Future Tense

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...

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.

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 mobilit...

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.

It’s time to attack the “supply side” of fossil fuels, activists argue. And the best way to do that is by establishing a fuel non-proliferation treaty similar to the one used for nuclear weapons. But what would it entail and could it ever work? Also, the sticky relationship between online personalisation and consent; and a call for CEOs to become the next target of automation.

The Future is Public is a global campaign aimed at creating a new narrative around public service. It’s about curbing the dominance of Neoliberalism in public policy. While in Australia, there are expectations the new government in Canberra will decrease the use of external consultants and make changes to the way government departments and agencies operate.  

Urban life has not only reshaped what it means to be human, cities are also changing animals. Rats in different parts of New York are evolving separately. Ecologist Rob Dunn describes cities as accelerators of evolution. Also in this episode, how city administrators compete for dominance using the same approach as social media influencers. And why house-flipping has gone algorithmic. 

The crisis in Ukraine, like all wars, is a testing ground for new tactics and weapons. It’s also a conflict fought off the battlefield – on people’s computers, televisions and smartphones So, what have we learnt about the power of propaganda and disinformation during the current conflict? Also, the urge to shut-down – why governments of varying persuasions keep pulling the plug on their own intern...

In this program we explore an ambitious science project aimed at to documenting the genomes of all known creatures; we'll hear why the future of the Anglican church is female; and explore the latest research into public perceptions of facial recognition technology.

Concerns that we'll soon have too many people on the Earth sit alongside apprehension that we are facing a looming demographic crisis. So how do we address both issues without further damaging the planet?

The use and misuse of our data can have enormous personal and societal consequences, so what ethical constraints are there on data scientists?

The idea that history is circular is called Cliodynamics and it’s currently in vogue with many commentators on international affairs. But do such theories help or hinder our understanding of history and its predictive powers?

Boosting your productivity by up to 25% - what industry wouldn't want to do that? That’s the future big tech promises for agriculture – one where extensive data is gathered on every aspect of the supply chain. But farmers are worried about privacy. And there are also questions about environmental impacts of big ag getting into big data.

Over the past two decades we’ve become increasingly sensitive to the overuse of plastic and more concerned about its environmental impact – but to what effect? Feel-good campaigns aside, the signs for the future are far from promising.

There are currently around 150 of these funds in the world worth in excess of $USD 9 trillion.

Scientists are busy testing ways to build a giant solar farm in space. Also, what to do about the increasing levels of space junk finding its way into our oceans?

Satire has been around for thousands of years, but is its power dwindling?

Forgetting is the only safe response to the world's problems, from a geopolitical perspective, according to author and journalist David Rieff. And forgetting is also a good thing in your personal life, say scientists. It moves us forward.