Established in 1949, UNSW Sydney is one of Australia’s leading research and teaching universities, renowned for the quality of its graduates and its commitment to academic excellence, innovation and social impact.
The Universal Royalty Beauty Pageant, who brought us the television show Toddlers and Tiaras, is just days away from its inaugural Australian meeting in Melbourne, and there’s been a build-up of public…
The latest report on Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) activities – this one concerning transparency – has just been made public, two weeks after it was submitted to the government. At least this…
One glance at our species can give the impression that we’re conniving, selfish and pretty greedy. But look at other species and you’ll get a broader perspective: compared to other animals, people are…
Q: How do you confuse an Irishman? A: Put him in front of two shovels and ask him to take his pick Q: How do you get an Irishman on the roof? A: Tell him drinks are on the house. Q: Why did the Irishman…
For the first time ever, the number of overweight people on Earth outweighs the number that are undernourished. From the obesity crisis flows a cascade of health and social problems: it burdens healthcare…
If you’ve followed climate contrarian talking points over the years, you’ll be familiar with the argument over satellite observations of global warming. In 1990 it was reported that the satellite record…
The ongoing phone hacking scandal in Britain raises a number of questions for Australia’s media and political future. Could the practices engaged in by Rupert Murdoch owned newspapers like the News of…
The myth that the four common tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter are located at different regions of the tongue has existed for more than a century. It arose from studies in the late 19th and early…
The dramatic events around the phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s London News of the World are unprecedented in a major news media organisation in an advanced industrial country. A newspaper closed…
Read the argument for the use of complementary medicine. The question of whether doctors should provide “complementary or alternative” medicines and procedures for which there is no scientific proof of…
A coalition of representatives from leading national health bodies are briefing parliamentarians today, calling for alcohol pricing to be placed on the agenda of the upcoming Federal Tax Forum in October…
Poverty is about more than just a lack of income. Those who experience it face unacceptable restrictions on their material and social wellbeing. Research can no longer focus on defining a poverty line…
The federal government’s consultation process on the next phase of the “Intervention” in the Northern Territory is excluding those to whom it matters most: Indigenous communities. The “Intervention” was…
The grounding of Tiger Airways over the weekend underlines the difficulties of the airline business. The global airline industry has consistently failed to generate an adequate return on capital, even…
Recent media reports have called into question Australia’s adherence to the Geneva Convention during the early stages of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. A key allegation is that Australia set up a system…
Welcome to If I had a blank cheque I’d … a new series in which leading researchers reveal what they could do in their discipline if money were no object. Today we hear from Malcolm Walter, professor of…
It’s difficult to believe that the iconic Foster’s beer brands, which include VB, Crown Lager and Cascade, could be next to fall into the hands of foreign owners. If they do, this will mean that over half…
The Conversation wraps up Clearing up the Climate Debate with a statement from our authors: the debate is over. Let’s get on with it. Over the past two weeks The Conversation has highlighted the consensus…
Since mandatory bike helmet laws were introduced in 1991, researchers, cyclists and campaigners have debated the law’s role in cyclist safety and the desirability of bike riding. A new analysis reveals…
That “fair trade” sticker on a bar of chocolate or bag of coffee beans might make you feel better, but there’s no guarantee it’s helping poor farmers. In fact, it may be making their lives worse. When…