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Meeting the challenge of dementia prevention in Australia
Dementia is the leading cause of death in Australian women and the second leading cause of death for Australians overall. Dementia prevention must be prioritised
Under the Microscope
Snakebites and human rights
Dr Andrew Watt and his team have helped save more than 500 lives in Papua New Guinea from deadly snakebites since 2018. On International Snakebite Awareness Day, he shares how the Australian Venom Research Unit is forging ahead
Design
Protecting older Australian women from homelessness
Older women are the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness in Australia, and crucial to change is providing greater access to social and affordable housing
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.
Australia’s Gen Y democracy gap
New University of Melbourne research finds there’s a democracy gap for young Australian adults, with a distrust of traditional politics but a focus on community
Snakebites and human rights
Dr Andrew Watt and his team at the University of Melbourne's Australian Venom Research Unit are saving lives following deadly snakebites across Papua New Guinea
Meeting the challenge of dementia prevention in Australia
Dementia is the second leading cause of death for Australians, and University of Melbourne research says prevention must be prioritised in our health policies.
Public Affairs
Australia needs a democracy fix
International Day of Democracy and Biden’s forthcoming Summit for Democracy should prompt a greater focus on renewing Australia’s democratic system
Health & Wellbeing
We are leaving people released from prison vulnerable
Research shows that people released from prison are more likely to be the victims of violence, especially those with a mental illness or substance use disorder
Music, Arts & Screen
Using music and words to bridge dementia
Music and reading can help people living with dementia. Now an international trial is showing that specific programs can help carers deliver these benefits to their loved ones at home
Science Matters
Sequenced quoll genome a new tool for conservation
Researchers have sequenced the genome of the eastern quoll, and it may lead to improved breeding programs in the bid to re-establish the animal on the Australian mainland
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COVID-19
Design
Liveable Melbourne a blessing amid weary lockdowns
Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdowns have been among the longest in the world, but Melburnians can be grateful for and protective of their highly liveable city
Humanities
Communicating COVID-19 to our older culturally diverse Australians
COVID-19 lockdowns forced us online, but that’s been a mixed experience for older Chinese Australians – especially when it comes to getting accurate vaccine information
Health & Wellbeing
V is for Victoria – and it can still be for Victory
One of the authors behind Victoria’s roadmap out of last year’s lockdown gives a personal reflection on the last 18 months and reminds us we’re not helpless or hopeless
Health & Wellbeing
Public attitudes to immunity passports
As Australia and the world navigates its way to a post-COVID-19 normality, what role should immunity passports play and what does the public think?
Health & Medicine
What if Victoria cannot eliminate Delta this time?
If the current hard lockdown in Victoria doesn’t see a dramatic reduction in COVID-19 cases by 2 September, what are the options on the table?
Arts & Culture
Humanities
How smaller can be better for memorialising history
Major historic events like 9/11 seem to demand monuments, but for many communities, smaller, more intimate memorials can provide a closer connection
Humanities
The poem behind the Green Knight
The medieval romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is now a movie, but the poem itself already has a surprisingly contemporary message about tradition, modernity and our sense of self
Health & Medicine
Getting involved
The pandemic has changed student life rapidly –impacting on mental wellbeing. But our sense of belonging and connection can help protect our mental health
PodcastMusic, Arts & Screen
Ablaze with ideas
A 70-year-old silent film has given opera singer Tiriki Onus a unique insight into the life and work of his Aboriginal leader and filmmaker grandfather
Engineering & Technology
Your face is muted
In times of remote communication and notorious connection problems, how do we empathise with each other through the curtain of technology when non-verbal cues are missing?
Health & Medicine
Being open to emotion in art
Art can provoke, plague and preoccupy. But what can our interactions with art teach us about fully experiencing emotions in our everyday lives?
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
No bones about it, dunnarts crawl before growing a skeleton
New insights into the development of the dunnart – or marsupial mouse – provide a model animal to study other unique Australian fauna and could aid conservation efforts
Science Matters
Does Melbourne’s rain occur in ‘lines’?
From 15 years of radar data, researchers show Melbourne’s rain often appears in ‘squall lines’ across the city, and they make a substantial contribution to total rainfall because of their size and motion
Science Matters
Man bites shark: How dangerous are humans to sharks?
