Pursuit
World-changing research made possible by Melbourne
Welcome to Pursuit, the latest in cutting-edge research and expert commentary by world-leading experts.
More about usScience Matters
Farmed salmon are deaf – and now we know why
Scientists have discovered why fast-growing farmed salmon are three times more likely to be partially deaf than their wild relatives
Public Affairs
Australia’s strategic steps before any North Korean conflict
As the war of words between the US and North Korea threatens to turn into war, the Australian Government will be working hard to exhaust all its peacemaking options before entering any conflict
Science Matters
Supermassive black holes feed on cosmic jellyfish
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown way that so-called jellyfish galaxies fuel supermassive black holes - helping our understanding of the evolution of the Universe
Sinkholes: What on earth’s happening?
It might seem as if sinkholes are opening up everywhere around us, but scientists say it’s down to a mix of factors, from geology to human behaviour.
5 slightly disgusting facts about mozzies
The Aedes aegypti mosquito carries Dengue and Zika - but did you know the females also stockpile sperm, and their eggs love to hitch a ride on used car tyres?
What’s wrong with Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly?
The installation of a new Constituent Assembly in Venezuela may, on the surface, appear democratic but is anything but, argues a University of Melbourne expert.
Is re-regulation the solution to Australia’s electricity price shock?
As electricity retailers report back to the Government and ACCC over proposals to make power more affordable - should re-regulating the market be an option?
Whose fake news?
We chat to Washington Post op-ed columnist Dana Milbank about fake news, Russian Hackers and the ethics of Wikileaks.
Farmed salmon are deaf – and now we know why
University of Melbourne scientists have discovered why farmed salmon are three times more likely to be deaf; raising concerns over animal welfare in aquaculture
Eavesdrop on Experts
Whose fake news?
We chat with Washington Post op-ed columnist Dana Milbank about Russian hackers, populism and the partisan nature of news
PodcastPublic Affairs
Australia’s referendum drought
Since Federation, Australia has on average voted in a plebiscite or referendum every six years - but our most recent was back in 1999. Is there an argument for regular referendums?
Humanities
The Louvre Abu Dhabi: Why the critics are wrong
The much-anticipated new art museum is opening in the United Arab Emirates later this year; here’s why it should be considered a global art envoy rather than an agent of the West
Music, Arts & Screen
Clearing the fog of dementia with song
Music’s ability to trigger our deepest memories and emotions could help improve quality of life for people with dementia
Subscribe to Pursuit
Receive your weekly email digest from Pursuit
Education
Learning & Teaching
Realising the promise of STEM education
While there are many promising initiatives in Australia to engage students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, there is a need to support these in a sustained and coordinated way
Under the Microscope
Struggling in school: Helping every student learn
Dr Shiralee Poed’s concern for students with special needs and behavioural challenges is the key driver for her work in education
Learning & Teaching
Australia’s ‘spectacular’ failure in languages
Despite living in an increasingly interconnected world, the proportion of Australia’s Year 12 students taking a language has plummeted to just 10 per cent
Health & Wellbeing
Bullied school kids left behind in learning
The first large scale study into school bullying and academic achievement finds kids targeted by bullying are well behind in their learning, and the impact is worse on girls
Education
Daring to learn how to learn
A study of over 100,000 online learners finds that learning is a skill in itself that involves being prepared to take a risk, engaging with peers and having an independent streak
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
Surgeons go green: Recycling general anaesthetic
The development of a new technology that captures potentially damaging anaesthetics could lead to recycling the cleanest, rarest and safest anaesthetic gases known to medicine
Science Matters
Repairing brain injury by learning from a fish
In the quest to repair brain cells after injury or disease, scientists are learning from the zebrafish, which can heal its own tissue
Engineering & Technology
Going underground for green energy
Geothermal or geoexchange energy uses underground temperatures to make heating and cooling more efficient, and researchers are piloting this technology in one of Australia’s biggest infrastructure initiatives, the Metro Tunnel Project
Science Matters
Photon teleportation: Less ‘beam me up’, more 007
The recent beaming of light particles between Earth and a satellite is a significant development in the mind-boggling field of quantum physics, but unless you have a laser telescope handy its practical applications are limited
Engineering & Technology
Predicting epileptic seizures, just like the weather
A new tool can predict the likelihood of epileptic seizures, paving the way for a forecasting app that could be used every day
Engineering & Technology
How objects could soon ‘heal’ themselves
A new 3D printed gel that can heal like living tissue, and change form in response to environments, has myriad applications from fixing cracked phone screens to adaptive camouflage
Arts & Culture
Music, Arts & Screen
The demon dance: A modern reimagining
VCA dance students are recreating a seminal work from the founder of Australia’s first modern dance company, nearly 90 years after it was first performed in London
Humanities
Censorship and celebration at La Mama
Fifty years of La Mama theatre is documented in the University of Melbourne Archives, offering an insight into the emergence of Melbourne’s avant-garde theatre scene in the late 1960s
Arts & Culture
Confronting the feel, smell and taste of blood
Would you drink from a cup made from blood once infected with HIV? The inaugural exhibition from Science Gallery Melbourne challenges our deeply held beliefs about blood
Eavesdrop on Experts
Art on the page
Illuminating some of the illustrious illustrators held deep in the University of Melbourne’s rare books collection, including Matisse and Miró
PodcastEavesdrop on Experts
Five things about ... The Germaine Greer audio archive
What is it like to have one of the greatest feminists of the 20th century in your ear?
