By Sophie Smit, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Sydney
Anina Rich, Associate Professor and Head of Synaesthesia Research Group, Macquarie University
Have you ever tasted a word, or seen colours while listening to music?
If you have, you may be among the 1% to 4% of people who have a fascinating trait known as synaesthesia.
Synaesthesia is a neurological phenomenon where the activation of one sense, such as hearing, triggers the activation of another usually unrelated sense, such as sight. This means people with synaesthesia often experience additional sensations compared to the rest of us.
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By Alexa Scarlata, Lecturer, Digital Communication, RMIT University
Australian kids’ TV shows are now few and far between. During the pandemic, the Australian government scrapped decades-old quotas for minimum hours of children’s content to try and bail out flailing commercial television networks. They were never reinstated.
In 2023, the Australian Communications and Media Authority reported the local kids TV sector…
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By Art Cotterell, Postdoctoral Fellow, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney
The successful Artemis II trip around the Moon was a historic achievement – the first crewed lunar fly-by in more than 50 years, and the greatest distance yet travelled by humans from our “pale blue dot”.
The mission was marked by engineering, scientific and technical feats, by the astronauts and team at NASA and beyond,…
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By Matthew Sussex, Associate Professor (Adj), Griffith Asia Institute; and Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University
Hungary’s most consequential election in decades has just delivered an important victory for democracy and accountability.
For Hungarians, opposition leader Péter Magyar’s emphatic defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his ruling Fidesz Party ends 16 years of corruption and quasi-authoritarianism.
The outcome will also be felt widely, from Moscow to Washington and beyond.
In a contest characterised as a referendum on whether Hungary should pivot west or continue its authoritarian drift, Magyar’s victory is a stern rebuke to the dark, transnational forces…
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Australia will get its first female chief of army, with the appointment of Lieutenant General Susan Coyle to the post.
Coyle, currently chief of joint capabilities, is the first woman to be appointed head of any of the services in the Australian military.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the appointments of new military chiefs on Monday, ahead the government unveiling its 2026 statement on defence strategy and investment later this week. The appointments commence in July.
The current navy chief, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, will become the new chief of…
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By Ronald Kramer, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Why the prevalence of neurodivergent protagonists in police procedurals? And what are viewers gaining by watching stories predicated on this form of difference?
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By David Lee, Associate Professor of History, UNSW Sydney
A new federal government advertising campaign is prompting Australians to reduce their fuel consumption during the current global oil crisis.
It asks Australians to consider using their car less and offers tips to boost fuel efficiency, such as “driving smoothly” and “unloading excess weight”.
It comes soon after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s whirlwind…
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By Julian Novitz, Senior Lecturer, Writing, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology
What does a more authentic life look like? This is the question that suddenly confronts Jeffrey Watson-Johnson, the protagonist of Micheal Winker’s second novel, Griefdogg. It follows his acclaimed debut, the experimental historical novel Grimmish – the first self-published novel to be shortlisted for the Miles Franklin.
Jeffrey lives…
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By Emily Upton, PhD Candidate in Psychology, UNSW Sydney; Black Dog Institute
Kayla Steele, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist, UNSW Sydney
Many of us have rituals or habits to cope with worry that give us more of a sense of control. But here’s when they might be something more serious.
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By Donald Rothwell, Professor of International Law, Australian National University
With peace talks breaking down, the US president has said the US will blockade the Strait of Hormuz, which will have a further dire impact on international fuel supply.
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