The rise of ‘sober curiosity’: Why Gen Zers are reducing their alcohol consumption

By Omar H. Fares Et Al

Generation Z is leading a significant shift in drinking habits. In fact, compared to preceding generations, Generation Z may be the soberest generation yet. Members of Gen Z consume about one-third less beer and wine...

Canada Post strike highlights labour struggle over gig economy and precarious work

By Adam D.K. King

The Canada Post strike has entered its second week, with no resolution in sight yet. Though a federal mediator is attempting to broker a settlement between the Crown corporation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers,...

Trump joins Putin, Xi and Modi as the ‘four horsemen’ of global authoritarianism

By Chris Ogden

The election of Donald Trump for his second presidential term has led to widespread fears of an imminent authoritarian descent in the United States. Quite how that might play out remains speculative, for now at least....

Why the EU’s stance on Israel is starting to change

By Catherine Gegout

The EU has stood in solidarity with Israel since the start of the war with Hamas, and has been consistent in saying the country has the right to defend itself. But the EU has always said that this has to be done in line...

Ukraine war: polls show more than half of Ukrainians would support a negotiated peace as Russian advances continue

By Stefan Wolff Et Al

The war in Ukraine is at a critical juncture. Kyiv has been given permission to use western-supplied Atacms and Storm Shadow missiles against targets inside Russia. It did so as soon as that permission was granted, with...

As Trump touts plans for immigrant roundup, militias are standing back, but standing by

By Amy Cooter

President-elect Donald Trump has reaffirmed that once he takes office he plans to declare a national emergency and use the military on American streets to accomplish his promises to round up and deport millions of...

AI has been a boon for marketing, but the dark side of using algorithms to sell products and brands is little studied

By Lauren Labrecque

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way companies market their products, enabling them to target consumers in personalized and interactive ways that not long ago seemed like the realm of science...

Is TikTok right? Are there health benefits to eating sea moss?

By Margaret Murray

Sea moss is the latest superfood wellness influencers are swearing by. They claim sea moss products usually in gel form have multiple health benefits. These include supporting brain and immune function, or protecting...

Banning under-16s from social media may be unconstitutional – and ripe for High Court challenge

By Sarah Joseph

On November 21 2024, the Albanese government unveiled its bill to introduce a minimum age of 16 for most social media platforms. The government claims the bill is necessary to protect children from social harm. But it...

Why Monday is the most dangerous day on a building site

By Milad Haghani

Australias construction industry employs more than 1.3 million workers. Thats about 9% of the workforce. But construction sites can be dangerous workplaces. There are also more accidents on a Monday than any other...

Australia in a baby bust? It’s not that simple – and a panic won’t help

By Edith Gray

There is a seemingly endless stream of news headlines about plummeting birth rates. Many have alarmist narratives about the perils of baby busts and population decline. This reflects a deep-seated anxiety about what...

Green hydrogen could decarbonise entire industries in NZ – but there’s a long way to go

By Jannik Haas Et Al

Hydrogen has been called the Swiss army knife of decarbonisation because it can do many things. But not all of them make sense. Today, the world uses about 100 megatonnes of hydrogen per year (MT/y), but this is...

Why parents need to be like Big Ted and ‘talk aloud’ while they use screens with their kids

By Kate Highfield Et Al

Screen use and internet safety are two of the top concerns Australian parents have about their kids health and wellbeing even ranking ahead of diet, exercise and depression. We know its important to teach children how...

Major cybercrime crackdowns signal shift in global cybersecurity strategies

By Christine Abdalla Mikhaeil Et Al

Months after the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA) launched a major offensive against the notorious ransomware group LockBit, the cybercriminal gang appears to have resurfaced, continuing to carry out attacks. Despite law...

Gamified investing apps are becoming more popular — but can be risky for young investors

By Marius Zoican

Gamification is rapidly reshaping how people consume information and engage with the world. It uses strategies such as clear goals, instant rewards and engaging visuals to make everyday tasks more enjoyable, often in a...

The future looks bright: Study shows optimistic youth lead healthier lives

By Eloïse Fairbank Et Al

If youve ever told your child to look on the bright side, or taught them to see the glass as half full, you might wonder if there are real benefits to positive thinking. As it turns out, people who are more optimistic...

Migration experts scrutinize Justin Trudeau’s explanation for immigration cuts

By Lisa Ruth Brunner Et Al

Perched on a leather armchair, speaking directly to viewers, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently explained his governments new plan to reduce immigration by roughly 20 per cent. In two videos one in English...

