The bar necessities: 5 ways to understand coronavirus graphs
Wrapping your head around the scale of a global pandemic is not easy, and the volume of stats and data can be bewildering.What, for instance, are we to make of the fact Australia recorded just 109 new...
Mark Sanderson, Professor of Information Retrieval, RMIT University
Open letter to the prime minister: extend coronavirus support to temporary workers
ShutterstockMany temporary Australian residents will be excluded from the JobSeeker Payment and Coronavirus Supplement to be provided to permanent residents. In this open letter to the prime minister...
Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Why coronavirus impacts are devastating for international students in private rental housing
Aliko Sunawang/Unsplash, FALAbout half of international students in Australia are private renters and more than half of them rely on paid work to pay the rent, but most of the casual jobs they depend ...
Alan Morris, Professor, University of Technology Sydney
The mushroom cloud's silver lining: how the Cold War is helping the biggest fish in the sea
United States Department of Defense/WikimediaIt might surprise you to learn that nuclear bomb tests during the Cold War are now helping conserve whale sharks, the largest living fish. Growing up to 18...
Mark Meekan, Senior Principal Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science
We just spent two weeks surveying the Great Barrier Reef. What we saw was an utter tragedy
Author supplied The Australian summer just gone will be remembered as the moment when human-caused climate change struck hard. First came drought, then deadly bushfires, and now a bout of coral bleach...
Terry Hughes, Distinguished Professor, James Cook University
Head lice drug Ivermectin is being tested as a possible coronavirus treatment, but that's no reason to buy it
ShutterstockResearchers testing the head lice drug Ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19 have seen promising results in lab studies. But the research is in its early stages and the drug is y...
Andrew McLachlan, Head of School and Dean of Pharmacy, University of Sydney
Morrison sees massive ratings surge in Newspoll over coronavirus crisis; Trump also improves
Lukas Coch/AAPThis week’s Newspoll, conducted April 1-3 from a sample of 1,508 people, showed a huge boost in Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s approval rating based on his leadership thus f...
Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne
A coronavirus spike may put ICU beds in short supply. But that doesn't mean the elderly shouldn't get them
ShutterstockAlthough recent encouraging news suggests the rate of new coronavirus cases in Australia is slowing, our medical facilities could still be overwhelmed at some point.One modelling study has...
Paul Komesaroff, Professor of Medicine, Monash University
Coronavirus support packages will reshape the future economy, and that presents an opportunity
ShutterstockGovernments across the world have rolled out extensive financial packages to support individuals, businesses and large corporations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Equally, central bank...
Ilan Noy, Professor and Chair in the Economics of Disasters, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
How do viruses mutate and jump species? And why are 'spillovers' becoming more common?
ShutterstockViruses are little more than parasitic fragments of RNA or DNA. Despite this, they are astonishingly abundant in number and genetic diversity. We don’t know how many virus species th...
Steve Wylie, Adjunct Associate Professor, Murdoch University
Guide to the Classics: Albert Camus' The Plague
Some weeks ago, I got an email from a student who had returned to Northern Italy over Christmas to see family. Unable to return to Australia, they were in lockdown. The hospitals were filling up fas...
Matthew Sharpe, Associate Professor in Philosophy, Deakin University
It is necessary to worry about health, but pessimism about the economy will hurt us
ShutterstockDuring this pandemic, our twin health and economic crises require two different types of concern, and they operate differently.For the health crisis, a high level of concern is necessary. ...
Gordon Menzies, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Technology Sydney
Open letter to the prime minister: extend coronavirus support to temporary workers
ShutterstockMany temporary Australian residents will be excluded from the JobSeeker Payment and Coronavirus Supplement to be provided to permanent residents. In this open letter to the prime minister...
The Conversation
Democratic governors are quicker in responding to the coronavirus than Republicans
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who did not issue a stay-at-home order for his state until April 1, 2020.Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesWhile the coronavirus pandemic is a national and international con...
