SHOCKING: 26 - What They Never Told You

'Let it rip': Barangaroo, a masterclass in planning as deal-making

The redevelopment of the 22-hectare Barangaroo precinct on Sydney Harbour has long been a masterclass in poor urban development governance and lack of due process. It was meant to transform the former docklands into a world-class example of architectural and public space design. Instead, Sydney got a world-leading example of…

The Conversation · Aug 11, 2022

India’s great untapped resource: its jobless young people

Young people have been taking to the streets across India, demanding governments act to provide more jobs. In the northern state of Bihar, large numbers protested on February at delays in filling public sector vacancies. Some of them had passed the required examinations but waited several years for their job…

The Conversation · Aug 10, 2022

Once the fish factories and ‘kidneys’ of colder seas, Australia’s decimated shellfish reefs are coming back

Australia once had vast oyster and mussel reefs, which anchored marine ecosystems and provided a key food source for coastal First Nations people. But after colonisation, Europeans harvested them for their meat and shells and pushed oyster and mussel reefs almost to extinction. Because the damage was done early – and…

The Conversation · Aug 9, 2022

If Australian schools want to improve student discipline, they need to address these 5 issues

NSW is in the middle of overhauling its approach to suspensions and expulsions.

The Conversation · Aug 3, 2022

Food and drinks are getting sweeter. Even if it's not all sugar, it's bad for our health

Humans have an evolutionary preference for sweetness. Sweet foods, like fruit and honey, were an important energy source for our ancestors.

The Conversation · Jul 29, 2022

Soil abounds with life – and supports all life above it. But Australian soils need urgent repair

Under your feet lies the most biodiverse habitat on Earth. The soil on which we walk supports the majority of life on the planet. Without the life in it, it wouldn’t be soil. Unfortunately, Australia’s soils are not in good shape. The new State of the Environment report rates our…

The Conversation · Jul 27, 2022

New COVID variants may be more transmissible but that doesn't mean the R0 – or basic reproduction number – has increased

During the pandemic we have all become familiar with a lot of epidemiological concepts.

The Conversation · Jul 27, 2022

A cosmic tango: this distant planet's very strange orbit points to a violent and chaotic past

If you close your eyes and imagine a system of planets orbiting a distant star, what do you see?

The Conversation · Jul 22, 2022

Australia and New Zealand have a golden opportunity to build stronger ties in the Pacific – but will they take it?

The Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting hosted by Fiji last week was the first to be held in person since 2019. Following a particularly challenging period, it was an opportunity for leaders to reconnect and agree to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. This document provides a blueprint…

The Conversation · Jul 19, 2022

When you pick your nose, you're jamming germs and contaminants up there too. 3 scientists on how to deal with your boogers

Come on, you know you do it.

The Conversation · Jul 13, 2022