Opinion
Read the latest opinion articles inspired by science.
Cats kill a staggering 1.7 billion native animals each year, and threaten at least 120 species with extinction. Five experts analyse a parliamentary report on the problem.
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18 Jan 2021
3 reasons to study science communication beyond the West
All cultures have communicated their knowledge in diverse and marvellous ways throughout time. Failing to see the significance of this is racist and lazy.
9 Dec 2020
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft is about to drop a chunk of asteroid in the Australian outback
Scientists hope samples of asteroid Ryugu may reveal traces of the chemical ingredients that formed life on Earth.
1 Dec 2020
Ancient Earth had a thick, toxic atmosphere like Venus – until it cooled off and became liveable
Unlike our hellish neighbour Venus, Earth was far enough from the Sun for liquid water to form and create a more hospitable environment for life.
24 Nov 2020
Ancient sponges or just algae? New research overturns chemical evidence for the earliest animals
Ancient fatty molecules, once believed to be traces of some of the first animals to live on Earth, may have been produced by algae instead.
10 Nov 2020
Radioactive: new Marie Curie biopic inspires, but resonates uneasily for women in science
Marie Curie overcame innumerable obstacles, and in the process has become a role model. But does the latest film version of her life do her story justice?
9 Nov 2020
Science communication is more important than ever. Here are 3 lessons from around the world on what makes it work
Science communication succeeds when it takes community knowledge seriously, works with other belief systems, and expects researchers to contribute to society.
22 Oct 2020
How do we know statistics can be trusted? We talked to the humans behind the numbers to find out
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how much modern societies are governed by statistics. Despite their objective appearance, these numbers gain their strength from very human relationships.
13 Oct 2020
‘You wake up with lab-engineered coffee’: how our imaginations can help decide Earth’s future
Achieving a radically different tomorrow will require more than a purely technocratic approach. So now, imagine you are in the year 2050...
13 Oct 2020
We looked at 35 years of rainfall and learnt how droughts start in the Murray-Darling Basin
To fully understand why droughts begin, persist and end, we need to answer the question: where does Australia’s rainfall come from? It may seem basic, but the answer isn't so simple.
8 Oct 2020
Every year in Australia, nature grows 8 new trees for you — but that alone won’t fix climate change
Trees in Australia are many, varied and sometimes huge. But how many are there exactly? And how does their number change over time?
