How a new map of the UK’s blue carbon habitats could change how oceans are protected

By Michael Burrows

The worlds oceans are home to different habitats that capture and store carbon known as blue carbon. These include habitats that are typically found along coastlines, such as salt marshes and seagrasses, as well as vast...

Unemployment of 4.2% is a sign of RBA success, but it might not last. Here’s why

By Jeff Borland

Todays news that an extra 47,500 Australians found work in August while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2% is a sign of success for both the government and Reserve Bank. Its a sign of success in dealing with the...

Invasive species are reshaping aquatic ecosystems, one lake at a time

By Anthony Ricciardi

Freshwater ecosystems in Canada and around the world are under siege. Lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands face many environmental threats, but one that is changing them most rapidly is the spread of invasive non-native...

Even the heaviest particles experience the usual quantum weirdness, new experiment shows

By Bruce Yabsley

One of the most surprising predictions of physics is entanglement, a phenomenon where objects can be some distance apart but still linked together. The best-known examples of entanglement involve tiny chunks of light...

Instagram has announced it will be removing beauty filters – but the damage is done

By Lauren A. Miller

Meta has announced third-party augmented reality (AR) filters will no longer be available on its apps as of January 2025. This means more than two million user-made filters offered across WhatsApp, Facebook and, most...

Lithium mining in Zimbabwe: a story of loss for one community

By Joshua Matanzima

Lithium is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries, which are becoming more important as the world moves to a low-carbon energy future. Large deposits of lithium exist in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia,...

Young professionals are struggling to socially adapt in the workplace – educators can help

By Lee Ann Rawlins Williams

Despite ongoing worries about how artificial intelligence will affect jobs, research shows that employers increasingly value something that only human workers can provide soft skills. These include knowing how to...

Health care under Harris versus Trump: A public health historian sizes up their records

By Zachary W. Schulz

Health care is a defining issue in the 2024 election Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump have starkly different records on the issue. Rather than focusing on what they...

Lost in translation: What spirituality and Einstein’s theory of time have to do with misunderstandings about climate change

By Miki Mori

As a child growing up in the early 1990s, I remember learning in school about the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels traps heat near the Earths surface, like the glass of a greenhouse. I...

Denver’s experiment in providing a soft landing for newly arrived migrants and asylum-seekers isn’t cheap – but doing nothing might cost more

By Anita Alves Pena

The burden of supporting asylum-seekers with food and housing often falls to cities, creating severe budget crunches. But Denver is piloting a new approach designed to integrate immigrants into the workforce faster. The...

Why holding kids back fails − and what to do about it

By Laura Link Et Al

For decades, schools have allowed children to advance to the next grade even when theyre not reading at grade level. But more and more states are adopting policies to hold students back if they fail standardized tests in...

Strictly: three ways the show can make things better for all dancers

By Kathryn Stamp Et Al

With a new series of Strictly Come Dancing just getting started on BBC1, much of the media build-up to this years show has focused on reports of threatening and abusive rehearsal room behaviour by two professional dancers...

Operating on the wrong body part – what can be done to prevent it?

By Adam Taylor2

A 70-year-old man from Alabama recently died at a hospital in Florida when a surgeon mistakenly removed his liver instead of his spleen. This type of medical error is known as a never event because it should never have...

View from The Hill: The Albanese government is feeling a lot of pain from pincers

By Michelle Grattan

When a leader is on the back foot, small things are telling. On Monday, Anthony Albanese, who leaves on Thursday for a meeting of the Quad comprising leaders of the United States, India, Japan and Australia in Joe...

Rupert Murdoch’s real-life succession drama is underway in a Nevada courtroom. What might happen next?

By Rodney Tiffen

A unique court case is getting under way in Nevada this week. At stake is the future of the Murdoch empire. The case, which begins on September 17 local time, is scheduled to run (in secret) for two weeks, and sometime...

The power of one: solitary carnivores outkill group hunters

By Luke Emerson Et Al

Earths majestic apex predators are some of the most prolific hunters in the world. But which ones kill the most? Our new research showed solitary hunters such as bears, tigers and Eurasian lynx have higher individual...

China says AUKUS is ‘driven by Cold War thinking’. Here are 3 reasons it is so threatened by the pact

By Benjamin Herscovitch

Ever since AUKUS public announcement three years ago, China has been staunchly opposed to the partnership. Beijing has blasted AUKUS diplomatically and mounted a concerted campaign to challenge its legality. China...

