC| Insights & Views Science

Some landslides on Mars seem to defy an important law of physics. Long, runout landslides are formed by huge volumes of rock and soil moving downslope, largely due to the force of gravity. But their power is hard to...

Electric cars might not yet be green, but we should buy them anyway

Dec 03, 2019 03:45 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Transforming the way we travel is an essential part of tackling the climate crisis. The transport sector contributes about 20% of global carbon emissions. In the UK the figure is 33%, and the country has made virtually no...

Market-led infrastructure may sound good but not if it short-changes the public

Dec 03, 2019 03:42 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The privatisation of services in Australian cities has weakened public control of key infrastructure. This is likely to accelerate as governments look to market-led proposals to provide infrastructure. For nearly three...

Stimulus package: brain stimulation holds huge promise, but is critically under-regulated

Dec 03, 2019 03:41 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

This year, a Chinese patient known only as Mr Yan became a medical pioneer. He agreed to have electrodes surgically inserted into his brain, allowing his surgeon, by touching the screen of a simple tablet computer, to...

Westpac ticking every anti-money-laundering box wouldn't make much difference to criminals

Dec 03, 2019 03:40 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The charges surrounding Westpacs alleged 23 million breaches of anti-money laundering laws have been called about as serious as it gets. They include, in the words of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, giving a free pass...

Islamophobic attacks mostly happen in public. Here's what you can do if you see it or experience it

Dec 03, 2019 03:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

The second Islamophobia in Australia Report launched last month, in the same week a graphic video showing a pregnant Muslim woman being punched and stomped on circulated widely on social media. Earlier in October...

The bizarre and ecologically important hidden lives of mosquitoes

Dec 03, 2019 03:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Mosquitoes. Hordes of them, buzzing in your ear and biting incessantly, a maddening nuisance without equal. And not to mention the devastating health impacts caused by malaria, Zika virus and other pathogens they...