Beyond Infinity

From The Vault: The Best Of Beyond Infinity. The first time one spacecraft orbited two separate objects in our solar system was NASA's pioneering DAWN mission to Vesta and Ceres. PLUS: Planet X - the hunt for the elusive 9th planet; and the JUNO spacecraft's hairy encounter with the gas giant Jupiter.

From The Vault: The Best Of Beyond Infinity. Honey and Bees. Cedar Anderson talks development of the Flowhive, his gadget which gives "honey on tap" and his wildly successful social media campaign that made it a worldwide hit. PLUS: Bee experts Simon Mulvany and Ben Moore on the challenges facing the honey bee industry in Europe, New Zealand and Australia, and the banning of neonicitinoids.

A recent Michigan State University study published in the Journal of Behavioural Addictions suggests that heavy social media users act in a way not dissimilar to cocaine or heroin addicts.

Newly developed at the Institute of Technology in Madras, iron-ion batteries are safe, clean and stable. They can't be recharged as many times as lithium-ion batteries, but for specific uses they offer advantages.

If it passes a final vote in the Senate, California's AB5 bill will force companies like Uber, Lyft, Instacart and Postmates to classify workers as employees, not independent contractors. This fundamental challenge to a beloved business model of Silicon Valley could seriously effect bottom line profitability.

Hollywood is embracing the latest VFX techniques to accurately depict what actors looked like when they were much younger. Ang Lee's 'Gemini Man' and Scorsese's 'The Irishman' showcase the incredible (and very expensive) tools filmmakers now have at their disposal.

US tech giants are cracking down on misuse of their platforms. Twitter recently closed 200,000 fake accounts from China and Google has taken action against government-backed hacking attempts, issuing an update titled "Maintaining the integrity of our platforms".

Billions of CCTV cameras now monitor cities across the world but don't necessarily result in big reductions in crime or improvements in public safety. What they do provide is a data bonanza for governments, anxious to keep ever closer tabs on 'their' people.

The whole country is revelling in the wonders of science and the achievements of Aussie scientists. From 10-18 August, there are over 1000 events for kids, uni students, citizen scientists and the general public. We discuss why National Science Week is important and offer a taste of what's happening.

The Republican Senator for Missouri says social media is "a parasite on productive investment, on meaningful relationships and a healthy society". His latest salvo against Facebook et al, the Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology Act, aims to curb social media addiction.

Artificial intelligence has been proven to fast track technical breakthroughs and human progress by sifting through millions of scientific papers, finding connections that humans may have missed. But the need for explainability is vital yet not always available from AI analysis.

The Feds are moving to clamp down on Google and Facebook - to protect citizens' privacy and online security; to more effectively tax tech giants; to even de-monopolise. BUT, just as we may not trust the commercial holders of big data, can we trust our government?

Researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast find that bone spurs at the back of the neck could be caused by long-term smart phone use, especially among young people.

Popular Russian-based FaceApp uses machine learning and facial recognition technology to show how you might look when you're older. But what else is being done with your precious biometric data, once you've clicked 'Agree' to all the T's&C's?

The US space agency will launch a nuclear-powered drone to the solar system's second largest moon to fly between multiple locations over hundreds of kilometers, take samples and look for prebiotic chemistry. Called 'Dragonfly', the mission will image the surface, gather weather data and perform seismic studies to detect subsurface activity and structure.

NASA wants to gradually commercialise the International Space Station and is offering 2 paying visitors up to 30 days each on board at US$35K a night. If this sounds cheap, you might want to consider your transport costs, which come in at US$58 million for the round trip.

New Zealand is one of the most ambitious and advanced users in the Western world of artificial intelligence to streamline government decision-making. But there are concerns about the need for explainability.

A dangerous and hard-to-treat ulcer is spreading among residents and visitors on the Mornington Peninsula. The Victorian Government and health authorities are scrambling to understand the enigmatic bacteria which causes infection. To restrict a possible disease vector, an extensive 'fogging' campaign may be used to target mosquitos from October. But activist Simon Mulvany of Save The Bees Australia has grave concerns about the effects of pesticides on bees and other insects. His petition on change.org garnered well over 8000 signatures in 3 days.

A staggering 350 million litres of recycled water is pumped into the ocean off Victoria's Mornington Peninsula every day. The Hinterland Environmental Water Scheme aims to further purify this water and redirect it to nearby farming areas. We chat to HEWS board members Russell Joseph and Alana Jones about this exciting proposal, which has recently attracted Federal Government funding.

A staggering 350 million litres of recycled water is pumped from Gunnamatta beach, just south of Melbourne, into Bass Strait every day. The Hinterland Environmental Water Scheme aims to purify this water and redirect it to nearby farming hinterland. HEWS board members Russell Joseph and Alana Jones argue the case for better use of a precious resource on the Mornington Peninsula.