By Martin B. Richards, Research Professor in Archaeogenetics, Department of Physical and Life Sciences, University of Huddersfield
The question of when people first arrived in the land mass that now comprises much of Australasia has long been a source of scientific debate.
Many Aboriginal people believe they have lived on the land since time immemorial. But until the advent of radiocarbon dating techniques, many western scholars thought they had arrived not long before European contact 250 years ago.
Now a
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By Zoe Staines, Senior Lecturer in Law and Social Policy, The University of Queensland
Francis Markham, ARC DECRA Fellow, Australian National University
Hannah McGlade, Associate Professor in Law, Curtin University
Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney
The government’s laws cancelling social security payments for some accused of crimes turn a safety net into a weapon for punishing people.
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By Aruna Sathanapally, Chief Executive, Grattan Institute
The government moved quickly after its election victory to seek ideas for economic reform. As it prepares the next federal budget, we cannot let that momentum lapse.
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By Jan Kabatek, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
Ferdi Botha, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
Is working from home good for your mental health? If so, how many days a week are best? A new study has some answers.
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By Alaa Mohasseb, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, University of Portsmouth
For many years, the US company Nvidia shaped the foundations of modern artificial intelligence. Its graphics processing units (GPUs) are a specialised type of computer chip originally designed to handle the processing demands of graphics and animation. But they’re also great for the repetitive calculations required by AI systems.
Thus, these chips have powered the rapid rise of large language models – the technology behind AI chatbots – and they have became the familiar engine behind almost every major AI breakthrough.
This hardware sat quietly in the background while most…
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By Zahida Sultanova, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia
High-energy particles streaming through space can damage DNA and increase cancer risk, but antioxidants, tardigrades and hibernation could help astronauts make the journey safely.
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By Philip Murphy, Director of History & Policy at the Institute of Historical Research and Professor of British and Commonwealth History, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Help! might sit uncomfortably for a lot of viewers today but it should not be allowed to fall into obscurity
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By Gerlinde Bigga, Scientific Coordinator of the Leibniz Science Campus "Geogenomic Archaeology Campus Tübingen", University of Tübingen
The last two decades have seen a revolution in scientists’ ability to reconstruct the past. This has been made possible through technological advances in the way DNA is extracted from ancient bones and analysed.
These advances have revealed that Neanderthals and modern humans interbred – something that wasn’t previously thought to have happened. It has allowed researchers to disentangle the various migrations that shaped modern…
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By Elinor Harrison, Lecturer, Performing Arts Department, Faculty Affiliate, Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis
On the first Sunday after being named leader of the Catholic Church in May 2025, Pope Leo XIV stood on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and addressed the tens of thousands of people gathered. Invoking tradition, he led the people in noontime prayer. But rather than reciting it, as his predecessors generally did, he sang.
In chanting the traditional Regina Caeli, the pope inspired what…
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By Kaitlyn M. Sims, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, University of Denver; Institute for Humane Studies
A record number of Colorado children died in 2024 as a result of domestic violence, despite a statewide reduction in overall homicide.
Of the eight children who died, five were involved in active custody disputes. These deaths took place when families faced high stress but also when legal systems should have been well placed to intervene. Multiple children were killed alongside a sibling…
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