Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
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You can’t explore the solar system on an empty stomach
Australian research on plants and food for space could provide vital fresh, nutritious and delicious meals for astronauts on Moon and Mars missions
Public Affairs
Australia must include people with cognitive disability in politics
People with cognitive disability want to have their say in Australian politics. And we must do more to recognise their political inclusion
Science Matters
Facing the flames of complacency
Extreme heat and fires in the Northern Hemisphere should be a loud wakeup call for an Australia in El Niño and on the brink of a difficult fire season
The podcast shining a light on a murder verdict
A hit podcast called "Serial" - around the trial of the murderer of US teenager Hae Min Lee - demonstrates the role journalism can play in revisiting cases.
We are Country
Ensuring culturally safe research isn’t simply acknowledging Country, it's recognising and empowering Indigenous Knowledge, says University of Melbourne expert.
A ray of hope for pancreatic cancer
A University of Melbourne chemotherapy breakthrough could improve outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.
Sharing the universal language of music
University of Melbourne composer Melody Eötvös wrote her first composition at age eight. Now, her latest piece ‘Hun Tur’ is set to captivate audiences in Asia.
You can’t explore the solar system on an empty stomach
Australian research could provide vital fresh, nutritious and delicious meals for astronauts on Moon and Mars missions, says University of Melbourne expert.
Australia must include people with cognitive disability in politics
People with cognitive disability want their say in Australian politics and we must do more for their political inclusion, say University of Melbourne experts.
Health & Wellbeing
Why everybody living with dementia needs regular eye tests
Researchers have developed a guide to dementia-friendly eyecare, supporting people living with dementia to see as well as possible, for as long as possible
Legal Affairs
Universities can’t forget about lower socio-economic students
If the Government wants to increase higher education participation, it first needs to tackle the very real financial, psychological and cultural barriers for disadvantaged students
Inside Business
Think the best footy players earn too much? Here’s why they should be paid more
The pursuit for competitive balance means teams are underpaying AFL’s top players, even those sitting on million-dollar contracts
Health & Medicine
Parasites may be gross, but so is Australia’s attitude to Indigenous health
While a roundworm in a human brain gets the headlines, the impact of preventable parasites and infectious diseases for some Indigenous and remote communities is a national shame
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Environment
Health & Wellbeing
Opening the flood gates at Fukushima
Discharging radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is avoidable, risky and potentially illegal
Science Matters
As we head toward summer, let’s rethink Australia’s bushfire risk
With wildfires and heavy smoke affecting the US and Europe, a new fire management framework can help Australia understand its risk
Design
The Indigenous cultural knowledges co-designing campuses
Universities are often catalysts for change. A new book explores modern Australian university campuses, focusing on the increasing role of Country and Indigenous co-design
Science Matters
Restoring coral reefs by hedging our bets
Coral reef restoration needs a set of coral species with traits that, combined, underpin resilience, persistence, and ecosystem services
Design
‘Invisible’ infrastructure is the background to our modern lives
They are critical to urban life, but we don’t often think about infrastructures. Maybe it’s time we should
Arts & Culture
Humanities
A doll is just a doll is just a doll
The new Barbie movie has renewed discussion about the message she sends and feminism – but it’s really just the fallacy of plastic role models
Music, Arts & Screen
Art can be anywhere
Project Anywhere, a ten-year-long global exhibition program, explores the where and when of art outside the traditional exhibition circuits
Humanities
Beauty, wine and death in the ancient world
A new exhibition gives insights into the hidden lives of women, children, slaves and artisans of the ancient Graeco-Roman world
Music, Arts & Screen
These five films are a ‘must see’ at MIFF 2023
There’s no need to be overwhelmed by the movie schedule at the Melbourne International Film Festival with these hot tips
Humanities
The arts can help us recover from disasters - creatively
‘Creative recovery’ arts projects improve mental health and wellbeing, but better planning and resourcing is needed to support artists and communities
Humanities
Shaping the future market for digital art
Buying art in cryptocurrency has seen record-breaking prices followed by a crash in recent years, but there are ways to remove the volatility to benefit both artists and buyers
Education
Learning & Teaching
School refusal needs a national response
The recent Senate Inquiry rightly recommends a coordinated national approach to a growing national problem
Learning & Teaching
Learning by knowing, by doing, by being
Many schools promote teaching the ‘whole child’, but to do this, education cannot only focus on knowing and doing – it must explicitly embrace being
Public Affairs
Why leadership in Indigenous higher education has never been more important
From the Voice referendum to the climate crisis, now is the time for strong leadership in Indigenous higher education
Health & Wellbeing
Lost in space: Open-plan classrooms can leave children adrift
Middle years primary-school students are at risk of academic delay when learning in an open-plan classroom
Learning & Teaching
Talking to young people about the Voice
Explaining a referendum on constitutional law to young people can seem a tall order, but they already have a good knowledge of the world around them
Business & Economics
Inside Business
A sustainable solution to Australia’s engineering skills shortage
To solve the skills shortage for good, we need to inspire a stronger connection with engineering
Inside Business
The role you play in modern slavery in Australia
There are more than 40,000 people living and working in conditions considered modern slavery in Australia – but do Australian consumers care?
