Future Tense

For more than a decade serious news organisatons, including public broadcasters, have increasingly relied on social media and other third-party digital distribution platforms to reach audiences. But now the big tech platforms are no longer interested in traditional news. So, can public interest journalism survive without the online networks they let cannibalise their content? How can serious news outlets avoid slipping into obscurity? And what impact would such a decline have on our culture and democracy?

It's estimated that by 2030 more than 100 thousand satellites are likely to be buzzing around in low-Earth orbit – and the implications of that for our dark skies is potentially significant. We hear from the Executive Director of the non-profit network DarkSky International. Also, is our environmental future written in the past? Paleo-conservation could be the answer to how we adapt to the adverse effects of climate change; and in Stockholm, engineers and builders are hard at work creating an entire city district in wood – from apartments to office towers. So, what's the advantage to building in timber?

The world's largest Universal Basic Income trial is currently underway in Kenya. It involves 295 villages and more than 20,000 families. The trial has just reached the two-year mark and Nobel-Prize winning economist, Abhijit Banerjee, joins us to talk about its progress – both economic and social. Also, why it's counterproductive to talk about "screentime" and people being "addicted" to their phones; and speech writer, Lucinda Holdforth, who worries that we've supplanted old fashioned values that emphasised community responsibility with a new array of virtues that are all about personal wants and a focus on self.

Most people want to eat better. And many of us have embraced the trend toward "natural" foods and conscious eating. We equate "natural" with healthy, nutritious and virtuous, but that can often be way off the mark. New research shows many healthy alternatives are anything but. And our embrace of the term natural is more about expressing identity and morality rather than healthy eating. Empowering people to understand what and how they should eat is what it should be about – and one way to do that is by using a food labelling app.

Why do otherwise sensible people continue to do things that are bad for them, that impact negatively on their personal future? Also, what happens in the brain when you're trying to make or break a habit? Temptation, addiction and habit formation – mapping the pathways to self-destruction and how to navigate a better course.

Authoritarians rule through fear. We can clearly see that from China to the Middle East to eastern Europe. But why do we constantly overlook the way in which fear also shapes democratic societies? It's fuelling populism and distorting our future focus. Then there's anger. It's inspired generations to man the barricades and right society's wrongs. But anger is increasingly becoming a driver of commerce. There's billions to be made in getting you riled up and keeping you that way. Fear fuels anger, and anger blinds you to recognise that your fear might be misguided. A truly vicious cycle.

Algorithmic feeds are meant to personalise our online experiences, but increasingly they're flattening our culture and fostering a dull conformity, according to best-selling author Kyle Chayka. And the influence they exert on our lives is increasingly physical not just digital. Also, data scientist Gloria Mark who has crunched the numbers on how our attention spans have fared over the past decade or so. If you can keep focused, you might find it fascinating.

Nostalgia triggers our emotions and that in turn makes us vulnerable to manipulation. We speak with RICHARD KING about the commodification and weaponisation of nostalgic sentiment. Also, New York Times critic-at-large, Jason Farago, on why he believes our cultural age might be the least innovative in half a millennium.

Social cohesion is under strain. The result, researchers say, of economic, political and work-based pressures. At the same time levels of volunteering are falling and people are showing far less willingness to take part in community-based activities. Some even fear our "cultural evolution" has been disrupted. That is, the process by which our interactions shape future cultural norms. It's complicated.

Fans are spending thousands of dollars a month to support their favourite streamers on TikTok Live, but most of the money is going to TikTok itself.

Cambridge University has a new institute dedicated to understanding extraterrestrial languages. It's about being prepared for the possibility that intelligent life exists beyond our galaxy. Also, the dangers of being overly dramatic when talking about climate change; the link between indigenous language and health; and the researchers who say it's time for human being to wake up to the fact that it's not all about us.

Among the angst over the creative potential of Artificial Intelligence, some researchers and academics are now turning the spotlight back onto humans. If AI can be as imaginative as your average human being, they ask, what does that say about traditional notions of human creativity? Have we long overestimated our own smarts? It's also prompted a discussion about what "creativity" actually means and why the term only came into common usage during the second half of the last century.

