Established in 1850, the University of Sydney was Australia’s first tertiary education institution. It is committed to maximising the potential of its students, teachers and researchers for the benefit of Australia and the wider world.
This is the year of electricity prices. Everyone, from the Prime Minister to your favourite barista, is talking about the recent rapid escalation in electricity prices. These increases are a complex story…
Moments after its polls closed, networks called Michigan for President Obama. That’s important for two reasons. First, it shows that in the auto-industry states of the Rust Belt, Obama has closed the deal…
Are they twins? Are they identical? Are they natural? Which one is older? These are some of the all-too-familiar, somewhat invasive and highly personal questions posed by well-intentioned strangers to…
American politics is nothing if not quirky. We let corn growers and maple-syrup farmers set the course for the presidential primaries. Our federal elections are a byzantine maze of local and state voting…
Researchers have found brain changes caused by Alzheimer’s disease in a group of 20-somethings, marking the earliest ever detection of early-onset dementia warning signs and paving the way for new treatments…
More than half of the Australian population believe they’re in very good to excellent health, have a high level of confidence in the health system and support the policy direction that the federal government’s…
Regular cocaine use significantly raises the risk of heart attack and stroke for otherwise healthy young people, a new study has found. The study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific…
While haranguing an empty chair at the Republican National Convention, Clint Eastwood stumbled upon the central metaphor of the 2012 election. The election has been, on the whole, about people who were…
Only a month ago the outcome of the US presidential election was seen my most commentators as being a question of the margin of President Barack Obama’s victory. But then the television debates intervened…
The media, trade unions and political parties are seen as Australia’s most corrupt institutions but fewer than 1% of people have had recent direct experience of graft, a new poll shows. The survey, titled…
US presidential elections generally have little direct impact on Australia. And broadly speaking, this campaign is shaping up to be no different. Despite their ideological differences, Barack Obama and…
Back in July I wrote an article for the The Conversation arguing that wind turbine syndrome was a classic “communicated” disease: it spreads by being talked about, and is therefore a strong candidate for…
If you believe industry propaganda, coal mining is a panacea not only for economic ills but also for smoothing troubled social waters. But a lack of local evidence about the health impact of the coal industry…
“Every time a door closes a window opens.” This clichéd greeting card sentiment must be the catch-cry of tobacco marketers globally. Every since tobacco advertising was first forced off our television…
I am writing with Hurricane Sandy having brought devastation to New York and the East coast of the United States. Much has been written on the politics of climate change. But until a few days ago, a severe…
The government has enabled rushed legislation that could put Australian researchers at a disadvantage to their US counterparts, says University of Sydney deputy vice-chancellor of research Jill Trewhella…
On November 4, 1979 when Jimmy Carter’s presidency depended on gaining the freedom of the US hostages held by Iranian student militants, he was unable to achieve this goal even when it looked like the…
With eight days until the US presidential election, Mitt Romney seems to have a very slight edge in the national polls. However, every respectable poll aggregator, along with all the betting and futures…
Since Katrina in 2005, hurricanes have become political events in America. This has occurred in part because Katrina proved so damaging to the Republican Party, and in part because the storms keep making…
It’s nine days before Election Day in the U.S., and here in Florida, the polls already boast long lines. This weekend over half-a-million Floridians will cast their ballots, some queuing up for nearly…