By Thea van de Mortel, Professor Emerita, Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University
If you get sick just in time for a weekend or your long-awaited holiday, it’s called ‘leisure sickness’. But is it real?
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By Luke Hartigan, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney
When the topic of central banks and the outlook for interest rates comes up, economists often turn to the so-called “star” variables to help with their predictions.
What do we mean by star variables? Why they are important to central bankers, and how do they influence interest-rate decisions?
The star variables relate to key concepts in economic models used by central bankers to help them understand…
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By Jessica C. Thompson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Yale University
Elizabeth Sawchuk, Curator of Human Evolution of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Research Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)
Jessica Cerezo-Román, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma
An ancient cremation would have been a community spectacle in a place returned to and reignited over many generations. What was behind this unexpected funeral ritual?
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By Rachel Woods, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, University of Lincoln
Diet searches surge every January, but most quick fixes do not last. Here are five evidence-based habits that improve health without focusing on weight.
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By Geoff Beattie, Professor of Psychology, Edge Hill University
I knew there would be an argument. The room had gone eerily quiet. “Isn’t it about time,” my partner began, “that we freshened this place up a little?”
There was a long pause as she glanced around the white walls of our kitchen – which, I’ll admit, do have a little bit of paint chipping off them. Then she dropped a glossy magazine on the table – World of Interiors, I think. I was trying not to look.
My partner is passionate about colours and knows the names of all the different shades. I don’t – but I am a psychologist, and that gives me some skin in this colour game too.
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By Anastasia Denisova, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, University of Westminster
Four in five adults in the UK say they have changed their lifestyle to help tackle environmental change. The New Year is a good time to implement changes to behaviour, but our willpower is finite.
The secret isn’t to be more virtuous, but to be strategic.
If you want 2026 to be the year you make a difference without burning out, here…
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By Vlad Glăveanu, Professor of Psychology, Business School, Dublin City University
The start of a new year has long been considered an important moment for personal change. Psychological research shows that calendar landmarks such as birthdays, Mondays or the new year can act as mental reset points, making people more likely to reflect on their lives and attempt new goals. This phenomenon was described by researchers more than a decade ago as the “fresh…
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By Mosikidi Toka, PhD candidate, University of the Free State
Warblers in high mountain wetlands change their dawn singing with temperature, rain, wind, humidity and moonlight, showing how weather shapes wildlife behaviour.
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By Garritt C. Van Dyk, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Waikato
You can trace your summer treat all the way back to the ‘ice pits’ developed in the Persian desert in 550 BCE.
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By Connal McLean, PhD Candidate in Zoology, University of Otago
Jacqueline Theis, PhD Candidate in Ecology, University of Otago
The New Zealand velvet worm’s reign as Bug of the Year is coming to an end, with voting now open for the 2026 competition.
This year, 21 nominees are vying for the crown in the competition’s fourth year. Nearly 100 bugs have so far featured, representing an incredible range of rich invertebrate diversity – from insects and arachnids to crustaceans, worms and molluscs.
The term “bug” was chosen deliberately. While not scientifically precise, it acts as an easily understood umbrella definition of Aotearoa New…
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