In a largely uneventful and inconsequential US vice presidential debate, no one can claim victory

By Emma Shortis

Just like vice presidents themselves, in US politics, debates dont really matter until they do. The most recent debate (and likely the last of the 2024 election cycle) between aspiring vice presidents Senator JD Vance and...

What the facial expressions of Tim Walz and JD Vance said about their nerves, embarrassment and pride

By Patrick Stewart

Neither Ohio GOP Sen. JD Vance nor Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has the national stature of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, so viewers had a chance to judge these two relatively...

Is your car a threat to national security? It can be – regardless of where it’s made

By Dennis B. Desmond

In April, US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to ban Chinese-built electric vehicles (EVs), labelling them an existential threat to the American auto industry. The proposed ban arose from concerns that Chinese car...

Wondering what AI actually is? Here are the 7 things it can do for you

By Sandra Peter Et Al

You know weve reached peak interest in artificial intelligence (AI) when Oprah Winfrey hosts a television special about it. AI is truly everywhere. And we will all have a relationship with it whether using it, building...

Tougher than the GFC: why NZ’s small businesses may be in worse shape than in 2008

By Antje Fiedler Et Al

With rising costs and drops in consumer spending, small businesses have been struggling lately. Continuous economic pressure is causing significant stress and burnout among small business owners, while confidence...

The biodiversity jukebox: how sound can boost beneficial soil microbes to heal nature

By Jake M Robinson Et Al

In a race against time, scientists are exploring new ways to restore natural systems. Alongside traditional methods such as planting trees, reducing pollution and reintroducing native species, a surprising new tool is...

Resiliency and concussion: Why do some athletes develop neurodegeneration and others don’t?

By Ravi Menon

Ontarios Minister of Sport, 71-year-old Neil Lumsden, recently announced his decision to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada to support research on brain injuries. Lumsden played 10 years in the...

What pathogen might spark the next pandemic? How scientists are preparing for ‘disease X’

By Allen Cheng

Before the COVID pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) had made a list of priority infectious diseases. These were felt to pose a threat to international public health, but where research was still needed to...

‘We nicknamed it Eddy’: what do schools and teachers think of AI in classrooms?

By Vitomir Kovanovic Et Al

Its almost two years since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022. Since then, educators worldwide have been grappling with what generative artificial intelligence might mean for classrooms and learning. ChatGPT has...

Friday essay: ‘I know my ache is not your pain’ – disabled writers imagine a healthier world

By Andy Jackson

There are many reasons why I shouldnt be here. If youd shown my ten-year-old self my life as it is now, hed have been stunned, mostly because he half-expected an early death. My father, who had Marfan Syndrome, the genetic...

‘We’re all Muriel’: why we still love Muriel’s Wedding, 30 years on

By Lisa French

P.J. Hogans classic Australian film Muriels Wedding is 30 and it plays as well today as it did when it had its world premiere. Muriel might have been terrible but the film was a great success. Australians love to laugh...

Reading desert sands – Indigenous wildlife tracking skills underpin vast monitoring project

By Sarah Legge Et Al

As animals move across the desert, they leave tracks, diggings and droppings. For skilled trackers, reading these signs is like watching a movie. A story of who was there and what they were doing unfolds in front of...

What are the 10 greatest upsets in VFL/AFL grand final history?

By Brendon Hyndman Et Al

The Brisbane Lions are the underdogs for Saturdays AFL grand final against Sydney. After defeating Geelong in Victoria for the first time in 20 years, they have reached the grand final from fifth on the ladder, without...

Access to a GP can make all the difference in surviving lung cancer – and that is a problem for Māori

By Ross Lawrenson Et Al

Surviving lung cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand could depend on whether you can access a GP raising questions about equity in the countrys health system. Our new research examines the outcomes for patients who are...

Eric Adams indictment: How campaign finance violations often grow into dramatic scandals

By Charlie Hunt Et Al

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with bribery and fraud following a spiraling federal investigation into his administration. Among other accusations, federal prosecutors alleged in their September 2024...

Workplace wellbeing programmes often don’t work – but here’s how to make them better

By Jolanta Burke

The World Health Organization (WHO) has just published alarming statistics showing that employee mental health issues result in a US$1 trillion (747 billion) loss in productivity each year. The WHO has called on employers...

The seven greatest cover songs of all time – according to music experts

By Glenn Fosbraey Et Al

We recently asked subscribers to our arts and culture newsletter, Something Good, to name their favourite cover song. We received a range of replies, from Beyoncés reimagining of the Dolly Parton classic, Jolene, to...