Scientists are changing the genetics of cells so that they can be used for a whole range of purposes never before imagined. Think building a biocomputer with a processor powered by bacteria or re-engineering microbes to make environmentally-friendly concrete. The potential is enormous, but there are warnings from within the field, not to let the hype get ahead of reality.

There’s a growing public sense that the current model of the social contract is broken, due in large part to rising inequality and the pursuit of profit over social progress. The “social contract” defines the relationship between citizens, their government and business. Its modern form emerged after WWII and, in western democracies, was largely structured around the principles of the welfare state. It’s about equity, order and trust. So, does the essence of the social contract still have value? And if so, how can it make fit for purpose in the 21st century?

Many commentators bemoan the adolescent nature of modern society. Adults, they suggest, are acting like juveniles and thereby eroding our culture and destroying our politics. We hear two arguments to the contrary. Also,  philosopher  William MacAskill on his new book “What We Owe The Future”.

Our modern understanding of innovation isn't modern at all, it turns out. Historian, Iwan Rhys Morus, says we're being held back by Victorian-era notions of the future as a land to be conquered; and the lone-genius inventor as the standard bearer of technological advance. Which might explain why research productivity is now sharply declining, despite a substantial rise in research investment..

Exploring new ideas, new approaches, new technologies — the edge of change.

Are attitudes towards drinking changing as we learn more about the impact alcohol can have on our bodies? Drinking has been part of our social and cultural activities for centuries. But cultural norms appear to be shifting. So, could alcohol go the way of cigarettes and become socially unacceptable?

It might be an uncomfortable idea for many, but in the short term climate change will produce "winners" as well as losers. Some countries, companies, communities and species will actually benefit from a warming world. But in what ways and for how long?

Technology companies aren’t just stealing your intellectual property – your creative content - they’re making vast profits out of selling it back to you. AI-powered apps like ChatGPT are trained on vast amounts of stolen data. What’s worse, it’s all justified as a public good. They call it “efficient infringement”. So, why are they allowed to get away with it? And what can be done about it? Also, the Living Building Challenge – it’s about building better construction and healthier communities; and a call for greater focus on prevention in dealing with domestic violence.

It's estimated that by 2050 more than 70 per cent of the world's population will live in cities. Urbanisation carries many benefits, but it also threatens to intensify the climate crisis. So, how do we better design our cities to minimise the "urban heat island" effect? The solutions are out there, but do we have the will to put them into practice?

The constant upgrading of technology is wearing people down — one in five Australians now saying they feel "overwhelmed" by technological change, according to a recent report. Those at greatest risk of falling further behind include the elderly, the indigenous and migrant and refugee communities. In both health and education there's a push underway to improve access to vital technologies and create a more inclusive digital environment

Unlike animals, trees don't have a biological clock, under ideal conditions they can live for thousands of years. Scientists say understanding how ancient trees have survived could help us protect forests from the ravages of climate change. But working out how to propagate them is the tricky part.

In this episode of Future Tense – why charities should have a limited future… getting academics and researchers to think about the end of their research, not just the beginning… and a thoughtful take on the outsourcing of our intelligence –what do we lose when we let machines think for us?

Austrian archaeologist, Immo Trinks, has a grand ambition – to map the entire landscape of Europe, below ground! The 3D scanning technology he's using won't just uncover hidden archaeological treasures, it can also be used to check below our cities and major transportation routes for geological faults. Also, why mucking about with subatomic particles could help scientists develop a form of underground GPS.

Amazon now feels more like a racket than an open shopping platform; you can't find posts from your friends on Facebook because it's clogged with unsolicited advertising; and Uber no longer seems like a cool, efficient taxi service, it's morphed instead into a global machine for turning gig workers into the new underclass – it's all part of a process Cory Doctorow has dubbed "enshittification". In this feature interview, the Canadian sci-fi author, journalist and digital rights activist explains why the digital world seems so exploitative and tawdry. But he has optimism for how things might be improved in the future.

