Israel-Gaza conflict: Home and away
By Vinita Srivastava
Its not often that events far away impact us so profoundly at home. But events in Palestine and Israel, which have been reverberating in the Global North for decades, crescendoed over the past year, directly impacting...
AI affects everyone – including Indigenous people. It’s time we have a say in how it’s built
By Tamika Worrell
Since artificial intelligence (AI) became mainstream over the past two years, many of the risks it poses have been widely documented. As well as fuelling deep fake porn, threatening personal privacy and accelerating the...
Use of AI in property valuation is on the rise – but we need greater transparency and trust
By William Cheung Et Al
New Zealands economy has been described as a housing market with bits tacked on. Buying and selling property is a national sport fuelled by the rising value of homes across the country.
But the wider public has little...
US inflation rate fell to 2.4% in September − here’s what that means for interest rates and markets
By Jason Reed
It wasnt that long ago that the Federal Reserve, the central bank for the United States, was worrying that annual inflation would surpass 9% in the middle of 2022. The U.S. economy hadnt seen prices rise that fast since...
Hurricane Milton explodes into a powerful Category 5 storm as it heads for Florida − here’s how rapid intensification works
By Zachary Handlos Et Al
Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a dangerous Category 5 hurricane on Oct. 7, 2024, as it headed across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida. Twenty-four hours earlier, it was barely a Category 1 storm.
As its wind...
Wealthier Canadians live longer and are less likely to be dependent as they age, new research finds
By Marie-Louise Leroux Et Al
Population aging is a growing challenge for developed countries like Canada, with significant implications for health care and long-term care systems. In OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)...
‘Ecocide’ is being used as a weapon of war in Ukraine. It should be one of the crimes tried in the International Criminal Court
By Renéo Lukic Et Al
Since Feb. 24, 2022, Russia has been waging simultaneous wars in Ukraine: a conventional one, hybrid or cyber warfare, and one against the environment, or ecocide.
Ecocide, used as a weapon of war, takes place alongside...
Still with the Tony Soprano memes? Young audiences are watching the series with fresh eyes
By Alexander H. Beare
HBOs latest crime drama The Penguin came with a flood of memes on TikTok, X and Instagram. They compare actor Colin Farrells Oswald Cobblepot to James Gandolfinis Tony Soprano.
Its true, there are undeniable...
Failure to launch: why the Albanese government is in trouble
By Carol Johnson
It wasnt meant to be like this.
In her 2022 study of Anthony Albanese, Katharine Murphy describes a prime minister who thought hed be successfully managing an idealistic, collaborative and positive new politics that...
Many stable atoms have ‘magic numbers’ of protons and neutrons − 75 years ago, 2 physicists discovered their special properties
By Artemis Spyrou Et Al
The word magic is not often used in the context of science. But in the early 1930s, scientists discovered that some atomic nuclei the center part of atoms, which make up all matter were more stable than others. These...
Too good to be true? New study shows people reject freebies and cheap deals for fear of hidden costs
By Andrew Vonasch
If youre offered a free cookie, you might say yes. But if youre paid to eat a free cookie, would your response be the same?
In our new research, twice as many people were willing to eat a cookie when they werent offered...
No time for a holiday? A ‘workation’ could be the answer
By Mariachiara Barzotto
Imagine this: youre lounging on the beach, waves crashing in the background. A laptop sits on the table next to your iced coffee. In between meetings, you dip into the ocean or explore a hiking trail. This is the ideal...
Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda – what you need to know
By Manal Mohammed
Rwanda is in the midst of its first outbreak of Marburg virus an often fatal disease with symptoms similar to Ebola. So far, 46 cases have been recorded and 12 deaths. The source of the outbreak is still not...
Football acts like referees are the issue but they are just following the rules
By Daniel Hough
Football seems to have a problem with referees. Barely a weekend goes by without someone a manager, a player, a pundit making it abundantly clear that many of those who officiate are (apparently) not very good at their...
MicroRNA is the Nobel-winning master regulator of the genome – researchers are learning to treat disease by harnessing how it controls genes
By Andrea Kasinski
When Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discovered a new molecule they called microRNA in the 1980s, it was a fascinating diversion from what for decades had been called the central dogma of molecular biology.
Recognized...
Gas isn’t a good alternative to coal – South Africa should focus on solar, wind and green hydrogen
By Richard Calland
South Africa is immersed in a just energy transition from a fossil fuel-based energy system to a cleaner, low-carbon energy system. This new system will be based primarily on renewable energy, such as solar, wind and green...
NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the 2030s − a crewed mission could unlock some of the red planet’s geologic mysteries
By Joel S. Levine
NASA plans to send humans on a scientific round trip to Mars potentially as early as 2035. The trip will take about six to seven months each way and will cover up to 250 million miles (402 million kilometers) each way. The...
Air pollution inside Philly’s subway is much worse than on the streets
By Kabindra Shakya Et Al
The air quality in the City Hall subway station in downtown Philadelphia is much worse than on the sidewalks directly above the station. That is a key finding of our new study published in the Journal of Exposure Science ...
The extraordinary life of Alfred Nobel
By Jonas F. Ludvigsson
The Nobel prizes may be one of the most famous and prestigious awards in the world but who was the man behind them? As I explain in my lectures about Alfred Nobel, the inventor and entrepreneur has left a lasting legacy...
Meet the microbes that transform toxic carbon monoxide into valuable biofuel
By Maximilienne Toetie Allaart
Microbes are hungry. All the time. And they live everywhere, in enormous numbers. We might not see them with the naked eye, but they are in soils, lakes, oceans, hydrothermal vents, our homes, and even in and on our own...
NASA is launching a major mission to look for habitable spots on Jupiter’s moon Europa
By James Lloyd
On October 10, NASA is launching a hotly anticipated new mission to Jupiters fourth-largest moon, Europa.
Called Europa Clipper, the spacecraft will conduct a detailed study of the moon, looking for potential places...
‘Dark tourism’ is attracting visitors to war zones and sites of atrocities in Israel and Ukraine. Why?
By Juliet Rogers
There is a disturbing trend of people travelling to the sadder places of the world: sites of military attacks, war zones and disasters. Dark tourism is now a phenomenon, with its own website and dedicated tour guides....
Smokers have a higher level of harmful bacteria in the mouth – new study
By Yvonne Prince Et Al
A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 8 million people die annually from smoking related complications. Despite efforts by governments and various organisations to create awareness about the...
A year of escalating conflict in the Middle East has ushered in a new era of regional displacement
By Nicholas R. Micinski Et Al
A year of conflict has ushered in a new era of mass displacement in the Middle East.
Since Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent sustained Israeli bombardment of Gaza, Israel has expanded its...
Dockworkers pause strike after Biden administration’s appeal to patriotism hits the mark
By Anna Nagurney
A dockworkers strike that froze operations at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports for 2½ days was paused on Oct. 3. The Conversation U.S. asked Anna Nagurney, a scholar of supply chains, to assess the extent of...
The UK’s £22 billion bet on carbon capture will lock in fossil fuels for decades
By Mark Maslin
The UK government has announced it will invest almost 22 billion in carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects over the next 25 years. The technology works by capturing CO₂ as it is being emitted by a power plant or another...
Can China’s stimulus blitz fix its flagging economy?
By Sambit Bhattacharyya
Pan Gongsheng, the governor of Chinas central bank, announced a raft of measures on September 24 aimed at boosting the countrys flagging economy. The move, which came a week before the 75th anniversary of communist party...
AI has a stupid secret: we’re still not sure how to test for human levels of intelligence
By Andrew Rogoyski
Two of San Franciscos leading players in artificial intelligence have challenged the public to come up with questions capable of testing the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) like Google Gemini and OpenAIs o1....
UK hands Chagos Islands to Mauritius, marking the end of a longstanding sovereignty dispute
By James Brocklesby
The UK government has announced that it will transfer sovereignty of a remote cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. The final treaty outlining the transfer of the Chagos Islands, where there is a significant...
Reinventing News: Tokenization and the Fight for Journalism
By Sungmin Kwon
Journalism is at a breaking point. The pursuit of page views has left media scrambling for eyeballs, with sensational headlines and fake news eroding public trust worldwide. Advertisers, eager for impressions,...
As Yelp turns 20, online reviews continue to confound and confuse shoppers
By Ann Kronrod
For the past 20 years, Yelp has been providing a platform for people to share their experiences at businesses ranging from bars to barbershops. According to the company, in that time the platform has published 287 million...
Low pay, high staff turnover and employee burnout took a toll on social service nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic − new research
By Susan Neely-Barnes Et Al
Social service nonprofits had high rates of staff turnover and a hard time filling vacant positions in 2022 as the COVID-19 pandemic was ending.
Low salaries, inadequate benefits, staff burnout and a shortage of...
What is bankruptcy?
By Jason Harris
Capitalism without insolvency is like Christianity without Hell.
Those were the words of former Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman, speaking as chairman of Eastern Airlines in the United States in the early...