Have you heard of the open source internet? The antidote to a capitalist web already exists

By Dana McKay

In the early days of the internet, famously, no one knew if you were a dog. The internet was a place where you could be anyone. More importantly, it was also a place where you could find anything: that rare book, or the...

Why is it so hard to get drugs approved for use during pregnancy?

By Treasure McGuire

Nobody wants to see another Thalidomide tragedy. The drug was prescribed to pregnant women during the 1950s and early 1960s to treat nausea. But it led to more than 10,000 children worldwide with irreversible birth...

TikTok ban goes to the court: 5 essential reads on the case and its consequences

By Eric Smalley Et Al

TikTok headed to court on Sept. 16, 2024, in a bid to overturn a law that would force the video app to divorce from its China-based parent company or be banned in the U.S. During the appearance before a panel of judges...

The internet is worse than it used to be. How did we get here, and can we go back?

By Marc Cheong Et Al

When it comes to our experience of the internet, the times, they are a-changin, as Bob Dylan would say. You cant quite recall how, but the internet certainly feels different these days. To some, it is less fun and less...

Young homeowners are more likely to use their home as an ‘ATM’ than their Boomer parents. Here’s why

By Rachel Ong ViforJ Et Al

For many Australians, the family home is their largest financial asset. With an increasing variety of ways to tap into home equity, the temptation to access this wealth is ever growing. Homeowners increase the debt owed...

New data reveals rates of family violence among those who died by suicide

By Kate Fitz-Gibbon Et Al

Domestic, family and sexual violence is rightly recognised as a national crisis. While the evidence base has built significantly in recent years, one important missing piece of the puzzle is how these forms of violence...

Global powers are grappling with ‘responsible’ use of military AI

By Zena Assaad Et Al

Last week, some 2,000 government officials and experts from around the world met for the REAIM (Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain) summit in Seoul, South Korea. This was the second event of its...

The second assassination attempt on Donald Trump in 64 days is a troubling turn of events

By Jack L. Rozdilsky

On the afternoon of Sept. 15, Donald Trump was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., when he was the target of an alleged second assassination attempt. Secret Service agents opened...

Mexico’s First Female President Faces the Legacy of a Media Giant

By Jessica Wax-Edwards

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (more commonly known by his initials, Amlo) will step down from Mexicos presidency on September 30, making way for his protégée and the countrys first female...

Governments need to focus on AI’s real impact, not get caught up in the hype generated by Big Tech

By David Weitzner

Statistics Canada recently released a detailed report estimating which professions are likely to be affected by artificial intelligence in the next few years. It concludes with an optimistic message for education and...

Unlocking China: South Africa's Agricultural Trade Opportunities

By Wandile Sihlobo

South Africas agricultural sector has more than doubled in value and volume terms since 1994. This success has been linked to international trade. Exports now account for roughly half (in value terms) of the annual...

Potential Air Canada pilot strike: Key FAQs and why the anger at pilots is misplaced

By Geraint Harvey1

Air Canada could suspend operations next week as pilots prepare to go on strike, an action that could affect 110,000 passengers a day according to the airline. Negotiations between Air Canada and its pilots over a new...

‘The data on extreme human ageing is rotten from the inside out’ – Ig Nobel winner Saul Justin Newman

By Saul Justin Newman

From the swimming habits of dead trout to the revelation that some mammals can breathe through their backsides, a group of leading leftfield scientists have been taking their bows at the Massachusetts Institute of...

Ofsted report cards could give parents the information they actually want about schools

By Colin Diamond

A number of changes are taking place at Ofsted, which inspects early years providers, schools, colleges, training and apprenticeships in England on behalf of the Department for Education. The most striking, and...

The Rings of Power: season two is a vast improvement – and a meditation on the dangerous allure of AI

By Stuart Lee

At the beginning of J.R.R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins attempts to describe how he feels about his unnatural lifespan, extended by his ownership of one of the magical rings. He likens it to too little...

The keys to managing chemotherapy: exercise, nutrition and mental health

By Liam Humphreys

Following the news of her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, Catherine, Princess of Wales recently released a personal update about her treatment, expressing relief that her course of chemotherapy was now...

Violence at the Kenya-Ethiopia border: what’s driving insecurity in the region

By Oscar Gakuo Mwangi

Communal conflict is endemic in the vast arid region on both sides of the Kenya-Ethiopia border. Fresh alarm has been sparked in both countries following a kidnapping and armed attacks on police and civilians in Kenyas...

