This Month
Why China is winning the innovation race
Once the world’s factory, Beijing’s relentless focus on R&D means the country has become the world’s laboratory, allowing it to compete against the West.
November
Australia’s top-ranked universities revealed
Find out which institutions performed best in key areas and the one that took out the overall top spot in the Financial Review Best Universities Ranking.
How the Best Universities Ranking is created
The Financial Review’s ranking of universities uses traditional measures of excellence alongside student satisfaction and equity data.
October
How to make your brain 5½ years younger
Engaging in creative pursuits could wind back the clock and delay cognitive decline, potentially leading to better memory, attention and executive functioning.
Why a popular hair loss foam works for only 50pc of men
Medicine has come a long way since Hippocrates turned to pigeon droppings to fight hair loss. Dermatologists explain the main treatments and side effects.
Why are more young people getting cancer?
A rising number of people under 50 now report having the disease. Scientists don’t have all the answers, but research offers clues.
Jane Goodall, primate expert and conservationist, has died
While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, the world-renowned primatologist found that there was no sharp line between humans and the animal kingdom.
Black hole stars challenge our idea of the universe
Did stars and galaxies give rise to black holes, or was it the other way around? New research may challenge ideas about how the first celestial objects formed.
September
What if this simple activity could lead you to peak fitness?
As neuroscientists, we were amazed to find a brief dose of physical stress could tilt the toughest moments of exercise away from pain and towards enjoyment.
‘Making lives better’: leading school focuses on research projects
Category leaders focus on where they can make the most difference.
Why Larry Ellison is buying up Oxford
The 81-year-old tech mogul is set on increasing his $590 billion fortune by turning the English city into the new Silicon Valley.
The new weight loss drugs to watch (without side effects)
New obesity medicines are claiming to be more effective than Wegovy or Mounjaro and have fewer side effects – here are the ones to watch.
‘Disposable PhDs’ and brain drain: scientist calls for uni rethink
Wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta has called for “people-first” investment in education following her own struggle to find a role.
Labor must resist the temptation to build sovereign AI
The idea that the Australian government will compete with OpenAI, Google, Meta, Amazon, xAI or Anthropic in the global race is flat-out delusional.
August
How 11 Australian companies are using AI
From detecting serious disease, to monitoring rock art and writing divorce agreements and wills, the robots are already hard at work.
How these two universities cracked the code to commercial success
Monash University and the University of Adelaide have successfully navigated the path to commercialisation with projects from mental health to defence.
Antibiotic resistance kills millions. These Australians have an answer
Investment in research has stalled, which means scientists are struggling to work on solutions for a serious global health issue.
Non-smokers are getting lung cancer. Is air pollution to blame?
The face of the disease – once older men with a history of smoking – has changed. Scientists have found some early hints.
July
More grants for universities won’t fix our productivity problems
Australia’s R&D ecosystem must be based firmly in commercial realities, pull in the resources of private enterprise and avoid merely pushing policy positions from Canberra.
The Aussie invention that could slash pesticide use
A scientist has teamed up with a Hollywood director to create a technology that could cut down on the chemicals required to grow and protect crops.