Immediate reactions to announcements about the future can significantly affect the future economy

Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock
Research shows new tech announcements have a real, immediate impact on the economy. How can we apply this to economic news
A future marked by the Metaverse may fundamentally change how we operate on a daily basis

(Marc Lee/Wikimedia Commons)
New virtual realities are changing the way we interact with our urban spaces. How will the metaverse make some urban amenities redundant and others indispensable?
AP
We already have most technologies Australia needs to make the clean energy transition. What’s missing is a plan to deploy them at huge scale

Serwan Asaad/UNSW
So far researchers have only been able to control a handful of qubits — the basic units of information in a quantum computer. A new approach could help them control millions at a time

The Social Dilemma/Netflix
As more comes to light about the money-making tactics of social media platforms we need to reevaluate our relationship with them

Samsung
The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 2 is almost three-quarters screen. And while that’s convenient, it’s important to actually be able to hold the phone. As design evolves, how do manufacturers adapt?
The global pandemic has interrupted supply chains for almost 75% of US companies

Thatree Thitivongvaroon/Getty Images
Medical supply shortages during the pandemic revealed that US industries are unable to provide essential goods in a crisis. A return to domestic production would boost incomes and prepare us for the next crisis

A telecommunications tower with a 5G cellular network antenna looms over the skyline

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False news about 5G spread at breakneck speed on social networks, reinforcing the fears of people who already had suspicions about its effects on health

There are thousands of mobile phone applications to aid inhealth, but very few have been validated scientifically

(Pexels)
The relevance of digital technologies in maintaininghealth has never been greater. However, many have not been scientifically proven and their effectiveness is unknown

The coronavirus pandemic has fast-forwarded the functions and roles of robots and artificial intelligence

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Robots can’t get COVID-19, so employing them in some jobs could help ease the limitations of stay-at-homeand keep frontline workers protected

DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP

Other existential risks include the decline of natural resources (particularly water), human population growth beyond the Earth’s carrying capacity, and nuclear weapons

Je'nine May/UCT
Through science, art and technology, we are able to reconstruct the faces of the dead based on their remains. The researcher who did this work for descendants in Sutherland explains the process

Record companies released stereo demonstration albums that showcased how sound could move from left to right, creating a sense of movement

From the collection of Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder
Sixty years ago, stereo promised to forever change the way people listened to music. But how could record companies convince customers to buy a new record player, speakers and amplifier?
A smartphone app could replace compulsive behaviours, like excessive hand washing

Laborant/ Shutterstock
Technology could be a promising alternative to traditional therapy

Roy Orbison’s hologram performs with an orchestra

BASE Holograms
Critics say hologram tours exploit the dead for a quick buck. But there’s something about Roy Orbison’s ethereal mystique that makes this one a particularly fitting tribute

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Improving the lives of people with autism through technology has benefits for us all and encourages society to take a more inclusive view of disability
The new/old Nokia 3310 revealed at this month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain

Reuters/Paul Hanna
Nokia’s decision to revise an old mobile phone classic should appeal to a movement of people who prefer to play with the older technologies

A supporter of the Pirate Party in Reykjavik, Iceland

AP Photo/Frank Augstein
While the US is reeling from rampant fake online news, political movements in Europe are using the internet as a powerful democratic symbol to win elections. Will cyber-optimism or pessimism win?
Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s ‘The Tower of Babel’ (1563)

Wikimedia Commons
While translation technology has improved dramatically, there are some significant hurdles

Spider silk is just one of the ways nature has inspired innovation

Silk image from www.shutterstock.com
Drugs, new materials and even more creative uses: biodiversity is full of potential.