Menu

Search

Featured Post

Industry shutdowns are messy and painful: 4 lessons Australia’s coal sector can learn from car-makers about bowing out

By Vigya Sharma

Shifting Australias electricity sector to low-carbon technologies and closing coal plants is vital to tackling climate change. But such transitions are easier said than done. People and economies are often deeply...

We have revealed a unique time capsule of Australia’s first coastal people from 50,000 years ago

By Peter Veth Et Al

Barrow Island, located 60 kilometres off the Pilbara in Western Australia, was once a hill overlooking an expansive coast. This was the northwestern shelf of the Australian continent, now permanently submerged by the...

How Moscow terror attack fits ISIS-K strategy to widen agenda, take fight to its perceived enemies

By Sara Harmouch Et Al

Russia is reeling from the worst terror strike on its soil in a generation following an attack on March 22, 2024, that killed at least 137 concertgoers in Moscow. The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group....

Australia’s biggest chemist is merging with a giant wholesaler. Could we soon be paying more?

By Angel Zhong

Corporate Australia loves a big merger. And amid a growing flurry of them across the business scene, a new blockbuster has emerged. All eyes are on two titans of the pharmacy industry Chemist Warehouse and Sigma...

We’ve taken smoking from ‘normal’ to ‘uncommon’ and we can do the same with vaping – here’s how

By Carolyn Holbrook Et Al

Vaping is a pressing public health issue. While adult smoking rates continue to fall, vaping rates are rising. Seven per cent of adults now vape daily, up nearly three-fold since 2019. Most alarmingly, the rate of daily...

We created a VR tool to test brain function. It could one day help diagnose dementia

By Joyce Siette Et Al

If you or a loved one have noticed changes in your memory or thinking as youve grown older, this could reflect typical changes that occur with ageing. In some cases though, it might suggest something more, such as the...

‘The ghost has taken the spirit of the Moon’: how Torres Strait Islanders predict eclipses

By David Bosun Et Al

Its eclipse season. The Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned so its possible for the Earth and Moon to cast each other into shadow. A faint lunar eclipse will occur on March 25, visible at dusk from Australia and eastern...

Alien invasions, a lesbian road movie and tropical architecture – the best things to watch and do this week

By Anna Walker

This article was first published in our email newsletter Something Good, which every fortnight brings you a summary of the best things to watch, visit and read, as recommended and analysed by academic experts. Click here...

An eclipse for everyone – how visually impaired students can ‘get a feel for’ eclipses

By Cassandra Runyon Et Al

Many people in the U.S. will have an opportunity to witness nearly four minutes of a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, as it moves from southern Texas to Maine. But in the U.S., over 7 million people are blind...

What happens to F1 drivers’ bodies, and what sort of training do they do?

By Dan van den Hoek Et Al

Various forms of motorsport are passionately followed around the world, and the pinnacle of the sport is Formula 1 a fast-paced battle between drivers and teams with some of the most finely engineered vehicles in the...

Conspiracy theorist tactics show it’s too easy to get around Facebook’s content policies

By Amelia Johns Et Al

During the COVID pandemic, social media platforms were swarmed by far-right and anti-vaccination communities that spread dangerous conspiracy theories. These included the false claims that vaccines are a form of...

NZ is in recession – so far there are few signs the government has a plan to stimulate and grow the economy

By Grant Duncan

If you live in New Zealand and youre feeling poorer, youre not imagining it. Stats NZ has revealed the economy was in recession over the second half of last year. GDP fell in the September and December quarters by 0.3% and...

The stakes could not be higher as Canada sets its 2035 emissions target

By Christopher Campbell-Duruflé

The Government of Canada is in the midst of a public engagement on the 2035 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. The timeline is short, and the stakes could not be higher. According to Section 7 of the Canadian...

Ethnic diversity is still a serious issue at the top level in accounting firms

By Zvi Singer

In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the lack of diversity in workplaces, particularly in terms of ethnic and gender diversity. To address this, many companies have taken action by adjusting their...

The ideal James Bond is an actor on the cusp of superstardom – as film history shows

By James Chapman

More people have walked on the Moon than have played James Bond, so its no wonder that the suave secret agent with a licence to kill is one of the most coveted roles in cinema. The casting of a new 007 always grabs the...

