This week’s news has put sexual assault survivors at risk of ‘secondary trauma’
The continuing media coverage of rape and sexual assault allegations faced by current and former political figures has put many …
The Conversation
Thinking about trying collagen supplements for your skin?
Celebrity testimonials abound for pills, potions and creams that purport to make you look younger.
ALSO READ: Glow-in-the-dark sharks found …
Hidden in plain sight — Australian queer men and women before gay liberation
It’s Sydney Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras festival time. LGBTQI people are enjoying what some call “gay or lesbian Christmas”. …
Kathleen Folbigg’s children likely died of natural causes, not murder.
Some 90 prominent scientists, including Nobel laureates and other leading Australian and international researchers, today called for convicted child murderer …
Film and TV diversity behind the camera is getting much worse
Talk of the lack of diversity in the film and TV industries starts to bubble up around awards season every …
Why South Africa needs a new water agency
In his State of the Nation Address in February 2021, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the establishment of …
Online learning is an opportunity to meet the needs of struggling students
As many have observed, the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare many challenges that students face at school and higher education …
How men can support maternal health: lessons from Rwanda
Rwanda has seen an improvement in public health over the past 20 years. The maternal health field has benefited greatly …
Extra maths on a mobile device: a South African study shows it’s not that simple
International assessments have established that South Africa’s performance in maths and science among grade 5 and grade 9 learners has …
Following 3 major quakes off New Zealand, questions remain about how they might be linked
A sequence of three major offshore earthquakes, including a magnitude 8.1 quake near the Kermadec Islands, triggered tsunami warnings …
Cat in a spat: scrapping Dr Seuss books is not cancel culture
Let’s start by putting aside the bugbear that it is even possible to “cancel” children’s author Dr Seuss.
ALSO …
4 assumptions about gender that distort how we think about climate change
Gender influences how people experience and respond to climate change. This is particularly evident in developing nations where women and …
Baby infected with coronavirus in the womb — new study
A pregnant woman with suspected COVID-19 was rushed by ambulance to Skåne University Hospital, in Malmo, Sweden, suffering from sudden …
What South Africans should know, but don’t, about government’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement
The COVID-19 pandemic has again highlighted the challenges facing public procurement in South Africa. The Auditor-General’s reports on COVID-19 related …
COVID-19: key questions about South Africa’s vaccine rollout plan
South Africa has recently started its COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. Around the country, frontline healthcare workers are getting a jab of …
I’m a sexual assault counsellor. Here’s why it’s so hard for survivors to come forward, and what happens when they do
As a senior sexual assault counsellor working with Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, I often sit across from people on …
Africa looks likely to continue relying on power from fossil fuels for some time
The narratives of “leapfrogging” to new technologies are pervasive when it comes to development in Africa. One example is skipping …
Trailing giants: clues to how people and giraffes can thrive together
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an iconic megaherbivore whose populations are declining across Africa, the only continent where …
Recreational hunting, conservation and livelihoods: no clear evidence trail
In sub-Saharan Africa, almost 1,400,000 km² of land spread across many countries — from Kenya to South Africa — is …
I asked hundreds of people about their biggest life decisions. Here’s what I learned
You make decisions all the time. Most are small. However, some are really big: they have ramifications for years …
Australian media is failing to cover domestic violence in the right way: new research
Last year, 56 women were allegedly killed by their partner or ex-partner in Australia. Domestic violence against women is a …
Do I need to register for a COVID vaccine? How will I know when it’s my turn? Vaccine rollout questions answered
Australia is now more than a week into rolling out the Pfizer vaccine, while AstraZeneca shots are due to start …
Delays in reporting alleged rapes are common — even years later. This isn’t a barrier to justice
On Friday, an anonymous letter was sent to the prime minister’s office alleging a current federal cabinet minister raped a …
A rare and significant win for prisoners — new limits around drug tests and strip searches
Australian prisoners are regularly subjected to drug and alcohol testing and strip searches.
