Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
Welcome to Pursuit
More about usUnder the Microscope
The palaeontology field keeps you on your toes
Palaeontologist Dr Vera Korasidis was torn between becoming a ballerina or unearthing fossils. Fresh from a dig in Wyoming’s Badlands, she knows she made the right choice
Health & Wellbeing
Seeking authentic mindfulness in this era of ‘wellness’
There is a critical need for evidence-based principles to help people understand the plethora of offerings in meditation and mindfulness to ensure optimal outcomes for all
Science Matters
Using mathematics to treat malaria
Parasite resistance to anti-malaria drugs is a growing challenge, but by using mathematical models researchers can track different types of resistance to help agencies target effective treatments
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.
Young people are mapping viable futures
In the face of adversity young people globally are taking an interconnected and ethical approach to living viable lives, say University of Melbourne researchers
Seeking authentic mindfulness in this era of ‘wellness’
Given the boom in meditation and mindfulness practices it is time for evidence-based principles to help guide people, says University of Melbourne expert
The palaeontology field keeps you on your toes
University of Melbourne palaeontologist Dr Vera Korasidis is fresh from a dig in Wyoming’s Badlands, which has a unique rock record, unearthing pollen fossils
Design
Seeing the invisible vulnerable in our cities
The Global South’s urban poor are often violently displaced and excluded from the processes and places which determine their lives
Design
Clear skies and longer lives
Global COVID-19 pandemic restrictions provided a natural experiment in understanding the relationship between transport and air pollution
Humanities
I guess she won’t be writing the memoir
Defamation laws are having a chilling effect on non-fiction so those keen to get behind a story like Depp v Heard are likely to be left wanting
Health & Wellbeing
Indigenous data governance for the 21st century
There is power in Indigenous data sovereignty and a new project aims to create an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Data Commons to empower communities
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COVID-19
Health & Wellbeing
It’s time to drop COVID-19 vaccine mandates
Vaccine mandates helped to save lives but COVID-19 variants mean they can no longer justified and are hampering the health system
Engineering & Technology
Reducing COVID-19 transmission without costing the Earth
While opening windows reduces COVID-19 spread, it also increases buildings’ energy use – new research has tested more efficient alternatives
Humanities
Our government must trust the experts
The pandemic saw a rise in anti-expert sentiment, including from government, but does the public really distrust the advice of experts?
Health & Wellbeing
How fear-appeal advertising works
The research shows that using fear in advertising can be effective in changing behaviour, but it needs to be done well
Learning & Teaching
How COVID lockdowns affected our relationships
COVID-19 forced many of us to stay at home. For some this was a positive, bringing families closer together. But for others, it was lonely and overwhelming
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
Who is at fault when medical software gets it wrong?
Clinical decision support software is beneficial but if it malfunctions, a doctor’s duty of care likely makes them liable
Health & Wellbeing
New stem cell models for ageing and eye diseases
Using stem cell modelling, researchers have developed genetic roadmaps for two of the world’s leading causes of irreversible blindness
Health & Wellbeing
Can telehealth be used for effective palliative care?
Research with palliative care patients and their clinicians on remote delivery suggests that, while it offers new opportunities, it can’t replace in-person connection
Health & Wellbeing
How big data is unlocking insights into psychology
The personal data we are now all generating is making it easier for researchers to take psychology out of the lab and into the field
Engineering & Technology
Can robots really be companions for older adults?
Social isolation is a problem for many older adults, but are social robots an answer – and what do our elderly people think?
Health & Wellbeing
A window on memory loss in Alzheimer’s
Using a miniscope to observe the brain in action, researchers find evidence that memory loss in Alzheimer’s may partly be a signalling problem
Politics & Society
Humanities
Japan’s hidden landscape of violent crime
While the shooting of Shinzo Abe shocked the world, Japan has a hidden number of violent crimes – particularly against women
Legal Affairs
Australia’s courts and gender dysphoria
Australia’s Family Court continues to oversee the treatment for children experiencing gender dysphoria in some cases, but is there a better alternative?