Even presidents need a touch of madness − in March

By Daniel Palazzolo

Why would a president faced with lingering inflation at home and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, among other problems, take time out to participate in the annual sports fans ritual of March Madness? The madness...

AI’s excessive water consumption threatens to drown out its environmental contributions

By Joyeeta Gupta Et Al

Water is needed for development, production and consumption, yet we are overusing and polluting an unsubstitutable resource and system. Eight safe and just boundaries for five domains (climate, biosphere, water,...

This is how President Ramaphosa got to the 25% figure of progress in land reform in South Africa

By Johann Kirsten Et Al

Nearly three decades into democracy, land reform remains central to South Africas transformation policies and agricultural policy. We have over the years pointed out that the progress on land reform has been incorrectly...

The Program: Netflix show exposes the dark side of America’s ‘troubled teens’ schools

By Sarah Golightley

A new Netflix documentary series, The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, about the troubled-teen industry, is laying bare the way teenagers with so-called behavioural issues are systematically abused and tortured in the...

Gaza war: if there’s a lesson from the Berlin airlift it’s that political will is required to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe

By Claudia Milena Adler Et Al

The crisis in Gaza transcends mere statistics to reveal a deep human tragedy that continues to escalate. According to the latest figures from the Gaza health ministry, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 30,000...

Six innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines

By Emma C. Edwards

Yes, you read that right float. You may have seen a wind turbine in the sea before, but chances are you were looking at a fixed turbine that is, one that sits on top of a foundation drilled into the seabed. For the new...

How do halibut migrate? Clues are in their ear bones

By Charlotte Gauthier

Rising temperatures, changes in major currents, oxygen depletion at great depths: the Gulf of St. Lawrence has undergone major changes in its environmental conditions in recent decades. That has put many species in danger...

Elon Musk says ketamine can get you out of a ‘negative frame of mind’. What does the research say?

By Julaine Allan

X owner Elon Musk recently described using small amounts of ketamine once every other week to manage the chemical tides that cause his depression. He says its helpful to get out of a negative frame of mind. This has...

What Article 23 means for the future of Hong Kong and its once vibrant pro-democracy movement

By Michael C. Davis

Lawmakers in Hong Kong passed new security legislation on March 19, 2024, handing authorities in the semi-autonomous city-state further power to clamp down on dissent. The law, under Article 23, has been decades in the...

Supreme Court lets Texas’ immigration law stand, intensifying fight between Texas and the US government over securing the Mexico border

By Mark P Jones

The U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion on March 19, 2024, that Texas can at least for now have state authorities deport undocumented migrants, which has traditionally been the federal governments...

Bill C-372: Banning fossil fuel ads does not go far enough

By Peter Dietsch

When the New Democratic Party MP Charlie Angus proposed private members bill C-372 in February to ban fossil-fuel advertising it is unsurprising that he struck a nerve with many. After all, standing up to fossil fuel...

How ‘social financing’ could help fund higher education for under-represented students

By Shelley Legin Et Al

Canadas new international student cap will likely have a significant impact on universities, which are already facing financial pressures and other challenges related to artificial intelligence and climate change all...

Can AI improve football teams’ success from corner kicks? Liverpool and others are betting it can

By Mark Scanlan

Last Sunday, Liverpool faced Manchester United in the quarter finals of the FA Cup and in the final minute of extra time, with the score tied at three-all, Liverpool had the crucial opportunity of a corner kick. A goal...

Liberalism is in crisis. A new book traces how we got here, but lets neoliberal ideologues off the hook

By Jane Goodall

What is post-liberalism? That is no simple question, though the simplest responses are given by those who identify with it as a movement. Adrian Pabst, author of the most influential book on the subject, proposes it as...

Japan has abandoned decades of pacifism in response to Ukraine invasion and increased Chinese pressure on Taiwan

By Paul O'Shea Et Al

Russias invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza, have left tens of thousands dead and sent shockwaves across Europe and the Middle East. But brutal and tragic as they are the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are regionally...

