Author: Editorial Board

Many commentators agree that the field of media studies will become more and more important in the coming years. The European Science Foundation (ESF) publication “Media studies: new media and new literacies” aims to meet the needs of research initiatives in bridging the methodological divides that can exist between the humanities and the social sciences…

As David Bowie had his cocaine period, so too did Sigmund Freud, beginning in 1894 and lasting at least two years. Unlike the rock star, the doctor was just at the beginning of his career, “a nervous fellow” of 28 “who wanted to make good,” says Howard Markel, author of An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund…

Reconstructing the history of our Galaxy has just become a whole lot easier, thanks to a team of international astronomers led by Dr Luca Casagrande from the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. By examining both the light and soundwaves from stars, the team has developed a more precise way to deduce the ages of…

Like many right-brained people, artist and critic Matt Collings finds higher math mystifying, a word that implies both bewilderment and wonder. Faced with the equations that make, for example, Stephen Hawking’s work possible, most of us are left similarly slack-jawed. Collings aptly describes the realm of theoretical physics—which so contradicts our everyday experience—as “an alien…

From Tolstoy to Tumblr, a compendium of timeless wisdom on life. In March of 1884, Leo Tolstoy resolved in his diary to create a “circle of reading” for himself, probing “the great philosophers of all time and all people” for wisdom on how to live well. This was the birth of his famous Calendar of…

CSIRO has released a report on “spectrum crunch” and the role of ubiquitous connectivity in future wireless applications. The threat of ‘peak data’ and what that could mean for the way we connect and access essential services in the future, is the focus of a report released by CSIRO. Director of CSIRO’s Digital Productivity and…

Today, we bring you the CS50, Harvard’s Introductory Computer Science course, taught by Professor David Malan, which appeared last year. Why revisit an updated version of the same class a year later? For one thing, the material has been updated. And, as you can tell by the rousing reception Malan receives from the audience at…

Experts from countries around the Indian Ocean rim are meeting this week in India to discuss ways to improve their disaster resilience and improve management of future climate risk. The meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Climate Change Adaptation Officials, under the auspices of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), is the first meeting of delegates…

Researchers looking at the origins of life on Earth have come up with a new explanation for how the earliest molecular material was able to replicate in the primordial soup. They have found that hydrogen peroxide, an ingredient commonly associated with hair bleach, may have been the key to the early replication of RNA –…

If you think Ancient history doesn’t matter to your life today, think again. Created by The Royal Institution and the animation shop 12Foot6, this short animated video reminds us that the Greeks gave us some of the most basic concepts used in mathematics — concepts that we still use to navigate our modern world today.…

A new book detailing the rich diversity of life in one of Australia’s greatest and most popular national parks, the Booderee National Park, has been written in a unique collaboration between ANU researchers, Parks Australia managers and the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community. Booderee National Park, at Jervis Bay south of Sydney, receives more than 450,000…

Universities in Australia should prepare themselves for a fundamental change in their relationship with employers, who increasingly want students with particular skills rather than degree qualifications. Employers were moving past the 20th-century model in which students removed themselves while they studied for a bachelor’s degree, and then possibly a master’s degree, before entering the workforce.…

Robots on hospital wards, smart apps on mobile devices and home-monitoring systems will transform our health system a report released by CSIRO has revealed. The report A Digitally-enabled Health System looks at how the Australian health system can reduce costs and deliver quality care. “We know Australia’s health system faces significant challenges including rising costs, an ageing population, a…

Physicists from the Australian National University and the University of Queensland have demonstrated a software-based quantum amplifier, which has the potential to expand the use of ultra-secure quantum cryptographic communications. The development could lead to new ways to guarantee security of everyday communications, including financial transactions and email. “This has the potential to guarantee security…