Donald Trump’s tariff wallop demonstrates the brute power of an imperial presidency
By Daniel Drache Et Al
As promised, United States President Donald Trump has imposed punishing tariffs on all exports from Canada and Mexico, leading to retaliatory tariffs from Canada. Canadas closest ally has torn up the Canada-U.S.-Mexico...
Podcasts have helped sway many young American men to the right. The same may well happen in Australia
By Raffaele F Ciriello Et Al
The 2024 US presidential election saw a historic shift to the right, driven by the largest swing of young male voters in two decades. Analysts attribute this partly to podcasters like Joe Rogan, whose unfiltered,...
KiwiSaver shakeup: private asset investment has risks that could outweigh the rewards
By Aaron Gilbert
New Zealands superannuation is no longer enough to live on for the countrys retirees. Research has found people need hundreds of thousands in savings to live a comfortable life after work. But the KiwiSaver scheme,...
Online performance reviews: How technology has changed manners and etiquette
By George Kassar
As we settle into the new year, one meeting often weighs heavily on the minds of employees: the performance appraisal review. For some, its a time of validation and recognition, while for others, it brings a mix of...
How political polarization informed Mexico’s protests against femicide
By Arturo Tejeda Torres
Between 2015 and 2024, more than 8,000 women were killed in Mexico because of their gender. These crimes are referred to as femicides and, unlike homicides, are not the consequence of private or personal disputes. Instead,...
Students cheating with generative AI reflects a revenue-driven post-secondary sector
By Salmaan Khan
The higher education sector continues to grapple with the advent of generative artificial intelligence (genAI), with much of the concern focused on ethical issues around student misconduct. GenAI models such as ChatGPT...
Lake beds are rich environmental records — studying them reveals much about a place’s history
By Hamid Ghanbari Et Al
Canada has more lakes than any other country in the world, with a huge diversity of lake sizes, depths, shapes, water chemistries, underlying geologies and hydrologies (the waters that flow in and out of them). Sediments...
Syrian regime change: How rebel victories often lead to unstable, non-inclusive governments
By Sally Sharif
Syrias rebel leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has defended his decision to fill his cabinet with wartime loyalists and delay constitutional and electoral processes, describing these moves as pragmatic necessities for the countrys...
Sudan war: ethnic divisions are being used to cover up army failures – peace scholar
By Jan Pospisil
Sudans civil war has devastated the country and strained relations with neighbouring South Sudan. Events in January 2025 have stirred up xenophobic feelings in Sudan and outrage in its southern neighbour, heightening the...
Education in Zimbabwe has lost its value: study asks young people how they feel about that
By Kristina Pikovskaia
Education, especially higher education, is a step towards adulthood and a foundation for the future. But what happens when education loses its value as a way to climb the social ladder? What if a degree is no guarantee of...
Burkina Faso’s nature reserves are worth protecting – but people have to be part of the plan
By Razak Kiribou
Burkina Faso is a west African dryland country known for its diverse ecosystems, including savannas, forests and wetlands. Large herbivores like elephant, giraffe and hippopotamus, and predators like lions, leopards and...
Albanese will pitch to blue collar men with heavy warnings on Dutton’s workplace policies
By Michelle Grattan
Anthony Albanese has outlined his pitch to improve his and his governments standing among men, as he insists he can hold onto majority government at the election to be held in April or May. In a wide-ranging interview on...
Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico amp up the risk of a broader trade war
By Markus Wagner
Its official. On February 1, US President Donald Trump will introduce a sweeping set of new 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. China will also face new tariffs of 10%. During the presidential campaign, Trump...
Can aching joints really predict the weather? Exploring the science behind the stormy debate
By Michelle Spear
For centuries, people have claimed that their aching joints can predict changes in the weather, often reporting increased discomfort before rain or cold fronts. Given the scale and duration, there is a sense of legitimacy...
DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse
By Peter Howson
AI burns through a lot of resources. And thanks to a paradox first identified way back in the 1860s, even a more energy-efficient AI is likely to simply mean more energy is used in the long run. For most users, large...
Leonardo da Vinci’s incredible studies of human anatomy still don’t get the recognition they deserve
By Michael Carroll
Wikimedia, CC BY-SA The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper...
What happened in the German parliament and why is the far right hailing it as a ‘historic’ moment?
By Ed Turner
A vote in Germanys national parliament (Bundestag) has led to fears that the firewall supposedly separating mainstream political parties and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been blown apart. Until now,...
