Big data has not revolutionised medicine – we need big theory alongside it

Apr 20, 2016 06:10 am UTC| Science Technology

Science rests on data, of that there can be no doubt. But peer through the hot haze of hype surrounding the use of big data in biology and you will see plenty of cold facts that suggest we need fresh thinking if we are to...

Australia's first robotic help in a hip replacement operation

Apr 19, 2016 06:40 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

The first robotically assisted hip replacement operation in Australia is due to be performed today on a patient in Brisbane. A total hip replacement (THR) is one of the most successful operations that surgeons perform,...

Data access inquiry casts the net far too wide

Apr 18, 2016 06:17 am UTC| Law Technology

The Australian Productivity Commission has launched a public inquiry into access and use of public and private data. The agenda of the inquiry is ambitious in both its timescale and its scope. So much so that it risks...

Britain's part in the 'drone war' in Yemen urgently needs explaining

Apr 14, 2016 16:20 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, more commonly known as drones, have become the most talked-about weapon of 21st-century warfare and whether used for surveillance or strikes, semi-secret drone programmes are an endless source of...

Did the earth move for you? How GPS tracks the slow movements of a world in motion

Apr 12, 2016 08:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature Technology

If you feel that the earth beneath your feet is moving, its because it is. Since the late 1980s geophysicists including myself have been building a network of advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments to...

Shifting the field of view: Telling science stories with virtual reality

Apr 12, 2016 06:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Science Technology

Since first donning a Virtual Reality (VR) headset only 8 months ago, my personal relationship with this technology has progressed at lightning speed, way past the awkward getting-to-know-you phase. In the broad scheme of...

Investing in big data could improve research quality in Australia

Apr 12, 2016 02:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

The Productivity Commission is running an inquiry into whether the government can provide better access to the data it collects for universities and other groups. Commercial and public sector innovation alike can...