Last Top Stories: diver swept away by currents tells of relief when washed onto island

diver swept away by currents tells of relief when washed onto island

A Launceston scuba diver swept away by currents has told how he cried with relief when he finally reached land. Lee Quarrell spent about five hours drifting at sea after being swept away from his dive boat and deckhand near Waterhouse Island, ... >> view original

'Missing link' in shark evolution found in 380m-year-old Australian fossil

Artist rendition of a Devonian Shark. For journal article on shark fossil found in the Kimberley in Western Australia. Photograph: John Long/POLSone. Oliver Milman · @olliemilman. Thursday 28 May 2015 23.44 EDT Last modified on Friday 29 May 2015 00.25 ... >> view original

Humans can't win against US killer robots - professor

The robots are likely to be armed quadcopters or mini-tanks that can decided without human intervention who should live or die. Killer robots being developed by the US military "will leave humans utterly defenceless", an academic has warned. >> view original

Mount Shindake: the moment Japan's volcano erupts in spectacular fashion

More than 100 people have been ordered to evacuate after a volcano erupted on the tiny southern Japanese island of Kuchinoerabu on Friday morning. Spectacular TV footage captured the moment Mount Shindake exploded, sending columns of thick, black ... >> view original

Japan's Shinzo Abe hopes 'robot revolution' can replace ageing workforce

A new greeter at the entrance of the Mitsukoshi department store in central Tokyo has caused a stir. The worker, dressed in a kimono and cheerfully welcoming shoppers in honorific Japanese, is a robot made by Toshiba and shows how lifelike these ... >> view original

Newly discovered species of marsupial known for suicidal sex under threat ...

Researchers have discovered two new species of a rare Australian marsupial known for its mating frenzies that leave the males dead, as fears grow the animals are under threat of extinction. Researchers believe the recently discovered Tasman Peninsula ... >> view original

Medusa Nebula captured by Chile

Chile's Very Large Telescope has captured a stunning new image of the Medusa Nebula, the most detailed yet. A nebula is an immense cloud of hot interstellar gas and dust left by a dying star and the images give an eerie glimpse into what will one day be ... >> view original

Unesco reconsidering Great Barrier Reef heritage status

Australia faces a dent to its reputation and a potentially devastating blow to its tourism industry should one of the country's most iconic natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef, be listed as "in danger" by the United Nations. Tony Fontes loves diving the waters ... >> view original

New species of human ancestor found

A fossil find adds another twig to the human evolutionary tree, giving further evidence that the well-known “Lucy” species had company in what is now Ethiopia. A lower jaw, plus jaw fragments and teeth, dated at 3.3m to 3.5m years old, were found in the Afar ... >> view original

First Australian shorebirds on critically endangered species list

Two iconic Australian shorebirds have been added to the critically endangered list.*. The extraordinary sickle-billed Eastern curlew, and its smaller cousin, the curlew sandpiper, are the first shorebirds on the list. Population numbers of these curlews have ... >> view original