Coles says these toys promote healthy eating. I say that's rubbish

By Carla Liuzzo

As a parent, I find it so frustrating to take my children shopping, reusable bags in hand, only to be offered plastic toys at the checkout. Its an incredibly confusing message to be sending kids. And it seems Coles is...

Our trade talks with Europe and Britain are set to become climate talks

By Bruce Wilson Et Al

Climate change is set to become an inescapable part of negotiations now underway over an Australia-European Union free trade agreement, and also negotiations over the Australia-UK agreement necessitated by Britains exit...

Rodrigo Duterte terminated a military agreement with US – why it could push Philippines closer to China

By Tom Smith

The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, decided to terminate a prominent and unpopular military agreement with the US in early February. The move came as a direct response to Washingtons invocation of the...

Natural supplements can be dangerously contaminated, or not even have the specified ingredients

By C. Michael White

More than two-thirds of Americans take dietary supplements. The vast majority of consumers 84% are confident the products are safe and effective. They should not be so trusting. Im a professor of pharmacy practice...

Out-of-context photos are a powerful low-tech form of misinformation

By Lisa Fazio

When you think of visual misinformation, maybe you think of deepfakes videos that appear real but have actually been created using powerful video editing algorithms. The creators edit celebrities into pornographic movies,...

There's no evidence the new coronavirus spreads through the air – but it's still possible

By Ian M. Mackay Et Al

A recent announcement by a Chinese health official suggested the new coronavirus might spread more easily than we thought, via an airborne route. The virus is now known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2...

A connected world makes this coronavirus scarier, but also helps us deal with it

By Richard Holden

The health implications of the Wuhan coronavirus (now called Covid-19) outbreak are, obviously, deeply concerning. At the time of writing, it had infected more than 50,000 people and killed more than 1,300. Cities and...

New tools help communities measure and reduce their emissions locally

By Stephen Pollard

The slogan What you can measure, you can manage has become a guiding principle for local climate action. Theres an accounting standard made for this purpose: the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emission...

Designing artificial brains can help us learn more about real ones

By Blake Richards

Despite billions of dollars spent and decades of research, computation in the human brain remains largely a mystery. Meanwhile, we have made great strides in the development of artificial neural networks, which are...

Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle: what you need to know

By Despina Alexiadou

Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, has reshuffled his cabinet. But among all the sackings and appointments, the big news of the day was Sajid Javids resignation as chancellor of the exchequer. Javid was reportedly told...

The smelly truth about romantic relationships and health

By Marlise Hofer Et Al

Having trouble sleeping? Nervous about an important interview? Smelling your partners worn clothing may help improve your sleep and calm your nerves. While it may sound strange to smell your partners clothing, these...

Scottish National Investment Bank looks hardwired for failure – here's why

By Ross Brown

Scotland is a step closer to launching the UKs first national investment bank after the Scottish parliament passed plans to create this new source of funding for Scottish businesses. The bank, due to open in late 2020, is...

America’s postwar fling with romance comics

By Michael C. Weisenburg

Last year, comic book enthusiast Gary Watson donated his massive personal collection to the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of South Carolina. As the reference and instruction...

An unsent SMS, a message on a tractor, a poem: the courts say a valid will can take many forms

By Katherine Biber

When a man died by suicide in 2016, a friend found an unsent SMS on his phone: Dave Nic you and Jack keep all that I have house and superannuation, put my ashes in the back garden with Trish Julie will take her stuff...

1 in 5 kids start school with health or emotional difficulties that challenge their learning

By Meredith O'Connor Et Al

Teachers identify one in five children as having emerging health or developmental concerns when they start school. This might include a child being disruptive, having difficulties understanding the teachers instructions,...

Why we aren't closing the gap: a failure to account for 'cultural counterfactuals'

By George Denny-Smith Et Al

Australias 12th Closing the Gap report, published yesterday, shows by most socio-economic measures Indigenous Australians continue to lag behind the rest of the population. Only two of seven targets early education and...

The secondhand smoke you're breathing may have come from another state

By Sebastian Eastham Et Al

Scientists estimate that each year in the U.S., outdoor air pollution shortens the lives of about 100,000 people by one to two decades. As it turns out, much of this pollution originates not in a persons own...

