Australia must have a strategy to ensure the country’s prosperity and boost its international standing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb said…
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We’ve long known that allergies such as eczema, hay fever and asthma are caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. But we’ve been unclear about which genes are responsible. This week…
In a recent lecture, Ross Garnaut argued that after decades of prosperity, Australians must now choose between two radically different approaches to our problems. The choice is between a “business as usual…
The Spotted Handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) is a small fish that lives on the sea bed in the cool, sheltered waters of south-east Tasmania. It has modified pelvic fins that look like “hands”, hence…
Public concerns about issues such as wind farms and vaccines have led to a discussion about why some people have strong fears or adverse reactions, and why their perception of risk doesn’t align with those…
On the face of it, the banning of seven financial planning advisers and $50 million worth of compensation paid to burnt investors would be considered a good outcome for our corporate regulator. But the…
The quick and ruthless deposal of Mohamed Morsi is testament to two realities of post-Mubarak Egypt: the broken economy and the deep-rooted political and economic interest of the armed forces. When he…
At the airport in Seville, Spain, we meet Alfredo who has come with his granddaughter Alicia. She is about to board a plane to Germany, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, who also sought a…
Recently the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Today’s Students and Tomorrow’s Workforce were released to guide American state education authorities in redeveloping their science curriculum…
Medical abortions will finally be easily available to Australian women when the drug RU486 (mifepristone and misoprostol) is listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from August 1, 2013. But…
Australia’s relations with Indonesia are at risk if the political discourse in this country continues to focus on border security issues expressed through domestic-driven, vote-garnering and media-grabbing…
We know professional cyclists have strong legs and the desire to win, but what role does food and drink play in their chances of success? The Tour de France is considered one of the world’s most demanding…
Kevin Rudd has chosen a senior Treasury official, Jim Murphy, to be his new chief of staff. Rudd worked with Murphy, a deputy secretary whose job will concentrate on policy development and economic advice…
Throughout the morning of July 3, Australian news media were reporting that the aircraft carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales had been forced to make an unscheduled stopover in Vienna, en route from…
There is a growing consensus among scholars that rates of violence in Western countries are steadily declining, and have been doing so for centuries. The statistic used by most people who support this…
I had always been obsessed with cars. To me, cars represented freedom, engineering excellence, modernity, technological brilliance, speed, fun and excitement. I still love cars but not like I used to…
Accounts in the media over the past week explain, or rather rationalise, the downfall of our first female Prime Minister. One-time feminist warrior Eva Cox found that Julia Gillard failed to communicate…
The UK government has announced its intention to draft proposals allowing carriers of mitochondrial disease to have babies using a controversial IVF treatment that’s currently prohibited. The procedure…
When the IBM computer Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997 it seemed to many we had crossed a threshold. By beating us at our (arguably) most complex intellectual task, man had…
Australian climate change inaction is often excused with “unless China and the US do something, why should we?”. But, with China’s recent introduction of a cap-and-trade system and Barack Obama’s move…
If there is one thing we know from Kevin Rudd’s first period as Prime Minister it is that he was comfortable on the international stage. Although he inherited the date in his diary from Julia Gillard…
The government has failed to meet a self-set target of 500,000 registrations of its Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) by July 1. As at June 30, the Department of Health and Ageing…
As prime minister Kevin Rudd prepares to visit Indonesia and meet with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, he should bear in mind that the asylum seeker problem plaguing the Australian…
The phrase “scientific evidence” has become part of the vernacular – thrown about like a hot potato during discussions of major environmental, health or social issues. Climate change is one example. The…
Australia may be going through higher education ministers at an extraordinary rate, but they seem determined to use their time in office. First Craig Emerson announced major funding cuts to universities…