Louis Vuitton, Notre Dame and the quest for ‘secular immortality’

By Ben Voyer

The reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris has recalled debate over the 200 million contribution of Frances Bernard Arnault, the CEO of the LVMH luxury group, to its restoration. Announced in the hours after fire devastated the...

Canadian policymakers should avoid handling Trump 2.0 like another pandemic

By Kevin Quigley

Since Donald Trump won the recent United States presidential election, Canadian policymakers are trying to anticipate a variety of plausible scenarios to deal with an unpredictable leader and his intentions on everything...

Why bovine colostrum supplements could be a health gamble

By Manal Mohammed

From Kim Kardashian Barker to Gwyneth Paltrow, wellness celebrities are extolling the benefits of taking bovine colostrum supplements. Social media influencer Sofia Richie Grainge has even launched her own bovine...

Sediment is a time capsule that shows how past climate change altered our landscapes – and hints at their future

By Joanne Egan

Sediments are more than just layers of mud on the ground. They can reveal a wealth of information about landscapes from millions of years ago right up to the present day. To delve into those layers, scientists like me...

Psychoanalysis explains why Donald Trump is taunting Canada and ‘Governor Justin Trudeau’

By Gavin Fridell Et Al

Canadian policymakers were just beginning to recover from the shock of Donald Trumps recent threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico when the president-elect detonated another rhetorical explosive. In an...

Syrians rejoice in a new beginning, after 54 years of tyranny

By Wendy Pearlman

Millions of Syrians are feeling hope for the first time in years. The authoritarian regime of Bashar al-Assad fell on Dec. 8, 2024, after a 12-day rebel offensive. Most commentaries on this stunning reversal of a...

Retiring with debt? Experts explain downsizing, using super for your mortgage, and pension eligibility

By Kathleen Walsh Et Al

About 36% of homeowners still have a mortgage when they retire, up from 23% a decade ago. This increase in mortgage debt is due to soaring property prices, changes in retirement ages and easy access to drawdown equity...

AI was supposed to make the UK benefits system more efficient. Instead it’s brought bias and hunger.

By Iris Lim

A freedom of information request has revealed that an AI system used by the UK government for assessing benefits cases is apparently getting it wrong by a statistically significant amount. The admission to journalists at...

The west is already at war with Russia. And large-scale conflict may not be far off

By Robert Dover

Russia is already at war with the west. It has been so since its occupation of Crimea in 2014, when Russia sought to secure its access to Sevastopol as a base for its Black Sea Fleet and as a potential lever of influence...

Around 9,000 species have already gone extinct in Australia and we’ll likely lose another this week – new study

By John Woinarski Et Al

More than 95% of Australian animals are invertebrates (animals without backbones spiders, snails, insects, crabs, worms and others). There are at least 300,000 species of invertebrate in Australia. Of these, two-thirds...

What Father David Bauer can tell us about Canadian hockey today

By Matt Hoven

More than 50 years ago, the late Father David Bauer pointed out that studies and reports on problems in Canadian ice hockey have had a characteristic ineffectiveness. Hockey Priest: Father David Bauer and the Spirit...

Culturally tailored patient education can improve heart health

By Gabriela Ghisi

For individuals from diverse backgrounds, managing heart disease effectively often depends on more than access to medical care it requires culturally relevant education. Recent research reveals that adapting patient...

Ravaged jungle: just 25% of the world’s surviving tropical rainforests are in good condition

By Rajeev Pillay Et Al

We are now in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, caused by our emergence as a planet-shaping force. Species are going extinct far faster than the average natural rate of loss. In response, conservationists are...

The book that sparked a revolution: One Hundred Years of Solitude, the literary masterpiece now adapted for TV

By Gabriel Garcia Ochoa

I have read Gabriel García Márquezs One Hundred Years of Solitude five times. The first was at someones recommendation and because I am the authors namesake; the second was halfway through my PhD, (heavy...

The human right to science is 76 years old. It’s a reminder for us all to be more curious

By Sujatha Raman Et Al

Signed exactly 76 years ago today, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the worlds most translated document. It is widely acknowledged as the foundation of international human rights work, not just in legal...

‘Unseen world’: researchers capture fascinating footage of the world’s smallest penguins in a bid to save them

By Diane Colombelli-Négrel

On Granite Island off South Australia, a colony of little penguins is fighting to survive. About two decades ago, the penguins numbered 1,600 adults now there are just 30. It is important for scientists to monitor and...