Advanced Artificial Intelligence and new digital technologies are revolutionising the architectural industry. Architects in Brisbane, for example, have mapped every millimetre of historic Lamb House using a 3D scanner – inside and out – and the speed and accuracy of their modelling saves money and prevents error. The opportunities for creativity are enormous, particularly where AI is concerned. But is the industry inadvertently making itself redundant?

Science and technology cannot solve our most challenging and complex environmental problems. At least not on their own, not without a greater emphasis on person-to-person engagement — people working together across knowledge systems. ABC Top 5 Science Media Resident, Dr Rohan Fisher, says sci-tech too often avoids the difficult, social-political and cultural dimensions. Human-generated problems require human-centric solutions, he argues. In this episode we explore how to utilise tech and science communication in ways that support local knowledge.

The Chinese Government, and its Central Bank, are currently experimenting with a digital currency. The hope is that it will make financial transactions faster, more efficient and cheaper for government, business and ordinary citizens. Some speculate it's about giving China's currency an edge over the PRC's major economic competitor, the United States. But whether Beijing's experiment succeeds or not will depend on matters of trust, surveillance and international appeal.

It's only a matter of time before people start worshipping Artificial Intelligence as a religion, that's what Philosopher and ethicist, Neil McArthur, believes. And he says while the emergence of AI-based religion would carry risks, there's no basis for discriminating between AI-based religions and more established ones. Also, why artists are sending their creations into the heavens and what makes for good "space art".

"Geoeconomic confrontation" ranks as one of the most severe risks facing the world, according to a recent World Economic Forum report. Trade is increasingly becoming a weapon of warfare, and the future consequences for world co-operation could be significant. So, should the use of sanctions be regulated by an international body? And if a global regulator was established would it have teeth?

In our uber-connected world, the development and management of really anything is becoming increasingly complex. Planning for the future has to involve more than just grand ambitions, it also needs to be alert to unintended consequences. Otherwise things you didn't even dream about will go wrong and that can prove enormously costly. Part of the solution is to think past the immediate and adopt a systematic approach to thinking.

Have technologists lost the art of keeping it simple? Do the devices they design actually make our lives more complicated, not less? Striving for simplicity could positively impact many aspects of modern life. But oversimplification risks stereotyping individuals and confusing our sense of historical perspective.

Much of the way we think about the economy and our environment is based on a linear model – a system of extraction, consumption and waste. But advocates for a "circular economy" approach argue it's time to start mimicking the cycles of nature that keep the planet healthy. It's about seeing waste as a resource and thinking about the future impact of today's decisions. It's a noble idea, but is it realistic?

Authorities in New York city are planning to introduce a congestion pricing scheme. Vehicles entering certain parts of Manhattan will soon have to pay for the right to do so. Proponents of such schemes say they help reduce traffic, improve air quality, and can boost public transport patronage and funding. But from the experience of other cities around the world, vested interests and partisan politics can prove a stumbling block. So, what measures work best and how do you ensure social and economic equity?

It's time to rethink what we mean by productivity, says work futurist, Dominic Price. What's important isn't output, but outcomes. And confusing the two, he says, is simply counter-productive! Also, benefit corporations — why many businesses are moving away from an obsession with profit at all cost; And why a compulsory savings model could help control inflation without raising interest rates.

Scientists are experimenting with sound to try and lure seabirds back to depleted environments. But not just any sounds – we're talking about the coos and calls associated with breeding. It's all part of an ecological approach called Acoustic Restoration and its already having an impact on Palmyra Atoll – a remote island halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa. It's hoped the acoustic approach can revive many different kinds of ecosystems, even after natural disasters — when nothing is left. Also, why machine learning is causing a reproducibility crisis in Science; and ongoing research into 3D-printing food.

Around two billion air conditioners are currently in use across the globe but the amount of electricity they use is not sustainable, so what are some alternatives?

Chatbots and other forms of interactive AI aren't just shaping our online preferences, they're gradually redefining the contours of what we mean by love, sexuality and intimacy. Sociologist Anthony Elliott warns the impacts will be society-wide, not just personal. Also, do we need a set of general principles for managing chatbot liability in the absence of regulation? And how the rights of children are being overlooked in the hyper-contructed world of the "momfluencer".

