Julia Child’s France, pig slaughter in Portugal and a culinary detective: 5 delicious food writing classics
By Lauren Samuelsson
Summer holidays are traditionally a time of celebration and feasting. So, as our minds turn to food and our stomachs rumble, why not read about it? These five food titles, ranging from a chefs memoir to a foodie crime...
We don’t all need regular skin cancer screening – but you can know your risk and check yourself
By H. Peter Soyer Et Al
Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates globally, with nearly 19,000 Australians diagnosed with invasive melanoma the most lethal type of skin cancer each year. While advanced melanoma can be fatal, it is...
From Cleopatra to Wellington, leaders have always taxed beer. But Australia’s system has made beer extra pricey
By Anthea Gerrard
Beer has existed for thousands of years. It was the drink of choice in ancient Egypt, in northern Europe in the Middle Ages and, of course, remains popular around the world today. And, since it was so widely consumed, it...
Like your pet more than people? So did some of the Greco-Romans
By Konstantine Panegyres
The Roman writer Claudius Aelian (2nd3rd century CE) tells us a curious story about a boy and a pet snake: A boy bought a small snake and reared it with great care. When it grew he spoke to it as if it could hear, played...
Dogs and cats get diabetes too. Here’s what to look out for and how to manage it
By Jacquie Rand
Learning a pet has diabetes can be a shock. Sadly, about 20% of diabetic cats and dogs are euthanised within a year of diagnosis due to the impacts on the pets health and their owners lifestyle and finances. However, the...
Sport produces mountains of high-tech waste. We are finding new ways to recycle it
By Ali Hadigheh Et Al
In the early days of the modern Olympics and Paralympics, athletes competed using heavy, non-aerodynamic equipment. The record for throwing a javelin, for instance, has almost doubled since 1908, when the sport was...
Hallucinogens approved for treating psychiatric disorders: what does the science say?
By Florian Naudet
Once sidelined in the 1970s, psychedelic substances ranging from esketamine (a ketamine derivative) and psilocybin (the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms) to MDMA are being reintroduced as potential therapies...
5 elections to watch in 2025
By Lisandro Claudio Et Al
The coming 12 months cant promise the bumper crop of elections we saw during 2024, when countries home to about half the worlds population headed to the polls. Still, voters will cast ballots in several important elections...
What are macros? An exercise and nutrition scientist explains
By Tyler Garner
Im tracking my macros. Ill pass on that, it doesnt fit in my macros. Im on the Macro Diet. Macros seem to come up often in the corners of the internet and social media devoted to people trying to lose weight, improve their...
Nigerian TikTok star Charity Ekezie uses hilarious skits to dispel ignorance about Africa
By Rowland Chukwuemeka Amaefula
Young African voices are gaining popularity on social media the world over, using these platforms for comedy and political debate and often for political debate thats also funny. One of the new generation of TikTok...
From dead galaxies to mysterious red dots, here’s what the James Webb telescope has found in just 3 years
By Themiya Nanayakkara Et Al
On this day three years ago, we witnessed the nail-biting launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most powerful telescope humans have ever sent into space. It took 30 years to build, but in three...
Which infectious disease is likely to be the biggest emerging problem in 2025?
By Conor Meehan
COVID emerged suddenly, spread rapidly and killed millions of people around the world. Since then, I think its fair to say that most people have been nervous about the emergence of the next big infectious disease be that...
The secret world of plants living in our limestone pavements
By Carly Stevens
Anyone out winter walking in the Yorkshire dales will probably be familiar with the dramatic scenery of limestone pavements. Distinctive and beautiful, they can also be found elsewhere in Britain, as well as in mainland...
An AI system has reached human level on a test for ‘general intelligence’. Here’s what that means
By Michael Timothy Bennett Et Al
A new artificial intelligence (AI) model has just achieved human-level results on a test designed to measure general intelligence. On December 20, OpenAIs o3 system scored 85% on the ARC-AGI benchmark, well above the...
Walking into stress in 2025? Take steps now to prepare
By Astrid H. Kendrick
Five years ago, I began a research project into emotional labour, compassion fatigue and burnout in Albertas educational workers. The results from the earliest study suggested a wide scope of emotional and mental distress...
Is university worth it? Yes, for both students and society
By Rhonda Lenton
As we enter the holiday season many young people are no doubt beginning to consider their future options. With a range of paths to pursue, a high rate of youth unemployment in Canada and a higher education sector facing...
A gold rush for ‘green finance’ risks changing our relationship to nature
By Julia Martin-Ortega Et Al
To combat climate change and help nature to recover, a lot more investment is urgently needed. The UNs State of Finance for Nature report claims that if the world is to meet climate, biodiversity and land degradation...
