Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
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More about usHealth & Medicine
The microbiota and our mental health
Research is revealing the connection between our microbes and our mental health, suggesting that your ‘gut-feeling’ is not just metaphorical
Health & Medicine
There is no ‘normal’
Please do not adjust your sets, normal service will not be resumed because dream, hallucination or reality are all a product of the same thing – your brain
Health & Medicine
Running on rainbows
Exercise can help protect our mental health, but how can we tap into this mood medicine and stay on track? A human-sized, rainbow hamster wheel may provide some answers
The maths and ethics of minimising COVID-19 deaths
A University of Melbourne experts says the government must factor in the maths and ethics of either flattening the curve or an eradication endgame for COVID-19.
Modelling the spread of COVID-19
Forecasting the spread of COVID-19 including undetected cases is difficult but important; a University of Melbourne scientist has an app to track the outlook.
Why do some people believe the Earth is flat?
Although science says the Earth is round, there are some people around who still think it's flat; two University of Melbourne experts look at why.
Island encounters
A new book by a University of Melbourne expert weaves together the past, present and future of Timor-Leste – an island divided by colonialism and conflict.
Working to stop MS in its tracks
On World Brain Day, University of Melbourne experts say earlier diagnosis and access to new treatments can improve the lives of those with multiple sclerosis.
How long till Sydney gets out of lockdown?
New University of Melbourne COVID-19 modelling finds NSW’s hard lockdown gives the State more certainty about how long stricter restrictions could stay in place
Health & Medicine
Hey Siri, how’s my mental health?
Conversational systems may play a key role in future mental healthcare and have the potential to help cut down global e-waste – but there are caveats
Health & Medicine
Getting involved
The pandemic has changed student life rapidly –impacting on mental wellbeing. But our sense of belonging and connection can help protect our mental health
PodcastHealth & Medicine
Mental Health ≠ Wellbeing
There’s a growing tendency to link mental health and wellbeing as an inseparable conceptual couple, but the two concepts have very different connotations
Health & Medicine
Being open to emotion in art
Art can provoke, plague and preoccupy. But what can our interactions with art teach us about fully experiencing emotions in our everyday lives?
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COVID-19
Health & Medicine
How long till Sydney gets out of lockdown?
New COVID-19 modelling finds NSW’s hard decision to go into hard lockdown gives the State more certainty about how long they’ll be stuck in there
Health & Medicine
What’s the right COVID-19 risk to live with?
As Australia looks toward opening its international borders, new virus modelling provides scenarios that can help us decide what’s the right risk to tolerate
Design
Get ready for a shift in the COVID blame game
The term ‘living with COVID’ heralds a transition that may ultimately see blame for cases, illness, deaths and economic damage shifted away from Government and onto the individual
Health & Wellbeing
The global race to understand COVID-19 variants
The BRACE trial is investigating whether it’s possible to predict who’s susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 variants – despite previous COVID-19 infection or vaccination
Health & Wellbeing
Getting a COVID jab is safer than taking aspirin
The risk of rare side effects from COVID-19 vaccines like AstraZeneca are greatly exaggerated as they are far safer than many medicines people are taking every day
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
Island encounters
A new book explores the history and culture of Timor-Leste from the outside in, weaving together the past, present and future of an island divided by colonialism and conflict
Science Matters
Another intelligence failure shows we need more rigour
The storming of the Capitol in January followed a serious intelligence failure. A new report on analytical rigour helps explain how to do better
Animals, Food & You
I’m an animal … get me out of here!
Despite recent on-screen incidents, Australia doesn’t have national legislation governing animal welfare in film and television, so how can we protect the animals that entertain us?
Humanities
What do pilots think of having more AI in the cockpit?
Pilots are keen to explore using new technology like digital voice assistants in the cockpit but they also need to be central in the design of any new systems
Science Matters
How can we prevent Insect Armageddon?
Professor Phil Batterham discusses his work on insecticides; how they work and how we can develop more effective and sustainable pest control strategies, with a reduced environmental impact
PodcastScience Matters
Solving the mystery of the four-headed echidna penis
Scientists have for the first time detailed the anatomy and workings of the short-beaked echidna penis, demonstrating its innovative evolution
Arts & Culture
Humanities
Poetry as a surveillance survival guide
In an age of pervasive surveillance and social media promotion, reading poetry matters more than ever as we try to come to terms with our technologically-led society
Humanities
How literature helps us interpret the human face
New research looks at how the human face is represented in writing from the medieval to contemporary eras, revealing how we have interpreted human emotion for centuries
Health & Medicine
The difficulty with measuring creativity
How do you go about measuring the multifaceted and unique human quality that is creativity without killing it completely? New research aims to do just that
Music, Arts & Screen
Is opera dead or can it redefine itself?
Caitlin Vincent, a lecturer in the creative industries, describes how we can interpret classical operas in a way that does not perpetuate harmful stereotypes or cultural appropriation
PodcastHumanities
What was it like to be a child in the Roman Empire?
