Pursuit
Cutting-edge research and insightful commentary by world-leading experts
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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
Legal Affairs
Australia’s cuts to aid go against national interest
Australia’s foreign aid has fallen to an all-time low relative to income, and it is our diplomacy, trade and security that is being put at risk
Health & Wellbeing
Different fat cell types may be key to obesity
Research has discovered that not all fat cells are the same – some release fat into the body and some help to burn fat – so getting the balance right may help fight obesity
How neuroscience beats PowerPoint coma
Here are five ways to blitz your next PowerPoint presentation – it's all about the neuroscience, says a University of Melbourne researcher.
Rugby Australia vs Israel Folau
Ahead of a hearing on rugby star Israel Folau’s alleged breach of contract over social media posts a University of Melbourne expert assesses the legal arguments
Ocean waves and winds are getting higher and stronger
Using satellite measurements, University of Melbourne researchers show that ocean waves and the winds that generate them have increased over the last 30 years.
Planning for climate extremes in global farming
A new study, led by the University of Melbourne, finds that climate extremes, like heatwaves and droughts, are impacting on the food we get from global crops.
Australia’s cuts to aid go against national interest
Australia's foreign aid is at a relative all-time low that will only hurt the national interest amid global instability, a University of Melbourne expert warns.
Is Indonesian democracy still trapped in old-style politics?
Joko Widodo may have won Indonesia's elections; but a University of Melbourne expert says it's the next generation of politicians who will shake up democracy.
Public Affairs
Is Indonesian democracy still trapped in old-style politics?
Joko Widodo may have claimed victory in the huge Indonesian elections, but it’s the next generation of politicians who could really change the country’s political landscape
Eavesdrop on Experts
Reversing irreversible blindness
Using innovative and creative approaches to prevent vision loss, Professor Keith Martin hopes restore sight and reduce the burden of blinding eye disease around the world
PodcastHealth & Wellbeing
Birth isn’t destiny
A study of over 12,000 births suggests that the high rates of low birth weight among Aboriginal babies can be addressed within a generation if we improve maternal health
Legal Affairs
Rugby Australia vs Israel Folau
A hearing on Wallabies star Israel Folau’s alleged breach of contract over his social media posts is set to pit Rugby Australia’s code of conduct against issues of fairness and even human rights
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Health & Medicine
Health & Wellbeing
Who is paying the price of whole-genome sequencing in cancer care?
Whole-genome sequencing is changing the cancer treatment landscape, but we have to understand its use in the real-world to support a more sustainable, affordable health system
Health & Wellbeing
Getting a clear picture of chemoprevention
Medications and supplements aimed at preventing cancer, called chemoprevention, can lower the risk of the disease, but patients need to be clearly informed of the side effects. Here’s how.
Health & Wellbeing
Training new doctors through child’s play
Teddy Bear Hospitals provide health care students with the opportunity to interact with children and develop communication skills, while children are introduced to the healthcare consultation process
Health & Wellbeing
The language of colour, kinship and climate
Associate Professor Charles Kemp uses computational models to understand how different languages organise the world into categories and what that means for our communication
Health & Wellbeing
Changing the image problem of electroconvulsive therapy
Many people still think of electroconvulsive therapy as a barbaric treatment, often dramatised in movies, but modern ECT that includes patient’s families can help dispel the stigma
Business & Economics
Inside Business
Sharing the load
Better family-friendly policies in this year’s Budget could help deliver individual, economic and social rewards for everyone
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 the Federal Budget largely failed to address
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
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
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
Politics & Society
Legal Affairs
Competition policy: An election issue?
Competition law doesn’t grab the headlines at elections, but this time around there are proposals from the Opposition that are worth paying attention to
Public Affairs
Here’s how to renew Australia’s Democracy
Citizen juries, an independent speaker, and ensuring MPs get to sit with their opponents, not opposite them, are all proposals at the heart of a new push to improve how Australian democracy works
Public Affairs
What key quality should Australia’s next PM have?
Australians have had seven prime ministers in ten years and are heading to the polls again. When it comes to leadership, what we need most is a leader who tells it like it is and matches that with vision and action
Public Affairs
Leader sloganising passed off as a debate
The first “debate” between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was dominated by sloganising – but was eloquent in demonstrating why people are turning off
Public Affairs
Widodo on track to win, but what next?
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo is poised to win a second term, but what does this mean for civil society, policy, women, minorities, and Australia?
Arts & Culture
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
A toast to Anzac Day
Celebrating ANZAC Day with a drink is a long tradition, but one that has always been contested
Humanities
A blow to the heart of the City of Light
The fire that struck the 850-year-old Notre Dame cathedral has devastated Parisians, and many around the world, but the building has long withstood violence whether revolution or war
Humanities
The Disneyfication of the AFL
Australian Rules football is a grassroots sport, but the AFL’s increasing corporatisation is distancing the game from the fans
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
Eavesdrop on Experts
The history of paper
Paper was invented in China before it was introduced in Europe during the late Middle Ages, but no one really knew what happened in between
Podcast
Sciences & Technology
Science Matters
A wombat, a koala and a rabbit in a burrow
Camera traps are amazing tools that allow researchers to peek into the lives of shy marsupials, but sometimes the animals they ‘capture’ are surprising
Science Matters
Four important things that this picture tells us
It’s been dubbed the heavyweight champion of black holes. But the first image of the M87* black hole also provides us with a treasure trove of information about our Universe
Science Matters
The credibility of research needs you!
In what is the biggest effort yet to try and solve science’s replication crisis, researchers need thousands of volunteer experts
Science Matters
Breeding baby corals for warmer seas
Hoping to give mother nature a helping hand, researchers are using in vitro fertilisation to breed corals better able to cope with our changing climate
Animals, Food & You
Seeing the beauty in animal bone research
Dr Babatunde Ayodele is part of a team researching the bones of racehorses. Now, his research has inspired the façade of a new University building.
Education
Education
Is your child lonely at school?
Loneliness and isolation can cause serious problems, especially for children in primary and secondary school, but there are key steps that can help your child connect
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
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.
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
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
Education
How can we help students connect?
Without intervention from lecturers, university students from all backgrounds are struggling to make friends on campus
Environment
Engineering & Technology
Ocean waves and winds are getting higher and stronger
Using billions of satellite measurements, new research shows ocean waves and the winds that generate them have been increasing for the last 30 years
Health & Wellbeing
Space for re-learning after a stroke
The design of rehabilitation facilities for people recovering from a stroke need to be ‘learning spaces’ that support re-acquiring lost skills
Engineering & Technology
Why we need to use water desalination plants early
Turning on the Wonthaggi water desalination plant now rather than later will save money in the long run and head off an emergency later
Engineering & Technology
Preventing more fish deaths in the lower Darling
A new report for the government that investigates the causes of the recent mass fish deaths in the lower Darling River finds climate change and water access agreements helped create a deadly mix
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