Smart rings’ ultra-precise movement tracking take wearable technology to the next level

By Horia Maior Et Al

There is a lot of hype about smart rings right now Samsung is due to release a Galaxy ring, and there is unsubstantiated speculation that Apple is considering a ring too. But why would you want a smart ring in the first...

Deepfakes are still new, but 2024 could be the year they have an impact on elections

By Eileen Culloty

Disinformation caught many people off guard during the 2016 Brexit referendum and US presidential election. Since then, a mini-industry has developed to analyse and counter it. Yet despite that, we have entered 2024 a...

Why China’s economy has hit a wall

By Hong Bo

Chinas annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing came to a close on March 11. They were conducted under great pressure: a weak economy and high expectations from both the domestic public and international observers as to...

Building fairness into AI is crucial – and hard to get right

By Ferdinando Fioretto

Artificial intelligences capacity to process and analyze vast amounts of data has revolutionized decision-making processes, making operations in health care, finance, criminal justice and other sectors of society more...

With nominations decided, Trump leads Biden in US polls

By Adrian Beaumont

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a majority of all delegates to their parties conventions, including delegates not yet...

Mentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth

By Bukola Salami Et Al

Black youth in Canada experience poorer educational achievement than other children and youth, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. A series of problems and barriers contribute to poor educational outcomes....

Political donations rules are finally in the spotlight – here’s what the government should do

By Kate Griffiths

Australias political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its plan. Greater...

Study links microplastics with human health problems – but there’s still a lot we don’t know

By Mark Patrick Taylor Et Al

A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study involved patients in Italy who had a condition called carotid artery plaque,...

Do you have 7,513 unread emails in your inbox? Research suggests that’s unwise

By Matt Balogh

How do you manage your emails? Are you an inbox zero kind of person, or do you just leave thousands of them unread? Our new study, published today in the journal Information Research, suggests that leaving all your...

The hidden racist history of hair loss

By Glen Jankowski

Hair loss is common in men and women, particularly with age for example, androgenetic alopecia (or pattern baldness) affects 80% of men and 40% of women. For the most part, it can be physically inconsequential. Yet,...

Oil firms want to drill in four of the UK’s areas of outstanding natural beauty

By Tom Rogers

Think of onshore oil fields and images of oil derricks and nodding donkeys may spring to mind, perhaps in Texas or the Middle East. So it might come as a surprise to learn that the UK has its own onshore oil fields, mostly...

Vladimir Putin’s gold strategy explains why sanctions against Russia have failed

By Robert Huish

There are more than 16,000 sanctions imposed against Russia. Yet the Russian economy and war machine grew by 3.6 per cent in 2023 and is projected to grow another 2.6 in 2024. Nearly six per cent of Russias gross...

There are ways to improve the London Stock Exchange crisis, but they’re not pretty

By John Colley

Another week, another set of signs that the London Stock Exchange (LSE) is running aground. Two medium-sized listed businesses are selling out to US rivals: tech-testing firm Spirent Communications, based Crawley, West...

Glastonbury’s first K-pop group is a reflection of years of Korean government strategy

By Sarah A. Son

The 13-member K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN will make history this year as they become the first Korean group on the Glastonbury music festival lineup. While top Korean groups such as Blackpink and BTS have performed in the UK...

As the US government and record labels go after TikTok, musicians get the squeeze

By Ediz Ozelkan

For much of the year, TikTok has been on the defensive. On March 13, 2024, the House of Representatives voted to approve a bill that would force the short-form video app to be sold off from its Chinese parent company to...

How do airplanes fly? An aerospace engineer explains the physics of flight

By Craig Merrett

Airplane flight is one of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century. The invention of the airplane allows people to travel from one side of the planet to the other in less than a day, compared...

Stamp duty is holding us back from moving homes – we’ve worked out how much

By Nick Garvin

This article is part of The Conversations series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. If just one state of Australia, New South Wales, scrapped its stamp duty on real-estate...

Outrage is a key performance indicator for Peter Dutton, the ‘bad cop’ of politics. But what does he value?

By Judith Brett

Lech Blaine and Peter Dutton are both from Queensland, where the political culture is tough and masculine and politics south of the border always good for a spot of confected outrage. So Blaine, author of Quarterly...

