Melbourne, Oct 6 : New airport X-ray technology, dubbed the "virtual strip search", has raised concerns amongst passengers who fear that the images of their genitals will end up being reproduced on websites like Facebook and MySpace.
The full-body scanner has been condemned by travellers, who have claimed that if accepted, the technology could enable children to be screened by paedophiles, or pregnant women to be exposed to radiations harmful for their health.
The technology, which goes on trial in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide airports starting this month, allows screeners to detect non-metallic devices, objects and weapons concealed on a person''s body, while also giving an outline of a person’s organs and genitals.
Melbourne, Oct 6 : In an age where machines conduct scientific experiments and data is superfluous, a lack of integration between related findings may stifle the possibility of scientific revolutions, according to an expert.
John Wilbanks of Science Commons- a project of Creative Commons, said that the cost of research and its control by "old-boys clubs" encourages researchers to stick to tiny and "safe" questions that fit in with existing tracks of thinking.
He claimed that science should come out of the shackles of its power-brokers and embrace a participatory web-based culture to boost innovation.
Sydney - Australian stocks lost ground at the opening bell Monday following the selloff last week on Wall Street.
The ASX 200 gave up 107 points, or 2.2 per cent, in the first hour of trading to 4,587.
Shares fell across the board, with mining stocks hit hardest because the financial crisis is slowing economies around the world and crimping demand for raw materials.
Melbourne, Oct 5 : As the annual cost of treating preventable diseases hits 5 billion dollars in Australia, State Government has proposed a plan, under which obese people may have to pay for their own healthcare.
Treating preventable medical conditions caused by obesity, smoking, alcohol and sun exposure consumes Queensland''s health system’s almost 5 billion dollars a year.
Sydney - Australians welcomed Saturday the US Congressional approval of a financial services' industry bail-out package, but doubted it would end turbulence on world markets.
"This is a positive step forward in restoring stability to the global banking system," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said. "But there's still much, much more work to be done."
Opposition Liberal Party leader Malcolm Turnbull said the fall on US stock markets after the bill went through was evidence the crisis was far from over.
Melbourne, Oct 4 : "Sex", "brothel", "adult services", "porn", "gay", stripper", "swingers”— these are some of the words that Aussies usually type in to Google for getting their dose of erotica, according to a new survey.
The inaugural Pentagon Grand Australian Sex Survey was mainly aimed at measuring the number of times web users in each Australian state search for sex-related words through the Internet site Google.
The findings revealed that Queenslanders and people from New South Wales are completely in love with sex, each topping the list for five sex-related words each, ahead of all the other states.
Australian stocks lost ground at the opening bell Monday following the selloff last week on Wall Street.
Melbourne, Oct 5 : As the annual cost of treating preventable diseases hits 5 billion dollars in Australia, State Government has proposed a plan, under which obese people may have to pay for their own healthcare.
