American Horror Story: how the cult TV show hints at real-world nightmares

By Rebecca Janicker

Following months of media hype, American Horror Story (AHS) returns this September with an election theme that seems set to maintain the TV shows tradition of inspiring controversy and debate. This time around, showrunners...

What could have tipped the EU referendum result in favour of Remain

By Aihua Zhang

Much of the analysis about why the UK voted to leave the European Union in June 2016 has been done by looking at individual factors in isolation, or using opinion poll data from both before and after the vote. In a new...

A new approach to culture

By Julian Meyrick

I cant understand why people are frightened of new ideas, the composer John Cage once remarked, Im frightened of the old ones. Last weeks announcement that the Myer, Tim Fairfax Family, and Keir Foundations are sponsoring...

How subversive artists made thrift shopping cool

By Jennifer Le Zotte

National Thrift Shop Day (August 17) exists alongside other quirky holidays like Play Your Ukulele Day (February 2) and Rice Crispy Treat Day (September 18). Though intended as a lighthearted celebration of an acceptable...

How parents can help their freshman teens cope with stress

By Chris Palmer

Entering high school can be an exciting experience, but for some teenagers it can also be scary, intimidating and confusing. According to one study, approximately half of all high school students feel a great deal of...

Does biology explain why men outnumber women in tech?

By Alice H. Eagly

Its no secret that Silicon Valley employs many more men than women in tech jobs. Whats much harder to agree on is why. The recent anti-diversity memo by a now former Google engineer has pushed this topic into the...

There may be a huge flaw in UK fracking hopes – the geology

By John Richard Underhill

Gas is hugely important to the UK. The country uses over 65 billion cubic metres to heat most of its 25m homes and generate around a quarter of its electricity each year. Despite efforts to move to renewable energy sources...

Quiet Canadian, ugly American: Does racism differ north of the border?

By Melissa J. Gismondi

In the aftermath of Charlottesville, its worth asking: Are Canadians really less racist than Americans? A recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine with a photo of a smiling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the cover -...

The hollow promise of construction-led jobs and growth

By Sally Weller

Any downturn in the construction industry could trigger job losses to a range of sectors that support the building industry, such as planning, project management, real estate and property services. This threat reveals the...

For a true war on waste, the fashion industry must spend more on research

By Mark Liu

The rise of fast fashion in Australia means 6000 kg of clothing is dumped in landfill every 10 minutes. The ABCs War On Waste visualised this statistic by piling a giant mound of clothing waste in the middle of the city....

Costly signals needed to deliver inconvenient truth

By Quentin Douglas Atkinson

A little over half the worlds population sees climate change as a serious problem (54% according to a 40-nation Pew Research survey). Coincidentally, roughly the same number identify as Christian or Muslim (55%). On the...

Why flooding in Nigeria is an increasingly serious problem

By Nelson Odume Et Al

Earlier this year heavy rains and thunderstorms caused havoc in Lagos, Nigerias economic nerve centre and one of Africas most populous cities. Residents woke up in many parts of the city to find their streets and homes...

Heroin trafficking through South Africa: why here and why now?

By Carina Bruwer

A series of large heroin seizures have been made in South Africa since 2016, but the country is just one of the pitstops on Africas heroin highway. The African continent is geographically situated between opium...

Popularity of latest 'honesty app' Sarahah shows how much we desire validation, whatever the cost

By Amy Binns

A new app called Sarahah (which is Arabic for honesty) launched its English-language version this summer, promising an anonymous way of offering supportive criticism for teams in the workplace. It has since attracted 300m...

Soundcloud survives but it's bad news for musicians

By Leah Kardos

Audio streaming website SoundCloud has survived its do or die moment. In the face of serious financial trouble, it secured US$169.5m of investment from merchant bank The Raine Group and investment firm Temasek Holdings. As...

Charlottesville, Virginia: the history of the statue at the centre of violent unrest

By Jenny Woodley

The violent scenes in Charlottesville, Virginia, that led to the death of one woman and left many more injured began as a dispute over a statue of General Robert E. Lee, which sits in a local public park. However, the...

