By Ammresh, PhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University
Snakes are seemingly simple in structure, a head attached to a long unremarkable noodle. They do have some pretty cool features at the front end, with venomous fangs and the capability to stretch their mouths and swallow large prey whole, but their bodies are not just the simple tubes we once thought.
My new research, published today in the Journal of Morphology, reveals their body structure to be surprisingly complex – far more than we once thought. In fact, it shows snakes have among the most complex spines in reptiles.
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By Robert-John Broughton, Assistant Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
New Zealand is lifting its defence spending while deepening its military ties with Australia. But what happens when it needs to say no?
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By Francesco Bailo, Senior Lecturer in Data Analytics in the Social Sciences, Deputy Director of the Centre for AI, Trust and Governance, University of Sydney
In the past ten days, two of the companies leading the artificial intelligence (AI) boom discovered their own powerful, semi-autonomous models had hacked into real-world systems during testing in four distinct incidents.
These weren’t just lab mishaps. In several cases, the models recognised signs suggesting they’d broken into real systems – and only one stopped as a result.
The incidents show testing advanced AI models is no longer a controlled exercise.…
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By Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
A former NRL player yesterday alleged shocking inducements from betting companies to keep gambling, including receiving cocaine as well as free alcohol and food at race meetings.
Luke Bateman’s testimony came on the first day of a two-day Senate
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By Rachakonda Sreekar, Research Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, The University of Queensland
Ardiantiono, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Lubabun Ni'am, Doctoral Student, University of Heidelberg
Multiple pressures are acting simultaneously in threatening Tapanuli orangutan — from extractive industries to logging to agricultural expansion and, increasingly, climate-related disasters.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A Rohingya refugee feeds a child in front of the office of the UN refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 27, 2026. © 2026 Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters (Bangkok) – The Malaysian government should reverse plans that would permit the forced return of refugees to Myanmar, where they face persecution and other rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said today. On July 23, 2026, Malaysia’s deputy foreign minister informed parliament that 5,000 Myanmar nationals in immigration detention would be sent back to Myanmar. On July 29, Malaysian Prime Minister…
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By Eugene Schofield-Georgeson, Senior Lecturer, UTS Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney
Victoria’s new Premier Ben Carroll has announced yet another royal commission into allegations of corruption in the construction industry.
This latest inquiry will focus on the construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), the main union representing building workers.
There have been multiple…
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By Peter Hurley, Associate Professor and Director, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University
Melissa Tham, Research Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University
Sarah Pilcher, Director, Peter Noonan Policy Impact Program, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University
A new report shows how common it is for daycare centres to change owners. The sector also has high staff turnover and relatively low pay.
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By Francisco Perales, Adjunct Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University
Ferran Martinez i Coma, Professor in Political Science, Griffith University
Renters account for an increasingly larger share of the adult population. Research analysing more than 25 years of voting data shows what this means politically.
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By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, Adelaide University
You’ve probably heard that hitting 10,000 steps a day is the key to health and longevity.
This magic number feels like a medical rule, handed down by doctors across the globe.
But where did it come from? And is it even true?
Let’s step back to Japan in 1964
Believe it or not, but the infamous 10,000 steps a day recommendation didn’t come from a research laboratory.
In fact, it is not scientific at all.
It came from a Japanese pedometer called the manpo-kei…
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