
Physicists at the Large Hadron Collider turned lead into gold – by accident
Medieval alchemists dreamed of transmuting lead into gold. Today, we know that lead and gold are different elements, and no amount of chemistry can turn one into the other. But our modern knowledge tells us the basic...

The US and China have reached a temporary truce in the trade wars, but more turbulence lies ahead
Defying expectations, the United States and China have announced an important agreement to de-escalate bilateral trade tensions after talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The good, the bad and the ugly The good news is their...

Australias new environment minister, Murray Watt, is reported to be a fixer. Thats good, because theres a lot to fix. Being environment minister is a hard gig. It often requires difficult choices between environmental and...

Cynics point out that when a party turns to a woman leader, it is often handing her a hot mess. Thats certainly so with the federal Liberals, now choosing their first female leader in eight decades. For the Liberals, and...

Viking pregnancy was deeply political – new study
Pregnant women wielding swords and wearing martial helmets, foetuses set to avenge their fathers and a harsh world where not all newborns were born free or given burial. These are some of the realities uncovered by the...

Sussan Ley makes history, but faces unprecedented levels of difficulty
As if by visual metaphor, Sussan Leys task seemed both obvious and impossible in her first press conference as the new Liberal leader. Three years ago this month, Ley had done something uncannily similar to what Ted OBrien...

Iran and Ethiopia have a security deal – here’s why they signed it
Ethiopia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 6 May 2025. Under it, their national police agencies will cooperate on security and intelligence. This will include combating cross-border crime, sharing...