AI gives nonprogrammers a boost in writing computer code
By Leo Porter Et Al
What do you think there are more of: professional computer programmers or computer users who do a little programming? Its the second group. There are millions of so-called end-user programmers. Theyre not going into a...
One of the largest searches for alien life started 30 years ago. Its legacy lives on today
By Phil Edwards
In February 1995, a small research organisation known as the SETI Institute launched what was then the most comprehensive search for an answer to a centuries-old question: are we alone in the universe? This Sunday marks...
5 years after COVID began, outstanding fines mean marginalised Australians are still paying the highest price
By Shelley J. Walker Et Al
January 25 marked five years since the first COVID case was recorded in Australia. Many of us have tried to move on quickly from the pandemic, putting lockdowns and restrictions far behind us. But for some Australians,...
From breakbeats to the dance floor: How hip-hop and house revolutionized music and culture
By Joycelyn Wilson
Producers Fast Eddie and Joe Smooth mix at DJ International Studios in Chicago in 1990. Innovation was at the forefront of house and hip-hop. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images There was a time when artists representing two of...
Watch shows together, talk about them and have dance parties: how to rebalance screen use after the holidays
By Jennifer Stokes
As January lingers on, families may find themselves struggling with what a friend of mine has labelled the electronic nanny. Children have been out of their normal routines for weeks during the holidays. Some are still yet...
Canada’s electric vehicle industry is facing existential threats — here’s how it can still flourish
By Charles Conteh Et Al
The electric vehicle (EV) industry has been one of the most defining technological trends of the past decade, transforming the automotive sector while fuelling advancements in manufacturing. Yet after billions of taxpayer...
From chatbot to sexbot: What lawmakers can learn from South Korea’s AI hate-speech disaster
By Jul Parke
As artificial intelligence technologies develop at accelerated rates, the methods of governing companies and platforms continue to raise ethical and legal concerns. In Canada, many view proposed laws to regulate AI...
The best exercises to do while taking weight loss drugs
By Jack McNamara
Weight loss drugs, such as those containing GLP-1 agonists like Wegovy and Mounjaro, have emerged as effective tools for people struggling to lose weight. These drugs reduce appetite and sometimes slow digestion which can...
Swimming in the sweet spot: how marine animals save energy on long journeys
By Kimberley Stokes
Competitive swimmers know that swimming underwater causes less drag resistance than swimming at the surface. Splashing around making waves isnt the most efficient way to swim. Any energy spent creating waves is essentially...
Red Sea crisis: supply chain issues set to continue despite Gaza ceasefire
By Gokcay Balci
The worlds major shipping companies say they wont be sending vessels back to the Red Sea any time soon despite a pledge by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen not to attack them as long as the ceasefire in Gaza holds....
Air pollution may protect against skin cancer, finds new study – but health risks are far more serious
By Justin Stebbing
Air pollution might protect against the most dangerous type of skin cancer, melanoma, a new study finds. However, its crucial to approach these results with caution and consider the broader context of air pollutions...
Australia’s social media ban shows how extreme the technology debate has become – there’s a better way
By James Conroy
The recent decision by the Australian government to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s has been received with both praise and condemnation. Those who approve of the proposal tend to consider that children are...
Nigeria’s plastic bottle collectors turn waste into wealth: survey sheds light on their motivation
By Solaja Mayowa Oludele Et Al
Plastic waste in Nigeria presents a dual challenge: cleaning up environmental pollution, and tapping into its economic potential. Many countries worldwide face similar challenges. India, for one, has chosen policies that...
How satellites and AI help fight wildfires today
By John W. Daily
As wind-driven wildfires spread through the Los Angeles area in January 2025, fire-spotting technology and computer models were helping firefighters understand the rapidly changing environment they were facing. That...
Gen Z seeks safety above all else as the generation grows up amid constant crisis and existential threat
By Yalda T. Uhls
After many years of partisan politics, increasingly divisive language, finger-pointing and inflammatory speech have contributed to an environment of fear and uncertainty, affecting not just political dynamics but also the...
Why Trump’s meme coin is a cash grab
By Maximilian Brichta
Three days before his presidential inauguration, Donald Trump launched a meme coin, a type of cryptocurrency whose value is buoyed by social media and internet culture, rather than any sort of functionality or intrinsic...
Land seizure and South Africa’s new expropriation bill: scholar weighs up the new act
By Zsa-Zsa Temmers Boggenpoel
South Africa has a new law to govern the expropriation (or compulsory acquisition) of private property by government for public purposes or in the public interest. The passing of the Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 followed a...
