Australia's new chief scientist has said he is open to the prospect of nuclear power playing a role in the country's energy mix, but remained focused on forms of energy that were "available to help us right now". On his first day in the job, Prof Tony Haymet said new energy-intensive technologies like artificial intelligence could be powered by renewables, but that he thought serious discussions about nuclear in Australia were likely to be years away. "If you go back and look at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and so on, there wasn't enough transparency and openness. I think the nuclear industry has accepted the fact that they have to rebuild their social licence to operate," Haymet told a press conference when asked about small modular reactors (SMRs). "You know, for the next chief scientist in 2030 or 2040, I think you can re-ask your question."

This post contains spoilers for Outer Range and Yellowstone. Some viewers of Outer Range's first season may have been focused on parsing the Amazon Prime series's Lost-style mysteries: What is up with the big, swirling time hole in Royal Abbott's pasture? Why did Rebecca Abbott, his daughter-in-law, vanish without a trace? What does Autumn, the charismatic hippie camping on Royal's land, want with the Abbott family? I had a different question about the sci-fi Western: What the heck is this show doing with Taylor Sheridan's megahit Yellowstone?

Perched in his fire tower high above the pine trees, Nick Dutton leans back and nods to the cascading hills and mountains behind him. "I love being out here, just away from stuff," he says. "I mean, you can't really complain." Dutton, a fire tower operator, is sitting in his office, a tiny cabin propped high above the treetops by metal supports that sway with the wind. His walls are littered with compass points and references, each a guide to the bush stretching in every direction along the eastern ACT-NSW border.

Ever since the popular Hollywood movie franchise X-Men hit the screens, we have been fascinated with mutants and the genetic variations that give them powers beyond logic. But, mutations are not restricted to students of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters alone. Humans display wide range of gene mutations which are increasing with time as natural selection takes a back seat in the modern world. Now, a study has linked a lack of belief in god to an increase in genetic mutations in the general population. The study found that religious people tend to live healthier, longer lives than atheists.

From Stephen Hawking to Alan Turing, many of the most intelligent people in the world are atheists. In the hope of understanding the link between intelligence and religion, researchers have created a model based on historical evidence and a recent survey. The findings suggest that religion should be considered an instinct, with intelligence the ability to rise above one's instincts. From Stephen Hawking to Alan Turing, many of the most intelligent people in the world are atheists. Hawking famously said: 'Science can explain the universe, we don't need God to explain why there is something rather than nothing' The researchers argue that religion should be seen as a separate evolved domain or instinct, whereas intelligence allows people to rise above their instincts.