Does menopause hormone therapy increase or decrease your risk of dementia? Here’s the science

By Caroline Gurvich Et Al

By 2050, around 135 million people worldwide will be living with dementia. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimers disease. Women are more likely than men to develop Alzheimers disease, even after accounting for...

Why a musical instrument is the perfect gift this Christmas (and some suggestions for which to get)

By Wendy Hargreaves

Christmas is the season to be jolly, but its wrapped in some cheerless trials. Theres car park mania, pre-dawn pilgrimages to purchase seafood, and the ever-perplexing question, What should I buy family and friends for...

Australians’ cars are typically larger, heavier and less efficient than in Europe – here’s why

By Robin Smit1

Road transport is responsible for a substantial share of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. So reducing these emissions is a high priority. In the European Union (EU), CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars have been...

Grand Theft Hamlet documentary shines a light on reinventing Shakespeare in a virtual world

By Andy Miah

The new documentary Grand Theft Hamlet marks a groundbreaking moment in the world of digital performance. It tells the story of an innovative theatrical production of Hamlet, staged within the popular video game Grand...

COP29 failed Africa – what went wrong with the climate financing bid and what happens next

By Kudakwashe Manjonjo

The United Nations 29th annual climate change conference of the parties, COP29, ended with countries from the global north committing US$300 billion per year in climate finance to developing countries. This money is meant...

How primate eye tracking reveals new insights into the evolution of language

By Vanessa Wilson

The human environment is a very social one. Family, friends, colleagues, strangers they all provide a continuous stream of information that we need to track and make sense of. Who is dating whom? Who is in a fight with...

A new global carbon trading market could be held hostage by speculators

By Emre Tarim

Our planets future hangs in the balance due to the unabated greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Treating these emissions as something that can be owned and exchanged in a market has been touted as a...

Rape is still rape even if you’re married - report finds some South African men don’t believe it is

By Zainonisa Petersen Et Al

Sexual violence, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), includes any sexual act or attempt to obtain sex through coercion, regardless of the relationship between the parties. This encompasses rape, unwanted...

Ghana elections: religion and ethnicity are key to voters - and political leaders know it

By Thomas Prehi Botchway

Since Ghana returned to democracy in 1992, the country has held nine consecutive elections In all these elections ethnicity and religion have played a role, even though the countrys constitution bars the explicit use of...

Europe readies for war as Russian rhetoric escalates

By Jonathan Este

Sweden is clearly taking Vladimir Putins repeated threats to escalate its current war in Ukraine with deadly seriousness. Households received a booklet recently detailing steps they could take to stay safe in the face of...

Why is soccer fandom so linked to violence?

By Milad Haghani

Soccers global allure is unmatched, yet its history is shadowed by tragedies. At a recent soccer match in Nzérékoré, Guinea, a controversial refereeing decision led to unrest, resulting in crowd...

Some people say they have a high pain threshold. Here’s why

By Joshua Pate Et Al

Weve all heard someone claim they have a high pain threshold as if its a mark of strength or resilience. But does science support the idea that some people genuinely feel less pain than others? Pain is an experience...

Survey on AI finds most people want it regulated, but trust in government remains low

By Aftab Erfan Et Al

If you use social media, youve likely come across deepfakes. These are video or audio clips of politicians, celebrities or others manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) to make it appear like the person is saying...

Adults grow new brain cells – and these neurons are key to learning by listening

By Charles Liu Et Al

Your brain can still make new neurons when youre an adult. But how does the rare birth of these new neurons contribute to cognitive function? Neurons are the cells that govern brain function, and you are born with most...

Mozambique’s deadly protests: how the country got here

By Luca Bussotti

The protests that followed Mozambiques contested October elections have been the most protracted and deadliest since multiparty democracy in 1990. Police have reportedly killed at least 50 since Daniel Chapo, from the...

Putin’s ‘yes men’: why some senior officials resort to flattery and others don’t

By Alexander Baturo

All dictators need loyal elites to survive in office and govern effectively. High-level officials and other powerful figures can help an authoritarian ruler remain in power. These officials also assist in implementing...

Five things young women need to know about the menopause

By Megan Arnot

If youre under 40, the menopause might seem like the least of your worries right now. But for some women, this transition can happen earlier than they might expect even as early as their 30s, in rare cases. And you almost...