Ketamine: what you need to know about the UK’s growing drug problem

By Ian Hamilton Et Al

There is growing awareness of the problems caused by the use of a fast-acting drug called ketamine. Often referred to as K or ket, it was made a class B drug in the UK in 2014 and is illegal to buy or sell. Possessing the...

How the cost of living crisis and games industry turmoil could hurt Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro release

By Adam Jerrett

In late November 2020, I was one of those people standing in line or rather, refreshing my browser hoping to snag a PlayStation 5 during a restock. The pandemic was in full swing, and with most of the world locked...

Ethiopia’s grand plans for Addis Ababa: 4 essential reads on the social cost of transforming an African city

By Kagure Gacheche

Ethiopias capital city is undergoing a transformation. Addis Ababa is being redeveloped as part of Ethiopias broader economic ambitions. Mega road projects, ambitious housing developments and infrastructural changes, all...

How the ‘New Right’ in Latin America differs from other emerging far-right movements

By Juan Manuel Morales

Following the end of the progressive wave of the 2000s and 2010s in Latin America, the right has reinvented itself and regained political space. There is the self-styled libertarianism of Javier Milei in Argentina, the...

Why do we yawn when we see someone else yawn?

By Astrid Thébault Guiochon

After a hearty lunch at work, you and your co-workers go into a meeting. First one colleague starts to yawn, then a second and finally its your turn. Many biological explanations have been put forward for this, but what is...

Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin ups the ante on his nuclear blackmail – the big question is how the west will respond

By Christoph Bluth

Vladimir Putin has announced what appears to be a dramatic strengthening of Russias nuclear doctrine. The Russian president was responding to speculation that the west may relax its restrictions on Ukraines use of its...

The world isn’t taking Putin’s nuclear threats seriously – the history of propaganda suggests it should

By Colin Alexander

Vladimir Putin has spoken several times about using nuclear weapons since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, the initial attention and concern that global news media gave to Putin when he...

Drug prices improved under Biden-Harris and Trump − but not for everyone, and not enough

By C. Michael White

When it comes to drug pricing, the Trump and Biden-Harris administrations both have some very modest wins to tout. As director of the Health Outcomes, Policy, and Evidence Synthesis group at the University of...

Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit?

By Manuel Pastor Et Al

Imperial County consistently ranks among the most economically distressed places in California. Its Salton Sea, the states biggest and most toxic lake, is an environmental disaster. And the regions politics have been...

Post-election violence is possible in US, political scientist says − and it could be worse than Jan. 6

By Alexander Cohen

Should Americans be bracing for bloodshed if Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election? As a political scientist who studies American politics, I can easily imagine a repeat of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol...

Fungal infections known as valley fever could spike this fall - 3 epidemiologists explain how to protect yourself

By Jennifer Head Et Al

As the climate warms, the southwestern U.S. is increasingly experiencing weather whiplash as the region swings from drought to flooding and back again. As a result, the public is hearing more about little-known infectious...

Bees have irrational biases when choosing which flowers to feed on − just like human shoppers do

By Claire Therese Hemingway

Just like people confronted with a sea of options at the grocery store, bees foraging in meadows encounter many different flowers at once. They must decide which ones to visit for food, but it isnt always a straightforward...

Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success

By Rodney E. Rohde Et Al

Rabies is a deadly disease. Without vaccination, a rabies infection is nearly 100% fatal once someone develops symptoms. Texas has experienced two rabies epidemics in animals since 1988: one involving coyotes and dogs in...

Greener nanomaterials could transform how our everyday stuff is made

By Amber Keegan

Tiny nanoparticles are at the forefront of materials science with special properties that make them great at absorbing light in solar panels, cleaning wastewater, and delivering drugs precisely. Some nanoparticles take...

The universe is smoother than the standard model of cosmology suggests – so is the theory broken?

By Ian G. McCarthy

Given how unfathomably large the universe is, it is perhaps understandable that we havent yet cracked all its secrets. But there are actually some pretty basic features, ones we used to think we could explain, that...

Easing Africa’s debt burdens: a fresh approach, based on an old idea

By Danny Bradlow Et Al

The statistics are stark: 54 governments, of which 25 are African, are spending at least 10% of their revenues on servicing their debts; 48 countries, home to 3.3 billion people, are spending more on debt service than on...

ChatGPT is changing the way we write. Here’s how – and why it’s a problem

By Ritesh Chugh

Have you noticed certain words and phrases popping up everywhere lately? Phrases such as delve into and navigate the landscape seem to feature in everything from social media posts to news articles and academic...

