How to get the housing we need: healthy, affordable and resilient to climate change Imagine coming home after a long day at work. It is winter. You step inside your home. It is warm, quiet and dry. The Conversation · Sep 5, 2024
Biochar doesn’t just store carbon – it stores water and boosts farmers’ drought resilience As the climate changes, large parts of southern Australia are projected to get drier. Extreme rains are also becoming more common. The Conversation · Sep 4, 2024
We asked Melburnians about shared e-scooters. Their responses point to alternatives to the city council’s ban Melbourne City Council recently decided to ban shared e‑scooters. The council cited concerns for the safety of e‑scooter riders, other road users and pedestrians. The city still permits private e‑scooters. The Conversation · Sep 4, 2024
First Nations people are 3 times more likely to die on the road. Here’s how to fix Australia’s transport injustice Last year, more than 1,200 people died in road crashes across Australia. But not all Australians face the same level of risk on our roads. The Conversation · Sep 2, 2024
What a ‘forgotten’ Torres Strait Island Paralympian teaches us about representation, achievement and history The full significance of Harry Mosby’s silver-medal win in the men’s discus at the 1976 Paralympic Games in Canada was unrecognised for 45 years: Paralympics Australia thought he was a Western Australian. The Conversation · Sep 2, 2024
What are puberty blockers? What are the benefits and risks for transgender children? Puberty blockers are medications that stop the body from producing oestrogen and testosterone. In the clinic, they’re called gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa). The Conversation · Aug 29, 2024
PNG has had a horror year of conflict – but peace rarely comes through the barrel of a gun Papua New Guinea has had a difficult year, beginning with serious rioting and looting in the capital, Port Moresby, and several other towns. The Conversation · Aug 27, 2024
Jokowi wants to build a political dynasty in Indonesia. A once-pliant court and angry public are standing in the way Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, whose final term in office ends on October 20, has presided over ten years of democratic regression in Indonesia. The Conversation · Aug 27, 2024
Fish on Prozac: chemical residues in wastewater mess with bodies, behaviour and sperm Antidepressants have helped millions of people worldwide since the 1950s. But have you ever wondered what happens to these drugs once they leave our bodies? The Conversation · Aug 27, 2024
Rafts of garbage, kelp and other debris could transport alien invaders to a warming Antarctica The remote icy wilderness at the bottom of the world is exposed to pollution and foreign organisms on floating ocean debris. The Conversation · Aug 22, 2024
Preparation, cooperation, adaptation: what Australia’s music festivals are thinking about in an era of climate change Cancellations of music festivals due to climate-related events have increased dramatically in the last five years. The Black Summer 2019-20 bushfires drove away Falls Festival (Lorne, Victoria), Lost Paradise (Glenworth, New South Wales) and Yours & Owls (Wollongong, NSW). Floods throughout 2022 held up Strawberry Fields (Tocumwal, NSW), This That… The Conversation · Aug 21, 2024
Poor compliance and broad exemptions mean land clearing continues apace in northern Australia – despite our laws and pledges In 2021, Australia was one of 141 nations pledging to end deforestation by 2030 – just over five years from now. The Conversation · Aug 21, 2024
Calls to ban ‘harmful pornography’ are rife. Here’s what teens actually think about porn Pornography has been in the news a lot this year. It was at the centre of discussions for addressing violence against women back in May. Deepfake pornography has also been in the headlines. The Conversation · Aug 20, 2024
Long COVID cost the Australian economy almost $10 billion in 2022 – new research The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 10–20% of people suffer from long COVID after they recover from the initial COVID infection. The Conversation · Aug 19, 2024
The Conversation · Aug 18, 2024 Australia’s nature is in deep crisis. These 3 easy steps would give our new environment laws teeth The Albanese government’s environmental reforms are likely to feature prominently on federal parliament’s agenda this week. A Senate inquiry into the long-awaited reforms is due to deliver its findings on Monday. Meanwhile, the Coalition is reportedly preparing to oppose the changes, potentially forcing Labor into negotiations with the Greens.
The Conversation · Aug 18, 2024 Most Australians are worried about artificial intelligence, new survey shows. Improved media literacy is vital After becoming mainstream in 2023, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is now transforming the way we live.
The Conversation · Aug 15, 2024 It’s too hard to make business decisions in the face of climate uncertainty – here’s how ‘storylines’ could help What will our climate look like in the future? It is hard to overstate not only the importance of answering this question, but also the challenges involved in doing so.
The Conversation · Aug 14, 2024 The Altar Stone of Stonehenge came from an unexpectedly distant place, new study reveals During the solstices, thousands gather at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in England to celebrate the monument’s astronomical alignment. The focal point of these festivities is the Altar Stone – the six-tonne sandstone slab that lies flat at the centre of Stonehenge.
The Conversation · Aug 8, 2024 Healthy Country, healthy people: how shared knowledge is helping to restore a World Heritage area Please be advised that the following article contains images of an Indigenous person who has died, which are used with family permission.
The Conversation · Aug 7, 2024 ‘Wake-up call to humanity’: research shows the Great Barrier Reef is the hottest it’s been in 400 years The Great Barrier Reef is vast and spectacular. But repeated mass coral bleachings, driven by high ocean temperatures, are threatening the survival of coral colonies which are the backbone of the reef.
The Conversation · Aug 6, 2024 Tiny fossil arm bone sheds light on evolution of ancient Indonesian ‘hobbits’ We have discovered rare and very old human fossils on the Indonesian island of Flores, including an astonishingly small adult limb bone. Our finds are reported in a new paper out today in Nature Communications.
The Conversation · Aug 6, 2024 ASIO has now declared the terrorist threat to Australia is ‘probable’. What does this mean? ASIO has raised Australia’s national terrorism threat level from “possible” to “probable”.
The Conversation · Aug 4, 2024 More than half of NSW’s forests and woodlands are gone as ongoing logging increases extinction risks, study shows Since European colonisation, 29 million hectares (54%) of the forests and woodlands that once existed in New South Wales have been destroyed. A further 9 million ha have been degraded in the past two centuries. This amounts to more than 60% of the state’s forest estate.
The Conversation · Aug 1, 2024 Stigma around same-sex marriage affected Australians’ health. Here’s what happened in your electorate Community-level opposition to marriage equality and the stress that came with it is still making some Australians in same-sex relationships sick years after the vote, our study suggests.
The Conversation · Aug 1, 2024 Restoring logged forests doesn’t mean locking them up as ‘wilderness’ – it means actively managing them On January 1 this year, the commercial logging of native forests ended in Victoria and Western Australia. It was one of the most significant changes in the history of forest management in Australia.