It's now a matter of when, not if, for Australia. This is how we're preparing for a jump in coronavirus cases

By Katherine Gibney Et Al

While countries around the globe have been taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, it has now been reported in 37 countries outside China. As of February 26,...

Carbon pricing: it's a proven way to reduce emissions but everyone's too scared to mention it

By Tony Wood

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese sought to claim the climate policy high ground last week with his commitment to a net-zero emissions target by 2050. But figures on Australias emissions from the Department of the...

'I don't want anybody to see me using it': cashless welfare cards do more harm than good

By Greg Marston Et Al

The Australian government touts compulsory income management as a way to stop welfare payments being spent on alcohol, drugs or gambling. The Howard government introduced the BasicsCard more than a decade ago. About...

'They wouldn't let me call anybody': women in mental health wards need better protection from sexual assault

By Juliet Watson Et Al

Mental health inpatient units should be safe and healing places. But weve found women staying in these units are being threatened, harassed and sexually and physically assaulted by men. These are mostly men also staying...

Older and poorer: Retirement Income Review can't ignore the changing role of home

By Emma Dawson Et Al

The assumption that retired people have minimal housing costs underpins the settings of our retirement incomes system. But the real state of housing for older Australians today makes it critical for the Retirement Incomes...

The jobs market is nowhere near as good as you've heard, and it's changing us

By Michael Keating

We are continually being told that more of us are employed than ever before. Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe points out (correctly) that a higher proportion of us are in jobs than at any other time. Prime Minister...

Canada must use its 'soft power' to champion global human rights

By Sadia Mariam Malik

As the world enters the second decade of 21st century, it is waking up to a new reality, facing threats to international solidarity and human security that are not necessarily economic in nature. Climate change,...

World economy flashes red over coronavirus

By John Weeks

As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, travel restrictions are being imposed around the world. China is the main target, with various countries including Australia, Canada and the US placing different...

The census goes digital – 3 things to know

By Rebecca Senf

The U.S. Census Bureau is hoping that most people who live in the U.S. will use the internet to answer census questions, rather than filling out a paper form or providing those answers to a census taker in person, at their...

Americans are drowning in a sea of polls

By Michael Traugott

Polls have become an essential part of the news, particularly in the run-up to an election. Reports on polls feed into whats often called horserace coverage who is ahead or behind, whether the candidates relative...

How South Africa's mangrove forests store carbon and why it matters

By Jaime Leigh Johnson Et Al

Scientists around the world are looking for ways to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This gas is a natural component of the atmosphere, released by processes of respiration and decomposition of organic...

How heat can be used to store renewable energy

By Antoine Koen Et Al

The effect that fossil fuels are having on the climate emergency is driving an international push to use low-carbon sources of energy. At the moment, the best options for producing low-carbon energy on a large scale are...

If you're ageing and on medication, it might be time to re-assess your alcohol intake

By Stephen Bright Et Al

Drinking patterns tend to change as we age. The older we get, the more likely we are to drink on a daily basis. But older adults often perceive that drinking is only a problem if a person appears drunk. Australias draft...

How the Mediterranean diet became number 1 — and why that's a problem

By Tina Moffat Et Al

The Mediterranean diet was voted by a panel of 25 health and nutrition professionals as the best diet for 2020. Characterized by plant-based meals, the diet emphasizes eating less red meat and dairy, and more fish and...

Want to help save wildlife after the fires? You can do it in your own backyard

By Holly Kirk Et Al

People living in cities far from the unprecedented bushfires this summer may feel they can do little more to help beyond donating to organisations that support affected wildlife. But this is not necessarily the case: ten...

Why drought-busting rain depends on the tropical oceans

By Andrew King1 Et Al

Recent helpful rains dampened fire grounds and gave many farmers a reason to cheer. But much of southeast Australia remains in severe drought. Australia is no stranger to drought, but the current one stands out when...

Energy conservation needs to take centre stage in Ontario

By Mark Winfield

The false alarm earlier this year at Ontarios Pickering nuclear power plant, and the subsequent revelation that Doug Fords Conservative government intends to further extend the life of the already aged plant, has put the...

