Public spaces bind cities together. What happens when coronavirus forces us apart?

By Tahj Rosmarin

In modern cities, our public spaces represent our shared values. They are our common assets, owned, maintained and used by all members of our society. The outbreak of coronavirus and its immediate impacts, such as social...

How to stay fit and active at home during the coronavirus self-isolation

By Emmanuel Stamatakis Et Al

The extensive social distancing policies put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 mean most people will have to spend much, if not all, their time at home. Self-isolation means far fewer opportunities to be...

Hotter weather brings more stress, depression and other mental health problems

By Susana Ferreira Et Al

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. Whats the big idea Thinking about your mental health which includes stress, depression and problems with emotions for how many of the last 30 days...

Can robots help us overcome the coronavirus health crisis and lockdown?

By Hector Gonzalez-Jimenez

The widespread use of robots has long been debated, in part because many critics see them as a threat to jobs and livelihoods. Despite such concerns, robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are already being used in...

Coronavirus and the global economy: yes, there really is cause for optimism

By Arturo Bris

Stock markets are rebounding on the back of the newly agreed US$2 trillion American fiscal stimulus plan. It comes after a week that was the worst in history for the Dow and many others around the world. My impression is...

Video games can help stop kids feeling lonely while stuck at home

By Drew Cattanach

Schools are out for who knows how long. This new reality provides a unique challenge for parents who have now become full-time educators alongside their work and household responsibilities. As a parent of two primary...

Coronavirus and the politics of crisis fatigue

By Matthew Flinders

The new coronavirus pandemic is affecting our daily lives in many unexpected ways. We are particularly trying to understand why some people are not heeding official advice about social isolation. I believe this relates to...

China's expulsion of American journalists a dangerous mistake at a deadly moment

By Yuan Zeng

As the world wages a difficult battle with the coronavirus pandemic, China is escalating its own diplomatic war with the US and the media is the casualty. On March 18, China announced it would expel at least 13...

The six mega challenges testing leaders at a time of national and global crisis

By Richard Calland

The COVID-19 pandemic is an extreme crisis that puts government under severe pressure. It puts the political judgement of the president or prime minister under the most intense spotlight. Not since the height of the Cold...

Halting jury trials may impact a defendant's right to a fair trial

By Sarah Lloyd

The decision of the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, to halt new jury trials in England and Wales in response to COVID-19 follows the example set by Scotland and Northern Ireland. This is understandable as the safety of...

Medical supply chains are fragile in the best of times and COVID-19 will test their strength

By Emily Tucker Et Al

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought medical supply chains into the spotlight. There has been a national shortage of testing kits, and at least one drug is already unavailable because of the outbreak, though it hasnt been...

In battling the coronavirus, will 'optimistic bias' be our undoing?

By Marie Helweg-Larsen

As the coronavirus has fanned across the globe, some people have been more complacent about the risk of contracting the virus than others. On March 21, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was apoplectic after photographs emerged...

Coronavirus fears over farmers markets could hit new growers hard – just when Americans need them most

By Tamara J. Benjamin

The familiar sight of weekend shoppers brushing shoulders at farmers markets across the U.S. is under threat from the coronavirus and fears of its spread. In Seattle, farmers markets have been suspended altogether. In...

Coronavirus: to save businesses, we should pioneer an unusual kind of insurance

By Alistair Milne

The COVID-19 outbreak has triggered a collapse of revenues in sector after sector: transport, hotels, restaurants, tourism, recreation and culture, consumer durables and numerous others. This economic shock, equivalent to...

Coronavirus: six ways of turning anxiety into positive mental health habits

By Dusana Dorjee

Given the constant stream of negative news about the novel coronavirus pandemic, its easy to feel anxious and uncertain. Anxiety is also an understandable reaction, since coronavirus has made many of us change our daily...

Indefinite freeze on non-urgent elective surgery in Australia

By Michelle Grattan

All non-urgent elective surgery is being suspended, to free up resources as hospitals prepare to deal with the full impact of COVID-19. Announcing the suspension, taking effect from midnight Wednesday, Scott Morrison...

View from The Hill: Entertainment venues closed in draconian measures to fight the virus

By Michelle Grattan

Clubs, pubs, movie theatres and gyms will be closed and restaurants will only be able to provide takeaways in draconian measures to fight the spread of coronavirus announced by Scott Morrison late Sunday night. But...

