Friday essay: ‘You can do graffiti … by breathing’ – I visited Adnyamathanha rock art as old as the Lascaux cave paintings
View towards Iga Warta. Flinders Ranges, South AustraliaLauren FugeOne sun-bright morning in the last weeks of winter, I found myself in the passenger seat of an ancient Toyota Troopie, rattling down a dirt track on the way to a sacred...
Declining PhD student numbers are a warning sign for NZ’s future knowledge economy
Louise Corcoran/Getty ImagesThe decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s economic trajectory has long been characterised by its reliance on...
How old, inefficient housing and time-of-use electricity rates are leaving some households worse off
Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003.Older homes tend to have very poor energy efficiency. They need more electricity or gas to heat...
What happens in my brain when I get a migraine? And what medications can I use to treat it?
Francisco Gonzelez/UnsplashMigraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly one-sided.Some people experience an “aura” preceding the headache phase...
Chicken wire, AI and mobile phones on sticks: how the drone war in Ukraine is driving a fierce battle of innovation
Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, sizes and levels of sophistication. They...
Migrant workers have long been too scared to report employer misconduct. A new visa could change this
defotoberg/ShutterstockMigrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a two-year pilot of innovative visa reforms that could bring...
Landmark new research shows how global warming is messing with our rainfall
The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. The findings, by Chinese researchers and the UK Met Office, were...
‘Bloodbath’, ‘bullseye’, ‘America’s Hitler’: why has our political rhetoric gotten so violent and incendiary?
In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, take-no-prisoners language that has become part of our ordinary political discourse.But...
Timber venues, river swimming and re-use: how the Paris Olympics is going green – and what it’s missing
A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/ShutterstockAs Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny.The organisers have promoted Paris 2024 as the greenest Olympics ever, aiming to halve the...
Politics, security and the Seine: where the Paris Olympics’ flashpoints will be
Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a group of men. On Monday, two employees of Channel 9 were...