Shorter meetings but longer days: how COVID-19 has changed the way we work

By Richard Holden

One of the many things COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on is the way many of us work. Those fortunate enough to be able to work from home have been able to adapt to this new reality and it certainly has been...

100 days without COVID-19: how New Zealand got rid of a virus that keeps spreading across the world

By Michael Baker Et Al

On Sunday, New Zealand marked 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19. From the first known case imported into New Zealand on February 26 to the last case of community transmission detected on May 1,...

Bingeing Netflix under lockdown? Here's why streaming comes at a cost to the environment

By Michael Fuhrer Et Al

Coronavirus lockdowns have led to a massive reduction in global emissions, but theres one area where energy usage is up way up during the pandemic: internet traffic. Data-intensive video streaming, gaming and...

Early access to super doesn’t justify higher compulsory contributions

By Brendan Coates Et Al

A big part of the Morrison governments response to COVID-19 has been allowing people early access to their superannuation. Australians who have claimed hardship have applied for A$30.7 billion to date. This has been...

I'm devastated for Beirut – a city I thought I hated

By Rola El-Husseini

Since the explosion in Beirut Ive listened repeatedly to the song Ya Beirut (Oh Beirut) by the Lebanese diva Majida al-Roumi, while obsessively reading the news and checking on extended family members like any other...

Nuclear threats are increasing – here's how the US should prepare for a nuclear event

By Cham Dallas

On the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, some may like to think the threat from nuclear weapons has receded. But there are clear signs of a growing nuclear arms race and that the U.S. is not very...

Twitter posts show that people are profoundly sad – and are visiting parks to cheer up

By Joe Roman Et Al

The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is the deepest and longest period of malaise in a dozen years. Our colleagues at the University of Vermont have concluded this by analyzing posts on Twitter. The Vermont Complex...

How Beirut's port explosion exacerbates Lebanon's economic crisis

By Baumann Baumann

The explosion that tore through Beirut on Tuesday August 4 was so strong that shockwaves were felt on the island of Cyprus, over 200 kilometres away. At least 135 people were killed and 5,000 injured in the blast. Such...

US-China tensions give Southeast Asian nations reason to find other partners elsewhere

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

As tensions between the US and China intensify, Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, should rethink their ties with the two great powers. They should lessen their dependency on the two countries by strengthening...

New research shows religious discrimination is on the rise around the world, including in Australia

By Nicholas Aroney

There is a theory that despite all the commotion, religious freedom faces no significant threat in Western democracies like Australia. Therefore, the argument goes, we do not need a federal Religious Discrimination...

These lesser-known songs deserve to be on your summer playlist

By James Deaville

Tired of all the news about COVID-19? Why not take your ears on holiday with a summer listening playlist, assembled by music faculty from Carleton University. If youre tired of the old playlists yet are likewise...

How we rely on older adults, especially during the coronavirus pandemic

By Sally Chivers

Unprecedented might be the word of the COVID-19 pandemic. But for many, especially older adults, life has taken many abrupt turns. Maybe its their first pandemic, but its not the first time theyve pivoted without calling...

Post-COVID, there'll be less of a reason to cut company tax than before

By Janine Dixon Et Al

Theyre at it again, pushing lower company tax as a way to resuscitate the economy. The arguments were well ventilated at the time the government pushed for company tax cuts, failed to get support in the Senate, and then...

Forget a capital gains tax – what New Zealand needs is a tax on inherited wealth

By Jonathan Barrett

The worlds wealthiest people will transfer US$15.4 trillion in assets to their heirs in the next decade, according to a recent report. Published by specialist data analysts Wealth-X, the report focused on the richest...

The COVID-19 crisis in aged care shows elimination is the only effective strategy

By Richard Holden

As Victoria struggles to get its hotel-quarantine-debacle-driven COVID-19 outbreak under control, there has been renewed focus on the plight of those in aged-care facilities. The facts are these. Between March 26 and...

Data privacy: stricter European rules will have repercussions in Australia as global divisions grow

By Normann Witzleb

A big year for privacy just got bigger. On July 16, Europes top court ruled on the legality of two mechanisms for cross-border transfers of personal data. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) struck down...

There aren't enough batteries to electrify all cars — focus on trucks and buses instead

By Cameron Roberts

We need to change our transportation system, and we need to do it quickly. Road transportation is a major consumer of fossil fuels, contributing 16 per cent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, which warm up...

