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Taking on the ‘toxic trio’ behind coeliac disease
The current treatment for coeliac disease is a gluten-free diet, but researchers want to ‘train’ the body to tolerate the toxic gluten protein as a new way to treat the disease
Public Affairs
The strong leaders
Penny Wong and Jordon Steele-John are the 2018 winners of the McKinnon Prize for Political Leadership recognising courageous, visionary and collaborative political leadership
Health & Wellbeing
The uncomfortable truth about child sexual abuse
Institutional child sexual abuse and high-profile cases like George Pell attract the headlines, but abusers are most likely to be close to a child’s family
One million urban trees
Trees are critical for urban sustainability and liveability, but so is planting the right things in the right places, says a University of Melbourne expert.
Access to e-cigarettes will improve Australia’s health
Research including the University of Melbourne finds if existing smokers swap to e-cigarettes or vaping it can have a big net health gain for the entire country
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.
The strong leaders
Penny Wong and Jordon Steele-John are the winners of the McKinnon Prize for Political Leadership with the University of Melbourne, recognising visionary leaders
Why we need to use water desalination plants early
Turning on the Wonthaggi water desalination plant now will save money in the long run and head off an emergency later say University of Melbourne experts
Why Australia needs to pay attention to the Indian election
Australian foreign policy is increasingly focusing on India, but the country’s elections demand close attention says an Australia India Institute expert.
Eavesdrop on Experts
Big and naughty architecture
From high-tech architecture and throwaway buildings to houses that melt, Sir Peter Cook’s ‘big and naughty’ designs make him a design revolutionary
PodcastPublic Affairs
Why Australia needs to pay attention to the Indian election
Australian foreign policy is increasingly focusing on India as a key long-term alliance, but the country’s upcoming elections demand close attention
Health & Wellbeing
What Hepatitis B tells us about the migration of ancient humans
The viral genetics of Hepatitis B is helping to trace the history and movement of Australia’s first people back at least 51 thousand years
Engineering & Technology
Spinal simulation device for hands-on learning
Using foam and sensors, engineers have developed SpinalLog, a device that allows physiotherapy students to simulate and practice spinal mobilisation without the need for a ‘patient’
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Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
Access to e-cigarettes will improve Australia’s health
For existing smokers, swapping tobacco cigarettes for e-cigarettes with nicotine will improve their health. But the shift could also mean a net health gain for Australia, if it weren’t illegal
Health & Wellbeing
Protecting the world from the threat of pandemics
Creating mathematical and computational models of infectious diseases like pandemic flu gives government and policy-makers a toolkit to respond to this ever-present threat
Eavesdrop on Experts
My brilliant career
The advancement of women in medical research remains a challenge, but momentum is pushing through new frontiers for women in science
PodcastUnder the Microscope
The economics of good health
When money is increasingly tight in healthcare, health economists like Professor Nancy Devlin face the challenge of convincing clinicians and patients that they’re about more than cutting costs
Health & Wellbeing
Backing the strengths of Aboriginal young people
Aboriginal youth know who they are and where they want to go, and we need to use these strengths if we are to close the gap
Politics & Society
Science Matters
India’s electrifying election
India is now officially 99 per cent electrified, but the country’s power supply remains high on the political agenda in the upcoming general election
Engineering & Technology
Is it really a myth that our data isn’t safe?
New legislation aims to expose the communications of serious criminals, but it might undermine our security too
Public Affairs
The promise of a Minimum Income Guarantee in the Indian elections
As Indians prepare to vote in the general election, a campaign promise could bring wage equality to the tens of millions of India’s poorest people
Legal Affairs
Six things you should know about the Indonesian elections
The upcoming Indonesian elections will be the single largest election day in the world as up to 193 million Indonesians vote for a president, vice president and legislatures across the country
Legal Affairs
What we can learn from festivals like Rainbow Serpent
Transformative festivals like Australia’s Rainbow Serpent are a global phenomena, and research on these grand social experiments is yielding insights into human organisation and cooperation
Legal Affairs
Challenging discrimination in the gig economy
As the world’s gig economy continues to grow, equality law needs to catch up with technology to tackle discrimination
Business & Economics
Eavesdrop on Experts
Workplace bullying in the #MeToo era
Workplace bullying creates a toxic environment, but the #MeToo movement is highlighting the drivers of abuse that women experience at work
PodcastInside Business
Beyond ‘lean In’: Women in leadership
Substituting the traditional process of opting-in to a competitive selection process for senior management roles for an opt-out mechanism could get more women into leadership
Inside Business
Recruit Smarter: A better way to do business
Overcoming unconscious biases during recruitment can help organisations truly find the right person for the job, become more diverse, and perform better
Inside Business
Is it time to rethink our banks being too big to fail?