A major uprising in Jerusalem and beyond is just a few missteps away

By Carlo Aldrovandi

The last thing the Middle East needs is a major conflagration in Israel-Palestine but a summer crisis in Jerusalem made it clear that in the right circumstances, it really could happen. The crisis began in the early...

Pharmacies could do more to help improve everyone’s health

By Janet Krska

Most people arent aware that high street pharmacies offer much more than dispensing and selling medicines. Many also provide a wide range of services designed to improve public health, like supporting people to stop...

Is freelancing the future of employment?

By Anthony Hussenot

Today, freelancers represent 35% of the United States workforce. In the European Union, the rate is 16.1%. Both figures demonstrate the same global trend: from creative entrepreneurs to those paid by the task, freelancing...

'Smart home' gadgets promise to cut power bills but many lie idle – or can even boost energy use

By Yolande Strengers Et Al

Smart home control devices promise to do many things, including helping households reduce their energy bills. Devices such as connected lightbulbs and smart plugs let you operate or automate lights and other appliances...

If Trump is bluffing on North Korea, the results could be catastrophic

By James Samuel Johnson

According to a US Defense Intelligence Agency report, Pyongyangs nuclear capabilities and conventional long range missile programmes are gathering momentum at a rapid clip. The report indicated that North Korea has...

Charlottesville, Donald Trump, and the dark side of American populism

By Todd Landman

Charlottesville, Virginia is home to the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson; he was a slave owner, but today stands as a symbol of the USs egalitarian ethos and political myth. But on August 12, some seven...

India’s torture record is dire – but Britain has little to crow about

By Deana Heath

On this 70th anniversary of its independence from British rule, India is being subjected to the sort of assessment that all post-colonial nation-states are forced to undergo on such occasions. How far have they come since...

The big challenge of the NAFTA renegotiations: dispute settlement

By Ioannis Glinavos

When the US and Canada first signed a free trade agreement in 1987, the biggest sticking point in forging a deal was the inclusion of a dispute settlement clause. The same is true today, with the North American Free Trade...

Beware the border patrol: the nasty history of airport discrimination

By Rachel Bright

This summer, if you go abroad, you will pass through border checkpoints. Not everyone can be checked thoroughly or the system stops, so border guards judge you based on how you look or sound, and they decide how laws are...

Forced conversions of Hindu girls in Pakistan make a mockery of its constitution

By Sadiq Bhanbhro

In a famous speech on August 11 1947, Pakistans founder and first governor general, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, stressed that the new country was being built on the idea of religious tolerance: You are free; you are free to...

How Elvis permanently changed American pop culture

By David Anderson

Its been 40 years since Elvis Presley last swivelled his hips, before his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42. To date, Elviss singles including Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes, and Suspicious Minds as well as...

Our lifestyle, not our innovation, attracts US investment to Australia

By Jared Mondschein

One of the biggest turnoffs for US investment and workers is also the biggest pet peeve for locals housing affordability. Our research finds lifestyle factors are what makes Australia stand out from other international...

Is liking something on Facebook 'protected political speech'? It depends

By Melissa Castan

Australians are often surprised to learn that their Constitution contains no right to free speech. Even the right to political speech, which is constitutionally implied, is increasingly complicated by new online platforms...

How safe is chicken imported from China? 5 questions answered

By Maurice Pitesky

Editors note: Under a trade deal concluded in May, China has begun exporting chicken to the United States. Critics have pointed to Chinas record of food safety issues and argued the deal prioritizes commerce over public...

End-to-end encryption isn't enough security for 'real people'

By Megan Squire

Government officials continue to seek technology companies help fighting terrorism and crime. But the most commonly proposed solution would severely limit regular peoples ability to communicate securely online. And it...

Why didn't sanctions stop North Korea’s missile program?

By Daniel Salisbury

North Koreas long-range missile program has made significant technological advances in the past few months. For most of the past 20 years, the international community has struggled to stop this kind of progress. Kim...

Eclipse of reason: Why do people disbelieve scientists?

By Bryan Gaensler

If youve been paying attention, you know that on Aug. 21, were in for a special cosmic treat: the Great American Eclipse of 2017. The moons shadow will track a 4,000-kilometre course across the continental United States...

Legal weed: An accidental solution to the opioid crisis?