Dark Waters' pollution threat isn't Hollywood hysteria – it could be a ticking timebomb worldwide

By David Megson

If you live in the US or Australia, youre likely to know about PFAS (or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). But in the UK, few people have heard of them, despite one scientist I know describing the presence of...

Blacks are at higher risk for Alzheimer's, but why?

By Renã A.S. Robinson

Blacks are at higher risk for several health conditions in the U.S. This is true for heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and stroke, which are often chronic diseases. And it is also for Alzheimers disease, in...

Mine waste dams threaten the environment, even when they don't fail

By Christopher Sergeant Et Al

Scars from large mining operations are permanently etched across the landscapes of the world. The environmental damage and human health hazards that these activities create may be both severe and irreversible. Many...

Albania's plan against disinformation lets Facebook and powerful politicians off the hook

By Elidor Mehilli

A new set of laws in Albania empowers a government agency to review citizen complaints about online news websites. If a site is found to have published untrue information, official regulators can fine the sites owners and...

The ancient Greeks had alternative facts too – they were just more chill about it

By Joel Christensen

In an age of deepfakes and alternative facts, it can be tricky getting at the truth. But persuading others or even yourself what is true is not a challenge unique to the modern era. Even the ancient Greeks had to...

South Africa's spaza shops: how regulatory avoidance harms informal workers

By Andries du Toit

Small informal retailers are ubiquitous feature of any developing country urban landscape. Known as spaza shops in South Africa, they are an important, even vital, component in the townships. Numbering over 100,000 across...

Lessons from Rwanda on tackling unsafe drinking water and household air pollution

By Evan Thomas Et Al

Unsafe drinking water and household air pollution are major causes of illness and death around the world. This is also the case in Rwanda, where most people living in rural areas drink untreated water and burn firewood on...

How South African universities can tap into the continent's knowledge systems

By Oscar Oliver Eybers

South Africas higher education sector has experienced turmoil in recent years. Some of it stems from students financial woes. Some relates to experiences of alienation in the countrys universities. Some students, most...

Bernie Sanders easily wins Nevada caucus; the Coalition regains support in Newspoll

By Adrian Beaumont

Bernie Sanders has easily won the Nevada Democratic caucus, cementing his status as front-runner for the Democratic nomination in the US presidential election. With 88% of precincts reporting, Sanders won 47.1% of...

Burnt is out, 'skinscreen' is in. How sunscreen got a beauty makeover

By Lauren Gurrieri

Under Australias harsh sun, weve long slapped on sunscreen to protect ourselves from skin damage and cancer. Now the product, once known for protecting skin against harmful UV rays, is becoming part of beauty routines....

I think my child has outgrown their food allergy. How can I be sure?

By Paxton Loke

Some children grow out of their food allergies, but researchers dont exactly know why. Heres how to work with your allergy specialist if you suspect your child isnt allergic any more. Whos more likely to grow out of...

More than 70% of the Universe is made of 'dark energy', the mysterious stuff even stranger than dark matter

By Sunanda Creagh

Youve heard of dark matter. Youve probably heard theres a fair bit of it out there in space, and that astronomers dont know for sure what it is. But, strange as dark matter is, theres an even more mysterious thing out...

Australian law says the media can't spin lies – 'entertainment magazines' aren't an exception

By Andrew Dodd

In a recent ruling the Australian Press Council has given a signal to gossip magazines it is OK to make up and publish rubbish about people, so long as the stories arent blatantly incorrect. This is despite the councils...

People with cognitive disability shouldn't be in prison because they're 'unfit to plead'. There are alternatives

By Bernadette McSherry

In 2018, the Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass, delivered a report about the saddest case she had ever seen. A 39-year-old woman with a developmental disorder had been locked in her prison cell for up to 23 hours a day...

Online lectures mean fewer students are turning up – does it matter?

By Natalie Skead Et Al

In 2017, a business lecturer posted a photo on LinkedIn showing a completely empty university classroom, 15 minutes after the class had been scheduled to start. This is not an isolated incident. Anecdotally, lecture and...

Buzz off honey industry, our national parks shouldn’t be milked for money

By Patrick O'Connor Et Al

Among the vast number of native species damaged by the recent bushfire crisis, we must not forget native pollinators. These animals, mainly insects such as native bees, help sustain ecosystems by pollinating native...