What is a self-coup? South Korea president’s attempt ended in failure − a notable exception in a growing global trend

By John Joseph Chin Et Al

Something unexpected but hardly unprecedented happened in South Korea on Dec. 3, 2024. With little warning, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, citing the threat from pro-North Korean anti-state...

Some black holes at the centers of galaxies have a buddy − but detecting these binary pairs isn’t easy

By Jonathan Zrake Et Al

Every galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center, much like every egg has a yolk. But sometimes, hens lay eggs with two yolks. In a similar way, astrophysicists like us who study supermassive black holes expect to...

Can you choose to believe something, just like that?

By Mark Boespflug

Some years ago, I was in a lively conversation with a software developer about arguments for and against Gods existence. After discussing their merits and shortcomings, he paused perhaps a little impatiently and said,...

Why did the French government fall and what happens next?

By Simon Toubeau

Frances shortest-lived government has fallen in a vote of no confidence triggered by a dispute over now-departing prime minister Michel Barniers budget. The vote was led by the leftwing populists La France Insoumise and...

The cost of heritage: Notre Dame rises from the ashes, but will it remain free for all?

By Chloe Preece

On April 15, 2019, viewers around the world watched live footage of one of the most famous cathedrals on the planet, Notre-Dame de Paris, being devastated by fire. More than five years later, Notre Dame is due to reopen to...

Why are boys outperforming girls in maths?

By Ben Zunica Et Al

A major international test has revealed a concerning gender gap in maths among Australian school students. In the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Australias boys did much better than...

The government wants to create a new class of financial adviser for super fund members. Here’s why – and how it might work

By Di Johnson

This week, the government announced details of planned reforms to allow more Australians to access free or low-cost financial advice through their super funds or advice firms. The reforms will create a new class of...

AI weather models can now beat the best traditional forecasts

By Vassili Kitsios

A new machine-learning weather prediction model called GenCast can outperform the best traditional forecasting systems in at least some situations, according to a paper by Google DeepMind researchers published today in...

Reflecting on 20 years of the Aceh tsunami: From ‘megathrust’ threat to disaster mitigation

By Zulfakriza Z.

20 years have passed since the Aceh tsunami, which left deep scars on Indonesia, especially for those directly affected. Aceh was also recovering from a three-decade armed conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the...

France’s government has fallen and political chaos has returned. Here are 3 scenarios for what could happen next

By Romain Fathi

Frances minority government led by right-wing Prime Minister Michel Barnier has been ousted in a no-confidence vote, the latest shock to the countrys deadlocked political system in a turbulent six months. The no...

Spotify Wrapped is about more than what songs you listen to – it’s about what makes you you

By Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong

Spotify has just released its 2024 Spotify Wrapped, the music streaming sites annual presentation of each users yearly listening habits. It gives you a fun recap of your most listened to songs, artists and genres from the...

Chatbots won’t help anyone make weapons of mass destruction. But other AI systems just might

By David Heslop Et Al

Over the past two years, we have seen much written about the promise and peril of artificial intelligence (AI). Some have suggested AI systems might aid in the construction of chemical or biological weapons. How...

Social media platforms are throttling access to news – with far-reaching implications for democracy

By Cameron McTernan

Just days out from the United States presidential election last month, X (formerly Twitter) suddenly crippled the ability of many major media and political organisations to reach audiences on the social media...

97% of adult Australians have limited skills to verify information online – new report

By Sora Park Et Al

Australians now use social media more often than any other type of media, including TV, radio and websites. While the increased use of social media platforms present new opportunities to access and engage with information,...

What is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham? And how did the Islamist group evolve into a key player in Syria’s civil war?

By Sara Harmouch

A major offensive has seen rebel groups in Syria retake the countrys second city, Aleppo and demonstrated the growing prominence of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the 13-year-long civil war. The surprise...

AI without limits threatens public trust — here are some guidelines for preserving communications integrity

By Terry Flynn Et Al

The rapid advancement and adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the field of communications. AI-powered tools can now generate convincing text, images, audio and video from textual...

Warmer winters are fuelling a growth in algal blooms across the Great Lakes

By Nandita Basu Et Al

While commonly associated with the summer, algal blooms can also persist into the fall. As of late October 2024, blooms were still present along the southern shores of Lake Erie. In the warm weather, people flock to...