Ellen Phiddian

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Ellen Phiddian

Researchers have developed a contact lens that can convert infrared light, which is normally invisible to our eyes, into visible light. Because infrared light can pass through our eyelids, study participants wearing the contact lenses could see with their eyes shut. The contact lenses can only give the wearer blurry infrared "sight", but the researchers say they're working on increasing resolution for uses like night vision. Many people have wished for night vision on a dark walk home.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Ellen Phiddian

Humpback whales are on the move again. At this time of year, the whales travel up the eastern and western sides of Australia, treating viewers on the coast to a show. They're migrating from cold, krill-rich southern waters to spend their winters in the warmer seas north of the continent, which are the whales' breeding grounds. You may even see mums with newborn humpbacks on the northern route well before they reach the tropics, according to a new study.

1 month ago | rnz.co.nz | Ellen Phiddian

By Ellen PhiddianNASA's Perseverance rover has photographed images of an aurora from the surface of Mars. It's the first aurora observed from the surface of another planet. The researchers' models will be useful for better understanding solar weather, particularly as the Sun reaches its peak in its 11-year activity cycle. Auroras on Mars don't look quite like they do on Earth - but they still produce a weird and fascinating light show.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Ellen Phiddian

Ever punched a question into a browser and been served a bunch of poorly written, ad-filled websites which don't really give you an answer? Or a summary generated by artificial intelligence (AI) that doesn't make any sense — or is incorrect? Search engines, particularly Google, are most people's gateway to the internet. And sometimes, they fail to get people the results they want. But in recent years, there's been increasing scrutiny on their quality.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Ellen Phiddian

Millions of cars are bought and sold in Australia each year. At the moment, most of them are second-hand, petrol-fuelled vehicles. But that pattern is changing. Electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars are growing in popularity, driven in part by government and organisation pledges to electrify their fleets. Vehicle efficiency standards, which are set to come into effect in July, should also see more EVs on the roads.