What toilet paper and game shows can teach us about the spread of epidemics
A new study uses maths and behavioural science to understand how your actions during an epidemic influence the spread of the disease (and vice versa). …
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Life / Culture
A shocking 79% of female scientists have negative experiences during polar field work
Women play a critical role in fieldwork in the Arctic and Antarctica, but the vast majority of them report negative experiences while undertaking this research. Here’s how we can fix the problem. …
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A strange intermittent radio signal from space has astronomers puzzled
A slowly flickering source of radio waves that changes over time might be a neutron star or a white dwarf – but its behaviour doesn’t quite fit any of our theories. …
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‘Junk science’ is being used in Australian courtrooms, and wrongful convictions are at stake
Expert opinion is necessary as part of the justice system – but nobody is asking if the experts are fit for the task and if their evidence is reliable. …
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Are data breaches the new normal? Should we just assume our data isn’t safe?
It feels like a data breach is in the news every single week. Here’s why you should guard your personal information more jealously than ever. …
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Australia’s key program for gender equity in STEM was scrapped last week. This could actually be good news
Australia’s Women in STEM ambassador initiative has been discontinued. Is this a setback for diversity? …
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Fresh water and key conditions for life appeared on Earth half a billion years earlier than we thought
The very early Earth may not have been as inhospitable as scientists thought, with life perhaps starting more than 4 billion years ago. …
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Patents based on traditional knowledge are often ‘biopiracy’. A new international treaty will finally combat this
Can you patent something Indigenous peoples already know about? Too often, the answer is yes – but moves are afoot to stop it. …
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What’s that in my nest? How the evolutionary arms race between cuckoos and hosts creates new species
New research on cuckoos suggests the battle between exploiters and victims may be a key reason for life’s enormous diversity. …
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Tonga’s volcanic eruption could cause unusual weather for the rest of the decade, new study shows
Our new research predicts how Hunga Tonga’s vast underwater eruption in 2022 will change winters worldwide for years to come – as far away as Australia, North America and even Scandinavia. …
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