By James Patrick Rule, Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
Ian G. Brennan, Postdoctoral Researcher in Evolutionary Biology, Australian National University
Travis Park, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, Monash University
Have you ever tried to talk to someone while underwater? No matter how loud you might shout, it always sounds muffled. But why? As with many things in our bodies, the answer lies with evolution.
Humans evolved on land, and our ears are adapted to collect and interpret sound travelling through the air. Unfortunately, this makes our ears pretty much useless underwater.
Most mammals can either hear well only in air (dogs, humans) or water (whales). But there is one…
(Full Story)
|
By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Leticia Wong, a former pro-democracy district councillor, at her bookstore in Hong Kong, June 20, 2025. © 2025 Chan Long Hei/AP Photo As the annual Hong Kong Book Fair opens this week, two of the city’s best-known independent bookstores, Elmbook and Luckwin, won’t be there. On July 2, authorities barred them from exhibiting. Soon after, Elmbook announced it would close on its 30th anniversary in April 2027, when its lease ends.While officials did not say why they barred the bookstores, Beijing-controlled media accused independent bookstores of selling books that…
(Full Story)
|
By Amnesty International
In response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announcement of a campaign to “systematically disable” the International Criminal Court’s “ability to operate”, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said: “The Secretary of State’s reprehensible attack on the ICC is the latest in a series of escalating and existential assaults by the Trump administration […] The post Global: States must push back against reprehensible US campaign to dismantle the ICC appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
(Full Story)
|
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
A UN independent human rights expert has urged political leaders in the United Kingdom to support implementation of a Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of sex, warning that opposition to updated equality guidance risks weakening protections for women and girls.
(Full Story)
|
By Alexis Vassiley, Lecturer, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University
On Thursday, up to 200 workers at mining giant BHP’s Port Hedland export terminal will take protected industrial action for eight hours. This will mark the first strike action at the company’s iron division since 2000.
Port Hedland is home to the world’s largest bulk export port. It’s previously been estimated a full shutdown could cost BHP up to A$120 million…
(Full Story)
|
By Timothy Minchin, Professor of History, La Trobe University
Michelle Shu Wun Kuek, Doctoral student in History, La Trobe University
China’s rise to EV dominance may seem sudden – but it’s the result of more than 20 years of state investment.
(Full Story)
|
By Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland
The Philistines moved from the Aegean region to an area later called Palestine in 1200 BC. Their depiction as barbarians can be traced to the Old Testament.
(Full Story)
|
By Marie Gerdtz, Professor and Dean School Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University
Imagine your elderly father is in an aged care home. It’s Friday afternoon, and he’s run out of his regular Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) blood pressure medication and he can’t get an appointment with the GP.
Currently, the registered nurse (RN) at the aged care home can assess his blood pressure to see if it’s stable, and administer medication prescribed by a doctor. But the RN cannot issue a new prescription.
From October 1, this will change.
That’s because…
(Full Story)
|
By Adrian Schoone, Associate Professor, School of Education, Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand’s education system is undergoing its largest overhaul in decades, with new curricula, rewritten qualifications and greater accountability for schools.
But as policymakers focus on lifting standards, another challenge is building: how to support the rising number of students struggling in mainstream classrooms.
Over the past decade, the number of students outside mainstream school has doubled to almost 15,000.
More than 9,000 students…
(Full Story)
|
By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Military officers patrol a street after the government declared a state of emergency in Lima on October 22, 2025. © 2025 ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP via Getty Images (Washington, DC) – Peruvian President José María Balcázar should veto a bill that would expand the military justice system, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill would effectively open the door to impunity for police officers and members of the armed forces responsible for human rights violations. On June 23, 2026, Congress passed a bill that would modify the Military Police Criminal…
(Full Story)
|