Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
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Prove it – with maths
Finding a mathematical proof is a long, difficult process – involving trial-and-error, grunt work and the occasional eureka moment
Legal Affairs
Rethinking Australia’s refugee policy
On World Refugee Day, Australia has an opportunity to re-evaluate its refugee policy and lead the modern world in sharing the burden and responsibility for refugees
Health & Wellbeing
Where we die matters, so let’s talk
Interviews with terminally ill patients and their families highlight the importance and complexities of discussions about place of care and place of death
Working hard to make work fairer
University of Melbourne researchers have developed a model that helps the Fair Work Ombudsman find unscrupulous employers exploiting or underpaying workers.
The art of inexplicable eddies
A University of Melbourne collaboration between art and science explores the turbulent physics of eddies to produce a mesmerising artistic experience.
Rethinking gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis
Colonoscopies are being overused for cancer diagnosis says University of Melbourne expert, and while new techniques are coming, we can better use stool tests.
Will a computer take your job?
Although many predict that computers could become smarter than us, a University of Melbourne experts says we shouldn't forget people power in the age of AI.
Prove it – with maths
Pythagoras' theorem and other mathematical proofs are not just intellectual exercises but reveal the fundamentals of nature say University of Melbourne experts.
Rethinking Australia’s refugee policy
Australia has an opportunity to re-evaluate its refugee policy and lead the world in sharing the burden says University of Melbourne expert on World Refugee Day
Eavesdrop on Experts
The genomic clues to disease
Genomics has moved out of research and into patient care, finding and identifying gene changes that can help with the diagnosis and treatment of genetic diseases
PodcastHealth & Wellbeing
Too young for Facebook, old enough for prison?
Children can’t sign up to Facebook until age 13 but in Australia they can be prosecuted for a criminal offence at age ten, and that needs to change
Legal Affairs
Working hard to make work fairer
A proactive model helps the Fair Work Ombudsman track down unscrupulous employers who exploit or underpay their workers
Humanities
What history can really teach us
History is too intricate to teach simple lessons, but knowing your history is key to understanding the complexities of the present
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Arts & Culture
Humanities
Defining the power of public interest journalism
The recent police raids on Australian journalists are a cause of concern for many, but they also highlight the far-reaching impact of public interest journalism
Eavesdrop on Experts
Giving games their sound
They are in the background and get under your skin. They are the chiptunes that make computer games sing
PodcastHumanities
The rise of the microgenre
In the 21st century, digital publishing has led to the rise of ever-more niche microgenres in books – from Amish romance to NASCAR passion – and it’s changing our literary landscape
Humanities
The human animal: Breastfeeding in public
A new production puts the quiet, intimate act of breastfeeding on stage, and asks us to consider what it means to be an ecofeminist mother to a girl in the 21st century
Humanities
A toast to Anzac Day
Celebrating ANZAC Day with a drink is a long tradition, but one that has always been contested
Politics & Society
Legal Affairs
The political challenge of a divided electorate
The Federal Election result was marked by countervailing swings that political parties will need to learn to navigate
Health & Wellbeing
Going beyond healing to build Indigenous power
Reconciliation has focused on healing past wrongs but for young and ferocious Indigenous Australia, the future it is about grasping new opportunities for themselves and their communities
Humanities
The whispers of Tiananmen
Although the Chinese government has never publicly addressed the violent suppression of protests in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago, its history has been whispered through generations
Go Figure
The geopolitics of Antarctica
Sixty years ago, countries around the world came together at a time of frosty global politics to establish the Antarctic Treaty, but its focus was on diplomacy rather than the environment
Health & Wellbeing
Grounded in truth
The theme for this year’s National Reconciliation Week is ‘grounded in truth, walk together with courage’, but to do this requires truth telling. And there are some initiatives and policies in 2019 taking a step in the right direction
Legal Affairs
Keeping sexual harassment complaints confidential
The Geoffrey Rush defamation trial failed to place scrutiny on the Sydney Theatre Company’s role in leaking the sexual harassment complaint and their inability to handle it in sensitive and confidential way
Education
Inside Business
Helping ‘impatient’ students stay in school
Patience can have a significant impact on a child’s educational outcomes, and understanding why can help inform good policy for Australia’s school system
Learning & Teaching