From a US$300 billion climate finance deal to global carbon trading, here’s what was – and wasn’t – achieved at the COP29 climate talks

By Jacqueline Peel

The petroleum-laden dust has settled on this years United Nations climate summit, COP29, held over the past fortnight in Baku, Azerbaijan. Climate scientists, leaders, lobbyists and delegates are heading for home. The...

Water companies now have to release live sewage spill data – here’s why more transparency is the key to cleaner rivers

By Alex Lipp

For the first time, anyone in England can now access real-time information of where combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are discharging untreated wastewater into our waterways. This week, all water companies published details...

Why some countries are more likely to believe nuclear war won’t happen to them

By Geoff Beattie

The war in Ukraine has just edged up another notch. It has not been going well for Ukraine in recent months, and this week Joe Bidens administration made the decision to allow Ukraine to fire US-supplied army tactical...

AI harm is often behind the scenes and builds over time – a legal scholar explains how the law can adapt to respond

By Sylvia Lu

As you scroll through your social media feed or let your favorite music app curate the perfect playlist, it may feel like artificial intelligence is improving your life learning your preferences and serving your needs....

Vulnerability to financial scams in aging adults could be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, new research shows

By Laura Fenton

A brain region affected very early in Alzheimers disease may explain why some aging people are at greater risk of financial exploitation. That is the key finding of our new study, published in the journal Cerebral...

Americans agree politics is broken − here are 5 ideas for fixing key problems

By Ismar Volić

Now that the elections are over, you might be left feeling exhausted, despondent and disillusioned whether your preferred candidate won or not. You are not alone. Survey after survey has found that Americans agree that...

Low turnout in the 2024 election may have been due to undecided voters being overwhelmed by choice

By Hannah Bunting

Turnout at the 2024 general election was just 60% one of the lowest in modern history. This is not an isolated phenomenon: there was a decline in turnout for the 2024 local elections, and the byelections held during the...

5 common misconceptions about women and entrepreneurship

By Ingrid Chadwick Et Al

`Women entrepreneurs are essential for the Canadian economy, a fact recognized by the governments Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. This strategy was launched in 2018 and has seen nearly $7 billion be put toward supporting...

Trump’s RFK Jr. nomination raises the stakes for media reporting on health

By Kevin Quigley

President-elect Donald Trumps controversial nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as United States health secretary presents new challenges for how media will report on health matters. Kennedy is an anti-vaccine activist and...

New maps show high-risk zones for whale-ship collisions − vessel speed limits and rerouting can reduce the toll

By Anna Nisi

Imagine you are a blue whale swimming up the California coast, as you do every spring. You are searching for krill in the Santa Barbara Channel, a zone that teems with fish, kelp forests, seagrass beds and other undersea...

RNA editing is the next frontier in gene therapy – here’s what you need to know

By Flora Hui Et Al

The United States Food and Drug Administration has just approved the first-ever clinical trial that uses CRISPR-Cas13 RNA editing. Its aim is to treat an eye disease called wet age-related macular degeneration that causes...

A man scouring Google Earth found a mysterious scar in the Australian outback – and now scientists know what caused it

By Matej Lipar

Earlier this year, a caver was poring over satellite images of the Nullarbor Plain when he came across something unexpected: an enormous, mysterious scar etched into the barren landscape. The find intrigued scientists,...

ICC arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu and Hamas leader doesn’t mean those accused will face trial anytime soon

By Victor Peskin

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Nov. 21, 2024, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and one leading Hamas official. Those named in the action are accused of...

Companies won’t survive in a nature-depleted world – I’ve met the business owners who are taking action

By Francesca Boyd

After the conclusion of UN biodiversity conference Cop16, it was easy to feel disappointed. In Cali, Colombia, discussions fell short on how to monitor targets and progress remains slow. Despite agreements, Cop16 lacked...

Time is running out for a treaty to end plastic pollution – here’s why it matters

By Steve Fletcher

On March 2 2022, delegates to the UN environment assembly adopted an ambitious resolution to develop the text of a new treaty by the end of 2024 to end plastic pollution. With 24 days of formal negotiation between almost...

Sudan’s national treasures have been stolen – we spoke with the director of museums

By Julien Cooper Et Al

In September, amid the ongoing war in Sudan, reports began to surface of the looting of the Sudan National Museum in the capital, Khartoum. The museum is internationally celebrated for the breadth of its collection. It...

Illegal mining clampdown in South Africa: treating desperate people like criminals is an injustice – legal scholar

By Tracy-Lynn Field

Illegal artisanal gold mining in South Africa is in the spotlight again. Under Operation Vala Umgodi (plug the hole), South African authorities have since December 2023 been trying to disrupt the illicit gold mining...

