By Devon Stoliker, Turner Impact Fellow, Monash University
Adeel Razi, Professor of Computational Neuroscience, Monash University
One participant described “melding with the MRI machine, floor, walls and air”. Another described “losing all sense of self”, becoming at one with their surroundings. Half the participants in our study reported having one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives.
What were they talking about? Taking psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms.
Participants reported feeling less separation between themselves and world. We scanned their brains during the experience, and found surprising patterns of organisation – while the brain networks that process our…
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By Katharina Belt, Postdoctoral Researcher, Agricultural Science, The University of Western Australia
When was the last time you bought a loaf of bread?
Chances are you read the ingredients list and saw flour, yeast and salt. But behind every slice is a surprisingly fragile global supply chain that starts with another often overlooked ingredient: nitrogen fertiliser.
Without nitrogen fertiliser, the world’s farmers would struggle to produce enough food for our ever-growing population. It helps grow the wheat used…
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By Edith Jennifer Hill, Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University
Hannah’s cousin died and she didn’t have to. Wormhole investigates the dark world of alternative wellness online – and the comforts and dangers of such communities.
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By Cathrine Dyer, Lecturer in Climate Change, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
Only 3% of spending on natural hazards focuses on reducing risk, allowing governments to shift liability but leaving communities unprepared.
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By Human Rights Watch
(Beirut) – The Israeli government on August 18, 2026, opened a new tender for the construction of 1,234 housing units in the illegal E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, about a third of the 3,401 housing units approved for construction, Human Rights Watch said today. The government set a deadline for bids just days before Israel’s October 27 elections. The E1 settlement would deliberately fragment the occupied West Bank by severing its northern part from its southern part, forcibly displace over 18 Bedouin communities, and further entrench apartheid. Businesses submitting a bid…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Lev Shlosberg, deputy leader of the Yabloko party, stands in the defendant's box prior to the delivery of the verdict in the case against him, in a court in Pskov, Russia, August 17, 2026. © 2026 AP Photo A court in northwestern Russia, on August 17, sentenced opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years and one month in prison for repeatedly “discrediting” and spreading false information about the Russian army.Shlosberg is the deputy leader of the opposition party “Yabloko,” which has openly called for a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine.The same day Shlosberg…
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By Fernanda Canofre
Growing cases of violence against Indigenous people are linked to an impasse on the framework of rights and pressure against land demarcation, says the organization that advocates for Indigenous rights
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By Piotr Cieplak, Professor of Creative Practice and Visual Cultures (Media, Arts and Humanities), University of Sussex
Stop! That! Train! is a very silly film – in the best possible way. It’s a disaster-action movie parody in the vein of The Naked Gun (1988), Hot Shots! (1991) and Airplane! (1980). In fact, Stop! That! Train!’s relationship to the latter is a little bit like a drag queen lip synching to their favourite diva’s famous belter: there’s space for interpretation, but the lyrics and the voice are pretty much set in stone.
Consequently, quite a few gags, not to mention the main narrative thrust of the plucky underdogs saving the day, are virtually lifted (with updates and variations) from…
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By Claudia Eggart, Associated Researcher, Social Anthropology, Independent Social Research Foundation
Ukraine’s campaign to target Russia’s e-commerce giant Wildberries has had impacts far beyond the Russian federation. For Russia, Wildberries is comparable to Amazon, accounting for about 50% of the country’s online retail market. But its market place is used by manufacturers as far afield as Central Asia.
Founded in 2004 as an online clothing retailer, it has 98,000 pick-up points and supplies a vast network connecting more than a million sellers with consumers…
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By Richard Nimijean, Associate Professor (Teaching Stream) in the School of Canadian Studies, Carleton University
Being seen as an effective crisis manager is central to Mark Carney’s political brand, but an emphasis on communication and symbolism in support of the brand can only go so far. Results matter.
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