Latest Story
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Australian longevity bucks a falling trend in developed nations
Open Forum | August 17, 2018After decades of constant increases, life expectancy in many advanced countries is beginning to decline, although Australian longevity continues to creep upwards.
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Racism makes you look a little closer at who you really are
Pranav Harish | August 16, 2018The retirement of German soccer star Mesut Ozil from international football raises some uncomfortable questions about the continuing influence of racism in sport and society.
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Universities return $66 billion to the Australian public, new research claims
Larissa Mavros | August 16, 2018UNSW Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Ian Jacobs’ address at the National Press Club highlighted the economic contributions of Australia’s top research universities.
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Melbourne falls to #2, but does it really matter?
Lucy Gunn | August 16, 2018Melbourne is no longer the world’s most ‘liveable’ city, but does that matter when the ranking isn’t a measure of the things most of us actually care about.
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Open hands beat clenched fists in the Pacific
Michael Shoebridge | August 15, 2018A combination of simple and immediate steps, symbolic events that build interpersonal connections and some ‘crazy’ ideas whose time is coming could inspire better relations with our Pacific neighbours than fearful policies couched in the language of risk and competition.
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How we see into the future all the time
Cheryl Critchley | August 15, 2018Researchers are helping explain how the human brain can accurately predict where a fast-moving object will end up. And why some people are better at it than others.
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Why heatwaves hit some cities harder than others
Open Forum | August 15, 2018Heatwave-related deaths are influenced not only by absolute temperatures but also by how acclimatised people are to heat, according to new research published in ‘Climatic Change’.
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Obesity needs smarter solutions than ‘sin taxes’
Brendan Markey-Towler | August 14, 2018Obesity is a consequence of our actions, rather than a rational choice, but there is scope for governments to get involved and improve our options through a range of ‘smart’ solutions beyond higher taxes on junk food.
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Patients and the data breach notification maze
Megan Prictor | August 14, 2018A new report confirms that Australia’s healthcare sector is susceptible to data breaches, yet the legal requirements around breach notification are inconsistent and about to get more confusing.
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Rage against the machine?
Max Thomas | August 14, 2018Is humanity sowing the seeds of its own destruction by creating ever more ‘intelligent’ machines? Max Thomas wrestles with the thorny issues of defining sentience and the threat of automating war.
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The hard part of soft power
Graeme Dobell | August 13, 2018Australia used ‘soft power’ to enhance its regional interests long before the term was invented, but how should DFAT reassert its ability to control the narrative within the machinery of government itself?
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Fairy wrens learn by listening in
Open Forum | August 13, 2018New research involving biologists from The Australian National University (ANU) shows that some birds are just as skilled as humans at eavesdropping.