Anxiety about coronavirus can increase the risk of infection — but exercise can help

By Jennifer J. Heisz

Worried about COVID-19? You may be putting yourself at undue risk, because chronic anxiety suppresses the immune system and increases our risk for infection. The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing...

During coronavirus hospital surge, a midwife recommends home birth

By Manavi Handa

For many health-care providers who worked through the 2003 SARS epidemic, especially in epicentres, like Toronto, the COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder of the many lessons health-care providers learned at that time. Social...

Forensic linguists explore how emojis can be used as evidence in court

By Zakeera Docrat Et Al

Emojis have become ubiquitous in text communication messages are peppered with smiley faces, hearts and other graphic icons. They were first drawn by graphic designer Shigetaka Kurita, and generated by a Japanese...

Australian government's new $66 billion package will take coronavirus economic life support to $189 billion

By Michelle Grattan

Small and medium-sized businesses will get up to $100,000 in cash payments in the governments second stage of emergency assistance, worth a huge $66 billion, to cushion businesses and individuals as the coronavirus cuts a...

Are the banks strong enough to withstand the coronavirus crash?

By Sumon Bhaumik

One of the most visible outcomes of the COVID-19 crisis is the mayhem in the global stock markets. Between February 20 and March 19, the SP 500 index plunged from 3,373 to 2,409, the FTSE 250 from 21,866 to 12,830, and the...

When restaurants close, Americans lose much more than a meal

By Rebecca L. Spang

Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted a video of himself on March 15 saying: No more restaurants. Seated in his palatial kitchen with two miniature horses, Whiskey and Lulu, beside him, the former California governor pronounced:...

Coronavirus threat reveals the flaws in India's health system

By Yves-Marie Rault Chodankar

While the number of reported cases of the new coronavirus in India remains in the low hundreds, concerns are already growing about the capacity of its healthcare system to deal with the potential threat. This is a major...

'The bills were more stressful than the cancer': US versus UK healthcare – a personal story

By Nora Groce

As a medical anthropologist, I have spent the past 30 years based at major universities researching issues of access to healthcare and support for the inclusion of people from vulnerable and marginalised populations. In...

We are entering a recession – but what did we learn from the last one?

By Ken-Hou Lin Et Al

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, it is abundantly clear that the global economy is entering a recession the first weve seen since 2008. Some officials have compared the last period of economic...

3 ways the coronavirus pandemic is changing who we are

By Arie Kruglanski

For most Americans, the coronavirus pandemic represents a completely unprecedented circumstance, as novel as it is life-changing. No event in recent history has affected us as profoundly and pervasively. Not only does...

The battle against disinformation is global

By Scott Shackelford

Disinformation-spewing online bots and trolls from halfway around the world are continuing to shape local and national debates by spreading lies online on a massive scale. In 2019, Russia used Facebook to intervene in the...

Should I exercise during the coronavirus pandemic? Experts explain the just right exercise curve

By Tamara Hew-Butler Et Al

So here we are, perfecting our social distancing skills while schools, sports and other forms of social engagement are on indefinite hold, by a dangerous virus named after a (regal) crown. The coronavirus is named because...

Advanced degrees bring higher starting salaries – but also higher debt

By Jaymes Pyne Et Al

People with a masters degree or doctorate can bank on a much higher starting salary than those with the same major but only a bachelors degree. Thats according to a recent survey of employers by the National Association of...

In the wake of bushfires and coronavirus, it's time we talked about human security

By Dennis Altman

The term human security was first adopted by the United Nations Development Program in 1994. We speak far less of it now than we did then. Yet the cataclysmic events of this year should remind us national security is no...

Should Trump shut down the stock market? 4 questions answered

By Jonathan T. Fluharty-Jaidee

Editors note: Financial markets across the globe have plunged repeatedly in recent weeks over concerns about the growing economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic, on some days falling over 10%. This has raised the...

The Fed will have to do a lot more than cut rates to zero to stop Wall Street's coronavirus panic

By Alexander Kurov

The Federal Reserve is 0 for 2 in its fight against Wall Streets coronavirus panic, seeming to confirm perceptions of the central banks impotence. The Feds first attempt to calm thing down a half-point surprise rate...

Will coronavirus damage Trump in the US general election? And Morrison's ratings improve in Newspoll

By Adrian Beaumont

Four states hold Democratic primaries on Wednesday in Australia: Florida, Ohio, Illinois and Arizona. These states will award 14.5% of all pledged delegates, taking us to 61.5% of total delegates. But given Joe Bidens...

