By Ignacio López-Goñi, Catedrático de Microbiología. Miembro de la Sociedad Española de Microbiología (SEM), Universidad de Navarra
You may have heard that astronauts have their appendix removed before leaving Earth. After all, people say you can live without this organ because it serves no purpose, but how much truth is there in this belief?
Let’s start by locating it. The appendix is a small, finger-shaped pouch located where the small intestine joins the large intestine, in the cecum. Inflammation and infection of the appendix, known as appendicitis, can lead to rupture of the organ and subsequent widespread infection…
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By Bongephiwe Dlamini-Myeni, Senior Lecturer, University of Zululand
Shaka Zulu is one of the most storied figures in South African history. Believed to have been born around 1787, the man also known as uShaka kaSenzangakhona is regarded as the founder of the country’s Zulu nation.
Shaka has been the subject of numerous novels, poems, films and TV series. Many have offered distorted…
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By Gemma Ware, Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
Listen to conservation scientist Hollie Booth explain what happened when fishermen in Indonesia were paid to release sharks caught up in their nets.
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Paul Keating famously used to say the resident galah in any pet shop was talking about micro-economic policy. These days it’ll be chattering about productivity.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A woman looks at a ballot paper during the Burundian legislative elections in Giheta Commune of Gitega Province in Burundi, June 5, 2025 © 2025 REUTERS/Evrard Ngendakumana (Nairobi) – Legislative and local elections in Burundi on June 5, 2025, took place in a context of severely restricted free speech and political space, Human Rights Watch said today. The Independent National Electoral Commission (Commission électorale nationale indépendante, CENI) announced on June 11 during a press conference that the ruling party had won 96.5 percent of votes and all…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image The Delegation of the European Union to China hosted a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of EU-China relations and to celebrate Europe Day, May 6, 2025. © 2025 European Union This year marks some big numbers for the European Union-China relationship: it is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations and the 40th iteration of the annual human rights dialogue, scheduled in Brussels on June 13. However, the number is closer to zero when assessing the progress that these dialogues have delivered for human rights in China.Human Rights Watch,…
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By Laura
The arrest of a Togolese rapper for his indignation over the country’s poor governance and social injustice has raised serious concerns about the right to freedom of expression in Togo.
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By Janet Ransley, Professor, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University
Jack’s Law has been expanded in Queensland despite evidence showing there was no reduction in violence as a result of the use of the hand-held scanners.
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By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
While the Labor opposition might be leading the opinion polls, Tasmania’s Hare-Clark voting system means the crossbench will once again be kingmakers.
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By Hilary Bowman-Smart, Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Precision Health, University of South Australia
Craig Stanbury, Teaching Associate, Monash Bioethics Centre, Monash University
Monash IVF CEO Michael Knaap has resigned after one of the company’s Melbourne clinics mistakenly transferred the wrong embryo to a patient. The patient wanted her partner’s embryo, but instead her own embryo was transferred.
It is the second time this year Monash IVF has made such an announcement. In April, the company…
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