Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
Welcome to Pursuit
More about usHealth & Wellbeing
Wounds need more than time to heal
Wounds, especially chronic ones, must be assessed and cared for early. And this is particularly true for people in aged care in order to prevent pressure wounds
Learning & Teaching
Taking positive psychology into the classroom
Positive psychology in schools is exploring how best to apply the science of wellbeing in key learning environments - helping students develop skills for life
Under the Microscope
Viruses on the wing
Dr Michelle Wille is studying wild birds to understand how they spread viruses across the globe
Saving the secrets of the jars of Laos
The mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos, which University of Melbourne archaeologists are working to reveal, has just been made a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Is Freud’s legacy fading?
Despite reports of the death of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud’s ideas are alive and well in some parts of the world reports a University of Melbourne study.
Voice. Treaty. Truth.
Indigenous relations in Australia have come a long way, but in NAIDOC Week 2019 a University of Melbourne expert says there is still an uncomfortable way to go.
Using bacteria to control mosquitoes
A University of Melbourne research trial finds the Wolbachia bacteria suppresses dengue-fever carrying mosquitoes, but more work is needed to stop their spread.
Wounds need more than time to heal
Wounds, especially chronic ones, must be assessed early; particularly when people are in aged care, to prevent bed sores, says a University of Melbourne expert.
Viruses on the wing
The University of Melbourne's Dr Michelle Wille studies wild ducks and shorebirds to understand how they spread viruses across the globe, including influenza.
Music, Arts & Screen
Echoes in the void
To mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landings, NASA and the European Space Agency have released a collection of sounds spanning the history of space travel. And space sounds beautiful
Health & Wellbeing
Stronger action to curb overuse of antibiotics
Cracking down on repeat prescriptions is just one of a range of actions needed to restrict the overuse of antibiotics
Health & Wellbeing
Buffering against brain change in schizophrenia
New research shows that some people with schizophrenia may have a protective mechanism that buffers against the ongoing impact of structural changes in the brain
Humanities
Sex and the remake
A new book explores the fraught process of taking on a TV or film remake, and why updating attitudes to sex may not always work
Subscribe to Pursuit
Receive your weekly email digest from Pursuit
Politics & Society
Health & Wellbeing
Voice. Treaty. Truth.
Indigenous relations in Australia have come a long way, but as we celebrate NAIDOC Week, it’s clear there is still a long and uncomfortable way to go
Legal Affairs
Rethinking Australia’s refugee policy
On World Refugee Day, Australia has an opportunity to re-evaluate its refugee policy and lead the modern world in sharing the burden and responsibility for refugees
Legal Affairs
The political challenge of a divided electorate
The Federal Election result was marked by countervailing swings that political parties will need to learn to navigate
Health & Wellbeing
Going beyond healing to build Indigenous power
Reconciliation has focused on healing past wrongs but for young and ferocious Indigenous Australia, the future it is about grasping new opportunities for themselves and their communities
Humanities
The whispers of Tiananmen
Although the Chinese government has never publicly addressed the violent suppression of protests in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago, its history has been whispered through generations
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
Saving the secrets of the jars of Laos
The mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos, which is giving archaeologists clues to an ancient civilisation, has just joined the list of UNESCO World Heritage protected sites
Science Matters
The ‘freak wave’ myth
New research finds ‘freak waves’ don’t really exist and Australia’s experienced rock fishers are the ones who best understand the danger of the ocean’s waves
Science Matters
Prove it – with maths
Finding a mathematical proof is a long, difficult process – involving trial-and-error, grunt work and the occasional eureka moment
Engineering & Technology
Will a computer take your job?