As the researcher for a new children’s novel set in Ancient Roman times, archaeologist Tamara Lewit found herself hunting for answers to questions she’d never considered
Business & Economics
Inside Business
Saying ‘no’, nicely
Many businesses have become ‘gatekeepers’ during COVID-19, prioritising public health over profit. But there are strategies to keeping customers happy while sticking to the pandemic rules
Legal Affairs
Charging dead clients is dishonest. Really? Who knew
The regulator’s court action against five AMP group companies over the previous scandal that saw dead clients charged fees is a wider warning to corporations
Inside Business
Keeping supply chains ethical and sustainable amid COVID-19
The pandemic has put global supply chains under stress and we need to be watchful that ethics and sustainability don’t fall by the wayside
Inside Business
It’s more than the money: Getting GPs to go to rural areas
While Australia’s Federal Budget promises more money to rural GPs, will the cash make a difference when it comes to getting and keeping doctors in remote Australia?
Inside Business
The power of the Indigenous business sector
Each year, Indigenous businesses bring in at least $A4.9 billion; now first-of-its-kind research reveals the extent of the economic power and diversity of Australian Indigenous businesses
Business & Economics
Competition isn’t improving the aged care sector
A new study finds more competition isn’t associated with better quality of care or lower prices in aged care, prompting policy reform to address sources of market failures
Education
Learning & Teaching
Parenting during lockdown
As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, 2020 was a challenging year for many parents – but did being at home with kids affect their levels of life satisfaction?
Health & Medicine
Promoting health in schools: Old idea, new opportunities
The WHO’s ‘health-promoting schools’ is an old idea, but finding new ways to fully realise its potential for young people globally has never been more urgent
Learning & Teaching
Children are more than just a return on investment
Early childhood programs and related funding are often justified on the cost-benefit analysis of what children could contribute to the economy when they grow up. But that needs to change
Learning & Teaching
Emerging from COVID-19 and taking the chance to change
Across Australia, restrictions are loosening and now is a good time to take stock of how COVID-19 has changed our lives – and where we go from here
Learning & Teaching
Getting racism out of the classroom
Schools are part of a system of colonial rule that is not easily overwritten; the education system and teachers must work to understand and challenge structural racism
Environment
Design
How our housing can make it feel like a Russian winter
Australia’s housing just isn’t good enough when it comes to dealing with winter temperatures – we need to take lessons from the Northern Hemisphere
Design
Protecting Melbourne’s Green Wedges while we still can
The natural areas of Melbourne are under threat at the same time as there’s growing evidence of their importance for humans
Science Matters
How can we prevent Insect Armageddon?
Professor Phil Batterham discusses his work on insecticides; how they work and how we can develop more effective and sustainable pest control strategies, with a reduced environmental impact
PodcastScience Matters
Australia’s water tragedy has urgent lessons for America
There is less and less water in the US and Australia – and more and more people want it. Emulating Australia’s failing water market won’t help the US manage this precious resource
Animals, Food & You
Smaller plants show promise for future food crops
Researchers have bred smaller soybean plants with the same yield, raising the possibility that smaller crops could grow more food from less land in our changing climate
Animals, Food & You
Protecting Australia’s citrus industry
Researchers have identified an Australian strain of fungus that causes citrus rot, calling for effective controls to protect the citrus industry
Politics & Society
Design
This lockdown is different – in a good way
There is good reason to be optimistic about the effectiveness of Victoria’s latest COVID-19 lockdown because we are doing the right things better
Health & Wellbeing
Healing Country
As we adapt to climate change, it’s essential that we recognise the deep knowledge First Peoples bring in managing and adapting to environments over millennia
Eavesdrop on Experts
AI and humans: collaboration rather than domination
When algorithms make important decisions, we also need to involve humans who understand the context, explains AI and ethics researcher Jeannie Paterson
PodcastHumanities
Public sentiment in China cools towards Australia
The latest annual poll of Chinese attitudes towards Australia shows deteriorating bilateral relations are being reflected in the general public
Legal Affairs
What does it take to run faster, throw further, jump higher?
Many of us are aware of anti-doping regulations in elite sport, but there are also unregulated non-doping performance-enhancing strategies that give an inequitable advantage to some athletes
Health & Medicine
Health & Medicine
Working to stop MS in its tracks
On World Brain Day, work continues to diagnose multiple sclerosis earlier, provide access to life-changing treatments and improve the quality of life for those living with the condition
Health & Medicine
Using AI to predict hospital costs in real time
Hospitals only know how much a patient costs once they’ve gone home, making it difficult to plan spending efficiently, but predictive algorithms can estimate costs soon after diagnosis
Health & Medicine
Australians more likely to get vaccinated after Victoria’s COVID-19 outbreak
Victoria’s recent COVID-19 outbreak dramatically increased vaccinations in the state, and across Australia, more people are now keen to get the jab
Health & Wellbeing
Unmasking cancers with hidden identity
Cancer treatment is largely based on where it originates in the body, but when a primary site can’t be found, genomics is helping guide diagnosis and treatment for cancers of unknown origin
Health & Wellbeing
Heating and cooking at home linked to asthma
Wood heating, gas cooking and heating in the home are linked to an increased risk of asthma and more rapid decline in lung function
Health & Medicine
Promoting health in schools: Old idea, new opportunities
The WHO’s ‘health-promoting schools’ is an old idea, but finding new ways to fully realise its potential for young people globally has never been more urgent