By Thomas A. Püschel, Associate professor, University of Oxford
Reece Hammond, DPhil Student in Anthropology, University of Oxford
In 2003, in the deep forests of Bossou in Guinea, a chimpanzee mother did something that reshaped how we view animal minds. Jire carried the the lifeless body of her one-year-old infant Jimato for some 68 days. Even as the infant mummified before her, she gently swatted flies away, carefully placed it on branches while she ate, and cradled it as she moved through the canopy and forest ground.
Carrying a deceased infant is an extraordinary physical commitment. Imagine trying to go about your everyday life, navigating difficult terrain, securing food, and keeping up with your family in…
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The company’s Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon will appear before the federal parliamentary committee on Artificial Intelligence’s hearing next week.
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By Ivor Chipkin, Associate lecturer, University of Pretoria
The city of Johannesburg – South Africa’s largest – is increasingly unable to perform even its most basic functions, such as providing clean water and electricity and maintaining its roads and the safety of its citizens. It has the symptoms of a broken city: deteriorating financial controls, a swelling wage bill, unstable coalitions and rapid mayoral turnover.
Describing these problems, however, does not amount to a diagnosis. And no project of renewal can begin without a diagnosis.
My research…
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By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney
The Reserve Bank of Australia has raised the cash rate to 4.6% from 4.35%, taking the key rate to its highest level since late 2011 as it battles persistent inflation.
The fourth rate hike this year will add about A$120 a month to the average mortgage of $730,000. Over the course of the year, the four rate rises…
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By Fran Ludwig, Associate Head, Biosciences and Chemistry,, Sheffield Hallam University
Freshers’ week is designed to bring new students together. But the same close contact that helps friendships form can also help infections spread.
Most cases of so-called “freshers’ flu” are relatively mild. Meningococcal disease is different. Although rare, it can develop rapidly and become life-threatening within hours.
In England, first-year university students are around seven times more likely to develop meningococcal disease than young people…
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By Amnesty International
Members of Mali’s armed forces working together with personnel from the Wagner Group committed war crimes, including the murder and torture of civilians, during joint operations between 2023 and 2025, Amnesty International said in a new report. ‘No one is spared’: War crimes committed by the Malian army and foreign allied forces along the Mauritanian […] The post Mali: Damning evidence of war crimes by state armed forces and Wagner Group personnel – new report appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
With the Victorian state election two months away, the Labor government has improved in the polls, but remain behind the Coalition.
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By John (Eddie) La Marca, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
Four viruses and one bacteria were responsible for 12% of the world’s cancer cases in 2024. Does this mean they’re preventable?
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By Cameron Parsell, Professor, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland
We should be pleased the Victorian government has committed to a plan that aims to reduce the extent of rough sleeping in the state.
In a country where homelessness continues to be an escalating issue, it is encouraging to see a state…
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By Bohao Dong, Research Assistant, ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, The University of Melbourne
Amy Prendergast, Associate Professor in The School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Chief Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, The University of Melbourne
Sean Ulm, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, James Cook University
When you swim through the azure waters of the Great Barrier Reef, there is one entity on the seafloor that’s almost impossible to miss: the giant clam. Its huge, fluted shell frames a soft mantle shimmering with electric blue, green and gold.
As the world’s largest living bivalve, Tridacna gigas can reach 1.2 metres, weigh more than 200 kilograms and live for over a century. Across their long lives, these clams record their daily life in their shells, creating an autobiographical shell diary.
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