Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
Welcome to Pursuit
More about usAnimals, Food & You
Getting real on strawberry needle risk
Instances of strawberries being sabotaged with sewing needles has sparked a national scare in Australia, but perceptions of risk and actual risk can be very different things
Inside Business
Taking a clear look at inequality
Income inequality in Australia is relatively stable but there are pockets of disadvantage that need serious attention
Health & Wellbeing
Using chemotherapy to fight malaria
Researchers have discovered that cancer treatments can help overcome growing resistance to a frontline antimalarial drug
Making the link between family violence and animal abuse
The University of Melbourne is co-hosting this year's Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse conference, on the link between pet abuse and family violence.
The invisible colours protecting birds from overheating
University of Melbourne research finds the nanostructure of a bird's feathers can regulate its body temperature by reflecting or absorbing near infrared-light
Is Australia set to follow Europe and North America with an extreme summer?
Parts of Australia should brace themselves for a very hot summer, similar to the northern hemisphere summer, predicts University of Melbourne expert Andrew King
Getting real on strawberry needle risk
Australia's strawberry needle scare is a case of risk perceptions running ahead of the actual risk, explains a University of Melbourne researcher.
Taking a clear look at inequality
Inequality in Australia is relatively stable but pockets of disadvantage need serious attention including job opportunities says University of Melbourne expert
Using chemotherapy to fight malaria
Researchers at the University of Melbourne's Bio21 Institute have discovered chemotherapy can help overcome growing resistance to the antimalarial artemisinin.
Music, Arts & Screen
How music could revolutionise dementia care
A new global study, led by the University of Melbourne, is bringing music in as medicine to treat people with dementia and depression
Learning & Teaching
What do Gen X and Gen Y worry about most? Climate change.
Climate change is their number one cause for concern and they aren’t impressed by government efforts to tackle environmental challenges
Public Affairs
Truth telling at Garma
The Garma Festival brings together leaders from all walks of life to engage in cultural awareness of Yolngu and other Aboriginal cultures, building a reconciliation culture for all Australians
Engineering & Technology
Forecasting the cycle of epileptic seizures
New research throws light on the predictability of seizure cycles for people with epilepsy
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Education
Learning & Teaching
What school is best for your child?
Choosing the right school for your family can be daunting, but keeping a few simple tips in mind can help
Learning & Teaching
Financial anxiety widespread among university students
A major study of university students finds many are worried about their finances, struggling to combine work and study, and significant numbers are skipping necessities like meals
Learning & Teaching
Finding what really works in education
Using data and reason, rather than intuition, to decide where to invest the large sums spent globally on education, would make a huge difference to the learning outcomes of many students
Learning & Teaching
Teaching your child to cope
Coping skills can be taught, and with depression rates on the rise among young people, learning them is more important than ever
Learning & Teaching
Whatever happened to Gonski 2.0?
Two education experts debate the latest government education review, and consider what it means for teachers and their students
Business & Economics
Public Affairs
The great honey wars
Australia’s biggest honey company and some of the country’s largest supermarkets are facing accusations of selling ‘fake honey’. Five experts look at the impact of the allegations
Design
An Australian place to call home
As Melbourne’s population hits 5 million, with the largest annual increase of any city in Australia’s history over the last year, Victoria must use its land wisely to meet the growing need for affordable housing
Inside Business
Making the financial industry more like a health service
The unethical conduct in financial services being exposed by Australia’s Royal Commission is the latest wake up call for the industry to refocus on the well being of its customers
Inside Business
Is rent-for-life becoming the new norm for families?
The age group with the highest proportion of renters moving into home-ownership each year is now the 55-64 year-olds
Inside Business
Small business: Not the jobs engine we think
The number of self-employed entrepreneurs doing well enough to hire staff is shrinking and it’s bigger firms that are behind Australia’s strong employment
Legal Affairs
Taking on big tech: Where does Australia stand?
As the EU hits Google with a multi-billion dollar fine for breaking competition law, Australia’s regulator is investigating how big tech operates. What approach will the ACCC take?
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
The rise of the latest drug resistant superbug
In parts of Europe, some strains of the latest superbug are already resistant to all known antibiotics – but researchers don’t yet know how it is spreading internationally
Health & Wellbeing
Young and resilient
The first study of young refugees settling in Australia suggests they are adapting well to their new country
Health & Wellbeing
Can alternative therapies help PTSD?