Coronavirus: The latest disease to spur mistrust, fear and racism

By Korey Pasch

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China, stories of courage and strength have captured our collective attention as the disease spreads. We have also seen large-scale efforts in China to...

When presidential campaigns end, what happens to the leftover money?

By Richard Briffault

Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet have ended their campaigns for president. What happens to the money they have raised, but not yet spent? The amounts could be substantial. Financial reports submitted to the Federal...

Huel: what happens if you replace every meal with this vegan meal powder?

By J Bernadette Moore Et Al

Imagine a synthetic product that can give your body all the essential nutrients it needs to survive, is easy to prepare, affordable, and has a low environmental impact. While it might sound too good to be true, this is...

HS2: the government has failed to value the real benefits – expert

By David Metz

A new high-speed rail route between London and the north of England has finally been given the go-ahead. Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, announced the governments decision, despite the dramatic escalation in...

When laser surgery turns into a nightmare, the toll can be enormous

By Langis Michaud

It will soon be a year since Jessica Starr, a popular weatherperson on Detroit TV, took her own life. Her husband said she did so because of complications related to her recent laser refractive surgery. Such...

Sinn Féin's rise in Irish politics is down to three big economic reasons

By Aidan Regan

The rise of Sinn Féin (and the broader Left in Irish politics) is the result of three clear, interlinking economic factors. These are a growth model that has not benefited everyone, a worsening housing crisis that...

J.Lo's body: Distressing or inspiring for mid-life women?

By Samantha Brennan

Now that the Super Bowl and its half-time show are behind us, lets take a few minutes to reflect upon what the amazing performances by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira mean for women in mid-life. Are J.Lo and Shakira, ages 50...

Hackers could shut down satellites – or turn them into weapons

By William Akoto

Last month, SpaceX became the operator of the worlds largest active satellite constellation. As of the end of January, the company had 242 satellites orbiting the planet with plans to launch 42,000 over the next decade....

Deepfakes: five ways in which they are brilliant business opportunities

By Linda W Lee Et Al

A visitor to The Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, Florida presses a doorbell beside a dark life-sized screen. A darkened figure wearing a dapper suit and sporting a pencil moustache slowly leaves his easel and comes...

'Death by a thousand cuts': women of colour in science face a subtly hostile work environment

By Meredith Nash Et Al

Its hard for women to succeed in science. Our research shows its even harder for women of colour. We interviewed women of colour working in scientific and technical organisations across Australia about their...

When introduced species are cute and loveable, culling them is a tricky proposition

By Lily van Eeden Et Al

Almost one in five Australians think introduced horses and foxes are native to Australia, and others dont want cute or charismatic animals culled, even when they damage the environment. So what are the implications of...

Go local: how to keep the power on when disaster hits

By Bjorn Sturmberg

Bushfires, storms and floods regularly leave thousands of Australian homes and businesses without power. Sydneys wettest weekend in three decades left more than 130,000 households without power on Sunday. South...

Bias starts early – most books in childcare centres have white, middle-class heroes

By Helen Joanne Adam

Only 18% of books available in four Australian childcare centres include non-white characters. Animal characters make up around half the books available, with the animals largely leading lives, and adhering to values, of...

3 ways coronavirus will affect the US economy – and 1 silver lining

By Robert Aboolian

As the new coronavirus spreads around the world, and confirmed cases and deaths mount, economists are increasingly concerned about the impact on the U.S. economy. In a recent report to Congress, the Federal Reserve...

Electric car sales tripled last year. Here's what we can do to keep them growing

By Gail Broadbent Et Al

A total of 6718 electric vehicles were sold in Australia in 2019. Thats three times as many as in 2018, but its still small beer. More than a million fossil-fueled light vehicles (including SUVs and utes) were sold in the...

Making better use of Australia's top teachers will improve student outcomes: here's how to do it

By Peter Goss

Australia must do better in school education. Following our worst ever results in international tests last year, politicians are keen to act, and quickly. But Australia has had any number of educational reforms over the...

The coronavirus and Chinese social media: finger-pointing in the post-truth era

By Haiqing Yu

As public health authorities in China and the world fight the novel coronavirus, they face two major communication obstacles: the eroding trust in the media, and misinformation on social media. As cities, towns,...

