Unmasking hidden online hate: a new tool helps catch nasty comments – even when they’re disguised

By Johnny Chan

People determined to spread toxic messages online have taken to masking their words to bypass automated moderation filters. A user might replace letters with numbers or symbols, for example, writing Y0ure st00pid...

Trump’s next HUD secretary would have a lot to do to address the history of racist housing policy – and Trump’s own comments and history suggest that’s unlikely

By Colin Gordon

Donald Trump has picked former football player Scott Turner to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. While not much is known about Turners positions as he awaits confirmation by the Senate, Trumps...

How much for cash? Why the informal economy is bad for business, consumers and society

By Danny Buckley Et Al

Who hasnt heard someone ask, How much for cash? While it may seem harmless, research reveals such demands contribute to a growing culture of informality in business. This grey economy, where economic activities occur...

Their DNA survives in diverse populations across the world – but who were the Denisovans?

By Linda Ongaro

It started with a finger bone found in a cave in the Altai mountains in Siberia in the late 2000s. Thanks to advances in DNA analysis, this was all that was required for scientists to be able to identify an entirely new...

Paul Watson vs Japan: Disrupting the whaling industry’s logistics – and logic

By Gilles Paché

Paul Watson, the iconic environmental activist and founder of the organisation Sea Shepherd, is no stranger to clashes with corporations and governments. Known for his bold and often controversial actions, he has dedicated...

China’s influence grows at COP29 climate talks as US leadership fades

By Lucia Green-Weiskel

The 2024 U.N. climate talks ended in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 24 after two weeks of arguments, agreements and side deals involving 106 heads of states and over 50,000 business leaders, activists and government...

How the gladiators inspired evangelicals’ sense of persecution

By Cavan W. Concannon

With the release of Ridley Scotts Gladiator II, audiences will be plunged back into the cinematic excitement of the Roman amphitheater so vividly captured in its predecessor, Gladiator. Scotts film will undoubtedly...

Amid lull in tit-for-tat missile exchange, Iran and Israel seek to control the online narrative

By Shirvin Zeinalzadeh

Is Iran poised for a succession in leadership? Well, that depends on what you read. For weeks, rumors have been swirling about the health of the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as...

Tiny laboratories that fit in your hand can rapidly identify pathogens using electricity

By Blanca H. Lapizco-Encinas

When you think of electric fields, you likely think of electricity the stuff that makes modern life possible by powering everything from household appliances to cellphones. Researchers have been studying the principles of...

Are seed oils really as harmful as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims?

By Raysa El Zein

RFK Jr., Donald Trumps pick to head the us Health and Human Services Department, wrote on X that Americans are being unknowingly poisoned by seed oils. He joins the growing list of people claiming that these oils are...

Five ways you might already encounter AI in cities (and not realise it)

By Noortje Marres

Youd probably notice if the car that cut you off or pulled up beside you at a light didnt have a driver. In the UK, self-driving cars are still required by law to have a safety driver at the wheel, so it is difficult to...

Social media companies won’t be able to compel people to provide digital or government-issued ID to verify age

By Michelle Grattan

Big tech platforms wont be able to compel people to provide digital ID or government-issued identification documents such as a passport, when verifying age for social media accounts. The government is inserting this...

Plastic pollution: Why doing nothing will cost us far more than taking action

By Mateo Cordier

When you buy a bottle of Coca-Cola or a Snickers bar, the price probably doesnt break the bank. But what if the true cost of the plastic packaging is taken into account at the supermarket checkout? Say, for example, the...

Should France’s wine industry fear a new Trump tariff?

By Jean-Marie Cardebat

During his recent presidential campaign, Donald Trump displayed a fierce protectionist orientation. It is no longer just China in his sights, but the whole world. As far as international trade is concerned, Trumps second...

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...

Gen Z heads home: How to navigate the evolving parent-child relationship as kids become adults

By Amy Root

As a professor of child development and family science, every year I witness college students heading home for the holidays after a few months of relative independence. Anecdotally, most students express excitement about...

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...

Dune: Prophecy – the prequel series takes liberties with the Herberts’ vision, but not for the worse

By Jack Fennell

Dune is one of the most revered works in science fiction, due to the scale and granular detail (no pun intended) of Frank Herberts world-building. The original novel comes with multiple appendices covering millennia of...

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...

Donald Trump will put America first: what does that mean for Africa?

By Christopher Isike

Donald Trumps return as the president of the US in January 2025 is expected to usher in a transformation of US domestic and foreign affairs. The implications of the second Trump presidency Trump 2.0 is debated across...

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...