Narendra Modi’s economy isn’t booming for India’s unemployed youth

By Ian Hall

India will soon hold the biggest election ever conducted, starting on April 19 and running through early June. Almost 950 million registered voters will be able to cast ballots to elect the 543 members of the Lok Sabha,...

Something felt ‘off’ – how AI messed with our human research, and what we learned

By Alexandra Gibson Et Al

All levels of research are being changed by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Dont have time to read that journal article? AI-powered tools such as TLDRthis will summarise it for you. Struggling to find relevant...

ISIS-K’s attack in Moscow risks escalating the Russia-Ukraine war

A music concert in suburban Moscow became the scene of a bloody terrorist attack on March 22 as gunmen with automatic weapons and Molotov cocktails killed more than 130 people and injured dozens more. Immediately after...

Reddit's IPO Marks a Milestone in Tech Market as Shares Surge 48%

10:00 AM| Business

Social media platform Reddits shares surged 48% on their first trading day in New York. This indicated a renewed interest from investors in initial public offerings (IPOs) of promising yet loss-making...

South Korean E-Commerce Industry Unnerved by Presence of Chinese Giants

09:58 AM| Business

As Chinese e-commerce giants like AliExpress and Pinduoduo expand their presence in South Koreas online shopping market, concerns about the impact on domestic industries and consumers are rising. The lack of strategic...

Top Stories

Why do identical informal businesses set up side by side? It’s a survival tactic – Kenya study

By Tim Weiss - 05:06 AM| Insights & Views Business

The population on the African continent will have nearly doubled by 2050, according to UN projections. About 800 million more young Africans will enter the job market by then. Combine this forecast with the high youth...

US calls for UN vote on immediate ceasefire in Gaza – what this shift says about America’s relationship with Israel

By Natasha Lindstaedt - 05:07 AM| Insights & Views

The United States has significantly shifted its position on Gaza by submitting a UN security council resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, tied to the release of the hostages kidnapped by...

Industrialisation is still vital to economic development but some countries are struggling to reap its benefits

By Jostein Hauge - 05:07 AM| Insights & Views Economy

Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the US, wrote a wealth of reports that served as building blocks for the countrys economic system. In 1791, during his time as secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton...

Food prices will climb everywhere as temperatures rise due to climate change – new research

By Jessica Boxall Et Al - 05:09 AM| Insights & Views Life Economy

Climate change, and specifically rising temperatures, may cause food prices to increase by 3.2% per year, according to a new study by researchers in Germany. As climate change continues to worsen, this price inflation will...

Generative AI could leave users holding the bag for copyright violations

By Anjana Susarla - 05:09 AM| Insights & Views Technology

Generative artificial intelligence has been hailed for its potential to transform creativity, and especially by lowering the barriers to content creation. While the creative potential of generative AI tools has often been...

Why March Madness is a special time of year for state budgets

By Jay L. Zagorsky - 05:12 AM| Insights & Views Sports

March Madness the time when the best mens and womens college basketball teams challenge each other is a made-for-television spectacle watched by millions. While March Madness has been around for decades, one of the...

US election: turning off TikTok is a big risk for the Democrats

By Thomas Gift - 11:50 AM| Insights & Views Politics

Popular social media platform TikTok stands accused of holding US data in China, fostering censorship, and spreading disinformation. Its popularity poses a dilemma for US politicians, but especially Democrats who have...

Econotimes Series

Economy

There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well

The federal and Northern Territory governments have just made a historic funding announcement of about A$1 billion for schools in the territory. This includes an extra $737.7 million from the federal government and an...

Undersea cables for Africa’s internet retrace history and leave digital gaps as they connect continents

Large parts of west and central Africa, as well as some countries in the south of the continent, were left without internet services on 14 March because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the...

Economists say Australia shouldn’t try to transition to net zero by aping the mammoth US Inflation Reduction Act

Australias top economists are pressing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese not to ape US President Joe Bidens think big approach to clean energy. Bidens so-called Inflation Reduction Act dubbed the largest climate...

Emissions impossible? How the transport sector can help make the 2050 net-zero goal a reality

Meeting Canadas ambitious net-zero emissions target by 2050 necessitates significant technological, behavioural and systemic changes in the transportation sector, a major contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG)...

