Becoming a Spacefaring Civilisation — and Saving EarthWe need to expand beyond Earth, but not abandon it — just stop relying on Earth as our only quarry and only site for factories. By Wilson da Silva FEEL ANGUISHED about the state of our planet? Care about the future of human civilisation? Then you… Nov 19 21November 19, 2021Article at Medium
A Candle in the Dark: 9 Rules for Combating Bulls#!tOur brains are wired for collective delusions, but simple tools can combat these frailties. VISITING STONEHENGE is a magical experience: you can’t help but be influenced by its iconic status as one of the world’s most recognisable ancient monuments.… Nov 12 21November 12, 2021Article at Vocal
Are the Nobel Prizes Still Relevant?The Nobel Prizes represent the zenith of scientific achievement. But are they still an accurate reflection of science as it is done today? THERE ARE SOME MYTHS about the Nobel Prizes: that they recognise the world’s best minds. That every… Jul 01 21July 01, 2021Article at Vocal
A Candle in the Dark: 9 Rules for Combating Bulls#!tOur brains are wired for collective delusions, and false beliefs can arise spontaneously. But simple tools can combat these frailties. By Wilson da Silva VISITING STONEHENGE is a magical experience: you can’t help but be influenced by its iconic… Oct 23 21October 23, 2021Article at Medium
Changing Minds: ‘Just the Facts’ Ain’t Enough Simply presenting people with evidence does not alter beliefs, especially those that are deeply held. But that doesn’t mean you have to tolerate quackery. FACTS DON’T WIN, it turns out: Ideas are more powerful than facts, especially ideas that… Jun 03 21June 03, 2021Article at Vocal
War of the Bots Cyber attacks are tougher to combat, so engineers are turning to artificial intelligence to find and stop intruders. THERE’S A WAR ON in cyberspace. Every day, thousands of attacks are mounted against computers and networks across the world, with… Jun 02 21June 02, 2021Article at Vocal
Australia’s News Media: An Anglo-Celtic Panopticon A lack of diversity in Australian newsrooms remains a stubborn feature of modern life. For me, this not academic: it is lived experience. By Wilson da Silva HOW’S DIVERSITY coming along in the Australian news media? Not so much. A study by the… Apr 15 21April 15, 2021Article at Vocal
How a Drunk Driver Led to the Birth of Russia's Sputnik 1 In the milieu of the Cold War, a roadside accident three generations ago led to Sputnik 1, and the beginning of a new era: the Space Age. By Wilson da Silva HAD IT NOT BEEN for a collision with a tree by a vodka-sodden driver on the outskirts of… Apr 15 21April 15, 2021Article at Vocal
Facebook’s Australian News Ban a Colossal Blunder At pains to downplay Facebook’s power and influence, CEO Mark Zuckerberg actually proved both — then lost the battle. By Wilson da Silva IT CAME SUDDENLY and without warning: on Thursday 18 February 2021, Australians woke up to find news stories… Apr 13 21April 13, 2021Article at Vocal
Facebook’s Australian News Ban a Colossal BlunderBy Wilson da Silva IT CAME SUDDENLY and without warning: on Thursday 18 February 2021, Australians woke up to find news stories gone from Facebook; not just links to Australian news, but news as a category. From anywhere. Links to news content were… Feb 24 21February 24, 2021Article at Medium
Australia’s News Media: An Anglo-Celtic PanopticonThe lack of diversity in Australian newsrooms is not academic to me: it is lived experience. And for the first time, I’ve written about it. By Wilson da SilvaHOW’S DIVERSITY coming along in the Australian news media? Not so much. A study by the… Oct 18 20October 18, 2020Article at Medium
How a Drunk Driver Led to the Birth of Russia’s Sputnik 1In the milieu of the Cold War, a roadside accident three generations ago led to Sputnik 1, and the beginning of a new era: the Space Age. By Wilson da SilvaHAD IT NOT BEEN for a collision with a tree by a vodka-sodden driver on the outskirts of… Oct 03 20October 03, 2020Article at Medium
War of the Bots: Artificial Intelligence in Cyber WarfareWith cyber attacks now tougher to combat, engineers are turning to artificial intelligence techniques that hunt and contain intruders.THERE’S A WAR ON in cyberspace. Every day, thousands of attacks are mounted against computers and networks across… Nov 01 19November 01, 2019Article at Medium
FEATURE | Man on a MissionAustralia's Chief Scientist is fighting the good fight, spearheading the effort to have science taken seriously in policy circles. But with budget cuts and an antagonism to climate science in Canberra, Wilson da Silva wonders if he is tilting at… Oct 01 14October 01, 2014Article at Cosmos Magazine
FEATURE | The Particle and the Prize For more than a century, the Nobel Prizes have represented the zenith of scientific achievement. But are they an accurate reflection of science as it is done today? Wilson da Silva finds that the winds of change are blowing in Stockholm. By Wilson… Jun 01 14June 01, 2014Article at Cosmos Magazine
OPINION | ‘Just the Facts’ Ain’t EnoughSimply presenting people with evidence does not alter beliefs, especially those that are deeply held. But that doesn’t mean you have to tolerate quackery.By Wilson da SilvaFACTS DON’T WIN. Ideas are more powerful than facts, especially ideas that… Jun 01 12June 01, 2012Article at Cosmos Magazine
FEATURE | Rethinking the World’s Energy Can we really shift the world completely away from fossil fuels in the next 20 years? A brave band of scientists, engineers and young people believe so. Wilson da Silva watched them develop this bold new blueprint for the future of energy. THE… Apr 01 12April 01, 2012Article at Cosmos Magazine
OPINION | The Sad, Sad Demise of GreenpeaceScience is not a belief system we can opt in and out of depending on our ideological or political points of view.By Wilson da SilvaGREENPEACE WAS ONCE a friend of science, helping bring attention to important environmental research. These days, it’s… Aug 01 11August 01, 2011Article at Cosmos Magazine
OPINION | The Sky Is Not FallingWe are not facing extinction, and climate change is not killing the planet.By Wilson da SilvaIT’S TIME for a reality check: climate change is not the biggest threat to the planet. It does not threaten all life on Earth. It’s not even the end of… Feb 01 11February 01, 2011Article at Cosmos Magazine
OPINION | The Undiscovered CountryIt’s hard enough to predict the challenges we’ll face in 20 years, let alone to guess the solutions. The only thing we know for sure is that science can deliver.By Wilson da SilvaNIELS BOHR WAS a Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to… Jun 01 10June 01, 2010Article at Cosmos Magazine