There is an important but poorly understood relationship between New Zealand’s banks and the Australian taxpayer that highlights the need for more stringent regulation around the Big 4’s ‘too big to fail’ guarantee
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
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
Finding dark matter in the dark
In a laboratory 1000 metres below ground in a gold mine, Australian physicists are uniquely positioned to confirm the existence of dark matter
Science Matters
Don’t ask women leaders to act like men
Diversity is about accepting the differences in people, not about making women act like men
Eavesdrop on Experts
Molecules in motion
Why Cryo-EM, or speed-freezing molecules to create 3D images that can diagnose human cell behaviour, is taking the structural biology world by storm
PodcastEngineering & Technology
Using AI to make your smartphone smarter
Our smartphones are actually not very smart. But Artificial Intelligence can predict when you will reach for your mobile and make the most of your battery life
Science Matters
What plant proteins can tell us about Alzheimer’s
Plant biologists have described how a protein called CC1 helps plants to grow under salt stress and, intriguingly, it shares features with a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Go Figure
Would cockroaches really survive a nuclear apocalypse?
Cockroaches have a reputation for resilience, even when it comes to surviving a nuclear bomb and radiation - but would they really outlive us all?
Environment
Design
Climate change in court
A recent court ruling could signal a new direction for Australian climate law after the appropriateness of a proposed fossil fuel development was put on trial
Animals, Food & You
We can have urbanisation and enough to eat
Changing our diets and food choices can have a knock-on effect on global supply and demand – even balancing the impact of our rapid urbanisation on food security
Design
One million urban trees
Trees and green spaces are essential for urban sustainability and liveability, but so is planting the right things in the right places
Design
Post-capitalism: Life within environmental limits
Capitalism’s limitless growth on a finite planet means the economic system we take for granted could end soon. If so, transformative and sustainable change must come from grassroots action
Design
Black Saturday: Urban sprawl and climate change remain key dangers
Action has been taken to improve people’s safety in the event of bushfires, but two key risk factors – urban sprawl and climate change – aren’t being addressed
Education
Learning & Teaching
Education for humans in an AI world
As technology increasingly shapes our world, education needs to incorporate global competence with a focus on human interactions and intercultural understanding
Education
Moving between different cultural worlds
Young Australians from migrant and refugee backgrounds are close to their families, but this can mean they have to negotiate a balance between different cultural expectations
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
Why is school connectedness so important?
If students feel disconnected from school, their learning and even their health can suffer - new research shows how teachers can help
Go Figure
Why are Australians linguistically lost?
In the 1960s, the structured teaching of English grammar was taken off the Australian curriculum, so many of us left school without knowledge of it. But it’s being phased back in, and that’s going to help a lot of students as the world gets smaller
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
Arts & Culture
Health & Wellbeing
Museums: They’re good for your health
Visiting a museum can help older Australians with their overall mental and physical wellbeing, and bring the generations closer together
Humanities
Lucky discoveries of lost ancient history
Our knowledge of the ancient world owes a lot to chance discoveries. Here, we share the stories of some of the most important and unlikely finds from ancient Western history
Humanities
Uncovering the invisible women of history
Historical written records were almost exclusively written by men, but archaeology and the women scholars in the field can make the women of history visible
Humanities
The world is run by those who show up
In this edited extract of the new book The Change Makers, Professor Marcia Langton tells author Shaun Carney that when you do the right thing at the right time, people will later call you a leader
Humanities
Rome’s Augustus and the allure of the strongman
The Roman emperor Augustus is held up by some as a statesman who brought peace, and as a potential model for the future. But what was the cost of Augustus’ peace, and how real was it?