From the Editors

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? By the time you’re reading this, it’s possible that life other than this small blue dot’s has been found in the universe; that the cure to many cancers has been unlocked; that particles have been discovered that change our understanding of physics. Happily, around the world countless people are working towards these discoveries – spending years and decades combining their findings to create what history records as breakthroughs that transform our understanding of life, the universe and everything.

Eureka events are invaluable tools to storytellers like us; what’s harder to describe is the careful work that produces them. Take climate. The models that are being used to forecast our shared future are genuinely mind-bending, but only a handful of people can claim to truly understand them. This issue Drew Rooke has taken up the challenge of researching their fascinating origins – looking beyond the vastly complex calculations they’ve become to understand the kernel inside. Trusting their reliability is one thing, but it’s much more powerful to understand the facts and mechanisms that go into producing their predictions, and how critical it is that we act on them.

Also in this issue Sara Webb tunes into the hum of the cosmos, explaining how a galaxy-sized telescope formed from pulsars is finding and measuring gravitational waves that may shift physics (again!). Natalie Parletta takes a 50th anniversary tour of the World Vegetable Center Genebank to meet the delightfully quirky hunters and gatherers of the planet’s edible plants. Manuela Callari and Mark Pesce look at two innovations in medical research: the quest to restore sight, and the use of AI in clinical diagnoses. And everyone’s favourite meteorologist Nate Byrne explains why new words are needed to explain our changing weather. As always, we’ve got fun old and new: a year in the life of Antarctica, the physics of surfing, peering inside a caterpillar’s cocoon and for the young and young at heart we’ve created Curiosity Corner, where we’ll answer questions, set challenges and offer some DIY science entertainments for home.

Finally, Jacinta Bowler looks at the challenges facing academics in Australia to explore the systemic barriers they face to continuing their research. The world changes, its way paved by those countless people and those countless hours. If this country squanders the ability to support its researchers, what do the rest of us stand to lose?

GAIL MACCALLUM, IAN CONNELLAN & LAUREN FUGE contribute@cosmosmagazine.com