How close are quantum computers to being really useful? Podcast
By Gemma Ware1
Quantum computers have the potential to solve big scientific problems that are beyond the reach of todays most powerful supercomputers, such as discovering new antibiotics or developing new materials. But to achieve these...
‘Sustainable’ aviation fuel and other myths about green airport expansion debunked
By Jack Marley
Environmentalists and locals have resisted a third runway at Londons Heathrow, Europes busiest airport, for more than two decades. Today, their efforts took a major setback. The UK government has announced it will give the...
Commerce oversees everything from weather and salmon to trade and census − here are 3 challenges awaiting new secretary
By Linda J. Bilmes
Howard Lutnick, left, is President Donald Trumps nominee to run the Commerce Department. AP Photo/Evan Vucci The U.S. secretary of commerce oversees the smallest but arguably most complex of all Cabinet-level departments....
When news is stressful, how do you balance staying informed with ‘doomscrolling’?
By Lisa Harrison
Mart Production/Pexels It all begins innocently a late-night peek at your favourite social media site before bed. You catch a headline that grabs your attention with breaking news you cant afford to miss. Like following...
As the Myanmar junta’s hold on power weakens, could the devastating war be nearing a conclusion?
By Adam Simpson1 Et Al
It has now been four years since the Myanmar military launched its cataclysmic coup against the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1 2021, starting a civil war that has devastated the...
As the Black Summer megafires neared, people rallied to save wildlife and domestic animals. But it came at a real cost
By Danielle Celermajer Et Al
As the 2019-2020 megafires took hold across eastern Australia, many of us reeled at the sight of animals trying and often failing to flee. Our screens filled up with images of koalas with burned paws and possums in...
What’s in the supplements that claim to help you cut down on bathroom breaks? And do they work?
By Nial Wheate
Christian Moro/Shutterstock With one in four Australian adults experiencing problems with incontinence, some people look to supplements for relief. With ingredients such as pumpkin seed oil and soybean extract, a range of...
Lessons from Ireland: How the country’s electoral system would strengthen Canadian democracy
By Seána Glennon
Justin Trudeaus biggest regret, he said at his resignation news conference, is failing to achieve electoral reform in Canada even though hed promised to do so, and had the opportunity during his first majority government,...
How to get control of your time
By Boróka Bó Et Al
GoodStudio/Shutterstock You wake up at 7:00 and reflexively reach for your phone. Between the stream of emails, WhatsApps and breaking news alerts, you see a worrying reminder: you averaged 11 hours of daily screen time...
What the looming federal election could mean for the Bank of Canada’s independence
By Andrew Allison
The independence of central banks from the democratic process has been a bedrock of economic policy for decades. The Bank of Canada is no exception, maintaining distance from elected officials to ensure monetary policy is...
Five reasons why vertical farming is still the future, despite all the recent business failures
By Gail Taylor
Dont believe the tripe. Amorn Suriyan Plant factories are failing, with multiple companies closing or going bankrupt in recent months. This includes the largest vertical farm on the planet, in Compton, Los Angeles. Owned...
Omagh bombing: why a public inquiry is being held more than 25 years after the atrocity
By Peter John McLoughlin
The 1998 Good Friday agreement is commonly seen to have ended what were euphemistically termed the Troubles in Northern Ireland. However, just four months after the peace accord was signed, an attack on the town of Omagh...
Armenia and Azerbaijan are at loggerheads again – here’s why tensions are rising
By Svante Lundgren
Azerbaijans president, Ilham Aliyev, has launched a fierce verbal attack on Armenia, which he has called a fascist state. Fascism must be destroyed, he said in an interview on local TV networks on January 7. Either the...
Why not all plans for a four-day working week would be a win for health
By Anne Skeldon Et Al
Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock The right to request a short working week, with four longer shifts and three days off is being proposed as part of new flexible working legislation in the UK. Also known as working compressed...
Why fizzy water won’t help you lose weight – despite what some studies might suggest
By Duane Mellor
Fizzy water will probably not have a measurable effect on metabolism and weight. Jari Hindstroem/ Shutterstock For years it has been claimed that sparkling water may aid weight loss by helping you feel fuller reducing...
Suffocating seas: low oxygen levels emerging as third major threat to tropical coral reefs
By Maggie D. Johnson Et Al
Corals in low-oxygen seawater may not show visible signs of stress. Mike Workman/Shutterstock Coral reef research has focused on the twin evils birthed by record-high greenhouse gas emissions: warming oceans and...