A chance to even the odds
A child’s destiny is heavily influenced by the lottery of socio-economic status and where they happen to grow up, but access to quality early learning can help even the odds for all Australian children
Learning & Teaching
Why early childhood education is everyone’s business
The first five years of life are the most critical for building the foundations for life-long learning, well-being, and health, and it is critical we have policy reform and investment in quality early childhood education
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
How technology is boosting our young people’s wellbeing
At least one in five young people experience anxiety and depression, often related to school. The new Bio-Dash program uses technology to help teach students to manage their own wellbeing
Environment
Legal Affairs
The global problem of thirsty cities
Globally, around 500 million people experience water shortages and that figure is only going up; but good governance and smart water management could lead to collaboration rather than competition
Engineering & Technology
The opportunities and risks of decarbonising our transport
Australia is behind on regulating vehicle greenhouse gas emissions, but we have many options that when combined carefully could achieve deep abatement, clean our air and even save us money
Animals, Food & You
Facing our environmental crisis head on
Going beyond climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and chemical pollution, overconsumption may be the single greatest cause of our environmental challenge
Design
Reconciliation at scale
Indigenous placemaking in design is gaining greater currency in Australia. And Melbourne projects are helping to lead the way
Science Matters
The cost of climate (in)action
In this election, will the the major parties’ climate policies get Australia on track to meet its Paris commitments and how do we compare to what other countries are doing?
Design
Designing for wellbeing in children’s hospitals
New research sets out guidelines for architects and designers to create supportive, positive hospital spaces for children and their families at a difficult time
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
Earthquakes that talk to each other
Two earthquakes in Victoria seven years ago tell us a lot about how fault lines can ‘talk to each other’ to generate further seismic shocks
Science Matters
The costs and benefits of a clean economy
As the cost of renewable energy falls, Australia’s transition to clean energy makes sound economic as well as environmental sense
Eavesdrop on Experts
How can we tell if an animal is depressed?
Professor Mike Mendl is developing new ways of assessing animal welfare that work to improve the wellbeing and conditions of all animals
PodcastEngineering & Technology
Reading the body’s electrical signals to treat illness
Embedded electrical devices are increasingly treating chronic illnesses, but researchers are now seeking to record and interpret our own electrical signals to predict symptoms
Science Matters
The art of inexplicable eddies
A collaboration between art and science explores the turbulent physics of eddies to produce a mesmerising experience
Business & Economics
Inside Business
Budgeting for drought
The drought affecting Australia’s eastern states is challenging the economy, but how government responds to the needs of farmers must be well planned and continuing rather than ad hoc
Inside Business
Closing the gap in the Indigenous business sector
The Indigenous business sector has seen huge growth in recent years, but there are large gaps that still need to be addressed
Inside Business
What you need to know about the major parties’ policies on personal income tax
The upcoming federal election could be fought over proposed income tax cuts, but what’s the main difference between the Coalition and Labor’s plans for taxation?
Inside 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
Weighing up the policy responses to banking misconduct
The major parties all have election policies that respond to the misconduct uncovered in Australia’s financial services sector, but they are light on detail
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
Podcast
Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
Australian children with mental disorders aren’t getting help
New research finds that a high number of Australian children with mental illnesses aren’t accessing professional care, and we need to better understand why they’re missing out
Health & Wellbeing
Venomous bites: Getting treatment right
Researchers are conducting Australia’s first national survey of medical professionals who treat venomous snake and spider bites
Health & Wellbeing
The evolution of schizophrenia
Researchers believe the genetic risk factors associated with schizophrenia may eventually evolve out of existence, but does this mean the condition will disappear?
Health & Wellbeing
Supporting families with twin babies…or more
The number of families having multiple babies – like twins, triplets or more – has doubled in the last 40 years, but the support and advice provided to those families needs to catch up
Health & Wellbeing
Engineering cancer defence for the brain
Brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease, but genetically engineered killer T-cells could be a game changer