• Society

    Brand new day?


    Dennis Doyle |  May 13, 2025


    Every new Pope brings hope of a fresh start for Catholicism, and while Leo XIV will face limits in modernising the Catholic Church, his predecessor Francis set the stage for further reform.


  • Space

    The waters of Mars


    Hrvoje Tkalčić |  May 13, 2025


    Although a barren desert today, Mars had oceans billions of years ago and recent studies of meteorite strikes and marsquakes hint at a remnant underground ocean of liquid water on the Red Planet.


  • Pacific

    Strive to fight disease in PNG


    Open Forum |  May 13, 2025


    Partners from the Burnet Institute, the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, National Department of Health and the University of Papua New Guinea are working to understand how to help local healthcare workers improve their surveillance of, and response to, vector-borne diseases in Papua New Guinea.


Latest Story

  • The not-so-great debate

    Zareh Ghazarian     |      April 23, 2025

    Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have met for the third leaders’ debate of this election campaign, this time on the Nine network. And while the debate traversed much of the same ground as the first two, the quick-fire set up of the debate allowed for some more animated exchanges less than two weeks from election day.

  • The early voting dilemma

    Zareh Ghazarian     |      April 23, 2025

    Australians have enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to vote early in recent elections. But there are some risks for voters if they jump the gun too quickly. And it’s upending the way parties and other candidates organise their campaigns.

  • Power in the Pacific

    Lai-Ha Chan     |      April 23, 2025

    President Trump’s ‘protection racket’ diplomacy won’t help arrest China’s increasing economic, diplomatic and military foothold in the Pacific.

  • Promises, promises

    Eiddwen Jeffery     |      April 23, 2025

    Both major party blocks have made plenty of pledges in this election campaign, so, how can voters distinguish between deliverable promises and the downright impossible?

  • Picking the new Pope

    Mathew Schmalz     |      April 22, 2025

    With the death of Pope Francis, attention now turns to the selection of his successor through the mysterious process of the ‘conclave’ in Rome.

  • Trump’s Pacific folly

    Open Forum     |      April 22, 2025

    USAID cuts and tariffs will harm the United States’ reputation in the Pacific more than they will harm the region itself.

  • Generation Zzzz

    Sofia Ammassari     |      April 22, 2025

    Barely 1 in 10 voters in ‘Generation Z’ voted with enthusiasm in the last election, with nearly half going to the polls merely to avoid a fine, so what can be done to re-engage them with democracy?

  • The election gender divide

    Michelle Arrow     |      April 21, 2025

    As Australians grapple with an uncertain world and a cost-of-living crisis, how might the differential voting intentions of men and women affect the 2025 election result?

  • Stepping up our security game

    Chris Taylor     |      April 21, 2025

    In the late 1970s Australian sport underwent institutional innovation propelling it to new heights of success, and today’s security services need to undergo a similar revolution in terms of technology and processes to meet evermore challenging demands.

  • Building a housing solution

    Alan Morris     |      April 21, 2025

    Australia is spending billions trying and still failing to get people into decent homes they can afford. Some more radical options could be on the table.

  • Succession

    Michelle Grattan     |      April 20, 2025

    There’s everything still to play for in the 2025 election campaign, but a host of ambitious politicians are eyeing their chances of progression should their own leaders falter in May.

  • The election campAIgn

    Niusha Shafiabady     |      April 20, 2025

    For better or worse, the parties contesting Australia’s election campaign are using artificial intelligence to mass produce materials and target voters with bespoke messages.