Engineering & Technology
Lawyers must adapt to the age of digitalisation
Controversial facial recognition technology highlights the need for in-house lawyers who are trained in the legal risks of emerging technologies
Humanities
Australia’s shared future with Southeast Asia
Australia’s new government has made Southeast Asia a priority with a focus on the idea of a shared future
Humanities
The undoing of Roe v. Wade
The US Supreme Court decision may embolden conservative grassroots activists to continue campaigning to overturn other liberal decisions
Environment
Animals, Food & You
Protecting Australia from foot-and-mouth disease
Australia has been free of foot-and-mouth disease since 1872, but outbreaks in neighbouring countries are a cause for concern
Design
Better bus networks for fairer suburbs can cut emissions
Zero-emission buses are important but we also need to redesign suburban networks to get people out of their cars
Design
Building resilience in remote communities
Noronha is a remote archipelago off Brazil’s coast, but it could provide insights into the challenges to building community and urban resilience
Design
Australian cities failing on walkability
The World Heath Organization has set targets to promote physical activity but an international study shows Australian cities are built around cars rather than encouraging walking
Science Matters
Nature restoration no substitute for cutting fossil fuels
While restoring ecosystems is crucial for planetary health, it’s no substitute for preventing emissions from fossil fuels
Design
Lifting standards in Victoria’s building industry
Victoria’s regulatory system leaves home-buyers vulnerable, but the Government has an opportunity to raise the bar for builders
Education
Learning & Teaching
Game on for collaborative learning
Video games, collaborative tasks and explicit instruction are helping neurodiverse children learn crucial social skills
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
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
Learning & Teaching
Nurturing nature in schools for enhanced learning
New research shows that engagement with nature can help enhance attention and memory in school children which are critical for learning
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
Arts & Culture
Humanities
How data expertise is fostering endangered languages
The PARADISEC digital archive model revitalising endangered languages around the Pacific has now been taken up in North America by the Cherokee Nation
Health & Medicine
Bringing a living archive to life
The Living Archive challenges the idea of what an Indigenous museum collection can be and could become
Music, Arts & Screen
Sustaining song and spirit
The decade-long Junba Project in the Kimberley has helped revitalise the public song-and-dance tradition, strengthening community spirit and the confidence of young people
Music, Arts & Screen
The art and science of dance
VCA Director Professor Emma Redding wrote the world’s first masters degree in Dance Science, and has spent over two decades teaching and researching in the arts
Music, Arts & Screen
How the VCA’s history can help shape Melbourne’s future
As the VCA celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, what lessons can Melbourne’s post-lockdown artists draw from the institution’s rich history?
Health & Medicine
What if Monet were shorter?
Altering the height of an artist’s eye level changes their perspective – but might this also alter the appeal of their paintings?
Business & Economics
Inside Business
Can ethical leaders make teams more creative?
Research suggests that ethical leaders provide their teams with emotional confidence that helps to foster creativity
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
A family breakup is a poverty trap for women
A woman’s risk of falling into poverty doubles after a separation – we need better policy to help single mothers into work
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?
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
Drugging plants to learn their secrets
Discovering chemicals that affect plant circadian rhythms could improve crop yields – bringing us a step closer to ‘chronoculture’
Engineering & Technology
Feral honeybees key to controlling deadly parasite
To stamp out the Varroa destructor parasite now attacking honeybees, we need to be targeting potentially infected feral honeybee populations
Animals, Food & You
The treatments keeping landmine detection dogs in the field
New research identifies the best treatments to protect Cambodia’s crucial landmine detection dogs from deadly tick-borne diseases
Engineering & Technology
Lawyers must adapt to the age of digitalisation
Controversial facial recognition technology highlights the need for in-house lawyers who are trained in the legal risks of emerging technologies
Science Matters
The challenge to discover our plant and fungi species
There are still thousands of Australian plant and fungi species to be described and citizen scientists are contributing to recording our biodiversity
Animals, Food & You
The biometric data that could predict racehorse injury
Linking existing biometric data has the potential to identify and prevent racehorse injuries before they become catastrophic