Fertile land for growing vegetables is at risk — but a scientific discovery could turn the tide

By Josée Fortin Et Al

A large proportion of the vegetables consumed in Québec are grown in the Montérégie region in what are known as organic soils. Highly fertile and rich in organic matter, these soils are particularly...

US secretary of state has an expansive job that could make or break peace deals and key foreign alliances

By Monica Duffy Toft

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Donald Trumps nominee for secretary of state, will testify before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee as part of his confirmation process on Jan. 15, 2025. Rubios nomination is...

Car dealers took secret fees for recommending finance – and consumers could be owed millions

By Derek Whayman

Decades after tens of millions of consumers were mis-sold payment protection insurance, banks are facing another potential scandal in what has been dubbed PPI 2.0. In a major test case in 2024, the Court of Appeal held...

Justin Trudeau’s resignation creates a progressive void in Canada, part of a long-established cycle

By Noah Eliot Vanderhoeven

Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus resignation will have cascading effects on political leadership in Canada. Trudeaus recent cabinet shakeup, spurred by Finance Minister Chrystia Freelands shock resignation in December,...

Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort

By Patrick Megonigal

Firefighters battling the deadly wildfires that raced through the Los Angeles area in January 2025 have been hampered by a limited supply of freshwater. So, when the winds are calm enough, skilled pilots flying planes...

Future of Russian gas looking bleak as Ukraine turns off taps and Europe eyes ending all imports

By Michael Bradshaw Et Al

Russias contract for the transit of its gas across Ukraine expired on December 31 last year and Kyiv refused to consider a new deal. Ukraines decision was supported by the European Commission, even though the lost imports...

One way Trump could help revive rural America’s economies

By Tim O'Brien Et Al

Picture yourself living the American Dream. You likely have more opportunity than your parents did. Through hard work, smart choices and perhaps some good luck along the way, you have financial stability and a great deal...

Joe Biden’s legacy: four successes and four failures

By Dafydd Townley

The Biden administration comes to an end on January 20. Joe Biden joins Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush on the list of single-term presidents in the modern era. So, how will the Biden presidency be...

Artificial intelligence: what five giants of the past can teach us about handling the risks

By Simon Rogerson

The progress of artificial intelligence (AI) has been relentless. With OpenAIs latest model, o3, recently breaking records yet again, it raises urgent questions about safety, as well as the future of humanity. One place we...

The dynamics that polarise us on social media are about to get worse

By Colin M. Fisher

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced big changes in how the company addresses misinformation across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. Instead of relying on independent third-party factcheckers, Meta will now...

Tech companies are turning to ‘synthetic data’ to train AI models – but there’s a hidden cost

By James Jin Kang

Last week the billionaire and owner of X, Elon Musk, claimed the pool of human-generated data thats used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models such as ChatGPT has run out. Musk didnt cite evidence to support this....

We looked at 54 medicinal cannabis websites to see if they followed the rules. Here’s what we found

By Carmen Lim Et Al

A multi-million dollar business has developed in Australia to meet the demand for medicinal cannabis. Australians spent more than A$400 million on it in the first half of 2024 alone. More Australians than ever are using...

New research reveals why sabre-toothed predators evolved their deadly teeth

By Tahlia Pollock

Sabre teeth the long, sharp, blade-like canines found in extinct predators such as Smilodon represent one of the most extreme dental adaptations in nature. They evolved at least five times throughout mammalian history...

The upcoming election is a critical juncture for Canada’s climate policies and the carbon tax

By Andrew Heffernan

Canadas climate policy stands at a crossroads. The carbon tax, a key policy achievement for the Liberals which was once heralded as a cornerstone of the countrys strategy to tackle climate change, now faces intense...

Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry

By Ming Pan

Dry conditions across Southern California set the stage for a series of deadly wind-driven wildfires that burned thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area in early January 2025. Ming Pan, a hydrologist at the University...

Maduro: another term amid escalating internal and external tensions against ‘Chavismo’

By Wayne Unger

The announcement of a new constitutional reform by President Nicolás Maduro comes at a time of severe political crisis in Venezuela. With the inauguration of his third consecutive term set for Friday 10th, both...

Trump may receive an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means

By Wayne Unger

Donald Trump is set to become the first president of the United States with a felony conviction. On May 30, 2024, a New York County jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree....

Anthony Albanese is already on the campaign trail. It signals the tough election battle ahead

By Gregory Melleuish

It is an interesting fact that no sitting Australian prime minister since John Howard has led his or her party to more than one election victory. Anthony Albanese is seeking to buck this trend and lead the Australian Labor...

Tropical forests can be revived after logging – if they’re not turned into oil palm plantations

By Andrew Hector Et Al

In parts of the tropics like the island of Borneo, the pace of environmental change has been dramatic. Not long ago, the forests that covered most of the island were largely intact. But in recent decades, the scale of...

Wildfire smoke inside homes can create health risks that linger for months − tips for cleaning and staying safe

By Colleen E. Reid

Smoke from several wind-driven wildfires spread through large parts of the Los Angeles area in early January 2025. AP Photo/Ethan Swope When wildfires spread into neighborhoods, they burn all kinds of materials found in...

How virtual reality technologies are shaping an inclusive future for architecture

By Farzam Sepanta

Imagine stepping into your dream home before it is even built. Virtual reality (VR) technologies are revolutionizing architecture by allowing clients to walk through their future spaces, change details and experience the...

Putting Donald Trump’s plans for Greenland and the Panama canal into context

By Jonathan Este

There has been a great deal of heat and not an overabundance of light when it comes to the medias reactions to Donald Trumps renewed interest in acquiring Greenland from Denmark after he resumes the US presidency on...

HMPV in China: what you need to know about this virus

By Paul Hunter

In the last few days there have been reports of yet another infectious disease rapidly spreading in China. This time the virus is human metapneumovirus, abbreviated to HMPV. There have been claims in some media outlets...

Entrepreneurs need to be protected from burnout too

By Andrea Caputo Et Al

Entrepreneurship has long been hailed as a springboard of innovation, creativity and economic growth. Governments actively promote entrepreneurship as a vehicle for boosting employment with policies designed to make it...

How the U.S. could in fact make Canada an American territory

By Robert Huish

We take nothing by conquest…Thank God, wrote the National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, an influential Washington newspaper, in February 1847. The United States had just purchased 55 per cent of Mexico...

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...

What does 2025 hold for interest rates, inflation and the American consumer?

By D. Brian Blank Et Al

Brian Blank is a finance scholar and Fed watcher who researches how companies navigate downturns and make financial decisions, as well as how markets process information. Brandy Hadley is a finance professor who leads a...

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...