Coronavirus quarantine could spark an online learning boom

By Carlo Perrotta

The spread of the coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 is a public health emergency with economic and social ramifications in China and across the world. While the impacts on business are well documented, education is...

Electricity market transforming apace but security a worry: Energy Security Board

By Michelle Grattan

The transformation of the national electricity market has progressed at a remarkable pace and scale over the last year as it moves towards renewables, but security is a critical issue, according to the Energy Security...

As vegan activism grows, politicians aim to protect agri-business, restaurateurs

By Alexia Renard

The vegan movement as diverse as it is is increasingly active and vocal, as several events have shown recently. Last month, a dozen activists entered the Joe Beef restaurant in Montréal as customers dined to...

What we don't understand about young people's motivations

By Heather Lawford Et Al

Young people are demanding change. In the last few days, young Indigenous activists and their supporters blocked parliamentarians in Victoria, B.C., from accessing the provincial legislature and led waves of protest across...

New DNA test that reveals a child’s true age has promise, but ethical pitfalls

By Charles Dupras Et Al

Epigenetic clocks are a new type of biological test currently capturing the attention of the scientific community, private companies and governmental agencies because of their potential to reveal an individuals true...

Discrediting elections: why the opposition playbook carries risks

By Nic Cheeseman

Malawi recently held its breath as the Constitutional Court took ten hours to painstakingly read out its verdict on the highly controversial 2019 presidential elections. When it finally became clear that the judgment would...

African countries aren't getting as much as they should from foreign direct investment

By Muazu Ibrahim

Economic growth is driven by a number of factors. These include foreign direct investment, national savings, household spending, fiscal and monetary policies. Since the late 1980s African governments have fully embraced...

US-Taliban truce begins, feeding hope of a peaceful, more prosperous Afghanistan

By Elizabeth B. Hessami

If a seven-day truce between the United States and the Taliban holds until Feb. 28, 2020, Afghanistans decades-long conflict may finally end. A peace deal could be signed as soon as Feb. 29, according to the State...

What the Trump budget says about the administration's health priorities

By Simon F. Haeder

The Trump administration recently released its budget blueprint for the 2021 fiscal year, the first steps in the complex budgetary process. The final budget will reflect the input of Congress, including the Democratic...

They're all fabulous and wonderful! How to figure out what's real in an inflated letter of recommendation

By Stephen J Ceci

Over the decades that Ive worked in universities, Ive watched academic letters of reference become increasingly inflated. And letter inflation goes beyond the academy; friends who hire in business say they, too, have...

Air pollution kills thousands of Americans every year – here's a low-cost strategy to reduce the toll

By Jason West Et Al

About 1 of every 25 deaths in the U.S. occurs prematurely because of exposure to air pollution. Dirty air kills roughly 110,000 Americans yearly, which is more than all transportation accidents and shootings...

How to turn the tide against South Africa's crime wave

By Guy Lamb

In February last year South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that his government would pursue five fundamental goals over the next decade. One of these was particularly bold, namely that violent crime would...

Antibiotic resistance: new discovery could change the future of treatment

By David Moyes Et Al

Since their discovery in 1928, antibiotics have become a common way of treating infections caused by bacteria, fungi and other microbes. To treat an infection, a doctor usually prescribes a course of antibiotics (such as...

What is hypnobirthing, the technique the Duchess of Cambridge used?

By Mary Steen

In a new parenting podcast, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, said she used hypnobirthing techniques to help her get through severe morning sickness a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. She also used the...

Nondisclosure and secrecy laws protect Bloomberg – not the women who sued him

By Elizabeth C. Tippett

Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg received a lot of flak at the Feb. 19 Democratic debate for his refusal to release employees who sued his company from nondisclosure agreements. He admitted...

Execution for a Facebook post? Why blasphemy is a capital offense in some Muslim countries

By Ahmet T. Kuru

Junaid Hafeez, a university lecturer in Pakistan, had been imprisoned for six years when he was sentenced to death in December 2019. The charge: blasphemy, specifically insulting Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. Pakistan...

Carbon pricing may be overrated, if history is any indication

By Cameron Roberts

A common demand in discussions about climate change is to respect the science. This is appropriate. We should all be paying close attention to the urgent and terrifying conclusions being published by climate...