the conversation
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Ants Are Actually a Lot More Powerful Than Ant-Man Makes Out
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is the latest film in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. The ant-filled film follows the adventures of Scott Lang (AKA Ant-Man), Hope Van Dyne (AKA The Wasp) and Cassie Lang (AKA The Stinger), who all use science-derived technology to give them ant-like powers. In the Ant-Man films, Ant-Man also has…
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Everyone Loves a Superhero Movie, but Why Do Comic Book Writers and Artists Get Left in the Dust?
When the new creative head of DC Studios, James Gunn, announced their upcoming slate of films and TV, it included many names you might expect: Superman, Batman, maybe even Swamp Thing. It also included some lesser-known and leftfield picks, such as the take-no-prisoners superhero team The Authority. The team’s co-creator, artist Bryan Hitch, found that…
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Vapes and E-cigs Are Creating a New Waste Pandemic
Vaping, or using electronic cigarettes, not only pollutes the surrounding air, it also creates a new contaminated e-waste stream. Australian waste management authorities are just beginning to tackle this problem, as schools’ stockpiles of confiscated vapes continue to grow. As researchers of issues to do with the so-called circular economy, we take a keen interest…
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Scams, Deepfake Porn and Romance Bots: Advanced AI Is Exciting but Incredibly Dangerous
The generative AI industry will be worth about A$22 trillion by 2030, according to the CSIRO. These systems – of which ChatGPT is currently the best known – can write essays and code, generate music and artwork, and have entire conversations. But what happens when they’re turned to illegal uses? Last week, the streaming community…