Explainer: what is cystic fibrosis and how is it treated?
Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects around 3,000 people in Australia and 70,000 worldwide. It's an inherited disease caused by a mutation in a single gene called CFTR.
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What are McKenzie friends and why are they appearing in more courtrooms?
Legal aid cuts have made people going to court turn for help elsewhere.
Everything you wanted to know about US elections but were afraid to ask
Global audiences have heard of US election terms like the primaries, the conventions and the Electoral College. But the history and exact meaning of these terms remains a mystery to many.
Explainer: the nine swing states that will decide the next US president
The 2016 US presidential race has been a strange campaign in many ways, but the swing state map looks very familiar.
Explainer: what are cataracts?
More than a million Australians have an untreated cataract and hundreds of cataract surgeries are performed daily, but what are they?
Explained: why a reboot is the go-to computer fix
We've all called up IT for help and been asked to turn our machines off and on again. Here's why.
Explainer: why Hanjin’s ships are stranded around the globe
South Korean Hanjin Shipping has ships and crews stranded in ports around the world as creditors and customers wait to see if the company can be saved.
Explainer: the same-sex marriage plebiscite
While Australians finally have some detail of the proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage, there is no guarantee that the question will be put to the people on February 11 next year.
Explainer: what’s meningococcal meningitis and what are the signs?
Stories of meningococcal outbreaks tell us it's that season again. But what is meningococcal, why does it occur in seasons, and why does it strike fear into the hearts of so many?
Explainer: what is parliament’s role in the marriage equality debate?
As the government hints the marriage equality plebiscite may be delayed until 2017, calls intensify for the parliament to legislate on the issue instead. So what is parliament's role here?
What makes a winning water polo shot?
Three things go a long way to deciding water polo medallists.
In the mind of an elite athlete: what do sportspeople think when they excel?
The psychological states athletes experience – temporary, brief, subjective experiences that happen during exceptional performance – are often collectively described as “the zone”.
Explainer: what is psychoanalysis?
Freud recognised the idea of an unconscious in his work in the late 1800s. He proposed physical symptoms often express deeply repressed conflicts and thoughts.
Explainer: what makes a winning swimmer?
Races at the international level are often decided by as little as 0.01 of a second.
Explainer: what is age-related macular degeneration?
Macular degeneration affects the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail. Age-related macular degeneration is the main cause of blindness in Australia.
Why talent transfer is key for a winning rugby Sevens team
The gold medal-winning Australian women's rugby Sevens team is a shining example of talent transfer from other sports.
Explainer: what is the census, and why does it matter?
Census data have a real impact on the lives of Australians, from determining political representation through the distribution of electorates, to the allocation of government funding.
How sports get chosen for the Olympics
It's down to money, popularity and a lot of lobbying.
Should the UK remain in the EU customs union after Brexit?
The difference between a customs union and a free trade area – explained.
Explainer: the A, B, C, D and E of hepatitis
Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E are very different viruses. Hepatitis A is genetically closer to the common cold than it is to hepatitis B. Hepatitis C is closer to the virus that causes dengue fever.
Top contributors
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Lecturer, Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide
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Professor of Dermatology, University of Melbourne
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Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University
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Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education and Professor of Molecular Biology, UNSW Australia
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Post Doctoral Research Associate, Centre for the Subatomic Structure of Matter, University of Adelaide
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Post-doctoral Fellow in Immunology & Genetics / Research Academic for Centre of Excellence in Severe Asthma, University of Newcastle
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Lecturer, Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University
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John Curtin Distinguished Professor of Health Science, Curtin University
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Senior Lecturer in Networking, The Open University
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Associate professor, Monash University
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Martin Boland is a Friend of The Conversation.
Senior Lecturer of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Charles Darwin University
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Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museum Victoria
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Post-doctoral fellow, University of Newcastle
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Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Monash University
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Lecturer in History, Massey University
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