In a post-truth world, what happens if we can’t trust US economic data any more?
Marta Khomyn, University of Adelaide We may already live in the post-truth world, but are we about to enter the era of post-truth statistics? Each month, the US employment report…
From sea ice to ocean currents, Antarctica is now undergoing abrupt changes – and we’ll all feel them
Nerilie Abram, Australian National University; Ariaan Purich, Monash University; Felicity McCormack, Monash University; Jan Strugnell, James Cook University, and Matthew England, UNSW Sydney Antarctica has long been seen as a…
The Trump administration wants to use the military against drug traffickers. History suggests this may backfire
Philip Johnson, Flinders University In early August, US President Donald Trump signed a not-so-secretive order to make plans for the use of US military force against specific Latin American criminal…
Are you really an ISFJ? The truth about personality tests – and why we keep taking them
Kelvin (Shiu Fung) Wong, Swinburne University of Technology and Wenting (Wendy) Chen, UNSW Sydney Personality tests have become increasingly popular in daily life. From hiring to dating, they promise to…
Why bad arguments sound convincing: 10 tricks of logic that underpin vaccine myths
Hassan Vally, Deakin University The biggest lie those who create and spread misinformation perpetrate is that they want you to think for yourself. They warn their target audience not to…
Donald Trump to chair new Olympic taskforce in bid to allay international visitor concerns ahead of 2028 Los Angeles Games
Richard Hargy, Queen’s University Belfast The US president, Donald Trump, signed an executive order on August 5 to set up a government taskforce to manage the 2028 Summer Olympics in…
Postwar Japan at 80: 10 factors that changed the nation forever
Simon Avenell, Australian National University This year marks 80 years since Japan’s catastrophic defeat in the Asia-Pacific War. In 1945, the country lay in ruins. Millions had died in battle…
For people with ADHD, medication can reduce the risk of accidents, crime and suicide
Adam Guastella, University of Sydney and Kelsie Boulton, University of Sydney Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects around 7% of children and 2.5% of adults. ADHD…
If AI takes most of our jobs, money as we know it will be over. What then?
Ben Spies-Butcher, Macquarie University It’s the defining technology of an era. But just how artificial intelligence (AI) will end up shaping our future remains a controversial question. For techno-optimists, who…
After 4 years of repressive Taliban rule, Afghans are suffering in silence. Is the world still watching?
Niamatullah Ibrahimi, The University of Melbourne; Arif Saba, Deakin University, and Safiullah Taye, Australian Catholic University On August 15 2021, Afghanistan’s democratic republic collapsed. As the last US and NATO…