It’s predicted that computers could one day become smarter than humans, but we shouldn’t forget people power in the age of artificial intelligence
Science Matters
Earthquakes that talk to each other
Two earthquakes in Victoria seven years ago tell us a lot about how fault lines can ‘talk to each other’ to generate further seismic shocks
Engineering & Technology
Mimicking nature’s own plastic
Amino acid is the building block of life and researchers are aiming to use them as the basis to chemically produce compostable plastics to help address our worsening plastic waste problem
Environment
Legal Affairs
The global problem of thirsty cities
Globally, around 500 million people experience water shortages and that figure is only going up; but good governance and smart water management could lead to collaboration rather than competition
Engineering & Technology
A land of drought and flooding rains
Understanding the interaction between increasing rainfall and dry soil conditions can help us better plan for the consequences of climate change
Engineering & Technology
The opportunities and risks of decarbonising our transport
Australia is behind on regulating vehicle greenhouse gas emissions, but we have many options that when combined carefully could achieve deep abatement, clean our air and even save us money
Animals, Food & You
Facing our environmental crisis head on
Going beyond climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and chemical pollution, overconsumption may be the single greatest cause of our environmental challenge
Design
Reconciliation at scale
Indigenous placemaking in design is gaining greater currency in Australia. And Melbourne projects are helping to lead the way
Arts & Culture
Music, Arts & Screen
Making a lasting impression
An ambitious new project brings together the world’s masterpieces with emerging artists to create the next generation of groundbreaking art
Eavesdrop on Experts
Movement, mobility and identity
Anthropology studies cultures and communities, but people have always moved around, so one anthropologist has taken his research on the road in cars and on buses
PodcastHumanities
What history can really teach us
History is too intricate to teach simple lessons, but knowing your history is key to understanding the complexities of the present
Humanities
The perfection of David
Michelangelo’s statue of David is the world’s most famous statement on physical perfection, and continues to inspire the next generation of artists 400 years later
Humanities
Defining the power of public interest journalism
The recent police raids on Australian journalists are a cause of concern for many, but they also highlight the far-reaching impact of public interest journalism
Eavesdrop on Experts
Giving games their sound
They are in the background and get under your skin. They are the chiptunes that make computer games sing
Podcast
Education
Inside Business
Helping ‘impatient’ students stay in school
Patience can have a significant impact on a child’s educational outcomes, and understanding why can help inform good policy for Australia’s school system
Learning & Teaching
A chance to even the odds
A child’s destiny is heavily influenced by the lottery of socio-economic status and where they happen to grow up, but access to quality early learning can help even the odds for all Australian children
Learning & Teaching
Why early childhood education is everyone’s business
The first five years of life are the most critical for building the foundations for life-long learning, well-being, and health, and it is critical we have policy reform and investment in quality early childhood education
Education
Adapting yourself to take action on the environment
Disillusionment with politics is reason enough to want to take action yourself on climate change and the environment, but actually doing it is harder. Here is a model to help you plan and do.
Learning & Teaching
How technology is boosting our young people’s wellbeing
At least one in five young people experience anxiety and depression, often related to school. The new Bio-Dash program uses technology to help teach students to manage their own wellbeing
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
Investigating the brain’s insulation
Following his uncle’s brain injury, Dr David Gonsalvez studied neuroscience and now researches the connections between brain cells and how they change in diseases like Multiple Sclerosis
PodcastHealth & Medicine
Reanimating hand movement after spinal cord injury
A study by the University of Melbourne and Austin Health has found that nerve transfer surgery for people suffering tetraplegia after a traumatic spinal cord injury can improve independence
Health & Wellbeing
Australian children with mental disorders aren’t getting help
New research finds that a high number of Australian children with mental illnesses aren’t accessing professional care, and we need to better understand why they’re missing out
Health & Wellbeing
Is Freud’s legacy fading?
Despite reports of the demise of psychoanalysis, in some parts of the world, Freud’s psychoanalytic ideas are alive and well
Health & Wellbeing
Too young for Facebook, old enough for prison?
Children can’t sign up to Facebook until age 13 but in Australia they can be prosecuted for a criminal offence at age ten, and that needs to change
Health & Wellbeing
Where we die matters, so let’s talk
Interviews with terminally ill patients and their families highlight the importance and complexities of discussions about place of care and place of death
Business & Economics
Inside Business
Weighing up the policy responses to banking misconduct
The major parties all have election policies that respond to the misconduct uncovered in Australia’s financial services sector, but they are light on detail
Inside Business
Breaking the workplace code of silence
The code of silence around gender equity damages men and women by confining both to traditional gender roles
Legal Affairs
Working hard to make work fairer
A proactive model helps the Fair Work Ombudsman track down unscrupulous employers who exploit or underpay their workers
Inside Business
Budgeting for drought
The drought affecting Australia’s eastern states is challenging the economy, but how government responds to the needs of farmers must be well planned and continuing rather than ad hoc
Inside Business
Closing the gap in the Indigenous business sector
The Indigenous business sector has seen huge growth in recent years, but there are large gaps that still need to be addressed