Science & Research

‘Cli-fi’ might not save the world, but writing it could help with your eco-anxiety

Rachel Hennessy, The University of Melbourne; Alex Cothren, Flinders University, and Amy T Matthews, Flinders University The consequences of climate change weigh on all of us, especially as we face an El Niño summer, with floods and fires already making themselves felt in the Australian environment. But even outside of being directly affected, there is [...]

By |2024-03-20T12:46:48+11:00March 20th, 2024|Categories: Science & Research, Society & Culture|Tags: |0 Comments

What’s in vapes? Toxins, heavy metals, maybe radioactive polonium

Alexander Larcombe, Telethon Kids Institute If you asked me what’s in e-cigarettes, disposable vapes or e-liquids, my short answer would be “we don’t fully know”. The huge and increasing range of products and flavours on the market, changes to ingredients when they are heated or interact with each other, and inadequate labelling make this a [...]

By |2023-12-11T16:45:33+11:00November 20th, 2023|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Science & Research|Tags: |0 Comments

How close are we to reading minds? A new study decodes language and meaning from brain scans

Christina Maher, University of Sydney The technology to decode our thoughts is drawing ever closer. Neuroscientists at the University of Texas have for the first time decoded data from non-invasive brain scans and used them to reconstruct language and meaning from stories that people hear, see or even imagine. In a new study published [...]

By |2023-09-28T12:06:42+10:00September 27th, 2023|Categories: Science & Research|Tags: |0 Comments

Here’s what happens in your brain when you’re trying to make or break a habit

Ashleigh E. Smith, University of South Australia; Carol Maher, University of South Australia, and Susan Hillier, University of South Australia Did you set a New Year’s resolution to kick a bad habit, only to find yourself falling back into old patterns? You’re not alone. In fact, research suggests up to 40% of our daily [...]

By |2023-08-14T13:21:23+10:00August 14th, 2023|Categories: Learning, Science & Research|Tags: |0 Comments

Hit your head while playing sport? Here’s what just happened to your brain

Sarah Hellewell, Curtin University It’s Friday night, your team is playing, and scores are nail-bitingly close. A player intercepts the ball, and bam! A player tackles his opponent to the ground. Trainers and doctors gather nervously while the commentators wait for confirmation: a concussion, mild traumatic brain injury, head knock, strike, tap, bump, blow … [...]

By |2023-05-03T14:42:31+10:00May 3rd, 2023|Categories: Science & Research, Trauma|Tags: |0 Comments

Uncovering the triggers of severe COVID-19 in kids

Conor McCafferty and Professor Vera Ignjatovic In most cases, children are largely protected from severe COVID-19. They have fewer symptoms, less severe disease and tend to recover more quickly than adults. Only 1.7 per cent of children will be hospitalised for COVID-19 – most will have mild or no symptoms. For previously unknown reasons, a [...]

By |2022-05-24T16:13:19+10:00May 24th, 2022|Categories: COVID, Science & Research, Wellbeing|Tags: |0 Comments

Climate change: Collective action a counterpoint to Australian government inaction

This article was co-authored with Rebecca Patrick, a climate-health researcher. As leading scientists call on the world to avert an impending climate catastrophe, Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded with this: “There is not a direct correlation between the action that Australia takes and the temperature in Australia.” Effectively, Scott Morrison is reasserting his already refuted [...]

By |2021-08-23T11:53:31+10:00August 23rd, 2021|Categories: Nature Play, Science & Research, Society & Culture|Tags: |0 Comments

How to maintain a healthy biome in a COVID-19 world

Djamila Eliby , Dr Julian Simmons and Yianna Zhang This year, we have all grappled with the now essential measures of reducing the risk of being infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19, including wearing masks, staying at home, washing and sanitising our hands and disinfecting the surfaces we touch. The importance of these [...]

By |2020-12-15T11:36:24+11:00December 15th, 2020|Categories: Resilience, Science & Research, Society & Culture|0 Comments

The good, the bad and the lonely: how coronavirus changed Australian family life

Megan Carroll, Australian Institute of Family Studies; Diana Warren, Australian Institute of Family Studies; Jennifer A. Baxter, Australian Institute of Family Studies, and Kelly Hand, Australian Institute of Family Studies COVID-19 has brought about big changes in Australia and across the world, with much attention focused on the way governments are responding to the health [...]

By |2020-12-15T11:09:10+11:00December 15th, 2020|Categories: Science & Research, Society & Culture|0 Comments

A fluid concept: Finding the most productive time of the day

When are we most likely to do our best work? New research shows that, on average, our brains work best in the middle of the day – if asked to perform abstract, logical or problem-solving tasks. Monash economist Denni Tommasi and University of Granada economist Alessio Gaggero came to this conclusion after studying 500,000 exam [...]

By |2020-11-09T15:32:44+11:00November 9th, 2020|Categories: Science & Research|0 Comments
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