By Kathiana Luk, Researcher, Climate Science, The University of Melbourne
Andrew Dowdy, Principal Research Scientist in Extreme Weather, The University of Melbourne
Hamish Clarke, Principal Research Fellow, Future Fire Risk, The University of Melbourne
This year, the European summer has been sweltering. It is unprecedented in many ways, marked by extreme heat, drought and record-breaking fires. Across the continent, fires have consumed hundreds of homes and demanded the evacuation of thousands of people.
Europe’s wine regions have been particularly hard hit, including around France’s Bordeaux region. Aside from the direct dangers of fires, exposure to smoke can give grapes a burnt or ashy flavour,…
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By Rennie Lee, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland
Janeen Baxter, Professor of Sociology, Director of Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, The University of Queensland
The government is reportedly considering restricting the work rights of asylum seekers as part of its plan to decrease migration. But it’s not a good idea.
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By Lisa Byrom, Associate Professor, Dermatology, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland
If you’re squeamish, you might want to avoid the TikTok videos of people peeling off their pimple patches. But if you want to know if they really work, read on.
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By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education, Charles Sturt University
Some Melbourne primary schools are reportedly restricting cartwheels and handstands after injuries.
While some parents have described the recent move as “ridiculous”, the Victorian Principals Association says schools can sometimes issue a temporary ban “to educate children on how to do [cartwheels or other activities] safely”.
This isn’t the first time schools have put…
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By Luke Munn, Research Fellow, Digital Cultures & Societies, The University of Queensland
Two new books, End Times Fascism and Nerd Reich, take a hard look at fascism today – and its intersections with big tech.
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By Nicholas Ross Smith, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, University of Waikato
Competition for AI dominance resembles the nuclear arms race of the Cold War era. A similarly serious response may also now be needed.
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By John R. Heckman, Doctoral Candidate, Interdisciplinary Humanities, Brock University
Visual footage — even that created by journalists and civilians to document conflict and hold nations accountable — can now become raw material for weapons development.
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By Susan Watson, Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Governments can curb corporate power. But first we need to understand how corporate law allows private ventures to accumulate power that can endure for generations.
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By Rebecca Smullin Dawson, Associate Professor of Biology, Allegheny College
Pittsburgh helped pioneer the polio vaccine. Now, as measles cases rise across Pennsylvania, an epidemiologist explains the disease and the vaccine that prevents it.
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By J. Thomas Beatty, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia
Andrew S. Lang, University Research Professor, Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland
When you think of viruses, you probably think of flu-like symptoms and quarantines. Humankind has suffered from viral diseases ranging from smallpox to COVID-19, hantavirus and Ebola since the dawn of recorded history.
However, all living organisms that are susceptible…
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