Are private hospitals really in trouble? And is more public funding the answer?

By Anthony Scott Et Al

A battle between private hospitals and private health insurers is playing out in public. At its heart is how much health insurers pay hospitals for their services, and whether thats enough for private hospitals to...

Is an ankle sprain also a brain injury? How neuroscience is helping athletes, astronauts and ‘average Joes’

By Gordon Waddington Et Al

Have you ever thought of an ankle sprain as a brain injury? Most people probably wouldnt. However, we are starting to understand how the brain is constantly adapting, known as plasticity. Even though the damage of an...

The government is reviewing negative gearing and capital gains tax, but this won’t be enough to fix our housing shortage

By Michelle Cull

Negative gearing and capital gains tax are back on the national agenda as Australians deal with a housing crisis and politicians look for ways to tackle the issue and win voters support at the upcoming election. The...

Netflix’s Monsters is ‘murder porn’ at its worst. It comes at a cost to real victims – and the truth

By Xanthe Mallett

Are we products of nature or nurture? Thats the age-old question at the heart of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennans new Netflix release, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story. The show focuses on the 1989 murders...

In a too-close-to-call US presidential election, will ‘couch-sitters’ decide who wins?

By Jeff Bleich Et Al

In countries with compulsory voting, such as Australia and many in Latin America, the system usually ensures an overwhelming majority of voters cast their ballots election after election. In the United States, its a...

Struggling to make decisions at work? Learn how to build confidence

By Leda Stawnychko Et Al

One of the most daunting tasks for new leaders is making decisions that impact others. Although the average person makes thousands of conscious decisions each day some estimates suggest as many as 35,000 when it comes to...

Delirium: this common and frightening syndrome looks like dementia, but comes on much faster

By Laura Zaurín Paniagua

During the day hes completely calm, but at night he gets very agitated. Tonight she hasnt stopped calling out for her mother, who passed away many years ago. But shes been asleep all day, and it was almost impossible...

Fostering a love of stories in a child’s first years is key to lifelong reading

By Elaine Reese

Childrens literacy rates are falling around the globe. In response, a number of governments, including New Zealands, are overhauling the way reading is taught in primary school. One key change is a renewed focus on...

Ontario’s closure of youth detention facilities has not resulted in more support for young people

By Jessica Evans Et Al

The Ontario government said it would save $40 million per year by closing 26 youth detention centres in 2021, with promises to use those savings to support community services for youth. Framed as a cost-savings strategy...

Where do we stash the equivalent of 110 Sydney harbour bridges? That’s the conundrum Australia faces as oil and gas rigs close

By Darryn Snell Et Al

Oil and gas wells are dotted off Australias shores. They involve huge steel structures fixed firmly to the sea floor, and thousands of kilometres of pipelines. Most of Australias offshore oil and gas projects will be...

Humanity needs more rare earth elements. Extinct volcanoes could be a rich new source

By Michael Anenburg

Extinct volcanoes are hard to study we never see them erupt. Using a unique experimental technique, we were able to recreate a certain type of extinct volcano in a lab, learning more about the magma these volcanoes...

Why do people breach their bail? Our research shows it’s not because they’re committing more crimes

By Natalie Gately Et Al

In Australia and most countries, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Because of this, keeping someone in detention before trial comes with serious legal, practical and human-rights consequences, not just for the...

AI is fuelling a deepfake porn crisis in South Korea

By Sungshin (Luna) Bae

Its difficult to talk about artificial intelligence without talking about deepfake porn a harmful AI byproduct that has been used to target everyone from Taylor Swift to Australian school girls. But a recent report...

The design tricks keeping your kids hooked on games and apps – and 3 things you can do about it

By Chris Zomer Et Al

Ever found yourself unable to resist checking out a social media notification? Or sending a random picture just to keep a Snapchat streak going? Or simply getting stuck staring at YouTube because it auto-played yet another...

The ‘new’ antisemitism conflates criticism of Israel with prejudice against Jews. But it’s complicated

By Dennis Altman

Since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel nearly a year ago, and the subsequent ongoing war on Gaza, there have been widespread claims that antisemitism is globally on the rise. Attacks on Jewish synagogues and...

Dutton’s nuclear plan would mean propping up coal for at least 12 more years – and we don’t know what it would cost

By Alison Reeve

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has revealed the Coalitions nuclear energy plan relies on many of Australias coal-fired power stations running for at least another 12 years far beyond the time frame officials expect the...