Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
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Dengue-blocking mosquitoes here to stay
Mosquitoes carrying anti-viral bacteria show remarkable stability a decade since their release in field trials. New strains have now been developed to help future-proof dengue control
Health & Wellbeing
Silencing disease-causing genes
DNA is tightly packed in our cells but new research shows how it unravels to switch genes on and off, potentially helping us understand how to silence a disease-causing gene
Humanities
A warning as history grimly echoes in Ukraine
Atrocities in Bucha and elsewhere in Ukraine recall the horrific memories of the Katyn massacre and Soviet denials
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.
How COVID lockdowns affected our relationships
COVID-19 lockdowns brought some people and families closer together, but for others, it was lonely and overwhelming, say University of Melbourne experts
Silencing disease-causing genes
DNA unravels to switch genes on and off, potentially helping us toward understanding how to silence disease-causing genes, say University of Melbourne experts
Dengue-blocking mosquitoes here to stay
Mosquitoes carrying anti-viral bacteria show remarkable stability a decade since their release in field trials, shows University of Melbourne research
Humanities
Miniature Qur’ans and travelling manuscripts
Didar: Stories of Middle Eastern Manuscripts is a new exhibition from the Grimwade Centre bringing together themes of making and cultural knowledge
Learning & Teaching
Is EQ more important than ever?
As we ask students to become more globally competent, the need to develop social and emotional skills – or emotional intelligence – is more essential than ever
Music, Arts & Screen
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
There’s no easy answer to writing great plays but part of the magic comes from empathy, experience and all that is wondrous and strange
Humanities
Stepping carefully amid conflict in the Pacific
Tensions between Australia, China and Solomon Islands can be eased with a greater focus on diplomacy
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COVID-19
Health & Wellbeing
People in prison still in COVID-19 lockdown
Sustained COVID-19 lockdowns in prisons weigh on the mental health of people in custody. Are we doing enough to protect them?
Inside Business
COVID-19’s ongoing supply chain chaos
As we head into the holidays, COVID-19’s disruption to our supply chains has created shortages, backlogs and global delays – but are we over the worst of it?
Design
From ‘nice to have’ to ‘must-have’ in the post-COVID workplace
The collective experiences of workers pre and post-pandemic offer five lessons for organisations to reimagine workplaces and practices
Humanities
Our sensory experience of the pandemic
COVID-19 transformed our sensory environment during a time of immense flux, but is it transitory or will there be a re-sensitisation?
Inside Business
How Australia’s internal migrants could benefit our regions
For regional Australia to benefit from the latest wave of ‘tree and sea changers’, we need to understand the motivations and skills they’re bringing with them
Arts & Culture
Humanities
The Oscars shift from big screen to TV stream
Apple TV+’s best picture win for CODA crowned a night of important firsts at the Oscars, but what a streaming win means for the future of cinema is still to be seen
Humanities
A nomadic sense of home
Home is often understood as a fixed point in space that’s tied to territory, but nomadic communities remind us that home can be cultivated on the move
Learning & Teaching
Uncomfortable truths from a town to a nation
The storytelling in Tennant Creek is a microcosm of Australia’s struggle to come to terms with its past
Engineering & Technology
Technodystopia: Are we heading towards a real-world Blade Runner?