Creative life after death − or yes, you can control spinoffs from beyond the grave

By Naomi Cahn Et Al

Michael Crichton, the creator of ER and author of Jurassic Park, died in 2008. So why is his estate suing Warner Bros. now? It turns out that when Crichton agreed to develop the ER series, he kept the right to approve ...

Wild ginseng is declining, but small-scale ‘diggers’ aren’t the main threat to this native plant − and they can help save it

By Justine Law

Across Appalachia, September marks the start of ginseng season, when thousands of people roam the hills searching for hard-to-reach patches of this highly prized plant. Many people know ginseng as an ingredient in...

Voters’ ‘moral flexibility’ helps them defend politicians’ misinformation − if they believe the inaccurate info speaks to a larger truth

By Minjae Kim

Many voters are willing to accept misinformation from political leaders even when they know its factually inaccurate. According to our research, voters often recognize when their parties claims are not based on objective...

At 60, the Sun hasn’t set – but the tabloid’s light is fading

By Adrian Bingham

The British public believe it is time for a new newspaper, born of the age we live in. That is why the Sun rises brightly today. So declared the front page of the Sun on September 15 1964. Sixty years ago, this headline...

Who is in fuel poverty? The government has no idea as it moves to cut winter fuel payments

By Brenda Boardman

Energy is an unusual commodity as it imposes running costs and capital expenditure. The main way to permanently reduce running costs is to spend money on more efficient use of energy: better insulated homes, more modern...

Some pensioners are pretty well off. But how many can afford to lose the winter fuel payment?

By Jonquil Lowe

The governments plan to restrict pensioners winter fuel payment to households getting pension credit has been easily if grudgingly passed by parliament. This was despite a strong case for delaying the move to explore...

NHS report: why higher pay for health workers could lead to a more efficient and effective system

By Nick Krachler Et Al

A comprehensive review of the UK National Health Services performance has diagnosed the NHS as being in a critical condition. While also emphasising its strong vital signs, the report, by surgeon and former Labour minister...

Two former federal departmental heads breached public service code 25 times in Robodebt scandal

By Michelle Grattan

Two former federal departmental secretaries and another ten bureaucrats involved in the Robodebt scandal have been found to have breached the Public Service Code of Conduct a total of 97 times. Kathryn Campbell and...

Are you ready for it? What a Taylor Swift endorsement means for Kamala Harris

By Emma Shortis

As the US Presidential debate wrapped up on Wednesday, commentators and journalists regrouped and drew breath. But then, enter Taylor Swift. The pop superstar posted her endorsement of the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz...

A billionaire and an engineer have completed the first private spacewalk. But this isn’t just a vanity project

By Gail Iles

Two astronauts have carried out the first-ever commercial spacewalk, using new less-bulky spacesuits designed by SpaceX. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman (who also funded the mission) and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis...

The psychology of retirement: why do so many athletes struggle to call time?

By Sarah Tillott Et Al

Think back to when you met someone for the first time. One of the first questions you asked, or were asked, was likely: what do you do for work? Its a polite, innocuous and socially ingrained way of getting to know more...

Can AI talk us out of conspiracy theory rabbit holes?

By Dana McKay Et Al

New research published in Science shows that for some people who believe in conspiracy theories, a fact-based conversation with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can pull them out of the rabbit hole. Better yet, it...

$84bn lost to housing tax lurks? That would go a long way towards ending the housing crisis

By Alan Morris

Australias deep housing crisis is causing enduring and widespread harm. A key impact is that it is increasing inequality. The children of parents who have paid off their mortgage and have disposal income are far more...

The skyscraper-sized tsunami that vibrated through the entire planet and no one saw

By Stephen Hicks Et Al

Earthquake scientists detected an unusual signal on monitoring stations used to detect seismic activity during September 2023. We saw it on sensors everywhere, from the Arctic to Antarctica. We were baffled the signal...

Cosmology is at a tipping point – we may be on the verge of discovering new physics

By Andreea Font

For the past few years, a series of controversies have rocked the well-established field of cosmology. In a nutshell, the predictions of the standard model of the universe appear to be at odds with some recent...

Central banks should be independent of government. But our research shows they are under political pressure

By Igor Goncharov Et Al

In 2023, central banks, which manage the monetary policy of a country, faced unprecedented financial losses the US Federal Reserve alone reported a record US$114.3 billion (86 billion) operating loss. Losses like this...