|
|
|
|
It’s 2025, and we’re back! If you’re still mulling over what resolutions to set for this year, here’s an idea: set one for nature. Caring for our natural environment brings a wealth of benefits, and it’s never too late to be a catalyst for positive change.
Few tech subjects have received as much hype lately as quantum computing, so I asked a quantum systems expert what advances we can expect this year. Companies like IBM, Google and QueRa are racing each other to build the best new quantum chip – here’s what these things are, and what they can do.
With summer in full swing, many of us are heading outdoors, which is lovely – except for the mosquitoes. If you want to repel them, should you be going for a citronella candle, a wristband, or just dousing yourself in DEET? Our explainer on the chemistry of mosquito repellents will help.
Speaking of chemistry, we also have a fascinating look at the medical history of cannabis, cocaine and opium – once legal, then illegal, and now making their way back into modern medicine.
Until next week,
|
|
Signe Dean
Science + Technology Editor
|
|
Darcy Watchorn, Deakin University; Marissa Parrott, The University of Melbourne
Amidst habitat destruction and ecological grief, let’s make a New Year’s resolution for nature — to care for beetles and butterflies, rainforests and reefs, ourselves, and future generations.
|
Muhammad Usman, CSIRO
You’ll be hearing a lot about quantum computing in 2025. Here’s where the field is at – and where it’s all going.
|
Daniel Eldridge, Swinburne University of Technology
The most effective repellents for warding off mosquitoes this summer contain a substance known as DEET.
|
Philippa Martyr, The University of Western Australia
Cannabis for religious purposes, cocaine in wine and heroin for coughs. These are just some of the ways illicit drugs have been used throughout history.
|
Francisco Jose Testa, University of Tasmania
The dinosaurs went extinct on Christmas Day.
|
Our most-read science articles this week
|
Nick Lomb, University of Southern Queensland
In 2025 we will see Saturn’s rings ‘disappear’, the Moon turning red, meteor showers and more.
| |
Michael Timothy Bennett, Australian National University; Elija Perrier, Stanford University
OpenAI’s o3 model scored at human level on a benchmark test for artificial general intelligence – far higher than any results before.
|
Nick Fuller, University of Sydney
‘Weight creep’ doesn’t have to be inevitable. Here’s what’s behind this sneaky annual occurrence and some practical steps to prevent it.
| |
Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, UNSW Sydney
Flow batteries can feed energy back to the grid for up to 12 hours – much longer than lithium-ion batteries, which only last four to six hours.
|
|
|
|
|
ZinetroN/Shutterstock
Elsa Couderc, The Conversation; Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Paul Rincon, The Conversation; Signe Dean, The Conversation
Three Conversation science editors look ahead to what to expect in 2025 on The Conversation Weekly podcast.
|
More of our recent coverage
|
-
Themiya Nanayakkara, Swinburne University of Technology; Ivo Labbe, Swinburne University of Technology; Karl Glazebrook, Swinburne University of Technology
The James Webb Space Telescope is celebrating three years from its launch. Its discoveries have already changed our understanding of the early universe.
-
Evie Kendal, Swinburne University of Technology; Alan Duffy, Swinburne University of Technology
Imagine you’ve worked 12 hours in hot and dirty conditions. Some of your co-workers have collapsed or been injured. You wish you could just get another job. But you can’t. You’re stuck in space.
-
Paul Scofield, University of Canterbury; George Young, James Cook University; Vanesa De Pietri, University of Canterbury
The discovery of the most complete ichthyosaur skeleton known from New Zealand sheds new light on the diversity of these ancient dolphin-like marine reptiles in the southern hemisphere.
-
Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Australian Catholic University
Isidore of Seville preserved knowledge in the ‘Dark Ages’, earning him the title of patron saint of the internet. His work laid the groundwork for today’s world of shared information.
-
Alexandra Ludewig, The University of Western Australia
Ferdinand von Sommer was Western Australia’s first government geologist – but until now his life and career have been shrouded in mystery.
-
Ary Hoffmann, The University of Melbourne; Caitlyn Perry, The University of Melbourne
Fruit flies have contributed to some of the most important scientific discoveries over the last century. They should be celebrated – not sprayed.
-
Nisa Salim, Swinburne University of Technology
Clothing made of cotton and linen is highly hydrophilic. It tends to absorb moisture and disperse it across the fabric, allowing it to evaporate more easily.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Creative Australia
Sydney NSW, Australia
•
Full Time
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
Featured Events, Courses & Podcasts
|
View all
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
