Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
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More about usHumanities
Putting the real in fantasy superheroes
Stan Lee’s superheroes are grounded in an emotional reality and optimism that we can still save the world
Health & Wellbeing
How do you define healthy in kids?
When you have a blood test, your results are compared to what’s considered ‘normal’ in order to work out suitable treatment, but this vital step is missing in diagnosing children
Legal Affairs
Navigating assisted dying in Victoria
The legalisation of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria raises ethical, legal and policy challenges
A teacher’s pet or a victim of sexual abuse?
The Teacher's Pet podcast examines issues like domestic and sex abuse, but according to a University of Melbourne expert, the words we use are important.
The next generation of Australian schools
Victoria needs as many as 200 new schools in the coming decade; University of Melbourne research is helping inform their design, to meet modern education needs.
How India runs the biggest elections in the world
With around 900 million voters registered for India’s May general election, its democratic mechanics are well-organised, says a University of Melbourne expert.
Putting the real in fantasy superheroes
The late great Stan Lee’s superheroes are grounded in emotional reality and an optimism that we can still save the world, says a University of Melbourne expert
Why the Netherlands is more split on ‘Black Pete’ than ever
Despite the national Dutch broadcaster announcing changes to Black Pete (Zwarte Piet), it remains a divisive issue there says a University of Melbourne expert.
How do you define healthy in kids?
A blood test compares your results to what’s normal to work out suitable treatment, but a University of Melbourne team says this step is missing for children.
Humanities
Why the Netherlands is more split on ‘Black Pete’ than ever
The debate about the controversial Saint Nicholas character, considered racist by many, is a symptom of deeper divisions in Dutch society
Inside Business
Why do people really become homeless?
While the majority of the general public thinks drug addiction is the main reason for homelessness, the reality is quite different
Politics & Society
After the fighting: The soldiers who studied
After WW1, returning soldiers faced the question of ‘what next’? University study was the answer for some
Humanities
A year on from ‘YES’: What still needs to change on campus?
LGBTIQA+ students still experience marginalisation, and barriers to mental wellness. How can universities be more inclusive?
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Environment
Design
Lovability versus liveability: What big data tells us about our neighbourhoods
Just because we have all the necessary amenities in the places we live doesn’t mean we’re happy. What makes a place a community is far more than bricks and mortar and services
Science Matters
On the DNA trail of the platypus
The platypus is a ‘near threatened’ species, but researchers are now measuring the DNA they leave behind in the environment as part of the largest-ever investigation into tracking this secretive animal
Science Matters
The stories of Australia’s botanical biodiversity
Established in 1926, the University of Melbourne Herbarium has an estimated 150,000 specimens, each with their own story to tell
Engineering & Technology
A bridge too far?
Cutting-edge technologies are contributing to the changing infrastructure and safety of Australian bridges, as well as a sustainable transport system for a growing country
Science Matters
What the past can tell us about the future of climate change
For several millennia during the Last Interglacial period, temperatures were higher than pre-industrial levels and that had an impact on our climate system. But with recent dire forecasts of global warming, what can the past tell us about the future of our climate?
Education
Learning & Teaching
Learning in the Homelands
In the Indigenous Homelands of East Arnhem Land, pre-service teachers are learning the value of place and listening
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
Design
The next generation of Australian schools
With hundreds of new schools needed in Victoria in the coming decade, how will they meet future student and community needs?
Learning & Teaching
Skills education needs action, not more talk
About a quarter of Australians are in vocational education but the current system is flawed and selling us short at a critical time. Here’s how to fix it
Legal Affairs
It’s complicated: Academic freedom and freedom of speech
The right to academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus is a sacred one for universities, but the nature of this responsibility is often complex
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
Politics & Society
Public Affairs
The 2018 midterms: The suburbs turn
President Trump’s focus on stoking fear has cost his party in America’s suburbs
Public Affairs
Penny Wong: On change
The McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership aims to recognise political leaders who’ve driven positive change. Labor senator Penny Wong says modern politics is changing
Public Affairs
American tribalism let loose
The American midterm elections may be the most divisive in history, as both sides play the victim – but it’s the power of the Supreme Court that raises more questions
Public Affairs
A GFC 2.0 would remake the world in dangerous ways
Governments across the world are ill-equipped to deal with another and likely bigger Global Financial Crisis - and the political consequences could be frightening
Public Affairs
How India runs the biggest elections in the world
With close to 900 million voters registered for India’s general election in May, the mechanics of the country’s democracy are immense and well-organised
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
A teacher’s pet or a victim of sexual abuse?
The Teacher’s Pet podcast shines a light on some of the most difficult issues in our society, but the words we use to discuss them have power
Health & Wellbeing
Attracting (and keeping) Australia’s rural health workers
Supporting more health workers to remain in rural and remote Australian communities is about helping them settle in socially, as well as professionally
Health & Wellbeing
We need to talk about chlamydia
A surprise finding from a major study of chlamydia testing in GPs has led researchers to recommend a renewed focus on better management of this common infection
Health & Wellbeing
How every day counts for pre-term babies
Doctors can now update parents on how their very tiny baby’s chances of survival are changing as they progress through intensive care, offering hope for many families
Health & Wellbeing
Women and the slowing global population
In many countries around the world, birth rates are slowing to a more sustainable level. And it’s women that are the driving force behind the change
Go Figure
What do we need to know about online genetic testing?
They claim to be able to discover your ethnic background, help find your soulmate and even find the right diet; but what can online DNA tests actually deliver?
Sciences & Technology
Under the Microscope
Stress testing algorithms
Professor Kate Smith-Miles uses a core set of mathematical questions and optimisation algorithms to find the best mathematical approach to making the world a better place
Legal Affairs
Why does artificial intelligence discriminate?
Combatting bias and creating more inclusive AI is unlikely to succeed unless developers include those people who have been historically excluded or ignored
Engineering & Technology
Giving driverless vehicles the human touch
Can driverless vehicle technology replicate the human rules of engagement between pedestrians and drivers?
Science Matters
Lifting the lid on quantum computing
Newly developed software for learning quantum computer programming allows students to see inside the ‘black box’ and start using the ‘weird’ physics to solve problems
Animals, Food & You
What are we doing to our dogs?
Designer dogs, selective breeding, clones and intensive breeding are having unintended effects on the health and wellbeing of man’s best friend - so is our love of pups actually bad for them in the long run?
Business & Economics
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
Inside Business
Good policy vs poor politics at Outlook 2018
The 2018 Economic and Social Outlook Conference highlighted widespread concern that politics was failing to deliver the policies the country needs
Inside Business
Keeping our cities working
Making our biggest cities more efficient, affordable and accessible will raise the living standards of nearly all Australians, but it will also require some compromise
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
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
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
Arts & Culture
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
Arts & Culture
A pressing matter: Ancient Roman food technology
Researchers show that an Ancient Roman text has long been misinterpreted, shedding new light on how innovation in olive oil and wine presses developed
Humanities
Bewitched and beguiled by art
Images of witches and witchcraft offer a glimpse into the fears and superstitions of the past
Eavesdrop on Experts
Language for living
Poetry is a way of being alive and alert to the world in ways that we too often forget, says Professor David Mason
PodcastHumanities
Treasuring Trove: Why Australia’s digital heritage platform is so special
Australians have a truly unique resource in the National Library’s Trove, and it needs to be protected