Ghana’s economic diplomacy: how three presidents with different ideologies dealt with the IMF and World Bank

By Emmanuel Kwaku Siaw

Since independence in 1956, Ghanas leaders have followed a variety of global ideologies, from centre-right to socialist. But the country has also blended these with local priorities, like anti-colonialism and economic...

US decision to supply Kyiv with hated anti-personnel mines is both controversial and a depressing sign of the way the war is going

By David J Galbreath

In the final weeks of his presidency, Joe Biden, has agreed to give Ukraine a further hand in shaping the land war against the Russians. On October 17, he granted permission for Ukraines armed forces to use the long-range...

Bestselling comic, World Without End, rips the fossil fuel economy apart – and controversially embraces nuclear power

By Jo Lindsay Walton

A skydiver stares up at his parachute. Its on fire. Hurriedly, the skydiver pulls out his spare … but hesitates. There is something spooky about the spare parachute, with its lime-green glow. The vibes are off....

Why is it so difficult to make a new antibiotic?

By Alistair Farley Et Al

The discovery of antibiotics is one of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. Before antibiotics, childbirth, a urinary tract infection, or a simple cut could lead to death from infection. Antibiotics,...

Crypto is soaring after Trump’s election − but is it a good ethical investment?

By Erran Carmel

An estimated 18 million Americans are invested in cryptocurrency, according to the Federal Reserve. And the United States just elected a pro-crypto president. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have become a trendy...

Why you should get to know Thomas Aquinas, even 800 years after he lived

By Therese Cory

The Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas, by Benozzo Gozzoli. Louvre Museum via Wikimedia Commons Some years ago, I was rushing past the treasures of the Louvre in Paris, on the way to the Mona Lisa, when a painting stopped me...

Fast fashion may seem cheap, but it’s taking a costly toll on the planet − and on millions of young customers

By Paula M. Carbone

Fast fashion is everywhere in just about every mall, in the feeds of influencers on social media promoting overconsumption, and in ads constantly popping up online. Its focus on the continual production of new clothing...

New ‘best practice’ principles for superannuation products are coming. We asked a panel of experts what should be included

By Matt Garrow Et Al

We all know how important it is to save enough money for retirement but what about spending it wisely when we get there? Even for those who have built up a suitable nest egg, managing money well in retirement isnt...

The government has introduced laws for its social media ban. But key details are still missing

By Daniel Angus

The federal government today introduced into parliament legislation for its social media ban for people under 16 years. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said: This is about protecting young people, not...

I’ve studied organisational failure for decades – the Church of England needs more than a new leader

By Cary Cooper

In a book I wrote with a colleague on organisational failures (The Apology Impulse) the inability of many of them to confront their failures, except to say a meaningless were sorry, is legend. We highlighted the many...

Young people were becoming more anxious long before social media – here’s the evidence

By Roland Paulsen

Thanks to bestselling authors like Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge, the public has become increasingly aware of the rapid rise in mental health issues among younger people in many western countries. Their warnings about the...

Why Ghanaian farmers have been unable to capitalise on record cocoa prices

By Sophie Van Huellen Et Al

International cocoa prices have experienced a historic price surge, rising by over 300% in the space of 12 months from 2,166 per tonne of cocoa in April 2023 to 9,980 by April 2024. Prices have fallen since then, and are...

Climate entropy: reflections on the ground from COP29

By Isabela del Alcázar

If I had to sum up COP29 in a single word, it would be entropy. Borrowed from thermodynamics, this concept describes the delicate balance between order and disorder, a principle that governs both natural and human systems....

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are crucial – there’s growing evidence that the next 1,000 are just as important

By Catherine Draper

The first 1,000 days of a childs life pregnancy and the months leading to their second birthday are a critical time. Expectant mothers need good antenatal care. The better their physical and mental health, the greater...

Bunnings breached privacy law by scanning customers’ faces – but this loophole lets other shops keep doing it

By Margarita Vladimirova

Hardware giant Bunnings breached the privacy of likely hundreds of thousands of Australians through its use of facial recognition technology, the Privacy Commissioner ruled today. Individuals who entered the relevant...

Albanese government gives firm ‘no’ to joining UK-US agreement to advance nuclear technology

By Michelle Grattan

The Albanese government has been put on the spot by a new agreement which it has declined to join signed by the United Kingdom and the United States to speed up the deployment of cutting edge nuclear technology. The...