Each state and territory has rules that …
RMIT attack underlines need to train all uni staff in cyber safety
Cyber criminals are very persistent and the daily numbers of cyber attacks show no sign of decreasing. The latest reported …
5 ways parents can help kids avoid gender stereotypes
In the last century, significant progress has been made in advancing gender equity in the United States. Women gained the …
How does the Johnson & Johnson vaccine compare to other coronavirus vaccines? 4 questions answered
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine in adults. Maureen …
Why Nigeria must include parents in plans to protect girls from cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria. There were 31,955 new cervical cancer cases in …
LGBTQ+ History Month: gay victims and survivors of the Holocaust are often forgotten – we need to tell their stories
Alongside the murder of six million Jews, the Holocaust saw the Nazis target five million other victims in their attempt …
Worried about Earth’s future? Well, the outlook is worse than even scientists can grasp
Anyone with even a passing interest in the global environment knows all is not well. But just how bad is …
Metals from urban pollution are contaminating the last few old forests in Cape Town
Forests are good for the planet: they purify the air and moderate the climate. They are abundant in resources, providing…
Finding space for both wind farms and eagles in South Africa
Energy generation around the world is shifting towards renewable sources in response to the climate emergency. The aim is …
Why paying people to tolerate wildlife is not the magic bullet for conservation
Human-wildlife conflict is a complex issue globally. Whether it’s mountain gorillas stealing bananas from farmers on the edge of Bwindi …
Earth may temporarily pass dangerous 1.5℃ warming limit by 2024, major new report says
The Paris climate agreement seeks to limit global warming to 1.5℃ this century. A new report by the World Meteorological …
History of divisive ethnic identities shows it’s time Nigeria admits its role in enforcing them
The Nigerian state, as with other African countries, is trapped in a crisis of belonging. This is expressed through identity …
A new advance in the search for substances to replace fat in food
It’s well known that obesity is developing into a growing global health problem. In Africa alone, the number of overweight …
Tractors can change farming in good ways and bad: lessons from four African countries
Agricultural mechanisation is on the rise in Africa, replacing hand hoes and animal traction across the continent. While around 80-90%…
Light in the darkness: how South African schools should cut their electricity costs
Despite financial constraints, high costs and the best efforts of principals, electricity usage in South Africa’s schools remains largely unchecked, …
Intellectual property and COVID-19 medicines: why a WTO waiver may not be enough
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the race to make vaccines and other useful technologies more accessible to people around the world, …
Violence is endemic in eastern Congo: what drives it
On February 23, the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Luca Attanasio, his bodyguard Vittorio Iacovacci and …
Nigeria isn’t big on 3D printing. Teaching students how to use it could change this
3D printing is a technology that’s forecast to change the world. Already several fortune 500 companies – such as Siemens, …
Local government in South Africa is broken: but giving the job to residents carries risks
In December 2020, the High Court in Mahikeng, the capital of South Africa’s North West Province, made a controversial order…
Tiger Woods’ car crash injuries explained, according to a trauma surgeon
Tiger Woods’ medical team has released a statement on Twitter to explain the injuries he sustained in his car crash…
We can’t trust big tech or the government to weed out fake news, but a public-led approach just might work
The federal government’s News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code, which passed the Senate today, makes strong points …
Against the odds, South Australia is a renewable energy powerhouse. How on Earth did they do it?
Less than two decades ago, South Australia generated all its electricity from fossil fuels. Last year, renewables provided a whopping …
How an underwater photo led to the discovery of a tiny new seahorse species
Before you read this article, pause for a moment and look at the nail on your little finger. That’s about …
How ‘tiger farms’ have turned a wild animal into a species worth more dead than alive
Tigers could once be found across much of Asia, from eastern Turkey to Siberia and Indonesia. Today, they are reduced …
When vaccinating 26 million Australians, expect a mistake or two. But we can minimise the risk of repeating Queensland’s overdose incident
It emerged today that two aged-care residents in Brisbane were given an incorrect dose of the Pfizer vaccine — more …
How a mass suicide by slaves caused the legend of the flying African to take off
In May 1803 a group of enslaved Africans from present-day Nigeria, of Ebo or Igbo descent, leaped from a single-masted …
Why efforts to clean up charcoal production in sub-Saharan Africa aren’t working
Charcoal is an essential source of domestic fuel in many sub-Saharan African countries. Overall, the region produces 65% of the …