
Could electric brain stimulation lead to better maths skills?
A painless, non-invasive brain stimulation technique can significantly improve how young adults learn maths, my colleagues and I found in a recent study. In a paper in PLOS Biology, we describe how this might be most...

Memo to Shane Jones: what if NZ needs more regional government, not less?
If the headlines are anything to go by, New Zealands regional councils are on life support. Regional Development Minister Shane Jones recently wondered whether theres going to be a compelling case for regional government...

‘Shit in, shit out’: AI is coming for agriculture, but farmers aren’t convinced
Australian farms are at the forefront of a wave of technological change coming to agriculture. Over the past decade, more than US$200 billion (A$305 billion) has been invested globally into the likes of pollination robots,...

Farming within Earth’s limits is still possible – but it will take a Herculean effort
The way we currently produce and consume food takes a big toll on the environment. Worldwide, farming is responsible for more than 20% of greenhouse gas emissions and uses more than 70% of all fresh water taken from...

Gum disease, decay, missing teeth: why people with mental illness have poorer oral health
People with poor mental health face many challenges. One thats perhaps lesser known is that theyre more likely than the overall population to have poor oral health. Research has shown people with serious mental illness are...

What did ancient Rome smell like? Honestly, often pretty rank
The roar of the arena crowd, the bustle of the Roman forum, the grand temples, the Roman army in red with glistening shields and armour when people imagine ancient Rome, they often think of its sights and sounds. We know...

Our memories are unreliable, limited and suggestible – and it’s a good thing too
Milan Kundera opens his novel The Book of Laughter and Forgetting with a scene from the winter of 1948. Klement Gottwald, leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, is giving a speech to the masses from a palace...