Podcast
Business & Economics
Inside Business
Australia’s generational wealth divide is biting
The 2017 HILDA Survey of Australians’ economic and social well-being shows that many young homeowners are struggling to pay down debt, if they can get into the market at all, putting in doubt the sustainability of the retirement system
Inside Business
What 17 years of data tells us about Australia
The annual HILDA Survey offers important insights into the economic and social wellbeing of Australians
Inside Business
Why the Channel Ten brand will live on
Despite going into voluntary administration, the brand remains strong and is likely to survive the current turmoil
Inside Business
Lack of women in economics ‘bad for business’
Although some of Australia’s finest economic minds are women, they remain under-represented in the discipline’s highest ranks
Inside Business
Australia’s energy trilemma explained
Securing an affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible energy sector is a huge challenge for policy makers - here's why
Inside Business
For the love of the punt
While we may be a nation of gamblers, how many of us are problem gamblers? And how much harm does it cause? The HILDA Survey is on the way to telling us.
Environment
Eavesdrop on Experts
Newell’s Renewal
We investigate the controversial history of an urban wetland and meet those rejuvenating the area
PodcastDesign
Challenging the vertical sprawl
The towers crowding out the centre of Australian cities are a symptom of failed governance and planning, and it’s threatening any transition to ecocities
Animals, Food & You
Are these Australia’s happiest dairy cows?
Watch our video of the University of Melbourne’s robotic dairy, where the cows decide when they’re milked
Design
Retrofitting suburbia
As cities continue their relentless sprawl, how do we retrofit existing suburbs to move toward a sustainable future?
Eavesdrop on Experts
Podcast: How do we become an ecocity?
Creating ecocities must now be a human priority. Australia, a nation of cities, is well-placed to contribute to this urgent global project.
Podcast
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
‘Rusty’ brains linked to Alzheimer’s
The discovery that high iron levels in the brain can lead to the onset of the devastating disease may pave the way for a treatment
Health & Wellbeing
Rethinking premature baby care
Modern medical care for pre-term newborns is inadvertently causing more lung issues for these children as they grow up, compared to older techniques
Health & Wellbeing
Study backs wider carrier screening for Fragile X Syndrome
Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic trigger for autism and intellectual disability, has complex risks and consequences, but that shouldn’t stop wider screening says new research
Health & Wellbeing
Child stroke survivors have time on their side
The risk of children suffering a stroke is higher than you think, but new research is showing that with the right treatment the window for recovery is wide open
Up Close
How attitudes disable
Rethinking our assumptions about people with impairments is a critical step towards more inclusiveness
PodcastHealth & Wellbeing
The milk of amnesia: A brief history of anaesthesia
Anaesthesia has come a long way from its origins in dentistry in 1840s America, but just how it works remains a medical mystery
Politics & Society
Humanities
Mapping Australia’s multicultural future
In a world first, Australia will conduct a census of multicultural young people in the country - finding out how they’re faring economically and socially, and their vision for the future
Legal Affairs
What’s wrong with Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly?
The highly controversial new body may have been established under the guise of democracy, but it is actually a superficial cover for maintaining the President’s power
Inside Business
Why more Australians are supporting gay rights
It is likely the campaign for marriage equality has contributed to Australians becoming more progressive, as shown in this year’s HILDA Survey
Humanities
Want to live forever? Here’s how
‘Communicating’ with the dead is closer than you might think, thanks to our online footprints
The Policy Shop
Corruption and Australia’s Parliament
The Westminster system of government was founded on the assumption that parliamentarians would operate ethically; but today’s politicians are falling far short of this ideal, says Tony Fitzgerald QC
Podcast