The fresh air, picturesque vistas, and pristine bush of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney draw millions of visitors a year. Unfortunately, the Blue Mountains are also the site of a controversial investigation into water contamination with “forever chemicals”, also called PFAS. Our recent study investigated long-term PFAS contamination from two incidents, both involving petrol tanker crashes and fires. Both accidents occurred in drinking water catchments, and our study found c

Cybersecurity and national security experts have explored how EV batteries and the connected technology of electric vehicles could potentially be weaponized in other ways to cause significant disruption or mass casualties in a terrorist attack scenario, or actions by a disgruntled employee. EV batteries possess inherent hazards (flammable electrolytes, potential for explosions/fires under abuse) that could be exploited in malicious acts. The primary concern of cybersecurity a

If you had to name the most dangerous place in the Solar System, you’d probably start with the obvious suspects. The Sun, with its searing temperatures and violent eruptions, where solar flares and coronal mass ejections blast charged particles across the Solar System powerful enough to disrupt satellites, damage infrastructure, and, in extreme cases, cripple electrical grids. Maybe Earth’s sister planet and “molten hellhole” Venus, where it rains highly concentrated sulfuric