A new approach estimates the risks that fishing and climate change pose to any shark species here in Australia, and potentially worldwide
Science Matters
The nanoparticle ingredient for Australian-made COVID tests
Australia needs to conduct hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 tests each day to monitor infection, but now researchers have developed a local supply chain for a crucial test ingredient
Science Matters
Saving Melbourne’s platypus with smart water storage
Using smart rainwater tanks and urban lakes, a new project aims to provide crucial water to platypus habitat when it’s needed most – leading up to the breeding season
Environment
Engineering & Technology
We need to stop flushing opportunity down the toilet
New technology that can convert human urine into fertiliser onsite could enable an expansion of urban farming and eventually provide a sustainable resource for agriculture
Animals, Food & You
Lead from ammunition is a threat to everyone's health
Ammunition is a major source of environmental lead pollution, but there are alternatives we could be using to prevent Australian wildlife from being exposed to this toxic metal
Legal Affairs
Five takeaways from the IPCC Working Group I report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released the scientific playbook for charting our climate future – but we must act immediately
Science Matters
Australia’s water tragedy has urgent lessons for America
There is less and less water in the US and Australia – and more and more people want it. Emulating Australia’s failing water market won’t help the US manage this precious resource
Inside Business
Tougher environmental policies can create economic winners
There seems to be a working assumption that if Australia adopts tougher environmental policies, our economic growth will be undermined. But new research finds the opposite is true
Animals, Food & You
How do organic and non-organic foods influence our gut microbiome?
The effect of organic and conventionally farmed foods on the gut microbiome remains unclear, indicating more research is needed into which foods are beneficial
Business & Economics
Legal Affairs
Directors’ duties and cyber security - it’s complicated
Effective management of cyber security risks is a core governance concern but the imposition of a new mandatory directors’ duty would be a step too far
Inside Business
It’s more than the money: Getting GPs to go to rural areas
While Australia’s Federal Budget promises more money to rural GPs, will the cash make a difference when it comes to getting and keeping doctors in remote Australia?
Inside Business
Saying ‘no’, nicely
Many businesses have become ‘gatekeepers’ during COVID-19, prioritising public health over profit. But there are strategies to keeping customers happy while sticking to the pandemic rules
Inside Business
Keeping supply chains ethical and sustainable amid COVID-19
The pandemic has put global supply chains under stress and we need to be watchful that ethics and sustainability don’t fall by the wayside
Legal Affairs
Charging dead clients is dishonest. Really? Who knew
The regulator’s court action against five AMP group companies over the previous scandal that saw dead clients charged fees is a wider warning to corporations
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
Supporting kids with cerebral palsy go for gold with cycling
Specialist programs led by physiotherapists that teach children with cerebral palsy how to ride boost the odds of success by ten times
Health & Wellbeing
Midwives on the COVID-19 frontline in Indonesia
Midwives in Indonesia have been battling through COVID-19 and putting themselves at risk in what is another reminder of the importance of protecting frontline health workers
Health & Medicine
Crossing health borders without international travel
A Melbourne-based public health initiative is using interactive technology to reach remote Kenyan communities during the pandemic
Health & Wellbeing
Physical activity is critical for children’s quality of life
Increasing the daily level of physical activity could be the easiest ‘win’ for parents to improve their child’s wellbeing, benefiting adolescents and children from low-income families most
Health & Wellbeing
Public attitudes to immunity passports
As Australia and the world navigates its way to a post-COVID-19 normality, what role should immunity passports play and what does the public think?
Health & Wellbeing
We need to talk about elimination vs suppression in Australia again
New epidemiological and economic modelling finds that elimination is better than a suppression strategy for COVID-19
Education
Health & Wellbeing
Giving students time for recovery and learning
Over the next years, our focus shouldn’t be to rapidly return schools to the old ‘normal’, but to provide students with adequate time and support to enjoy learning and retain knowledge and skills
Design
Building stronger connections between schools and communities
While all schools are part of their local community, some are developing partnerships and sharing spaces to become hubs for school-community connections
Health & Medicine
Promoting health in schools: Old idea, new opportunities
The WHO’s ‘health-promoting schools’ is an old idea, but finding new ways to fully realise its potential for young people globally has never been more urgent
Learning & Teaching
Children are more than just a return on investment
Early childhood programs and related funding are often justified on the cost-benefit analysis of what children could contribute to the economy when they grow up. But that needs to change
Learning & Teaching
Parenting during lockdown
As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, 2020 was a challenging year for many parents – but did being at home with kids affect their levels of life satisfaction?
Politics & Society
Humanities
The rise of the digital nomad
Nomads have historically been seen as a threat, but several countries around the world are now actively seeking to attract this growing digital legion through new remote work visas
Humanities
The Afghanistan withdrawal: This is what decolonisation looks like
As the Taliban retakes power in Afghanistan, the departure of the United States is just the most recent example of its history of abandoning people it said it would protect
Inside Business
Caste and cricket: How celebrities enable inequality
India’s caste system is a millennia old hierarchy that has helped to create deep inequalities. Celebrities who flaunt their caste identity can end up further promoting and enabling this inequality
Humanities
Will Muslim-Majority States recognise the Afghan Taliban’s ‘Islamic’ regime?
By Islamic standards, the Taliban regime is unusually narrow and destabilising. Security-conscious Muslim-majority states should pause before deciding to recognise it
Humanities
Why South Korea’s young men are turning conservative
As South Korean society changes, the internet is playing a key role in spreading a new wave of right-wing conservatism among the country’s young men
Science Matters
Leaving no one behind
This year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples calls for a new social contract that recognises the rights and social equity of Indigenous people