How the Middle Ages are being revisited through Indigenous perspectives
By Brenna Duperron
The seemingly fantastical world of the Middle Ages has held western popular culture in fascination since (at least) its nostalgic reimagining by Victorian antiquarians.
European medieval imagery or narratives, partly...
Who really was Mona Lisa? More than 500 years on, there’s good reason to think we got it wrong
By Darius von Guttner Sporzyns
In the pantheon of Renaissance art, Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa stands as an unrivalled icon. This half-length portrait is more than just an artistic masterpiece; it embodies the allure of an era marked by unparalleled...
How do I keep my fruit, veggies and herbs fresh longer? Are there any ‘hacks’?
By Senaka Ranadheera
We all know fresh produce is good for us, but fruit, vegetables and herbs have a tendency to perish quickly if left uneaten.
This is because even after harvesting, produce from living plants tends to continue its...
Cost of living: if you can’t afford as much fresh produce, are canned veggies or frozen fruit just as good?
By Evangeline Mantzioris
The cost of living crisis is affecting how we spend our money. For many people, this means tightening the budget on the weekly supermarket shop.
One victim may be fresh fruit and vegetables. Data from the Australian...
Why is the Gaza war tearing us apart?
By Hugh Breakey
The recent Gaza war protests and counterprotests roiling universities around the world have attracted vocal supporters and critics alike. Protesters have occupied buildings on campuses from Los Angeles to Paris to...
South Africans go to the polls to choose a new government: what’s different this time
By Dirk Kotze
South Africas seventh general election since democracy in 1994, set for 29 May 2024, takes place under circumstances different from any other election in the history of the nation. Some view the hotly contested national...
Your smartphone might be linked to crocodile attacks in Indonesia. Here’s how
By Brandon Michael Sideleau
Whats the connection between your smartphone and crocodile attacks? Its quite straightforward.
Smartphones need tin, which is often mined illegally in Indonesia. When illegal tin mines are abandoned, they fill with...
Noise-cancelling headphones, earplugs and earmuffs – do they really help neurodivergent people?
By Kitty-Rose Foley
Noise can make it hard to concentrate, especially for people who are extra sensitive to it.
Neurodivergent people (such as those who are autistic or have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD) can experience...
No mullets, no mohawks, no ‘awkwardly contrasting colours’: what are school policies on hair and why do they matter so much?
By Kayla Mildren
A Queensland dad recently took his four-year-old son out of the Gold Coasts A.B. Paterson College because the school had ordered the boy to cut his long hair.
Like other private schools, we have a uniform policy, school...
Spectator racism is still rife in Australia’s major football codes
By Keith Parry Et Al
The annual Indigenous rounds in the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
These events highlight the contributions of Indigenous...
Horn of Africa droughts: how a network of groundwater bores could help – study
By Bradley Hiller
The Horn of Africa recently suffered its worst drought in almost half a century, and its sixth failed rainfall season in a row.
Fifty million people were directly affected and 100 million more were indirectly affected....
British Columbia needs a unified response to respond to the biodiversity crisis
By Jennifer Sunday Et Al
From massive kelp forests to monumental old-growth on land, British Columbias biodiversity which is unrivalled in Canada provides an array of cultural, economic, social and other benefits. B.C.s wide-ranging ecological...
Cyberflashing is a form of gendered sexual violence that must be taken seriously
By Dianne Lalonde
Sexting sending sexually suggestive or explicit messages and images is now a widespread practice, and can be a healthy way to express and explore sexuality. However, there is a need to distinguish between consensual...
Can marketing classes teach sustainability? 4 key insights
By Brooke Klassen
Young adults have an important role to play in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Adopted by all UN member nations, the SDGs offer a frame for an ambitious plan to transform our...
Decriminalization failures show half measures are not enough to address drug use problems and the opioid crisis
By Andrew Hathaway
Ottawas recent rejection of the City of Torontos request to decriminalize possession of controlled drugs is the latest shoe to drop in the resurgence of conservative anti-drug sentiment sweeping the country, and...
If an asteroid hit Earth and all the humans died, would the dinosaurs come back?
By Eloise Stevens
Many, many years ago dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Six-year-old Aga knows that a meteorite wiped them out… but could another meteorite bring them back?
You can read a print version of this story...
Louisiana set to reclassify abortion pills as controlled, dangerous substances − here’s what that means
By Jamie Rowen Et Al
Louisianas Legislature approved a bill on May 23, 2024, that would reclassify two abortion pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, as controlled, dangerous substances. Both pills have a long history of safe and effective use...