Why is toddler milk so popular? Follow the money

Toddler milk is popular and becoming more so. Just over a third of Australian toddlers drink it. Parents spend hundreds of millions of dollars on it globally. Around the world, toddler milk makes up nearly half of total...

Politics

Chinese Hackers Target US Officials and Dissidents in Cyber Espionage Scheme

Seven nationals of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) face charges for a long-term cyber espionage campaign targeting political dissidents and officials in the US, marking a significant escalation in international cyber...

SpaceX Builds Spy Satellites for US; Russia Warns of Military Response

Russia has issued a stark warning to the United States, stating that the use of SpaceXs satellites for espionage could render them targets for military action. This follows revelations that SpaceX is constructing a spy...

Israel’s army exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox are part of a bigger challenge: The Jewish state is divided over the Jewish religion

Just when you think nothing can surprise you anymore in Israeli politics, someone always comes along with a new twist. This time it was Yitzhak Yosef, one of Israels two chief rabbis. In response to debates over whether...

Did Biden really steal the election? Students learn how to debunk conspiracy theories in this course

Title of course: Debunking conspiracy theories What prompted the idea for the course? I am interested in how people internalize or learn about political beliefs they go on to adopt. This interest coincided with my...

Trump wouldn’t be the first presidential candidate to campaign from a prison cell

The first trial ever of a former president, the so-called hush money case against former president and likely GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, is scheduled to begin with jury selection in New York on March 25, 2024,...

Science

The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve

The progress of science in the last 400 years is mind-blowing. Who would have thought wed be able to trace the history of our universe to its origins 14 billion years ago? Science has increased the length and the quality...

What is minoxidil, the anti-balding hair growth treatment? Here’s what the science says

Hair loss (also known as alopecia) often affects the scalp but can occur anywhere on the body. Its very common and usually nothing to worry about; about half of Australian men show signs of visible baldness at age 50 and...

Our survey of the sky is uncovering the secrets of how planets are born

When we look out to the stars, it is typically not a yearning for the distant depths of outer space that drives us. When we are looking out there, we are truly looking back at ourselves. We try to understand our place in...

Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history

Total solar eclipses have fascinated and terrified people for centuries. Today, we know that total solar eclipses like the upcoming eclipse on April 8 are caused by a cosmic coincidence when the moon comes between the...

Spacesuits need a major upgrade for the next phase of exploration

Humans have long dreamed of setting foot on the Moon and other planetary bodies such as Mars. Since the 1960s, space travellers have donned suits designed to protect them from the vacuum of space and stepped out into the...

Technology

Xiaomi Revs Up: SU7 Unveiled, Set to Outpace Tesla, BYD with Sub-500K Yuan Price Tag

As Xiaomi ventures into electric vehicles, it positions itself in Chinas competitive EV sector, focusing on pricing and market disruption. The debut of its first electric vehicle, the SU7, marks a significant move after...

Ferrari, SK On Join Forces to Develop Next-Generation Supercar Batteries

Ferrari NV, an Italian luxury sports car maker, has teamed up with SK On, a South Korean electric vehicle battery manufacturer, to produce next-generation batteries. The partners will work on producing eco-friendly...

Shiba Inu Surges with $219M Whale Activity, Vitalik Buterin Highlights SHIB

Shiba Inu (SHIB) experiences a significant boost with $219 million in whale transactions, as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin makes surprising comments about the meme coins resilience. Shiba Inu Witnesses Major Surge...

Illuvium's $12M Funding Boost Precedes Q2 Game Launch And Airdrop Tease

Illuvium a blockchain gaming universe, secures $12 million funding ahead of Q2 2024 game launch, hinting at a significant token airdrop. Illuvium Labs Secures $12 Million Funding Ahead of Q2 Game Launch Illuvium...

Shytoshi Kusama Reacts to Vitalik Buterin's SHIB Tweet

Shytoshi Kusama responds to Vitalik Buterins mention of Shiba Inu, igniting community enthusiasm. Vitalik Buterins Tweet Sparks Enthusiasm Among Shiba Inu Supporters In a recent post on the X/Twitter platform,...
  • Market Data
Close

Welcome to EconoTimes

Sign up for daily updates for the most important
stories unfolding in the global economy.