By Andres Fielbaum, Lecturer in Transport, University of Sydney
Picture this: you’re competing in a time-trial cycling race along a route that’s not known in advance. Instead of following a marked course, you receive instructions via notifications on your mobile phone.
Looking at your phone while cycling is extremely dangerous. But to stay on track, you must consult it nearly continuously.
If such a race took place on the streets of a busy, car-oriented city like Sydney, you would likely opt out. Yet food-delivery riders face precisely this situation every day: they receive order notifications while riding, and if they don’t check them,…
(Full Story)
|
By Charlotte Gupta, Sleep Researcher, Appleton Institute, HealthWise Research Group, CQUniversity Australia
Easter is here and chocolate is everywhere – crowding shop shelves, piling up on desks, and likely already sitting in your pantry.
But if you’ve been finding it harder to sleep recently, late-night Easter eggs could be part of the problem.
That’s because some chocolate ingredients, including caffeine and sugar, may be sneakily impacting your sleep.
But if you love chocolate, you don’t have to give it up completely. Instead, here are some science-backed tips for enjoying it without sacrificing your sleep.
The science of chocolate…
(Full Story)
|
By Wendy Hargreaves, Academic in the School of Education and Creative Arts, University of Southern Queensland
You can’t visit the shops around Christmas time without hearing Feliz Navidad, Silent Night, or Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You.
So why was Kate Ceberano’s song Bedroom Eyes blaring through the speakers as I did my Easter chocolate shopping this week?
Both Easter…
(Full Story)
|
By Marit E. Kragt, Professor of Agricultural Economics, The University of Western Australia
War in the Middle East has put a spotlight on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea passage through which 20% of global oil supply is shipped. But far less attention has been paid to another essential product derived from oil and gas, on which the world also relies: fertiliser.
Roughly 20–30% of global fertiliser supply, such as urea, ammonia and phosphate, comes…
(Full Story)
|
By Natalie Elms, Senior Lecturer, School of Accountancy, Queensland University of Technology
Ashesha Weerasinghe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in International Taxation, Queensland University of Technology
From cyber attacks to artificial intelligence, no business can ignore the role of technology. New research shows Australia’s boardrooms are missing key expertise.
(Full Story)
|
By Miki Perkins, Environment & Energy Editor, The Conversation
Ever wondered what it might feel like to spot giant spider crabs while you’re snorkelling? Or check plants for the circular holes that indicate native bees are collecting nest materials?
Citizen science relies on people like you – more than a million of them in Australia, actually – to collect and analyse valuable data about the world around us.
Here, we introduce five citizen science projects you can…
(Full Story)
|
By Ellie McFarlane, PhD Candidate, School of Media & Communication, RMIT University
Whale Shark Jack is Stan’s heartfelt, kid-focused addition to the Australian wildlife movie canon.
Its brief run time and ambitious mix of genres means some elements are under-cooked. Nonetheless, the film shines as a love letter to Western Australia’s coastline and its community.
Girl meets whale shark
Whale Shark Jack begins on WA’s world-heritage listed Ningaloo Reef. The young Sarah (played by Alyla Browne as a 12-year-old, and by Emmi Williams as a younger child) lives on a boat with her parents, Nita (Abbie Cornish) and Marcus (Michael Dorman) – both of…
(Full Story)
|
By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Urban Risk and Resilience, The University of Melbourne
Iman Taheri Sarteshnizi, Research Fellow, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne
Neema Nassir, Associate Professor in Transport Engineering, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne
Victoria and Tasmania have announced free fares, but NSW is firmly against the idea. Will it work to get people out of cars?
(Full Story)
|
By Rebecca Lynne Hendershott, Lecturer in Biological Anthropology, Australian National University
Hoppers is a deceptively simple story that opens up complex ethical and scientific questions.
Jerry (Jon Hamm), the mayor of Beaverton, has marked a forest glade for destruction, so commuters can save four minutes of drive time. The plan is environmentally assessed as feasible given no animals seem to live there.
But Mabel (Piper Curda) fights to save the glade, using the newest technology to put her mind into an animatronic beaver robot. This allows her to communicate with the animals and coordinate their collective action.
In classic Disney fashion, the town…
(Full Story)
|
By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image An external view of the destruction of buildings in Evin prison's northern premises after the Israeli strikes on June 23, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Photo taken on July 1, 2025. © 2025 Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Thousands of detainees in Iran, including political prisoners and children, are at risk of injury and death from US and Israeli strikes, as well as atrocities by Iran’s authorities, including mass, secret, and arbitrary executions. Instead of releasing prisoners unconditionally or on humanitarian grounds, Iran’s authorities continue to carry out the arrests…
(Full Story)
|