Luke Fowler, Associate Professor and MPA Director, Boise State University
Why Latino citizens are worrying more about deportation
Rosa Gutierrez Lopez from El Salvador has been living in sanctuary in a church for a year due to a deportation order.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin“You can’t deport a U.S. citizen,” said …
The CDC now recommends wearing a mask in some cases – a physician explains why and when to wear one
The change in CDC guidance comes in response to new research on how the new coronavirus can spread. Peter Denovo/Shutterstock.comThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its policy a…
Doctors are making life-and-death choices over coronavirus patients – it could have long-term consequences for them
Doctors are facing difficult choices in the coronavirus pandemic.Zoltan Balogh/MTI via APAs the coronavirus spreads and demand for medical gear far outstrips the supplies, doctors in the U.S. may have…
Social media fuels wave of coronavirus misinformation as users focus on popularity, not accuracy
Misinformation and unfounded claims about COVID-19 have flooded social media sites as the new coronavirus has spread. Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty ImagesOver the past few weeks, misinformation about th…
Stuck at home with your partner? Look to retirees for how to make it work
Take a note from older couples who know how to do it right.Geber86/E+ via Getty ImagesAcross the country an unprecedented number of couples are suddenly spending every waking and sleeping hour of the …
Here's how scientists are tracking the genetic evolution of COVID-19
Why do scientists care about mutations on the coronavirus?Alexandr Gnezdilov Light PaintingWhen you hear the term “evolutionary tree,” you may think of Charles Darwin and the study of the …
Shipwrecked! How social isolation can enrich our spiritual lives – like Robinson Crusoe
Nearly lost at sea, Robinson Crusoe lands on an island only to reckon with isolation, solitude and his own life. Culture Club/Hulton Archive via Getty ImagesHe survived the last great plague in London…
Census 2020 will protect your privacy more than ever – but at the price of accuracy
Seattle residents walk past a wall of posters encouraging Americans to fill out their census forms.AP Photo/Ted S. WarrenCensus data can be pretty sensitive – it’s not just how many people…
Coronavirus support packages will reshape the future economy, and that presents an opportunity
ShutterstockGovernments across the world have rolled out extensive financial packages to support individuals, businesses and large corporations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Equally, central bank…
What if I can't pay my rent? These are the options for rent relief in Australia
You’ve lost income because of the coronavirus crisis and finding it hard to pay the bills. What if you can’t pay your rent?The short answer, if you live in Australia, is that rules changes…
Three reasons why Jacinda Ardern's coronavirus response has been a masterclass in crisis leadership
Jacinda Ardern/FacebookImagine, if you can, what it’s like to make decisions on which the lives of tens of thousands of other people depend. If you get things wrong, or delay deciding, they die…
Sorry to disappoint climate deniers, but coronavirus makes the low-carbon transition more urgent
Pixabay Climate deniers have been hanging out for the United Nations’ next big summit to fail. In a sense, the coronavirus and its induced policy responses have more than satisfied their wildest…
Great time to try: 5½ ways to make movie masterpieces at home
Rear Window (1954)IMDBBeing in isolation might be a great time to try something new. In this series, we get the basics on hobbies and activities to start while you’re spending more time at home…
During the Great Depression, many newspapers betrayed their readers. Some are doing it again now
Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-NDMany newspapers betrayed their readers during the Great Depression and now some are doing so again during the coronavirus pandemic.During the Depression, Austral…
What if I can't pay my rent? These are the options for rent relief in Australia
You’ve lost income because of the coronavirus crisis and finding it hard to pay the bills. What if you can’t pay your rent?The short answer, if you live in Australia, is that rules changes…
Why wear face masks in public? Here's what the research shows
People have resorted to using scarves and bandanas as face masks to protect against spreading coronavirus. While cloth masks aren't as effective as surgical masks, research suggests they can limit the…
'Tiger King' and America's captive tiger problem
Many breeders say they're stewards of conservation, but no captive tiger has ever been released into the wild.AP Photo/Kevork DjansezianEditor’s note: Netflix’s new docuseries “Tiger…
'Stupid coronavirus!' In uncertain times, we can help children through mindfulness and play
Shutterstock“Stupid coronavirus!” I heard my six-year-old mumble while talking in her sleep. Earlier that day her swimming and basketball lessons were cancelled, a birthday party postponed…
'Zoombombers' want to troll your online meetings. Here's how to stop them
StanWilliams/Pixabay, Author provided“Zoombombing” in case you haven’t heard, is the unsavoury practice of posting distressing comments, pictures or videos after gatecrashing virtual…
Can I visit my boyfriend or my parents? Go fishing or bushwalking? Coronavirus rules in the Northern Territory and Tasmania
ShutterstockEditor’s note: The following is current as at April 3, 2020. Things are changing quickly so best to keep an eye on the latest information from the NT government, the Tasmanian govern…
Can I visit my boyfriend or my parents? Go fishing or bushwalking? Coronavirus rules in Western Australia
Shutterstock/IncEditor’s note: The following is current as at April 3, 2020. Things are changing quickly so best to keep an eye on the latest information from WA Health, as well as the federal g…
Government secrecy is growing during the coronavirus pandemic
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration said it would reject all freedom of information requests -- and then reversed itself after public outcry.AP/Teresa CrawfordStudents at the Universit…
Coronavirus case counts are going to go up – but that doesn't mean social distancing is a bust
Empty parking lots show social distancing’s costs. It could take time to see its benefits.Pete Starman/The Image Bank via Getty ImagesThe last few weeks have brought previously unimaginable chan…
Blue dye from red beets – chemists devise a safer new pigment option
Through the wonders of chemistry, molecules can be rearranged to completely transform color.Erick Leite Bastos, CC BY-SAWhat’s your favorite color? If you answered blue, you’re in good com…
Blue dye from red beets – chemists devise a new pigment option
Through the wonders of chemistry, molecules can be rearranged to completely transform color.Erick Leite Bastos, CC BY-SAWhat’s your favorite color? If you answered blue, you’re in good com…
How high will unemployment go? During the Great Depression, 1 in 4 Americans were out of work
Unemployed people wait outside a government office in NYC in 1933. AP PhotoCC BY-NDThe U.S. unemployment rate climbed from a half-century low of 3.5% to 4.4% in March – and is expected to go a …
China's big donors are pitching in to deal with the new coronavirus – and not just in their own country
Alibaba founder Jack Ma, left, is funding African entrepreneurs through his foundation.VCG/VCG via Getty ImagesLess than a month after China confirmed the emergence of what soon became the new coronav…
7 things public schools do besides teach kids academic basics
Some schools have staff on hand to encourage students to get active during recess. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesWith schools closed due to COVID-19, communities are scrambling t…
Social distancing works – just ask lobsters, ants and vampire bats
Caribbean spiny lobsters normally live in groups, but healthy lobsters avoid members of their own species if they are infected with a deadly virus. Humberto Ramirez/Getty ImagesSocial distancing to co…