By M-J Milloy Et Al

Its hard to go a day in Canada without hearing about at least one of two types of drugs but for vastly different reasons. One class of drug opioids kills four people a day in British Columbia. The other cannabis will...

Why it costs you so much to see a specialist – and what the government should do about it

By Stephen Duckett

Australians pay too much when they go to medical specialists. The government can and should do more to drive prices down. A current Senate Inquiry on out-of-pocket costs will hopefully lead to some policy action. The...

Spotify may soon dominate music the way Google does search — this is why

By Paul X. McCarthy

While competition online starts the same way as that in offline markets, my research shows it often settles very differently online. Both have seen lots of competitors emerge in a new area underpinned by new...

Zuma won, but the ANC will never be a united party again

By Prince Mashele

To say there is victory in defeat sounds like a contradiction in terms. But, this is exactly what happened when South Africas opposition parties failed to remove President Jacob Zuma through a motion of no...

'Breksit' or 'bregzit'? The question that divides a nation

By Damien Hall

Britain is divided. With the clock ticking on negotiations in Brussels, neither national leaders nor the wider public can agree on one of the most fundamental questions arising from the vote to leave the European Union: is...

North Korea knows it can't afford to go to war

By Ra Mason

The current flare-up over North Koreas missile tests and Donald Trumps belligerent response is frightening for many, but anyone worried that Pyongyang wants to start a war is fortunately mistaken. For all its fighting...

Public v private art collections: who controls our cultural heritage?

By Kathryn Brown

The BMW Art Guide 2016 lists 256 private collections worldwide that are currently open to the public. But this figure omits the swiftly increasing number of multi-million dollar, independently operated gallery spaces that...

Has Facebook finally given up chasing teenagers? It's complicated

By Harry T Dyer

Facebooks latest attempt to appeal to teens has quietly closed its doors. The social media platforms Lifestage app (so unsuccessful that this is probably the first time youve heard of it) was launched a little under a year...

The English Premier League is experiencing a textbook case of hyperinflation

By Josh McLeod

The big summer transfer headline belongs to Neymar and his record-breaking 198m move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. But, by anyones standards, the spending across English Premier League football clubs has been...

Even a 'minor' nuclear war would be an ecological disaster felt throughout the world

By David McCoy

President Donald Trumps vow to hit North Korea with fire and fury like the world has never seen is an unveiled threat to unleash Americas most potent weapons of mass destruction onto the Korean peninsula. According to many...

A memo to Google - firing employees with conservative views is anti-diversity

By Akshaya Kamalnath

Googles recent sacking of James Damore for circulating a memo will do the tech giant more harm than good. Not only has the memo been incorrectly dubbed anti-diversity, but the document has also received widespread support...

Love of bookshops in a time of Amazon and populism

By Nathan Hollier

There was genuine positivity at this years Australian Booksellers Association Conference in Melbourne in June. The mood was one of camaraderie and optimism at the sharing of good news. And it only brightened with the news...

Rise in globalism doesn't mean the end for nationalists

By A. Burcu Bayram

Are you more of a nationalist or a cosmopolitan? Or both? Recent events suggest that a nationalist backlash to globalization is on the rise. The United Kingdoms decision to leave the European Union, Donald Trumps win in...

Why the withering nuclear power industry threatens US national security

By Michael E. Webber

These are tough times for nuclear power in the U.S. Power plants under construction are facing serious delays, halts and cost overruns. Utilities in South Carolina abandoned a project to complete construction of two power...

The slippery slope of the oligarchy media model

By Victor Pickard Et Al

On July 28, Apple heiress Laurene Powell Jobs bought a majority stake in The Atlantic. Its the latest media purchase by the billionaire class, a group that includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (the Washington Post),...

Nicotine in sports: high use but little evidence of effects on performance

By Toby Mündel

When you think nicotine, you probably think of smokers, addiction, carcinogens and disease - not elite athletes and sporting performance. However, our research published today shows that the use of nicotine among...

The new industrial revolution: robots are an opportunity, not a threat

By David Flynn Et Al

Invasion. Takeover. These are the kind of words that have been bandied about in news headlines about robotics and artificial intelligence in the last few years. The coverage has been almost relentlessly negative, focusing...