Thermal cameras aren't perfect, but they can help control the coronavirus pandemic

By Roderick Thomas Et Al

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the world has rushed to deploy infrared thermal imaging cameras (also known as infrared radiometers) to measure peoples temperature and the technology has become big...

Data analysis shows wellbeing fell during the pandemic but improved under lockdown

By Mark Fabian Et Al

Lockdowns are seemingly vital for controlling COVID-19. Early evidence suggests they have a big effect on preventing deaths. But if were to keep using them, we also need to know their broader impacts. Many people are...

The importance of blood tests for Alzheimer's: 2 neurologists explain the recent findings

By Steven DeKosky Et Al

A blood test to diagnose Alzheimers disease moved closer to reality this week after new findings were announced at the Alzheimers Association International Conference on July 29, 2020. The test showed extremely high...

Business major fails to attract Latino students

By Kevin Singer Et Al

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the inequity of the U.S. economy toward minority racial and ethnic groups. Research shows that successful entrepreneurship can help reduce the racial wealth disparity, especially for the...

Private browsing: What it does – and doesn't do – to shield you from prying eyes on the web

By Lorrie Cranor

Many people look for more privacy when they browse the web by using their browsers in privacy-protecting modes, called Private Browsing in Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Apple Safari; Incognito in Google Chrome; and InPrivate...

Mars 2020: the hunt for life on the red planet is about to get serious

By Monica Grady

Next spring is going to be a busy time for Mars. In close succession, three spacecraft will arrive at the planet, joining the dozen or so craft already circling Mars. Two of the spacecraft were launched in the past couple...

SpaceX: Crew Dragon is returning to Earth – here’s when to hold your breath

By Heather Muir

The Crew Dragon spacecraft, produced by private company SpaceX, is scheduled to return from the International Space Station (ISS) and splash down in the Atlantic ocean on August 2. Contingent on a favourable weather...

Five top tips for managing your personal finances during coronavirus

By Jonquil Lowe

When it comes to money, coronavirus has split the nation. Financial stress dominates for many of the 9.5 million employees on furlough, potentially facing unemployment as the scheme unwinds, and for those whose small...

Why young people are earning less

By Jeff Borland

That COVID is hurting young workers more than older ones is widely recognised. Whats less well known is that even before COVID-19, in the decade leading up to it, incomes for young people (aged 15 to 34) were falling in...

Brexit, Australian style: will leaving the EU breathe new life into an old friendship?

By Stuart Ward

This piece is republished with permission from GriffithReview69: The European Exchange, edited by Ashley Hay and Natasha Cica, and published in partnership with the Australian National University When Boris Johnson...

Lawmakers keen to break up 'big tech' like Amazon and Google need to realize the world has changed a lot since Microsoft and Standard Oil

By Bhaskar Chakravorti

Big tech is back in the spotlight. The chief executives of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google are testifying before Congress on July 29 to defend their market dominance from accusations theyre stifling rivals. Lawmakers...

Startup founders help each other weather the COVID-19 crisis

By Elena Obukhova Et Al

Anna (a pseudonym), a startup founder in the Montréal area, went through an emotional rollercoaster ride thats familiar to us all since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At first she tried to stay positive and...

The office is dead! Long live the office in a post-pandemic world

By Beth Humberd

Editors note: The future of the office has become an open question after the coronavirus lockdown forced tens of millions of Americans to work from home. Will office workers flock back to their cubicles and water coolers...

Does your homemade mask work?

By Simon Kolstoe

If a surgeon arrived at the operating theatre wearing a mask they had made that morning from a tea towel, they would probably be sacked. This is because the equipment used for important tasks, such as surgery, must be...

Red capital: how Chinese companies wield political influence in Hong Kong

By Heidi Wang-Kaeding

To Hong Kongs pro-democracy protesters, the passing of a new US law that removes Hong Kongs special economic status fits into their scorched earth, or laam caau, strategy. At its core is the protesters belief that the...

QAnon believers will likely outlast and outsmart Twitter’s bans

By Audrey Courty

Twitter has announced its taking sweeping action to limit the reach of content associated with QAnon. Believers of this fringe far-right conspiracy theory claim there is a deep state plot against US President Donald Trump...

