How China’s pandas became its most valuable diplomats – and its vulnerable children

| Insights & Views

Anthony Albaneses recent visit to Chengdus panda breeding base showed the enduring power of Chinas panda diplomacy. China has been sending pandas to other countries, sometimes for obviously political reasons, since the...

How should a company deal with a scandal like the Coldplay kiss cam? Here’s what we learned

| Insights & Views

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images When a scandal goes viral as it recently did for the former chief executive of IT company Astronomer at a Coldplay concert companies face nuanced challenges in a new era of crisis...

The giant cuttlefish’s technicolour mating display is globally unique. The SA algal bloom could kill them all

| Insights & Views

Great Southern Reef Foundation, CC BY-SA Every year off the South Australian coast, giant Australian cuttlefish come together in huge numbers to breed. They put on a technicolour display of blue, purple, green, red and...

Take fish, salt in vats, leave in sun for months: why ancient Romans loved fermented fish sauces like garum

| Insights & Views

Photo by Engin Akyurt/Pexels If you slipped back through time to taste a dish from the Roman Empire, youd likely be sampling some fermented fish sauce. Surviving Roman recipes add this to anything from barley porridge to a...

Should I limit how much fruit my child eats because it contains sugar?

| Insights & Views

Parents are often told fruit is bad because it contains sugar, prompting concerns about how much fruit they should allow their child to eat. This message has been fuelled by the sugar-free movement, which demonises sugar...

An underwater observatory keeping the pulse of the Southern Ocean for nearly 30 years yields fresh results

| Insights & Views

Elizabeth Shadwick In a world affected by climate change, the Southern Ocean plays an outsized role. It absorbs up to 40% of the human-caused emissions taken up by the oceans while also being home to some of the worlds...

With the UK and France moving toward recognising Palestine, will Australia follow suit?

| Insights & Views

One of the smallest and most exclusive clubs in the world belongs to states. The US Department of State puts the number of independent recognised states at 197, while others count 200. The United Nations, meanwhile, has...