Why do otherwise sensible people continue to do things that are bad for them, that impact negatively on their personal future? Also, what happens in the brain when you're trying to make or break a habit? Temptation, addiction and habit formation – mapping the pathways to self-destruction and how to navigate a better course.

2023 could be the year we finally reach a tipping point in the fight against climate change. The energy think-tank Ember predicts global greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector (which accounts for 30% of global emissions) are finally on the way down. Also, a tipping point of a very different kind – experimentation in neuro-technology is now so advanced that ethicist Nita Farahany believes companies and governments will soon be trawling our thoughts the way they currently trawl our digital communications. She's talking of a new human right – a right to cognitive liberty.

Exploring new ideas, new approaches, new technologies — the edge of change.

Amazon now feels more like a racket than an open shopping platform; you can't find posts from your friends on Facebook because it's clogged with unsolicited advertising; and Uber no longer seems like a cool, efficient taxi service, it's morphed instead into a global machine for turning gig workers into the new underclass – it's all part of a process Cory Doctorow has dubbed "enshittification". In this feature interview, the Canadian sci-fi author, journalist and digital rights activist explains why the digital world seems so exploitative and tawdry. But he has optimism for how things might be improved in the future.

Exploring new ideas, new approaches, new technologies — the edge of change.

Japan has long prided itself on its pacifist constitution. The country's future after WW II was defined by Article 9 which famously denounced aggression. But, in recent years security has become a paramount concern with increasing tensions around the status of nearby Taiwan and challenges from neighbouring countries. The Japanese are now renegotiating how best to defend themselves and their interests, while holding true to constitutional restraint. What that could mean for the future of Japan and its allies is of global interest and concern.

Global permission to mine the ocean floor — the International Seabed Authority will soon meet and decide whether or not to allow seabed exploitation, and in what circumstances. We'll hear the arguments both for and against and get some background on this little known, but hugely consequential, international regulatory body. Also, will advanced technology one day make the oceans transparent? And if so, what will that mean for the future of submarines – a technology that relies on stealth and secrecy? And why studying ancient tsunamis could help protect us from future disasters.

How best to build our homes so they can better withstand natural disasters? It's not just about designing for floods or fire, for example, but creating structures to withstand multiple threats. And to cope with any change of temperature on top of that? Many countries are facing an increase in climate-related threats, and they're struggling to cope and adapt. In Australia, a review of the National Construction Code is underway and there are calls for higher minimum standards. Should such a crisis design be made mandatory?

Robobees and building more hives – there's no easy solution to the global decline in bee population numbers and associated problems with pollination. Scientists around the world are seeking a better understanding of bee behaviour and how it can be modified. Their efforts involve using micro robotics to pamper the Queen bee and to improve the insect environment. A mix of the sophisticated and the very simple.

Toby Walsh is an expert on Artificial Intelligence. He recently declined an offer to sign an open letter calling for a moratorium on the technology's further development, but he's no techno-utopian. In this feature interview, recorded at the Brisbane Writers Festival, he explains his position and warns the world risks repeating the mistakes made through the unregulated release of social media at the beginning of the century.

22-year old Effy lost her best friend and romantic pen pal unexpectedly. Liam was the victim of a change of algorithms — and he wasn't the only human-like chatbot to suddenly disappear. A timely reminder about the dangers of anthropomorphising technology. And what's lost when researchers take an anthropomorphic approach to the study of animals.

More than a decade ago scientist Dirk Schulze-Makuch plotted nine plausible ways by which humanity would cease to exist. Now he's revised his list and he joins us to share his updated predictions. Also, why some philosophers argue the planet would be enhanced by human extinction. And how doomsday scenarios from the Cold War still influence environmental thinking.