Court action, confusion and a big escape clause: here’s why changes to environment law shouldn't be rushed

By Megan C Evans Et Al

By the end of August, the Morrison government wants Parliament to consider changes to Australias flagship environment law to help arrest natures steady decline. The move follows the release this week of Professor Graeme...

When great powers fail, New Zealand and other small states must organise to protect their interests

By Robert G. Patman

News that the bad boys of Brexit have been hired by New Zealand First to work on the partys social media strategy is simultaneously amusing and ominous. Famous for the Leave.EU campaign in the UK, the duo of Aaron Banks...

How smart investments in technology can beef up Africa’s economy

By Noble Banadda

There is no shortage of technological innovations designed to boost animal agriculture in Africa. These range from GPS tracking systems which identify and trace pastoralists herds to livestock vaccine SMS services that...

Uber supreme court battle: even if drivers win, they need new laws to protect them

By Tom Vickers

The UK supreme court has just heard an appeal from Uber that has far-reaching implications for UK drivers and the wider gig economy. Uber wants to overturn an employment tribunal ruling from 2016, which improved the lot of...

Disinformation campaigns are murky blends of truth, lies and sincere beliefs – lessons from the pandemic

By Kate Starbird

The COVID-19 pandemic has spawned an infodemic, a vast and complicated mix of information, misinformation and disinformation. In this environment, false narratives the virus was planned, that it originated as a...

From Lenin to Putin: Russia's turbulent history as told by the foreign press

By James Rodgers

What a contrast it was. In early May 2000, Vladimir Putin strode through the Kremlins gilded corridors, his progress relayed on live TV across the worlds largest country, and beyond. I was reporting from Moscow for the...

Teachers have been let down by a decade of inaction on digital technologies

By Keith Turvey Et Al

The coronavirus pandemic has led to significant disruption to school education in England. Teachers have made a concerted effort to use digital technology and remote teaching and learning to lessen the impact of this...

Russia report: intelligence expert explains how UK ignored growing threat

By Dan Lomas

The new report from parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) on Russia is damning. The document certainly isnt a page-turner, and nor does it provide all the answers some had expected. But contrary to most ISC...

Neurostimulation may herald a new treatment for depression

By Jérémie Lefebvre

Depression is a growing problem in Canada and elsewhere, and one of the most important public health issues today, says the World Health Organization (WHO). The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing containment measures have...

Jobs crisis: the case for a new social contract

By Tony Dobbins

Numerous British companies have been announcing redundancies on the back of the COVID-19 crisis, notably in retail, hospitality, aviation and manufacturing. With big names including Marks Spencer, Rolls-Royce, Airbus and...

New technologies mean states must reconsider what 'reproductive rights' are

By Bonginkosi Shozi

A number of technological advances have revolutionised human reproduction in the past few decades. One example is in vitro fertilisation (IVF), the process of fertilising a womans eggs with a mans sperm in the laboratory....

Theatre companies are pushing storytelling boundaries with online audiences amid COVID-19

By Kelsey Jacobson

One night in April, I found myself holding my cat up to my laptop, eagerly showing her off to a group of strangers on Zoom. I was, in fact, an audience member immersed in a production of Shakespeares The Tempest by...

Energy isn't just electricity – the common mistake obscuring the mammoth task of decarbonisation

By George Loumakis

One of the first things I teach students is the difference between energy and electricity. Electricity is a particular form of energy, but often the two words are used interchangeably. Britain recently celebrated its...

COVID-19's economic impact could be stressing out our kids

By Nancy Kong Et Al

Did you lose your job because of the pandemic? Even if your job is not currently affected, do you worry about your future income? If so, you are one of many who experience economic stress. COVID-19 is taking a heavy...

Social networks aim to erase hate but miss the target on guns

By Adam G. Klein

As Facebook faces down a costly boycott campaign demanding the social network do more to combat hate speech, CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced plans to ban a wider category of hateful content in ads. Twitter, YouTube...

With fewer cars on US streets, now is the time to reinvent roadways and how we use them

By Kevin J. Krizek

Sticking closer to home because of COVID-19 has shown many people what cities can be like with less traffic, noise, congestion and pollution. Roads and parking lots devoted to cars take up a lot of land. For example, in...

Microfinance loans could spell disaster in the time of coronavirus

By Vincent Guermond Et Al

When the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus in 2006 for his concept of microfinance, it brought what began as a local policy experiment in the 1970s to global attention. Microfinance...