Continuing to invest in sustainable industrial techniques will be extremely important in improving the environment and our relationship with it. “Green chemistry” seeks to minimise or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. One of the goals of green chemistry is for the term to completely disappear – it should simply become how we practise chemistry, and make things.

Despite its amazing advancements, generative AI raises substantial concerns. With its roots deep in Western data, could GAI inadvertently become a tool of digital colonisation? Trained mostly on data that is influenced by Western perspectives, there’s a risk of AI systems acting like digital colonisers, spreading a uniform cultural narrative across diverse global landscapes.

Many educators see AI as a tool to enhance the teaching and learning processes, not as a replacement for teachers but to complement their skills. With the release of the Australian Framework for GAI in Schools, educators are being equipped with knowledge and frameworks to guide the responsible and ethical use of generative AI to benefit students, schools, and society.

Making sense of the relationship of different hominin species in South Africa has always been challenging, largely because of issues dating them accurately. New methods developed by Dr Wenjing Yu open the possibility of the A. africanus species could be older than originally thought – older than the skeleton widely regarded as the first human, ‘Lucy’ (A. afarensis).

It might sound daunting to talk to kids about new and complicated technology, but learning is a beautiful and rich experience at any age, and there are plenty of great tools to help you do it either for yourself, or for any little ones you have around you. And it’s important – AI isn’t going away, and by educating young people, we can make sure these new technologies are used appropriately in the future.