Citizen scientists across the world have joined forces to map the microplastic crisis in our oceans. It comes as a UN agency moves to create a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Also, the idea that trees can communicate via extensive networks of underground fungi is increasingly popular, but is it correct? New research casts doubt on the extent of the claim. And, replacing cargo planes with drones – the dream of a European drone cargo airline

Beijing likes to trumpet its economic clout. And as the second largest economy in the world there's no denying its power and influence. But the Chinese economy is a "black box" according to noted historian, Frank Dikötter, which even senior Chinese officials don't fully understand. It's an economic cauldron powered by massive debt, political spin and ideological dogma – a unique fusion of ersatz capitalism and rigid central planning. And unless we in the West get a better understanding of its complexity, global future prosperity is far from assured.

Understanding the universe isn't just about visually mapping celestial bodies, it's also about listening to the heavens. Data sonification takes astronomical data and turns it into sound. It could help find new patterns in the huge amount of digital information. And it's a way of enhancing astronomy by promoting greater engagement and accessibility — a musical mix of science, art and cold, hard data.

As food security issues increase across the world, expenditure on agri-food research and development is going the other way – in fact, funding in some western countries is now back at 1980s levels. We also hear about a refrigeration initiative in Rwanda that could help increase food nutrition levels in the developing world and significantly cut food wastage.

Are attitudes towards drinking changing as we learn more about the impact alcohol can have on our bodies? Drinking has been part of our social and cultural activities for centuries. But cultural norms appear to be shifting. So, could alcohol go the way of cigarettes and become socially unacceptable?

The Arctic permafrost is melting, and ancient viruses and bacteria are gradually being freed from the ice. The risks are significant, and it's only one of several possible sources for the next pandemic. But scientists and researchers are working to identify potential threats and better prepare the world for future pandemics.

Bribery involves using money to try and buy a person's favour, but what do you call it when someone uses their resources not to win someone over, but to destroy their political career? Until now, it's had no name. But James D'Angelo, from the Congressional Research Institute in the US, has just invented one . He calls it "brubery" – and it's threatening the very future of Western politics, he says. Also, high tech largess or digital colonialism ? Seeing global tech's expansion from a very different set of eyes.

Our modern understanding of innovation isn't modern at all, it turns out. Historian, Iwan Rhys Morus, says we're being held back by Victorian-era notions of the future as a land to be conquered; and the lone-genius inventor as the standard bearer of technological advance. Which might explain why research productivity is now sharply declining, despite a substantial rise in research investment.

Clive Thompson has invented a new search tool called the Weird Old Book Finder. It's about… finding weird old books, what else? It's also about embracing serendipity and breaking free of algorithmic shackles. Also, why the development of Google Glass was both a cautionary tale and a punchline; and the vulnerabilities of super fast finance.

ChatGPT is a controversial new language assistant powered by AI. It can write essays, do coding and even structure complex research briefs, all in a matter of seconds. To its detractors ChatGPT and other AI-text generating tools represents the beginning of the end of human creativity and a future of universal plagiarism. To the less exuberant, it's a sophisticated new educational tool that has significant flaws and needs to be used judiciously. It's also likely to force a rethink of how we assess students and what it means to be genuinely creative.

Deep fake videos and audio are growing in sophistication and the technology to make them is readily available online. Many fear they damage our ability to tell truth from fiction and are a threat to democracy. In this episode we provide a reality check. We also look at research into how such fakes can be detected.

Managerialism is a Neo-liberal philosophy that critics accuse of bloating both the public and private sectors with unnecessary management. It's also accused of having bred a separate highly-paid management class, devoid of expertise. But is it too late to curb its influence and make organisations less hierarchical?

The world will soon have a universal pandemic treaty, but will all countries sign on and will it prevent future lockdowns? Also, how vulnerable are our undersea cables? And could technology one day allow us to talk with animals?

It might be an uncomfortable idea for many, but in the short term climate change will produce "winners" as well as losers. Some countries, companies, communities and species will actually benefit from a warming world. But in what ways and for how long?

When the global pandemic struck the world’s major cities were plunged into silence. But were they? New research casts doubt on just how quiet it really got when people were suddenly forced from the streets. It adds to our complex understanding of noise and sound and how both will shape our future.

The terms “sustainability” and “sustainable development” are now so commonplace as to be meaningless – according to the sceptics. Worse still, a focus on sustainability, they say, can actually mask the very real problems we have in dealing with climate change and managing the world’s diminishing resources.