In 1982, Blade Runner floored audiences with its technodystopian depiction of the future. Almost 40 years on, some of these projections seem eerily accurate
Humanities
How popular culture helps with the business of death
The staging of the musical ‘Fun Home’ in Melbourne is part of a broader embrace of issues around how we deal with death
Humanities
Students continue to campaign for change in Myanmar
A year since the Myanmar military coup, Australia’s Myanmar students are still pushing for change, often at a personal cost
Environment
Learning & Teaching
Australians more concerned about climate change than COVID-19
The top concern for most Australians is the impact of climate change and the environment
Legal Affairs
Women leading the fight against climate change
Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by climate change. But they are also at the forefront of global efforts fighting for change
Animals, Food & You
Australia’s risky food supply chains
Australia can’t rely on industry and charities to feed people during disasters - government must lead in food security
Legal Affairs
Our window is closing on a liveable future
The latest UN climate report finds that in the absence of ambitious action on climate change, the worst is yet to come for human populations
Design
New design tech offers hope for urban wildlife
Designers and ecologists are working together to reimagine cities as more-than-human places
Politics & Society
Humanities
The past is never in the past
Contrary to Putin’s propaganda, Ukraine’s history is long and has echoes amid the war now raging
Legal Affairs
ACCC vs Big Tech: Round 10 and counting
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is taking on Big Tech again – this time it’s Meta – with a focus on dismantling a key Big Tech defence tool
Design
Doing more to stop sexual violence in plain sight
A lack of understanding of women’s fear in public spaces still puts the burden of personal safety on the victim, not the perpetrator
Public Affairs
Leadership in a changing world
In an extract of a speech looking back at Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser’s leadership, Australia’s former ambassador to China says Australia’s foreign policy needs strong leaders
Public Affairs
Southeast Asia matters to Australia
Presenting both opportunities and risks, it’s in Australia’s national interest to engage strongly with Southeast Asia or risk a hole in its Indo-Pacific strategy
Humanities
Australia and India partnering up within the Quad
Australia and India are increasingly aligned within the Quad grouping, and their bilateral agreements were a key feature on the sidelines of the Melbourne meeting
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
Piecing thylacine DNA back together
New research is using genomes from living thylacine relatives to build a new, chromosome-scale genome for the de-extinction of the Tasmanian tiger
Animals, Food & You
Science can help dogs enjoy their best life
A new TV series explores the journey of dogs, but science is giving us new insights into how we can help our canine friends thrive
Science Matters
The 9 steps to de-extincting Australia’s thylacine
The reality of bringing back the Tasmanian tiger from extinction using its genome is now a step closer, but how will science make it happen?
Under the Microscope
A sustainable future for women in science
After a career break, Dr Anne-Marie Tosolini is now researching forests that grew in Antarctica around 56 million years ago, providing important data for Earth’s future climate
Science Matters
Observing time crystals
Time crystals are mysterious configurations of particles that are perpetually switching and quantum computers can now be used to examine them
Business & Economics
Inside Business
Every Sherlock needs a Watson (or two)
Creatives often need colleagues to be catalysts, but how can organisations identify and foster these catalysts – and can too much become cataclysmic?
Animals, Food & You
Australia’s risky food supply chains
Australia can’t rely on industry and charities to feed people during disasters - government must lead in food security
Inside Business
How we’ve changed in 20 years
The HILDA Survey is into its 20th year and shows a changing and generally well-functioning society but also reveals the pressure points
Inside Business
What’s the impact of self-control on our lives?
Greater self-control is associated with improved life outcomes including health and satisfaction
Inside Business
A third of Australians under chronic time stress
The HILDA survey suggests that not having enough time is a significant social problem with ramifications for health and wellbeing
Inside Business
Ensuring families aren’t left behind in the recovery
The COVID-19 economic shock has seen widespread financial stress among families with young children and now is the time to tackle it
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
Stopping sexual assault means addressing violence in relationships
Sexual assault and domestic violence frequently co-occur – so it makes no sense to try and tackle one without the other
Health & Medicine
Into the wild to fight antibiotic resistance
Antimicrobial resistance is part of the chemical warfare bacteria wage in nature, and that’s where researchers now looking for new clues to overcome it
Health & Wellbeing
Bringing clinical trials to regional patients
Clinical trials are linked to better health outcomes, but people in rural and regional areas don’t have equitable access
Health & Wellbeing
Get your heart checked
The recent deaths of high-profile Australians due to suspected heart attacks is a reminder for all of us to check our heart health
Health & Wellbeing
Listening to those held in immigration detention
Refugees formerly detained on Nauru tell researchers about being dehumanised and feeling irreparably damaged
Education
Learning & Teaching
Crafting your work to increase job satisfaction
By enabling staff to take greater control over their work while meeting company goals, job crafting helps drive greater employee engagement, wellbeing and retention
Public Affairs
Australia’s universities must become more welcoming
Refugees and asylum seekers in Australia face a myriad of challenges in accessing higher education. Welcoming Universities is a new initiative that aims to change that
Learning & Teaching
What we know about our children after 2021
As 2021 drew to a close, the focus for children, parents, carers and educators alike was getting schooling back on track and re-establishing familiar routines while maintaining wellbeing
Learning & Teaching
Indonesian matters in our schools
Australia needs leadership and investment in Indonesian language education, so the next generation of young Australians might know our largest neighbour better
Design
Despairing about climate change?
Education is playing a key role in inspiring cities and communities to create better, more resilient places for our climate future
Humanities
Understanding China through education
Australia’s changing and challenging relationship with China needs far more – not less – China literacy in our schools