In the Arctic, planting more trees actually makes the world warmer

| Insights & Views

Across much of the world, planting more trees means more carbon is stored, and global warming is reduced. Thats the thinking behind recent proposals to plant more trees in Alaska, Greenland and Iceland. But we recently...

Want to live longer and save money? Online app can help calculate your benefits from cutting back on alcohol

| Insights & Views

Dry January is a time when many people think about taking a break from alcohol and giving their liver a rest. But what does that look like in terms of individual benefits? What if you knew how many minutes of life you...

In 2025 and beyond, schools need to teach more than just ‘the basics’

| Insights & Views

In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of doors, gates and transitions. Able to see in two directions, Janus was associated with passages, beginnings and endings. In January, the month named for him in the western calendar,...

Genius or charlatan? The strange tale of a 19th-century polymath who left a trail of controversy across colonial Australia

| Insights & Views

About 20 minutes drive north of Geraldton, on Australias west coast, lies a hill named Mount Sommer. The little peak is one of the few relics left behind by the enigmatic nineteenth-century polymath Dr Ferdinand von...

Australia needs better ways of storing renewable electricity for later. That’s where ‘flow batteries’ can help

| Insights & Views

As more and more solar and wind energy enters Austalias grid, we will need ways to store it for later. We can store electricity in several different ways, from pumped hydroelectric systems to large lithium-ion battery...

Summer holidays haven’t changed much since ancient Greece and Rome (except maybe the sand wrestling)

| Insights & Views

Imagine a summer holiday at a seaside resort, with days spent sunbathing, reading books, exploring nature and chatting with friends. Sounds like it could be anywhere in Australia or New Zealand in January, doesnt it? This...

Why do some people’s hair and nails grow quicker than mine?

| Insights & Views

Throughout recorded history, our hair and nails played an important role in signifying who we are and our social status. You could say, they separate the caveman from businessman. It was no surprise then that many of us...