Heading on an overseas holiday? The Australian dollar tumbled this week – but that’s not bad news for everyone
By Mark Crosby
This week, the value of the Australian dollar fell to 62 US cents, its lowest level since October 2022. The acute cause? A revelation by the United States Federal Reserve that it expected interest rates to bottom out at...
AI can’t do your Christmas shopping just yet – but next year might be different
By Jon Whittle
Im a computer scientist and a bad Christmas shopper. Over the weekend, I wondered whether AI systems might be able to help me out. Could I just prompt ChatGPT to pick a personalised gift for my cousin Johnny and have it...
Palestinian Christians call on western churches to ‘humanize’ the children of Gaza
By Jane Barter
The human rights group, Amnesty International, recently issued a report concluding that Israels actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. The war in Gaza has led to widespread calls for a ceasefire. This situation, and its...
Beware of bad customers – and 3 other ways small and medium businesses can thrive in 2025
By Antje Fiedler Et Al
There is no denying times have been tough for small and medium-sized businesses, and 2025 is not looking that much better. Gross domestic product per capita is continuing to decline in both Australia and New Zealand....
Holidays help us rest and recover. But Greeks and Romans weren’t always convinced
By Konstantine Panegyres
The Greek philosopher Plutarch of Chaeronea (1st-2nd century AD) observed that our lives are divided between relaxation and exertion.
For example, there are times when we are working and times when we are on holidays....
Beyond checking a box: how a social licence can help communities benefit from data reuse and AI
By Stefaan G. Verhulst
The original excitement about the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on developed countries is shifting toward how AI might influence developing nations. The Economist recently ran a cover story extolling the...
How the Elon Musk-Vivek Ramaswamy DOGE initiative could help Americans dodge red tape
By W. Dominika Wranik Et Al
Donald Trumps proposed new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is already earning praise and criticism in the United States weeks before the president-elects inauguration.
So far, theres only vague information on...
Trump’s tariff threat is a sign that Canada should be diversifying beyond the U.S.
By Eric Chi
United States President-elect Donald Trump has announced a 25 per cent tariff on Canada and Mexico if border control and illegal drugs coming into the U.S. arent curtailed. Both federal and provincial leaders have been...
More spending and weaker revenue hits budget bottom line in some years: Chalmers
By Michelle Grattan
Wednesdays mid-year budget update will downgrade company tax receipts by $8.5 billion over the four years to 2027-28, and show slippage in the bottom line in some years of the forward estimates, Treasurer Jim Chalmers...
FBI director guides the agency in confronting complex international threats, investigating federal crimes and running 55 field offices
By Javed Ali
Mention the FBI, and many older Americans will likely think of a time when the agency was run by J. Edgar Hoover, who spent much of his nearly half-century tenure at the agency harassing political dissidents and abusing...
Why Scottish salmon’s rebrand may end up harming the integrity of a top export and hurting producers
By ManMohan S. Sodhi
Scottish farmed salmon was the UKs top food export last year, ending up in restaurants and on dinner tables all over the world. But also in 2023, the industry trade body Salmon Scotland sought to drop the word farmed from...
Protesting farmers are having to fight off the radical right, conspiracy theorists and climate sceptics
By Tom Carter-Brookes
Thousands of farmers travelled to London on November 19 to protest the new governments first budget and its imposition of new inheritance tax rules. Nearly a month later, on December 12, there was another protest, this...
St John’s wort: six drug interactions you should know about
By Dipa Kamdar
St Johns wort is an herbal supplement that has been used for centuries to boost mood. Even today, many people use it as a natural treatment for mild to moderate depression. St Johns wort contains several active compounds,...
Exercise boosts memory for up to 24 hours after a workout – new research
By Mikaela Bloomberg
Whats good for your heart is good for your brain. Just as physical activity helps keep our bodies fit and strong as we age, it also helps maintain our cognitive function and is even linked with lower dementia risk.
Yet...
Western self-sufficiency in computer chips is just not going to happen
By Howard Yu
American microchip giant Intel is looking for a new CEO following Pat Gelsingers shock resignation. This represents more than just a corporate shake-up. Its the end of an era in which one company could totally control a...
Trump wants China’s help in making peace in Ukraine. He’s unlikely to get it
By Stefan Wolff Et Al
US president-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinas president Xi Jinping to his inauguration on January 20 in a surprise move which appears to be part of a plan to involve Beijing in ceasefire negotiations in...
Response to CEO killing reveals antipathy toward health insurers − but entire patchwork system is to blame for ill feeling
By Simon F. Haeder
The U.S. health care system leaves much to be desired.