The surge in hydroelectric dams is driving massive biodiversity loss
By Josie South Et Al
Around the world, free-flowing natural rivers are being fragmented by dams, weirs and other barriers. Its one of the biggest, yet least acknowledged, causes of biodiversity loss worldwide.
River fragmentation is a key...
Election 2024: the stakes are higher than they appear, so quality information is essential
By Laura Hood
With the UK heading for an election on July 4, it can feel like the result is pre-ordained. Labour has maintained a decisive poll lead for over a year and nothing Rishi Sunak does appears to shift the dial.
But below...
Depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder linked with ancient viral DNA in our genome – new research
By Rodrigo Duarte Et Al
Around 8% of human DNA is made up of genetic sequences acquired from ancient viruses. These sequences, known as human endogenous retroviruses (or Hervs), date back hundreds of thousands to millions of years with some even...
Haiti: first Kenyan police arrive to help tackle gang violence – but the prospects for success are slim
By Amalendu Misra
An advance team of Kenyan special forces police have arrived in the troubled Caribbean nation of Haiti. They are part of a larger UN-backed support mission tasked with establishing order, pushing back the advances of...
Does ‘whining’ really make you happier? A therapist gives his verdict
By Ray O'Neill
A problem shared is a problem halved. Research by Age UK shows that only 29% of adults share their worries, but of these 36% feel brighter as a result; 26% feel relief having confided in someone, and 8% feel that the...
GB News’s first election – how the new channel could affect broadcast coverage of the campaigns
By Stephen Cushion
The prime ministers announcement of a snap summer election in the UK caught many people by surprise. But broadcasters and the media regulator have been preparing for some time. Ofcom faces the challenge of monitoring how...
Scrapping FA Cup replays has upset smaller clubs, but they could still win from being matched against the top sides
By Mark Middling
Football fans delight in historic moments enjoyed by their club. Exeter City supporters for example, will have fond memories of the FA Cup third round match their team played on the wintry afternoon of January 8...
Colorado takes a new – and likely more effective – approach to the housing crisis
By Brian J. Connolly
In recent years, Colorado has been a poster child for the U.S. housing crisis. Previously a relatively affordable state, it has seen home prices increase nearly sixfold over the past three decades, outstripping even...
What Philadelphians need to know about the city’s 7,000-camera surveillance system
By Albert Fox Cahn
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently investigated Philadelphias use of what it described as a little-scrutinized, 7,000-camera system that is exposing residents across the city to heightened surveillance with few rules or...
6 ways to foster political discourse on college campuses
By Rachel Wahl
With deep divisions on college campuses most recently over the conflict in the Gaza Strip and Israel many observers fear that universities are not places where students can discuss divisive issues with people who...
Why the US government is intervening in the live music business and could break up Live Nation Entertainment – a music industry scholar explains
By David Arditi
The U.S. Justice Department, along with 29 states and the District of Columbia, have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster.
The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation...
How the 18th-century ‘probability revolution’ fueled the casino gambling craze
By John Eglin
The first commercial gambling operations emerged, coincidentally or not, at the same time as the study of mathematical probability in the mid-1600s.
By the early 1700s, commercial gambling operations were widespread in...
What OpenAI’s deal with News Corp means for you
By T.J. Thomson Et Al
OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, and News Corp, the international media conglomerate, have signed a deal that will let OpenAI use and learn from News Corps content.
In practical terms, this means when a user asks ChatGPT...
ChatGPT’s use of a soundalike Scarlett Johansson reflects a troubling history of gender-stereotyping in technology
By Alex Borkowski
Actress Scarlett Johansson released a statement this week expressing anger and concern that OpenAI used a voice eerily similar to her own as a default voice for ChatGPT.
The voice in question, called Sky, has been...
Why knock down all public housing towers when retrofit can sometimes be better?
By Trivess Moore Et Al
The Victorian government is planning Australias largest urban renewal project. The plan is to knock down and rebuild 44 large public housing towers in Melbourne. The government says these towers, built in the 1960s and...
Ukraine recap: Putin on top as Kyiv scrambles to play catch-up on the battlefield
By Jonathan Este
Vladimir Putin has been looking pretty chipper of late. Two weeks ago saw him wearing his trademark vulpine smile as he presided over the Victory Day commemorations in Moscow. It was a rather more upbeat occasion than in...
