By Ava Green, Lecturer in Forensic Psychology, City St George's, University of London
As an expert on personality disorders, people often ask me about psychopathy. It seems everybody has had an ex, a boss, a neighbour or a relative who they suspect has traits of it. People are curious about how to recognise psychopathy, and whether it can explain certain harmful behaviour. It’s easy to see why. Psychopathic people are everywhere – from books and movies to newspaper articles and academic papers.
But while such questions are usually asked with confidence, the answers are far less straightforward. In fact, a growing number of academic papers have failed to find evidence…
(Full Story)
|
By Ana Salzberg, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Edinburgh
Marilyn Monroe’s untimely death at just 36 has long been woven into her mystique, fuelling both fascination among fans and a proliferation of theories about its cause.
Monroe lived in the property for just six months. But as the home she died in, it has become a site of near-ritualised fan pilgrimage, much like her crypt at Westwood Village Memorial Park. That fascination has had tangible consequences. Earlier this year, the home’s current owners filed…
(Full Story)
|
By Donal Mullan, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Queen's University Belfast
The 2026 Fifa World Cup is the biggest ever edition of the world’s most watched sporting tournament. The 48 teams taking part in Canada, the US and Mexico may find their toughest opponent is the extreme heat.
Very hot temperatures are expected across many of the states including Texas, California and Florida where World Cup games are being held this summer, with wildfire risks…
(Full Story)
|
By Kathrin Maurer, Kathrin Maurer, Professor of Culture and Technology, University of Southern Denmark and Fellow at the Nordic Humanities Centre, University of Southern Denmark
The morning sun lights up the ice-covered mountains around Narsaq, a small village in South Greenland. Turquoise icebergs float by the shores of the fjords, and seagulls gather on the cliffy rocks. An old man walks slowly along the colourful houses on the hill.
The picturesque scene feels almost surreal, but this is indeed where I find myself as a researcher of public art projects (like street art and murals) and how they shape local communities.
I am about to visit the social services and…
(Full Story)
|
By Russell Dean Christopher Bicknell, Post-doctoral researcher in Palaeobiology, Flinders University
Julien Kimmig, Head of Palaeontology Division at the Natural History Museum Karlsruhe
Roughly 500 million years ago, a strange event in the evolution of life on Earth seems to have taken place.
The known fossil record from this time, which falls within the Cambrian period, contains a missing chapter. Palaeontologists refer to it as the “Furongian gap”. And it’s striking because there is an explosion of biodiversity within the fossil record both immediately before and after it.
This decline has been considered evidence for a real biological crisis – one driven by environmental instability,…
(Full Story)
|
By Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University
The median scam in Australia last year cost $400 – so a rapid refund of up to $3,000 sounds generous. But take a closer look and it starts to look oddly low.
(Full Story)
|
By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
At the 2022 election “integrity” was a big-deal issue. Now almost three years after it was set up, the NACC continues to be rocked by internal scandals and complaints.
(Full Story)
|
By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Medical Science & Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute; Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney
Bart J. Currie, Professor in Medicine, Menzies School of Health Research
After two people in the Northern Territory died from Murray Valley encephalitis, health authorities are warning residents and travellers to avoid mosquito bites.
(Full Story)
|
By Michael P. Cameron, Professor of Economics, University of Waikato
Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered a disciplined budget today, asking New Zealanders to accept continued restraint in return for promises of longer-term economic growth – and an earlier-than-expected return to surplus.
Willis told Parliament:
This is a responsible budget. The government is responding to an increasingly uncertain world with an economic plan and sensible choices that will make New Zealand more secure in the years ahead.
In her budget address, Willis said New Zealanders could look forward to “growth, higher wages,…
(Full Story)
|
By Sonia Martin, Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Social Policy, Australian Catholic University
Yes, these may be ‘once-in-a-generation’ reforms. But for those ‘languishing’ in the system without the help they need, there’s much more still to be done.
(Full Story)
|