Fashion is no longer du jour – of the day – it’s of the second. Online platforms are using real-time data and analytics to micro-target what we buy and what we wear. At best, it’s a form of hyper-personalisation, matching people to their clothing preferences. At worst, it risks turbo-charging our already fast fashion industry. But there are also efforts underway to rein-in the waste and make fabrics from more environmentally-friendly materials.

Satire is society’s release valve and it allows us to reflect on just about anything. It’s been around for thousands of years, but social media, shameless leaders and an appetite for outrage are all having an impact on this ancient form of social commentary. So is satire's power dwindling? Or is it evolving for the future?

Forgetting is the only safe response to the world's problems, from a geopolitical perspective, according to author and journalist David Rieff. Sometimes it’s too dangerous to remember. And forgetting is also a good thing in your personal life, say scientists. It moves us forward. The science of memory is giving way to the science of forgetting. Forgetting used to be seen as a failure of the brain, but new research suggests it’s a crucial part of the way our minds function.

A global push is underway to try and install a Right to Disconnect – allowing workers to strike a healthier balance between work-time and own-time. Working from home during the pandemic arguably raised expectations that people were available 'around the clock'. But did it in fact help spark a reassessment of how we work? Various organisations and governments are also exploring the idea of a four-day week — prioritising productivity over office hours.

Australian writers and screen producers fear a significant cultural loss unless US streaming services are forced to increase local content. Quotas of up to 30 per cent exist in Europe and Canada, so why is Australia lagging behind? Also, "digital horders" – why many of us find it so difficult to have an online purge. And why we need to put soil at the centre of future conservation efforts.

New technologies are transforming agriculture, but getting farmers to experiment with different tech combinations remains an issue. A technologically-infused approach can bring benefits, but it also carries risks. In the developing world it can sometimes undermine traditional farming practices and increase inequality.

We used to think our oceans were largely silent but sound is one of the most important senses for marine life. It helps animals feed, breed, communicate and navigate. But human made underwater noise is getting in the way and is now a major global pollutant.

It's a common refrain: we all have a responsibility to deal with climate change. But does putting the onus on individuals risk allowing governments and businesses to avoid responsibility? What is the right balance between an individual and a systemic approach to climate action — and how much do the two intertwine? And how do we get beyond ideology in our communications around climate action?

Do corporations have a role in promoting the common good? Legal expert William Magnuson says they once did and now need to rediscover their true social purpose. He mounts a counterintuitive argument for why big business should think less about money and more about society. Also, new research on the effectiveness of Carbon, Capture and Storage.

Surveillance has become mainstream in the 21st century. It’s now so ubiquitous that many of us no longer notice its intrusion in our personal lives. But not all forms of monitoring are designed to exploit and/or contain. In this episode we look at several interesting monitoring technologies designed to assist and heal.

Have technologists lost the art of keeping it simple? Do the devices they design actually make our lives more complicated, not less? Striving for simplicity could positively impact many aspects of modern life. But oversimplification risks stereotyping individuals and confusing our sense of historical perspective.

When the consumers of power also become its generators a whole new level of complexity opens up. The transition from fossil fuels means completely rethinking our traditional systems of energy storage and distribution. Also, the new Australian battery that could put an end to our dependence on lithium.

Many commentators bemoan the adolescent nature of modern society. Adults, they suggest, are acting like juveniles and thereby eroding our culture and destroying our politics. We hear two arguments to the contrary. Also,  philosopher  William MacAskill on his new book “What We Owe The Future”.

The way we are getting around cities is changing. There’s strong developer competition in the flying taxis market; the overall size of vehicles is getting smaller as we transition from petrol to electric; and on-demand public transport is on the rise.

Abuse facilitated by digital technology is on the rise. Abuse is abuse, no matter who commits it and what form it takes, but we need to better understand the peculiarities of this specific kind of abuse. New research in Australia suggests that many of us are the perpetrators as well as the victims. Also, regulating rocket launches and minimising space pollution – low Earth orbit may be reaching a tipping point.