Life’s big moments can impact an entrepreneur’s success – but not always in the way you’d expect
By Pi-Shen Seet Et Al
Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of any innovative economy.
New business creation has been shown to have a significant and positive impact on economic growth, innovation and job creation. But it isnt easy, and most new...
Drug companies pay doctors over A$11 million a year for travel and education
By Barbara Mintzes Et Al
Drug companies are paying Australian doctors millions of dollars a year to fly to overseas conferences and meetings, give talks to other doctors, and to serve on advisory boards, our research shows.
Our team analysed...
How Modi is using TV, film and social media to sway voters in India’s election
By Vinita Srivastava
As the worlds largest electorate goes to the polls in India, political parties are seeking to sway voters through popular culture, like film. Although cinema has long reflected and influenced the countrys political and...
Why the upcoming South African election a massive milestone for the ruling ANC
By Stephen Chan
South Africans governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), is in trouble. After 30 years in charge, it is scrambling for support ahead of the upcoming national elections.
The ANC has run the country since the...
South Africa: Gold mine pollution is poisoning Soweto’s water and soil – study finds food gardens are at risk
By Lesego Khomo
For 140 years, gold mines in Johannesburg, South Africa have been leaking wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. The acid mine drainage from Johannesburgs estimated 278 abandoned mines and 200 mine dumps includes...
Here’s how machine learning can violate your privacy
By Jordan Awan
Machine learning has pushed the boundaries in several fields, including personalized medicine, self-driving cars and customized advertisements. Research has shown, however, that these systems memorize aspects of the data...
How Iran selects its supreme leader
By Eric Lob
The sudden death of President Ebrahim Raisi is unlikely to drastically alter Irans foreign and domestic policies, but it has left a power vacuum.
As stipulated by the constitution, Raisi was replaced by his first vice...
We tracked secret Russian missile launchers in Ukraine using public satellite data
By Adam Bartley Et Al
In the occupied far east of Ukraine, Russian forces are aiming waves of missiles against Ukrainian civilian targets. Each of Russias state-of-the-art missile launch systems costs more than US$100 million (A$150 million)....
TikTok law threatening a ban if the app isn’t sold raises First Amendment concerns
By Anupam Chander Et Al
TikTok, the short-video company with Chinese roots, did the most American thing possible on May 7, 2024: It sued the U.S. government, in the person of Attorney General Merrick Garland, in federal court. The suit claims the...
Was Beethoven truly the greatest?
By Philip Ewell
On May 7, 1824, Ludwig van Beethovens Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna, Austria. On its 200th anniversary, much was made about this seminal achievement of a composer routinely touted as the greatest master who ever...
Electric cars: swappable batteries could be the way to revive flagging sales
By ManMohan S Sodhi
The rate of adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in western countries continues to wane. In the UK, EVs market share of all new cars for 2024 will barely hit 20%, somewhat below the government goal of 22%. New car...
Met Gala: what fairytales can teach us about modern fashion trends
By Cath Davies
Fairytales have long woven magic with fabric. But this years Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for the the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute in New York, took the connection between fantasy and fashion a step...
Synced brains: why being constantly tuned in to your child’s every need isn’t always ideal
By Pascal Vrticka
Its crucial for healthy child development that children can form secure attachment bonds with their parents. Decades of research identified one key ingredient for this process: the coordination of parents and childrens...
Will government investment make green hydrogen a reality in Australia?
By Kylie Turner Et Al
In the budget last week, the government was keen to talk about its efforts to turn Australia into a renewable superpower under the umbrella of the Future Made in Australia policies.
Future Made is a framework that sets...
Can Iran avoid a political crisis after its president’s death?
By Ali Mamouri
The death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash this week occurred during one of the Islamic Republic of Irans most challenging periods.
Raisi, a prominent figure in the political elite, held substantial sway...
What is fate? And how can it both limit and liberate us?
By Michael Allen Fox
The concept of fate, or the idea of fatefulness, seems to crop up everywhere we look in one form or another. Fate is a key belief enduring across cultures and generations.
What is fate? Generally speaking, fate is...
A pest of our own making: revealing the true origins of the not-so-German cockroach
By Theo Evans Et Al
German cockroaches thrive in buildings all over the world. Theyre one of the most common cockroach species, causing trouble for people both here and overseas. But in nature, theyre nowhere to be found.
Just how this...