It is convoluted, fragmented, complex and confusing. Experts have also raised concerns about quality, and disparities are rampant. And, of course, it is excessively...
Stop and think: An undervalued approach in a world that short-circuits thoughtful political judgment
By Robert B. Talisse
Whens the last time you saw a pundit pause?
When President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter, who was convicted of three felony charges, the pardon was startling because Biden repeatedly pledged before the election that...
Brain inflammation may be the reason behind muscle fatigue after infection and injury
By Diego E. Rincon-Limas Et Al
Infectious or chronic diseases such as long COVID, Alzheimers disease and traumatic brain injury can cause inflammation in the brain, or neuroinflammation, that weakens muscles. While scientists are aware of this link...
Rail disruption in the UK is so common that the economic damage it causes is barely noticed – but change is possible
By Feng Li
Recent disruption to Britains rail network, caused by a fault in its outdated nationwide radio system, was more than just an inconvenience for thousands of commuters. It was a stark reminder of how far the UK has fallen...
Earning half the minimum wage: new report reveals pressures on artists to sustain creative life
By Margaret Heffernan
Artists are generally thought of as either starving in a garret (La Bohème and all that) or jammy millionaires producing works valued at eye-watering sums (hello Damien Hirst). But the reality of life in the visual...
Who is Syria’s new prime minister – and what will he do?
By Scott Lucas
Dressed in a modest grey suit and tie with a light blue shirt, bald and bearded, 41-year-old Mohammed al-Bashir addressed his fellow Syrians on Tuesday from behind a desk in an empty conference room. Asking for stability...
Why AI eyes-open meditation apps could do more harm than good for your mental health
By Emma Palmer-Cooper Et Al
Easy, portable and convenient. The latest AI-powered wellbeing and meditation apps may sound like the ideal solution for those looking for peace in a chaotic world, but can an AI app really replace the expertise of a human...
South Africa’s low-cost housing model is broken – study suggests how to fix it
By Adrino Mazenda
The backlog of subsidised public housing in South Africa is estimated at 2.4 million. In this interview, Hlengiwe Maila, a research fellow at the School of Public Management and Administration at the University of...
Will we have a COVID wave, spike or blip this Christmas? It depends where you live
By Laura Nicole Driessen
As the holiday season approaches, COVID cases are rising again in Australia, particularly in Victoria and Tasmania.
This is now the fourth year running with a summer rise of COVID, and the second year with a roughly...
Many people don’t get financial advice even though it can help ensure a comfortable retirement
By Antonia Settle
This article is part of The Conversations Retirement series where experts examine issues including how much money we need to retire, retiring with debt, the psychological impact of retiring and the benefits of getting...
Rising desertification shows we can’t keep farming with fossil fuels
By Jack Marley
Three-quarters of Earths land has become drier since 1990.
Droughts come and go more often and more extreme with the incessant rise of greenhouse gas emissions over the last three decades but burning fossil fuels is...
Air pollution has contributed to 16 million deaths in India in the past decade – new study
By Petter Ljungman Et Al
Several schools in Delhi close during winter for at least two weeks because of high air pollution levels. Every winter, widespread crop burning in north India and weather conditions add to the already high air pollution...
Can the UK’s ‘Online Safety Act’ tame the hidden violence in leisure communities?
By Kristine De Valck
The UKs new Online Safety Act, programmed for implementation in the second half of next year, could reshape how social media platforms deal with harmful online content. This legislation aims to protect users by requiring...
Freemasons, homosexuals and corrupt elites in Cameroon – inside an African conspiracy theory
By Peter Geschiere Et Al
An unusual and fascinating new book has been written by two anthropologists, called Conspiracy Narratives from Postcolonial Africa: Freemasonry, Homosexuality, and Illicit Enrichment. It explores an ongoing conspiracy...
15% of global population lives within a few miles of a coast − and the number is growing rapidly
By Arthur Cosby Et Al
Coastal populations are expanding quickly around the world. The rise is evident in burgeoning waterfront cities and in the increasing damage from powerful storms and rising sea levels. Yet, reliable, detailed data on the...
US role in Syria is unclear in wake of Assad’s fall from power
By Jordan Tama
As a new government is set to form in Syria following a sudden coup earlier this week, the United States response to the political upheaval appears uncertain.
Rebel groups unexpectedly overthrew Syrias longtime leader,...
Why being forced to precisely follow a curriculum harms teachers and students
By Cara Elizabeth Furman
In teaching, fidelity refers to closely following specific procedures for how to teach a lesson or respond to student behavior. For example, following a curriculum to fidelity might mean a teacher is required to read from...