How will coronavirus affect property prices?

By Nigel Stapledon

Its one of the most Googled questions since the coronavirus and COVID-19 outbreak: how will coronavirus affect house prices? The bottom line is it will be negative - prices will go down. People, up until now, have been...

Scientists find burnt, starving koalas weeks after the bushfires

By Romane H. Cristescu Et Al

The plight of koalas during the recent bushfire crisis made headlines here and abroad. But the emergency for our wildlife is not over. Koalas that survived the flames are now dying from starvation, dehydration, smoke...

Should I test my gut microbes to improve my health?

By Amy Loughman Et Al

People are paying hundreds of dollars to have their gut microbes analysed, hoping the insights will allow them to adjust their diet and improve their health. But these testing services are based on science thats still...

Stateless review: remembering a time when we were outraged

By George Newhouse

Most of Cornelia Raus family and friends have regarded the screening of Stateless with trepidation because the television series is loosely based on her troubled life. In 2004-05, Cornelia Rau was wrongfully detained...

Cancelled matches and growing turmoil: the impact of Covid-19 on the sports industry

By Simon Chadwick

In recent weeks, sports organisations around the world have been forced to confront the reality that the coronavirus Covid-19 is likely to have a significant impact on the industry not just in the short term, but also the...

Keeping kids active despite the weather: Promoting outdoor activity all year round

By Leigh Vanderloo Et Al

Given the climate in much of Canada, cold, wet or snowy conditions are inescapable for many months of the year. And like it or not, weather and seasonality are a barrier to Canadian children engaging in physical activity....

Employers need to give paid sick days to fight COVID-19

By Nita Chhinzer

We frequently hear advice that workers should stay home when they dont feel well, but there are a lot of reasons why that option isnt realistic or feasible for many workers. Presenteeism when employees are unwell and...

Stock market rollercoaster: Why high-frequency trading isn’t to blame

By Nikola Gradojevic Et Al

Financial forecasting involves predicting an organizations financial future. It typically considers a history of prices, trading volumes or other predictors such as financial statements, interest rates and commodity prices...

NZ's decision to close its borders will hurt tourism but it's the right thing to do

By Siouxsie Wiles

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has done exactly what is needed to limit the spread of COVID-19 in New Zealand and the Pacific. Two new cases were confirmed today, just hours before new border restrictions come into...

Vodka won't protect you from coronavirus, and 4 other things to know about hand sanitizer

By Jeffrey Gardner

Editors note: As concern about coronavirus grows, hand sanitizer is in high demand. Biologist Jeffrey Gardner explains why alcohol is a key ingredient in hand sanitizer, and why he doesnt recommend making your own supply...

Not all young people are 'digital natives' – inequality hugely limits experiences of technology

By Simeon Yates

There is a belief that younger people are fully engaged with the digital world. But I am currently leading a project exploring peoples knowledge and use of online data, and the preliminary findings from our research has...

Why Japanese yen is still one of the safest places to park your money in a market crash

By Alexis Stenfors

Fear is contagious not least in financial markets. When it turns to panic, it spreads fast in todays interconnected and technologically advanced trading world. Assets that are associated with some kind of risk fall in...

Social distancing: What it is and why it's the best tool we have to fight the coronavirus

By Thomas Perls

As the coronavirus spreads into more and more communities, public health officials are placing responsibility on individuals to help slow the pandemic. Social distancing is the way to do it. Geriatrician Thomas Perls...

Saudi Arabia's crown prince, backed by the king, moves for absolute power

By Umer Karim Et Al

The news seeped out of Saudi Arabia into international outlets late on March 6. King Salmans brother, Prince Ahmad bin Abdul Aziz, had been detained along with the kings nephew Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, former crown...

Biden and Trump agree on strong US-Israel relations – Bernie, not so much

By Boaz Dvir

President Donald Trump has claimed for himself the title of historys most pro-Israel U.S. president, while characterizing his Democratic opponents as radicals seeking to destroy the special bond between the United States...

Air-dropping poisoned meat to kill bush predators hasn't worked in the past, and it's unlikely to help now

By Justine M. Philip

After the summers devastating bushfires, the New South Wales government announced a plan to airdrop one million poisoned baits in the states most vulnerable regions over the next year. The plan is aimed at protecting...