• Songlines, dreaming tracks and Aboriginal mapping

    Alan Stevenson     |      November 9, 2022

    Songlines, or dreaming tracks, mark the routes followed by localised “creator-beings” in indigenous Australian culture. These paths are recorded in traditional song cycles, stories, dance, and art, and are often the basis of ceremonies connecting native people to their land.

  • Curiouser and curiouser!

    Alan Stevenson     |      November 8, 2022

    Modern science tends to ignore outsiders but reductionist science is not the only way of knowing things and more attention should be paid to ancient knowledge, new ideas and ‘thinking outside the box’.

  • What is consciousness?

    Alan Stevenson     |      November 3, 2022

    Scientists, naturalists and philosophers have wrestled with the nature of consciousness for thousands of years, and understanding its nature would do much to reveal the mysteries of human decision making.

  • The deep roots of history

    Alan Stevenson     |      October 30, 2022

    History books are written on paper, but history writes itself into our trees. Dendrochronology opens a fascinating window into our past, as tree rings tell a long story of climatic and environmental change and even bear the scars of massive solar storms and mysterious cosmic radiation events.

  • To lie is human

    Alan Stevenson     |      October 26, 2022

    Everyone, even George Washington, has told a lie or two in their time, whether to sugar coat a social situation or trick a person – or a country – into supporting us.

  • The uses and abuses of religion

    Alan Stevenson     |      September 20, 2022

    Although the basic premise of religions is the same, throughout history politicians and military leaders have blatantly used it to gain control.

  • The pursuit of happiness

    Alan Stevenson     |      August 13, 2022

    We spend billions of dollars each year looking for happiness, hoping it might be bought, consumed, found, or travelled to, but other, more contemplative cultures and traditions assure us that this is a waste of time, and living in the moment is the best way to find true contentment.

  • Our need for nature

    Alan Stevenson     |      July 24, 2022

    Getting out and about in nature is good for our minds as well as our bodies, and maintaining wild spaces for the public to explore in our increasingly developed cities should be a planning priority.

  • Dogs in myth and legend

    Alan Stevenson     |      July 14, 2022

    Genetic evidence suggests dogs were first domesticated from their wolf ancestors at least 27,000 years ago, and dogs have played a prominent role in our lives and myths throughout recorded history.

  • The trouble with lichen

    Alan Stevenson     |      June 11, 2022

    Nature is full of fascinating symbiotic relationships between different forms of life in the same organism, not least within our own bodies, but we are still just scratching the surface of the complexity of life within and around us.

  • The myths that unite and divide us

    Alan Stevenson     |      May 26, 2022

    Humans are social animals, and the myths, symbols and ideologies we create and share help groups define themselves and maintain internal cohesion. However these myths can impede progress and create animosity between groups as well.

  • On the brink of the singularity

    Alan Stevenson     |      May 25, 2022

    The increasing sophistication of hardware and software to augment our capabilities is beginning to blur the boundaries between man and machine, raising a host of physical possibilities and ethical questions.