Category: News
-

Weekly Science Picks
Here we are at the end of one more amazing week. It’s Sunday again and we are supposed to review what happened during the last 7 days. For example, have you ever wondered how night shifts could affect you? This week is definitely a week of the museums. Did you know these days we had…
-

Montaigne and the Double Meaning of Meditation
“There is no exercise that is either feeble or more strenuous … than that of conversing with one’s own thoughts.” “We all have the same inner life,” beloved artist Agnes Martin said in a wonderful lost interview. “The difference lies in the recognition. The artist has to recognize what it is.” But in an age…
-

Reshaping philanthropy with major gift to ANU
Entrepreneurs Michelle Melbourne and Phillip Williamson are redefining the shape of modern philanthropy with a major new donation to the University. The couple, both ANU graduates, have given a gift in kind by donating high-technology software to help the University streamline its complex administration processes. The gift from their Canberra-based company Intelledox is worth more…
-

How Languages Evolve: Explained in a Winning TED-Ed Animation
Language. It’s as adaptable as Darwin’s finches. It’d be interesting to know how the Internet changes the game. Seems like it would go a long way toward democratizing the process by which lingo gets mingled. Alex Gendler’s TED-Ed lesson, winningly animated by Igor Coric, rolls back the clock to a time when communal groups would…
-

Weakness in malaria parasite fats could see new treatments
A new study has revealed a weak spot in the complex life cycle of malaria, which could be exploited to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. It found female malaria parasites put on fat differently to male ones. “The study opens potential new ways to combat malaria,” said Associate Professor Alexander Maier, from the…
-

Three Essential Qualities For All Serious Novelists (And Runners)
We’ve brought you a wealth of Haruki Murakami lately, and for good reason. Not only does the wildly popular Japanese novelist have a new novel out, he also has an upcoming novella, The Strange Library, a 96-page story about, well, a “strange trip to the library,” due from Knopf on December 2nd. Admirably prolific, writing…
-

Weekly Science Picks
It seems this first week in September brings us very interesting stories. The Northern Hemisphere is going to autumn and the Southern Hemisphere is going to spring, so let us see what we can offer for this editor’s choice. Quite exciting week, we must confirm. For instance, you may be wondering how the colour red…
-

First WHO report on suicide prevention
More than 800 000 people die by suicide every year – around one person every 40 seconds, according to WHO’s first global report on suicide prevention, published today. Some 75% of suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries. Pesticide poisoning, hanging and firearms are among the most common methods of suicide globally. Evidence from Australia,…
-

Somebody, the New App That Connects Strangers in the Real World
Having owned an iPhone for all of one month, I’m still a bit leery of all it can purportedly do for me. Convenience is great, but I’m not sure I’m ready to cede control of all the little tasks, challenges, and puzzles my own imperfect brain has been handling more or less well for nearly…
-

New funds to bolster ANU clean energy research
The ANU will enhance its position as a leader in clean energy research after receiving $9 million in new funding for five major research and development projects. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced details of the research funding, designed to help make renewable energy more affordable and to boost the amount of clean…
-

WHO calls for stronger action on climate-related health risks
Previously unrecognized health benefits could be realized from fast action to reduce climate change and its consequences. For example, changes in energy and transport policies could save millions of lives annually from diseases caused by high levels of air pollution. The right energy and transport policies could also reduce the burden of disease associated with…
-

The Right and Wrong Way to Eat Sushi: A Primer
Vice.com’s food channel, Munchies, spent time with Naomichi Yasuda and learned the dos and don’ts of eating sushi. And they kindly summarized some practices that are permitted and verboten. (1) It’s okay to use your fingers to eat cut sushi rolls. (2) Don’t combine ginger and sushi, or ginger and soy sauce. Ginger is a…
-

Singing astronaut inspects space engineering projects
Astronaut Chris Hadfield has inspected projects to clean up space junk, and space engineering projects, at the University’s advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre at Mount Stromlo. Commander Hadfield shot to fame when a film clip of him singing David Bowie’s Space Oddity from the International Space Station went viral. Mount Stromlo is home to a…
-

Weekly Science Picks
New Sunday, new editor’s selections stories. Well, let us see what would be the most promising and exciting news of this week. This weekly presentation covers many different areas from Australia’s biodiversity, over the idea of artificial human blood, until a nice whale migration story. Sure you will enjoy this week’s review. So, let’s begin.…