By Roger S. Seymour, Professor Emeritus of Physiology, University of Adelaide
Edward Snelling, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria
If you’ve ever wondered why the giraffe has such a long neck, the answer seems clear: it lets them reach succulent leaves atop tall acacia trees in Africa.
Only giraffes have direct access to those leaves, while smaller mammals must compete with one another near the ground. This exclusive food source appears to allow the giraffe to breed throughout the year and to survive droughts better than shorter species.
But the long neck comes at a high cost. The giraffe’s heart must produce enough pressure to pump its blood a couple of metres up to its head. The blood pressure of…
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By Sonia Awale
Buddha Chitta mala (also referred to as Bodhichitta mala) is a type of prayer bead necklace revered in Tibetan Buddhism. Chinese demand for the beads has triggered an explosion in the industry in Nepal.
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By Craig Greenham, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor
Fans didn’t just watch the Blue Jays — they carried the emotional weight of a season. Here’s why fandom feels so personal, and how we process it all.
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By Leonora Risse, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Canberra
All those thousands of hours that Australians put towards unpaid household work and care – cooking, cleaning and caring for family members – are an essential thread that keeps our economy stitched together.
But they’re not recognised in official economic statistics.
My new research puts a dollar value on what all this unpaid labour is worth to the economy: about A$688 billion. That’s equivalent to around one-third of gross domestic product – and is mostly contributed by women.
…
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By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong
US interventions in the region have led to coups, revolutions and what some analysts are now calling illegal extrajudicial killings.
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By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Urban Risk and Resilience, The University of Melbourne
Angus McKerral, Research Fellow in Psychology, The University of Melbourne
Kristen Pammer, Head of School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Michael Regan, Professor of Human Factors, Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation, UNSW Sydney
Zahra Shahhoseini, Research Fellow in Public Health, Monash University
Cars that mostly drive themselves – but where a human is required to continuously supervise – fall between the cracks of existing law.
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By Justin Chapman, Research Policy Officer in Mental Health, Charles Sturt University
Russell Roberts, Professor, Mental Health Leadership, Charles Sturt University
Victoria Erskine, PhD Candidate in Mental Health Communication, Charles Sturt University
If you know five people, the chances are at least one is living with a mental health condition. More than 8.5 million Australians will need mental health treatment in their lifetime for depression, anxiety, substance use and or psychosis.
But why do these people die on average more than a decade earlier…
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By Amy Maguire, Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle
Dennis Altman, Vice Chancellor's Fellow and Professorial Fellow, Institute for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University
Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury
Jess Carniel, Associate Professor in Humanities, University of Southern Queensland
Jessica Gildersleeve, Professor of English Literature, University of Southern Queensland
Liz Giuffre, Associate Professor in Media, University of Technology Sydney
Phoebe Hart, Associate Professor, Film Screen & Animation, Queensland University of Technology
Stuart Richards, Senior Lecturer in Screen Studies, University of South Australia
Susan Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy), University of the Sunshine Coast
Standouts this month include the latest season of The Diplomat, addictive British reality TV and a political thriller starring Rebecca Ferguson.
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By Judy Ingham, Newsletter Producer, The Conversation
The struggle to find housing fit for a family, plus the rain radar and republishing our content: an edited selection of your views.
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By Alan McPherson, Professor of History, Temple University
A US military buildup in the Caribbean after weeks of naval strikes is both the latest case of intervention in Latin America and uniquely aggressive in key ways.
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