Today we hear about some of the fascinating space research underway at Siding Spring Observatory – and how, despite gruelling hours and endless paperwork, astronomers retain their sense of wonder for the night sky.
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Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Cameron Furlong, The Conversation
‘The size, the grandeur, the peacefulness of being in the dark’: what it’s like to study space at Siding Spring Observatory
The Conversation, CC BY54.3 MB(download)
Three hours north-east of Parkes lies a remote astronomical research facility, unpolluted by city lights, where researchers are trying to unlock some of the biggest questions about our Universe.
Antibiotic resistant superbugs kill 32 plane-loads of people a week. We can all help fight back
The Conversation, CC BY48 MB(download)
Antibiotic resistant infections already kill about 700,000 people globally every year. While scientists are racing to find new ways to fight superbugs, there's one thing you can do, too.
Media companies are mad as hell at tech giants and don’t want to take it anymore. But what choice do they have?
The Conversation64.5 MB(download)
No wonder that, according to a new international survey, media companies are increasingly unhappy with their lot. In this episode we hear from the survey's author, Robert Whitehead.
To break the cycle of poverty and malnutrition, the government needs to ensure that children have access to sufficient healthy food.
Lithium ion batteries revolutionised the way we use, manufacture and charge our devices. They’re used to power mobile phones, laptops and even electric cars.
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M. Stanley Whittingham was one of three scientists who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work developing lithium-ion batteries – used to power mobile phones, laptops and electric cars.
The more people come to a city, the bigger demand for buildings. These buildings need to be safe.
This week’s Essential poll showed 56% of voters would prioritise stimulating the Australian economy over getting back to budget surplus.
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Ross Gittins on the government’s “surplus obsession”
The Conversation, CC BY29.3 MB(download)
As the Australian economy continues to struggle, many argue that stimulus is needed, urging the government to abandon its "surplus obsession".
The first report produced by Democracy 2025 brings forward the perspective of federal politicians, as they are key voices in the debate on trust in politics.
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On the trust divide in politics
The Conversation, CC BY50 MB(download)
Two of the authors of the first Democracy 2025 report discuss the keys findings about what politicians see as faults in the current political system, and how they think it can be improved.
The solution to measles outbreaks is deceptively easy: vaccinate more children. This belies the challenges along the path to that solution.
The Deputy PM urges farmers considering leaving their farms to ‘take every bit of good advice available before they take that ultimate step’.
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Deputy PM Michael McCormack on the drought and restive Nationals
The Conversation, CC BY33.7 MB(download)
Following tensions in the Nationals party room over the bring-forward of the dairy code for Pauline Hanson, the Deputy PM admits that the party leadership mishandled the situation.
Trust Me, I’m An Expert: forensic entomology, or what bugs can tell police about when someone died
The Conversation, CC BY58.8 MB(download)
James Wallman is one of Australia's few forensic entomologists. It’s his job to unpack the tiny clues left behind by insects that can help police solve crimes.
Cloud computing can play a crucial role in helping African countries reach sustainable development.
Some of Watts’ ancestors were deeply rooted in the old attitudes of “white Australia”, while his wife is from Hong Kong, and his children Eurasian-Australian.
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Tim Watts on Australia’s changing identity
The Conversation, CC BY37.7 MB(download)
Tim Watts joins Michelle Grattan to discuss his new book, The Golden Country, in which he reconciles his family's past and present, and explores the question of what it means to be Australian.
Professor in U.S. Politics and U.S. Foreign Relations at the United States Studies Centre and in the Discipline of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney
