EXPLAINED: 6 - The Real Truth

Could making tobacco cheaper actually cut down smoking rates? We asked 5 experts

Australia aims to reduce rates of daily smoking to 5% or less by 2030. By 2023, we got down to 8.3%.

The Conversation · Sep 16, 2025

Making younger trees age faster could create more homes for wildlife – and it can be done without chainsaws

For wildlife, not all trees are equal. Large old trees have many horizontal and dead limbs for perching, and many fissures or hollows for sheltering. By contrast, younger trees have far fewer such features or lack them entirely. More than 300 species of Australian mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians rely…

The Conversation · Sep 7, 2025

Too many Indigenous Australians die before getting to claim the age pension. We need to make retirement fairer

If you’re a non-Indigenous Australian, when you hit the age of 67, you’ll typically have another 15 years of long, hopefully happy retirement to look forward to.

The Conversation · Sep 7, 2025

Why grow plants in space? They can improve how we produce food and medicine on Earth

Sometime in the 2040s, humans may well reach a new frontier – Mars. To get there, we’ll need sustainable sources of food, medicines and materials.

The Conversation · Aug 27, 2025

Australia has banned 3 ‘forever chemicals’ – but Europe wants to ban all 14,000 as a precaution

Last month, Australia’s ban on the import, use and manufacture of three types of “forever chemical” came into effect. These chemicals – PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS – have long lifespans and resist breaking down. They’re considered harmful due to their ability to build up inside living organisms and their toxicity.…

The Conversation · Aug 25, 2025

Ancient shells and pottery reveal the vast 3,200-years-old trade routes of Oceania’s Indigenous peoples

New research conducted at Walufeni Cave, an important archaeological site in Papua New Guinea, reveals new evidence of long-distance interactions between Oceania’s Indigenous societies, as far back as 3,200 years ago.

The Conversation · Aug 22, 2025

Climate change is driving a silent, sinister change in Australia’s mountain ash forests

Something silent and sinister is happening in Australia’s mountain ash forests. As temperatures rise, these ecosystems are slowly, steadily losing their trees – and with them, their ability to store carbon.

The Conversation · Aug 21, 2025

Dingoes are not domestic dogs – new evidence shows these native canines are on their own evolutionary path

For decades, scientists, policymakers, graziers and land managers have been locked in a surprisingly high-stakes debate over what defines a dingo. Are these wild canids their own species? Or are they simply feral dogs?

The Conversation · Aug 21, 2025

From sea ice to ocean currents, Antarctica is now undergoing abrupt changes – and we’ll all feel them

Antarctica has long been seen as a remote, unchanging environment. Not any more.

The Conversation · Aug 20, 2025

Housing can be good for productivity. Here are 5 ways we can build it better

Most Australians invest much of their income into housing, making employment, education and retirement decisions based on the location, timing and strength of their housing investment.

The Conversation · Aug 20, 2025