‘Carbon contracts for difference’ are not a silver bullet for climate action
By Daniel Rosenbloom
With the end of the supply-and-confidence agreement and plummeting support for the Liberals, Canadas climate policy mix is becoming increasingly unstable with the future of everything from investment tax credits to carbon...
In a largely uneventful and inconsequential US vice presidential debate, no one can claim victory
By Emma Shortis
Just like vice presidents themselves, in US politics, debates dont really matter until they do. The most recent debate (and likely the last of the 2024 election cycle) between aspiring vice presidents Senator JD Vance and...
What the facial expressions of Tim Walz and JD Vance said about their nerves, embarrassment and pride
By Patrick Stewart
Neither Ohio GOP Sen. JD Vance nor Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has the national stature of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, so viewers had a chance to judge these two relatively...
Is your car a threat to national security? It can be – regardless of where it’s made
By Dennis B. Desmond
In April, US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to ban Chinese-built electric vehicles (EVs), labelling them an existential threat to the American auto industry. The proposed ban arose from concerns that Chinese car...
Wondering what AI actually is? Here are the 7 things it can do for you
By Sandra Peter Et Al
You know weve reached peak interest in artificial intelligence (AI) when Oprah Winfrey hosts a television special about it. AI is truly everywhere. And we will all have a relationship with it whether using it, building...
Tougher than the GFC: why NZ’s small businesses may be in worse shape than in 2008
By Antje Fiedler Et Al
With rising costs and drops in consumer spending, small businesses have been struggling lately.
Continuous economic pressure is causing significant stress and burnout among small business owners, while confidence...
The biodiversity jukebox: how sound can boost beneficial soil microbes to heal nature
By Jake M Robinson Et Al
In a race against time, scientists are exploring new ways to restore natural systems. Alongside traditional methods such as planting trees, reducing pollution and reintroducing native species, a surprising new tool is...
Resiliency and concussion: Why do some athletes develop neurodegeneration and others don’t?
By Ravi Menon
Ontarios Minister of Sport, 71-year-old Neil Lumsden, recently announced his decision to donate his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada to support research on brain injuries.
Lumsden played 10 years in the...
What pathogen might spark the next pandemic? How scientists are preparing for ‘disease X’
By Allen Cheng
Before the COVID pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) had made a list of priority infectious diseases. These were felt to pose a threat to international public health, but where research was still needed to...
‘We nicknamed it Eddy’: what do schools and teachers think of AI in classrooms?
By Vitomir Kovanovic Et Al
Its almost two years since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022. Since then, educators worldwide have been grappling with what generative artificial intelligence might mean for classrooms and learning.
ChatGPT has...
Friday essay: ‘I know my ache is not your pain’ – disabled writers imagine a healthier world
By Andy Jackson
There are many reasons why I shouldnt be here. If youd shown my ten-year-old self my life as it is now, hed have been stunned, mostly because he half-expected an early death. My father, who had Marfan Syndrome, the genetic...
‘We’re all Muriel’: why we still love Muriel’s Wedding, 30 years on
By Lisa French
P.J. Hogans classic Australian film Muriels Wedding is 30 and it plays as well today as it did when it had its world premiere. Muriel might have been terrible but the film was a great success.
Australians love to laugh...
Reading desert sands – Indigenous wildlife tracking skills underpin vast monitoring project
By Sarah Legge Et Al
As animals move across the desert, they leave tracks, diggings and droppings. For skilled trackers, reading these signs is like watching a movie. A story of who was there and what they were doing unfolds in front of...
What are the 10 greatest upsets in VFL/AFL grand final history?
By Brendon Hyndman Et Al
The Brisbane Lions are the underdogs for Saturdays AFL grand final against Sydney.
After defeating Geelong in Victoria for the first time in 20 years, they have reached the grand final from fifth on the ladder, without...
Access to a GP can make all the difference in surviving lung cancer – and that is a problem for Māori
By Ross Lawrenson Et Al
Surviving lung cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand could depend on whether you can access a GP raising questions about equity in the countrys health system.
Our new research examines the outcomes for patients who are...
Eric Adams indictment: How campaign finance violations often grow into dramatic scandals
By Charlie Hunt Et Al
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with bribery and fraud following a spiraling federal investigation into his administration.
Among other accusations, federal prosecutors alleged in their September 2024...
Oil pollution in North Sea is ‘grossly underestimated’, suggests new report
By Rosie Williams
Growing up in Aberdeen, Scotland, the shadow of the Piper Alpha disaster loomed large over our community. The tragic explosion of the oil rig platform in 1988 claimed the lives of 167 people. Back then, I was blissfully...