What Freud tells us about Chair Girl – and ourselves

By Heidi Matthews

The case of Marcella Zoia or Chair Girl, as shes been dubbed by Toronto media has captured the attention of the city for a year now. Each time Zoia makes a court appearance, the news cycle fills with pictures and videos...

'The Two Popes' is beautifully set – but the film's omissions left me with a taste of exclusion

By Rosa Bruno-Jofre

The Two Popes provides a creative dialogue about God, faith and moral responsibility. The film is a fictionalized encounter between German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, and Argentinian...

The importance of travel security for employees going abroad

By Sean Spence

Barely a month into the year 2020 and it seems like the world is becoming a more dangerous place than ever before. Recent emergencies like the uncontrollable Australian wildfires, increased Middle East tensions between...

Valentine’s Day: Asian guys stereotyped and excluded in online dating

By Yue Qian

This Valentines Day, many single people will be looking for their date online. In fact, this is now one of the most popular ways heterosexual couples meet. Online dating provides users with access to thousands, sometimes...

Nigeria's tradition of matching outfits at events has a downside

By Oludayo Tade

Matching outfits made from identical fabric. Theyre a regular feature at parties, weddings and funerals in Nigeria, spotted across social media and fashion pages. Theyre called aso ebi, a Yoruba phrase meaning family...

The story of the pharma giant and the African yam

By William Beinart

It was a drug produced in Nottingham in the United Kingdom that led us on a journey to South Africa to visit muthi markets, archives, herbariums and nature reserves. We spoke with traders, healers, scholars and...

False information fuels fear during disease outbreaks: there is an antidote

By Marina Joubert

False allegations and rumours about the coronavirus outbreak have been running riot on social media and in some mainstream media. Misinformation is rampant and conspiracy theories have added to the confusion. Examples...

Kenyan fossil reveals chameleons may have 'rafted' from Africa to Madagascar

By Andrej Čerňanský

Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae) are a family of unique lizards with unusual characteristics: rapidly extendable tongues, feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, a prehensile tail, and eyes that can move...

3 standout quotes from the New Hampshire Democratic debate, explained

By Joseph Cabosky Et Al

Editors note: Seven candidates met on the debate stage in New Hampshire on Feb. 7, sparring over questions on health care, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, race and more. We asked three scholars to pick out some of the...

Raid of Wet’suwet’en part of Canada’s ongoing police violence against Indigenous Peoples

By Catherine Richardson

In a pre-dawn raid on Feb. 6, the RCMP arrested six land defenders of the Gidimten clan of the Wetsuweten nation at a blockade protesting the Coastal GasLink pipeline project. They were released later the same day but...

New clues in the search for the oldest galaxies in the universe

By Jon Willis

A galaxy cluster can be likened to a great city of galaxies, a galactic conurbation where each galaxy represents an individual, twinkling structure. Just as an archaeologist might seek evidence of the oldest cities on...

Coastal GasLink pipeline dispute is a nation-to-nation matter

By Stepan Wood Et Al

There have been two encouraging recent developments in the longstanding conflict over the proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline on the territory of the Wetsuweten nation in northern British Columbia, though matters are on very...

How two women pulled off a medieval manuscript heist in post-war Germany

By Jennifer Bain

Seventy-five years ago, in February 1945, during the Second World War, Allied forces bombed the magnificent baroque city of Dresden, Germany, destroying most of it and killing thousands of civilians. In central Dresden,...

Brain cells long thought of as passive play key role in memory – study in mice

By Mark Dallas

Microglia are resident immune cells in your brain that act as first responders, always on the lookout for trouble. Accounting for about 10% of our brain cells, they were historically thought of as passive bystanders in the...

No food, no fuel, no phones: bushfires showed we're only ever one step from system collapse

By Anthony Richardson1

This summers bushfires were not just devastating events in themselves. More broadly, they highlighted the immense vulnerability of the systems which make our contemporary lives possible. The fires cut road access, which...

Here's a radical reform that could keep super and pay every retiree the full pension

By Kevin Davis

The governments retirement income review is being told our current tax and benefit treatment of retirement incomes is a mess. Much of financial planning industry is devoted to structuring affairs to maximise access to...