As food security issues increase across the world, expenditure on agri-food research and development is going the other way – in fact, funding in some western countries is now back at 1980s levels. We also hear about a refrigeration initiative in Rwanda that could help increase food nutrition levels in the developing world and significantly cut food wastage.

Data breaches are on the rise, and it seems social media is a growing point of vulnerability. The consequences aren’t just financial, in some cases lives are at risk. People are also becoming increasingly wary about corporations gathering their personal data - as seen by the fate of Google's envisaged futuristic smart city development in Toronto.

Around two billion air conditioners are currently in use across the globe but the amount of electricity they use is not sustainable, so what are some alternatives?

Public money is being used to bankroll already wealthy private corporations. So, is there any real benefit to taxpayers?

They’re small, robotic in nature and formed from living frog cells. Xenobots could play an important part in future health care treatments.  But whether or not they represent a new form of life is open to debate. And also, how young people access news content – it’s complicated! We hear about the latest research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

Unlike animals, trees don't have a biological clock, under ideal conditions they can live for thousands of years. Scientists say understanding how ancient trees have survived could help us protect forests from the ravages of climate change. But working out how to propagate them is the tricky part.

They were once the very symbol of modernity, but over the past eighty years, Airships have become objects of curiosity and nostalgia. Now, several new airship ventures look likely to put the zip back into zeppelins. Also, why our bones could be the greatest barrier to colonising Mars.

Agromining is a new process for extracting large quantities of metals such as cobalt and nickel from the sap and leaves of rare plants known as hyperaccumulators. Australian scientists have already established a test farm in Malaysia and it’s hoped the technology will one day provide poor communities with a new source of income, while also helping to rehabilitate former mining sites. Also, why do some people get sick after using Virtual Reality and is that holding back the technology? And a new approach to data storage and processing called Edge Computing.

Scientists have perfected a system for better sampling animal DNA in the wild. The new process promises a less-invasive way of measuring biodiversity. We also look at the predictive powers of animals and how tracking their movements enmass could help foretell impending disasters. And how remote health monitoring technology can help wildlife and livestock.

How is our sense of identity changing as our online and offline experiences increasingly merge? What grounds a person’s online persona (or personas) to the physical world? And is such a tie important?

Net Zero isn’t just a climate target, it’s become a badge of commitment in the global effort to bring down Greenhouse Gas emissions. But its real worth is debateable, with some environmentalists and climate scientists arguing it’s now an impediment to genuine change. Treating Net Zero as an end in itself, they say, has to stop.

Physical cash still plays an important role in the financial system, but could it be replaced by a digital alternative? Governments around the world are looking to Central Bank Digital Currencies, but there are concerns around privacy and loss of financial freedom.

Advocates claim drones make war safer for civilians and soldiers by making it more technical and precise. But drones are also being used as a “witness” of conflict by activists keen to tell different stories about warfare and the heavy price often paid by civilians.

Banning books belongs in the dark ages and is anathema to modern liberal democracy, but in the United States there’s a widespread campaign underway to censor what students can read. Also, why is the UN involved in a project to build a floating neighbourhood on the South Korean coast?

Australia is home to over 1,600 shopping centres, covering more than 26.5 million square metres. We are a nation that love to shop, but times are tough for these aging centres. Online retailers, limited millennial attention spans and old fashioned infrastructure are all putting the squeeze on the mall's market. This doesn't necessarily mean it's the end though, in fact shopping centres are evolving for the future - pulling out all the tricks, enticements and tech they can to ensure you keep spending and they stick around.

It’s not enough to be smart. If you’re to avoid being automated out of a job in future, you’ll need to develop your Emotional Intelligence. New research suggests more and more companies see an organisational benefit in promoting such skills. But is the rhetoric being backed up with training? Also, a reality check on the “great resignation” - has the pandemic really spawned a new era of job mobility?

We examine the role algorithms play in limiting free-speech; we hear about the development of bacteria-driven lighting in France; we explore how the shape of our cities can influence weather patterns; and we learn about new research that applies a chemical approach to the simulation of touch.