Read the latest opinion articles inspired by science.

Flooded streetscape including a house and street signs

Rising risks of climate disasters mean some communities will need to move – we need a national conversation about relocation now

While the prospect of relocation can be unsettling and traumatic for residents, it offers new opportunities and long-term benefits. But we must act now.

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A bag of white powder
Fri, 21 Oct 2022

The identification of new psychoactive substances – drugs made to resemble established illicit drugs – presents a major challenge when pill-testing.

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River with reflections of trees
Thu, 20 Oct 2022

Getting meaningful environmental measures into the wellbeing budget won’t be easy. And tokenism won’t do.

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Hydro system
Tue, 04 Oct 2022

Queensland’s ambitious new plan involves shifting from a coal-dominated electricity grid to 80% renewables within 13 years, using 22 gigawatts of new wind and solar. The plan relies on two massive new pumped hydro developments to store electricity, including the biggest proposed in the world.

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Collage of two images showing people meeting the Prince of Wales
Tue, 13 Sep 2022

In 2008, Nerilie Abram was a climate scientist working on ice cores at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. On one memorable day, Prince Charles visited the facility – and Nerilie was tasked with giving him a tour.

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A hand in a lab holding a mobile phone showing a Facebook post about kangaroos
Mon, 12 Sep 2022

People on social media have a lot of strong feelings about the money spent on science research. It is all a big misunderstanding?

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An aerial view of heavy floods
Thu, 08 Sep 2022

In the depths of a flood crisis, Pakistan’s climate minister, Sherry Rehman, is calling not only for immediate aid, but for compensation by rich industrialised countries for the damage caused by their greenhouse gas emissions.

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Purple gamma ray bubbles in the Milky Way
Tue, 06 Sep 2022

In new research published in Nature Astronomy, we show that a glowing cocoon that has puzzled astronomers for a decade is caused by gamma rays emitted by fast-spinning extreme stars called “millisecond pulsars” in a galaxy orbiting the Milky Way.

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Building with garden in foreground.
Sat, 03 Sep 2022

Our new research unites genomic sequencing and museum collections to reconstruct the evolutionary tale of native rodents, including many extinct and elusive species – and they have a fascinating origin story.

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A rocket on a launchpad near water against a sunset
Fri, 02 Sep 2022

Water ice has been found in the southern regions of the Moon, and it is hoped certain gases that can be used for fuels can also be mined. These resources could be used to support long-term human habitation on and near the Moon in lunar bases.

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