Even the heaviest particles experience the usual quantum weirdness, new experiment shows
The ATLAS detector under construction.CERNOne of the most surprising predictions of physics is entanglement, a phenomenon where objects can be some distance apart but still linked together. The best-known examples of entanglement involve tiny chunks of light (photons), and low...
Hannah Arendt wanted political thinking to be urgent and engaged. She is a philosopher for our times
Lyndsey Stonebridge begins We Are Free to Change the World, her illuminating biography of Hannah Arendt, by reminding us of her subject’s continuing relevance. Arendt is sometimes thought of as a lofty and abstract thinker. Yet her thinking was highly...
How we think about ‘obesity’ and body weight is changing. Here’s why
World Obesity FederationFrom doctors’ offices to family gatherings, larger-bodied people report being bombarded with unsolicited advice about their eating and exercise habits. The underlying message? They “just need to lose weight” to fix almost any health problem. Society’s focus on...
Climate change threatens Australian tourism more than is widely believed. Here’s why
idiz/ShutterstockRight now, Australia is one of the top five tourist destinations in the world, a distinction the World Economic Forum says it shares with only the United States, France, Spain and Japan.So important is tourism to Australia’s economy that the...
Instagram has announced it will be removing beauty filters – but the damage is done
Roman Samborskyi/ShutterstockMeta has announced third-party augmented reality (AR) filters will no longer be available on its apps as of January 2025. This means more than two million user-made filters offered across WhatsApp, Facebook and, most notably, Instagram will disappear.Filters have...
A looming crisis means New Zealand must rethink how it pays for aged care
The recent submissions to parliament’s Health Select Committee makes one thing clear: a crisis looms for the aged care sector in New Zealand. This crisis centres on the funding and staffing of residential aged care (ARC) and in-home care and...
How do ecosystems collapse? Our study shows evolution plays a role – and can delay a disaster
Piyaset/ShutterstockDying coral reefs, rainforests transforming into savannas, grasslands turning into deserts – these are ecosystem “tipping points”, boundary lines we’re desperate not to cross. In dynamic systems filled with life, these critical thresholds aren’t set in stone. Since organisms can...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Adam Bandt on why the Greens are playing hardball on housing
The government has found many of its key measures stuck in a legislative quagmire, with both Greens and Coalition playing hardball with Labor’s plans. This week the government’s housing legislation has stalled in the Senate. The Greens are pitching for...
The Productivity Commission wants all Australian kids to get 3 days a week of childcare – but it won’t be until 2036
The federal government has released a highly anticipated report into Australia’s childcare system. The report, by the Productivity Commission, says addressing affordability should be a priority. It recommends fully subsidised childcare for families earning under A$80,000 from 2026. The report...
Australia desperately needs a strong federal environmental protection agency. Our chances aren’t looking good
Enrico Della Pietra/ShutterstockWhen Labor came to power federally after almost a decade in opposition, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek pledged to turn around Australia’s worsening environmental woes, from extinctions to land clearing to climate change. While the government has made progress...