By Liam Temple, Assistant Professor in the History of Catholicism, Durham University
From the moment of his election in 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the man who became Pope Francis, proved himself to be unconventional.
Shedding much of the formality of previous papal elections, he appeared for the first time on the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica in a simple white cassock without the red ermine-trimmed cape, known as a mozzetta, traditionally worn on such occasions.
On his chest was the silver…
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By Celia Deane-Drummond, Professor of Theology, Director of Laudato Si' Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford
The death of Pope Francis has been announced by the Vatican. I first met the late Pope Francis at the Vatican after a conference called Saving Our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth in July 2018. My colleagues and I sensed something momentous was happening at the heart of the church.
At that time, I was helping…
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By Joel Hodge, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Australian Catholic University
Antonia Pizzey, Postdoctoral Researcher Research Centre for Studies of the Second Vatican Council, Australian Catholic University
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, just a day after greeting crowds at St Peter’s Square. From the very start of his papacy, he was determined to do things differently.
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By Daniel Reardon, Postdoctoral Researcher, Pulsar Timing and Gravitational Waves, Swinburne University of Technology
With the most powerful radio telescope in the southern hemisphere, we have observed a twinkling star and discovered an abundance of mysterious plasma structures in our cosmic neighbourhood.
The plasma structures we see are variations in density or turbulence, akin to interstellar cyclones stirred up by energetic events in the galaxy.
The study, published today in Nature Astronomy, also describes the first measurements of plasma layers within an interstellar shock wave that surrounds a pulsar.…
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By Tracy McEwan, School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle
Kathleen McPhillips, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle
Pope Francis is being remembered as a pastoral leader – and in some ways, his treatment of women in the Catholic Church was unprecedented. But he could have done more.
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By Cecilia Maundu
Countries implementing digital ID programs, such as Nigeria and Kenya, have experienced data breaches, raising fears about how well governments can protect sensitive personal information.
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By Albert Palazzo, Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney
For more than a century, Australia has followed the same defence policy: dependence on a great power. This was first the United Kingdom and then the United States.
Without properly considering other options, successive federal governments have intensified this policy with the AUKUS agreement and locked Australia into dependency on the US for decades to come.
A more imaginative and innovative…
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By Frank Rindert Algra-Maschio, PhD Candidate, Social and Political Sciences, Monash University
David Campbell, Senior Researcher, Information and Integrity Hub, RMIT University
Eiddwen Jeffery, Researcher, RMIT Information Integrity Hub, RMIT University
Lisa Waller, Professor of Digital Communication, RMIT University
Three weeks into the federal election campaign and both major parties have already pledged to spend billions in taxpayer dollars if elected on May 3.
But with so many policies announced — and surely more to follow — sometimes it can be hard to make sense of exactly what is being promised.
That ambiguity can come back to bite voters, and the government, during the next term.
So, how do you sort the deliverable promises from the downright impossible?
It’s a question…
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By Farah Houdroge, Mathematical Modeller, Burnet Institute
Mark Stoové, Head of Public Health, Co-Head HIV Elimination Program, Head of Justice Health Research, Burnet Institute
Nick Scott, Head of Modelling and Biostatistics, Burnet Institute
Australia leads the world in community-based needle programs. Yet they’re not used in prisons – which are hotspots for hepatitis C infection.
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By Katherine Kent, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Wollongong
The survey tracked students in Tasmania in 2022 and 2024. More than a quarter are often going without food because they can’t afford it.
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