Talking or exposure therapies may not work for everyone with post-traumatic stress disorder, but do the alternatives work?
Health & Wellbeing
Why mindset matters for junior doctors
Medical students and junior doctors have to cope with high stakes on a daily basis; now a new program is helping them build resilience
Health & Wellbeing
The language of living and dying
When it comes to caring for people with cancer, how clinicians talk about palliative care can make a huge difference to patients and their families
Environment
Science Matters
Is Australia set to follow Europe and North America with an extreme summer?
With no end in sight for the drought, bushfires already causing problems in Eastern Australia and a looming El Niño, the coming Australian summer could be a shocker
Eavesdrop on Experts
How is commuting changing us?
Our daily commute is transforming our relationships, how we work and what we want from our cities
PodcastDesign
Transforming informal settlements
Informal settlements house over a billion people in cities of the Global South; it’s time to maximise their potential as diverse and dynamic neighbourhoods
Science Matters
Making cities work for every urban-dweller
It’s the urban age for people – and for other species too – so it’s time to start planning for all the plants and animals that call our cities home
Health & Wellbeing
Mental health in a changing climate
The evidence about the mental health risks linked with climate change is mounting, presenting urgent opportunities to respond both locally and globally
Animals, Food & You
Fighting the ‘white cancer’ threatening global food security
Researchers have made a ‘game changing’ shift in our understanding of how plants succumb to high levels of salt in agricultural soils.
Politics & Society
Legal Affairs
Why international sports regulation needs reform
The bodies that oversee international sports, like FIFA and the IOC, need an overhaul to create an even and fair playing field
Animals, Food & You
Making the link between family violence and animal abuse
Sometimes it’s the vet who is the first medical professional to see the signs of family violence
Legal Affairs
Big tobacco vs Australia’s plain packaging
Australia was the first country in the world to mandate plain tobacco packaging and, despite ongoing litigation, the tobacco industry’s fears are being realised as others follow suit
Public Affairs
Turmoil in Trump land
The latest revelations about President Trump’s erratic behaviour and chaotic White House will only further endear him to his supporter base
Public Affairs
This is not a drill: 5 reasons why the experts are worried about the next pandemic
Warnings tell us the next global pandemic is a case of not ‘if’, but ‘when’. So, hypothetically, how is the world preparing itself?
Arts & Culture
Under the Microscope
Turning the orchestral tide
Young musicians from the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will embark on their first international tour to Singapore and Shanghai. Among the works will be the world-premiere of Tide by composer and arranger Alice Humphries...but she won’t be there to see it
Eavesdrop on Experts
Celebrating synths
Synthesizers - those influencers of rock, pop and avant-garde music - are the stars of the Grainger Museum’s latest exhibition
PodcastPublic Affairs
Australia’s friendly history
Before governments stepped in to provide welfare, friendly societies provided vital financial and social support to many Australian communities
Health & Wellbeing
Nanette, self-deprecation and when not to use it
Hannah Gadsby has shone a light on the dark side of Australians’ fondness for self-deprecation
Eavesdrop on Experts
Why does radio hold a special place in our hearts?
Amanda Krause is fascinated by the link between music and wellbeing, and now she’s researching why radio is so important to many older people
PodcastHumanities
Why you should go to MOMA at NGV
Some of the greatest art works of the 20th and 21st centuries have taken up (temporary) residence in Melbourne; here’s your expert guide to ten of the best
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
The invisible colours protecting birds from overheating
Some Australian birds can control their temperature and avoid overheating by reflecting near-infrared wavelengths of sunlight, regardless of their feather colour
Engineering & Technology
Decoding data to predict landslides
A new software tool predicts landslide boundaries two weeks before they happen
Engineering & Technology
What were you thinking?
We are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence for important decisions but we don’t know how those decisions are being made. We urgently need Explainable AI (XAI)
Science Matters
Getting it right: The most complex space telescope ever built
As the Hubble Space Telescope prepares to mark its 30th year, what can we expect from its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope?
The Policy Shop
How does gender diversity improve science?
Men continue to outnumber women in science, technology, engineering and maths professions; what has been the effect of this predominantly male lens?
Podcast