Inside Business
The business leaders ‘hiding’ chronic illness
After COVID, the impact of long-term health conditions is being felt across the workforce. But managers are keeping their illnesses a secret over career concerns
Inside Business
Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for the workplace
A D&D-inspired mindset could help change how we think about our workplaces and working together as a team
Inside Business
Overcoming gender bias of boardroom gatekeepers
If we remove professional barriers for women, they can compete on equal footing with men. And key to that is tackling the bias of gatekeepers
Inside Business
What we can expect from the 2023 economic ‘misery index’
Australia’s high interest rates and low GDP growth are pushing our Economic Misery Index higher, but hopefully not for long
COVID-19
Health & Wellbeing
The steps we can take to combat COVID-19 in 2023
New computer modelling suggests that ongoing vaccinations and early public health measures are the most effective responses to future COVID-19 variants
Health & Medicine
What we now know about long COVID and our brains
Almost three years into the global pandemic, we may know more about Post-COVID-19 Neurological Syndrome (PCNS), but there’s a critical need for more global collaboration
Health & Wellbeing
More resilient than we thought during lockdown
New research finds that many people coped relatively well emotionally during Melbourne’s long COVID-19 lockdowns – but with caveats.
Design
The COVID cost for Asia’s informal workers
A new book investigates the ravages of the COVID-19 impact on people in the informal economy across Southeast and South Asia
Inside Business
COVID-19’s ongoing supply chain chaos
As we head into the holidays, COVID-19’s disruption to our supply chains has created shortages, backlogs and global delays – but are we over the worst of it?
Sciences & Technology
Engineering & Technology
The new model powering faster flood predictions
A new simplified hydrodynamic model provides a practical and effective solution to predict flooding quickly – reducing forecasting time from days to seconds
Engineering & Technology
The splendour of cybersecurity
Young people may be social media savvy but many need help with the Big Four of cybersecurity. A free device Tune Up gave hundreds a chance to learn
Science Matters
The science of flavour
Enjoying food is one of life’s great pleasures – and it’s about way more than just taste, it uses all your senses (yes, even your hearing)
Under the Microscope
Taking Indigenous Australia to NASA
Tully Mahr is one of five Australians heading to an internship with NASA, where the 21-year-old will spend three months researching life’s origins and planet habitability
Engineering & Technology
Actress, ballerina... engineer?
Engineering needs more diversity, but there are almost no role models for women engineers in popular culture
Health & Medicine
Health & Medicine
How epigenetics is transforming our understanding of evolution
A new book reveals how a population’s non-genetic responses to environmental change are central to the process of evolution
Health & Wellbeing
Replanting the birthing trees
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and communities are working with researchers to create safe and sacred places for babies and families in the first 2000 days of life
Health & Medicine
Knowing when to seek help for mental health
When challenges arise we may feel confused, but there are five signs to help us understand when to seek mental health support
Health & Wellbeing
How anger became the forgotten emotion
Characters like Succession’s Logan Roy can teach us a lot about anger and trauma, and why we need to understand more about the link
Health & Wellbeing
Peer support groups connect people living with a brain injury
A collaboration between the University of Melbourne and Brain Injury Matters is learning from adults with a brain injury what peer support groups mean to them
Health & Wellbeing
Living well with advanced cancer
A new palliative care model provides early intervention to improve quality of life for advanced cancer patients and their families
Politics & Society
Public Affairs
The myth of neutrality and why Australia needs a Voice
Establishing an Indigenous Voice in Australia’s constitution is entirely consistent with a liberal democracy and political equality
Public Affairs
India’s leadership at G20 can prove multilateralism isn’t a fading ideal
At G20, Australia can lend its support to India’s agenda to create a more accountable and inclusive international system
Design
How disinformation is undermining our cities
Disinformation is a modern reality. It sows distrust and division in communities, but it’s also affecting our cities’ ability to function
Health & Medicine
The Voice to Parliament and echoes of Mabo
Australians vote this year in a referendum that could enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, alongside State and region-based Treaties, Truth-Telling and State based-Voices to Parliament
Health & Wellbeing
Everyone can help forge a safe ending to what Oppenheimer began
While no film can convey everything about nuclear weapons, Oppenheimer is a timely reminder of how fallible humans created the first weapons that could destroy our world