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Some Australian Research Funding is Now a Lottery. And That's Actually Good News

Leaving some funding decisions up to luck can save everybody time and effort - and help understand what the funding actually does.

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Web

Prizes

Neuroscience

Optogenetics Wins the Nobel - One Neuroscience Breakthrough in a Line of Technological Innovations Helping Scientists Map and Control the Brain

theconversation

Prizes

Neuroscience

Optogenetics Wins the Nobel - One Neuroscience Breakthrough in a Line of Technological Innovations Helping Scientists Map and Control the Brain

Neuroscientific advances follow a pattern of visualizing the brain, measuring its function and then controlling it. Optogenetics may lead to a new era of medical treatment.

theconversation

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News

Higher Education

Our Research Shows How AI is Getting Better at Exams. Here's How Unis Can Respond

theconversation

Higher Education

Our Research Shows How AI is Getting Better at Exams. Here's How Unis Can Respond

Three years ago, researchers tested AI on real Australian law exams and it struggled. They wanted to know if this is still the case.

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Jason Arday's Tragic Death Reveals the Intense Skepticism Black Scholars Face

theconversation

Diversity

Equality

Jason Arday's Tragic Death Reveals the Intense Skepticism Black Scholars Face

Black academics can mourn a young colleague while also anticipating the burden his case may place on scholars who may find their own qualifications subjected to renewed suspicion.

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White House Plan for a 'Golden Age' of Science Ignores the Structures That Made the US a Scientific Superpower

theconversation

Politics

Science

White House Plan for a 'Golden Age' of Science Ignores the Structures That Made the US a Scientific Superpower

A new White House science strategy, laid out in a report titled Science: A New Golden Age, challenges an 80-year-old model that made the US the global scientific leader.

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Science Communication

Why Do Some People Who Trust in Science Also Believe in Scientific Conspiracy Theories?

theconversation

Society

Trust

Science Communication

Why Do Some People Who Trust in Science Also Believe in Scientific Conspiracy Theories?

Trust in science seems compatible with believing almost anything, so long as it is expressed in plausibly scientific terms.

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Anyone Can Fake a Scientific Image with AI, Tricking Even Academic Journals - and Undermining Trust in Science

Anyone Can Fake a Scientific Image with AI, Tricking Even Academic Journals - and Undermining Trust in Science

Several scientific fields rely on visual evidence to illustrate their claims. Inaccurate AI-generated images put the credibility of science at risk.

theconversation

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News

Funding

Trump Proposes Putting Political Goals Above Objective Criteria in Deciding Who Gets Government Grants

theconversation

Funding

Trump Proposes Putting Political Goals Above Objective Criteria in Deciding Who Gets Government Grants

The White House says the changes it seeks would strengthen transparency, accountability and oversight. Critics say federal grantmaking would become too political.

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Self-censorship, More Stress, Tougher Recruiting - How the Trump Administration's Science Policies Have Affected US Researchers

theconversation

Research

International

Self-censorship, More Stress, Tougher Recruiting - How the Trump Administration's Science Policies Have Affected US Researchers

What do US researchers make of all the Trump administration science-related policy changes? A survey of 280 academic scientists asked them.

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To Lead in Global Innovation, Canada Must Prioritize Basic Science

To Lead in Global Innovation, Canada Must Prioritize Basic Science

Canada must decide what kind of country it wants to be: One that generates new scientific knowledge, or one that waits for other nations' discoveries.

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How Much Should Politics Influence Science, and Vice Versa? National Science Board's Ousting Resurrects an Existential Debate

theconversation

Politics

Science Policy

How Much Should Politics Influence Science, and Vice Versa? National Science Board's Ousting Resurrects an Existential Debate

The Trump administration fired the entire board that oversees the National Science Foundation, raising an age-old question about the separation of science and state.

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China Surpasses US in Research Spending - the Consequences Extend Far Beyond Scientific Ranking and Clout

China Surpasses US in Research Spending - the Consequences Extend Far Beyond Scientific Ranking and Clout

Scientific innovation has been driving US economic growth for decades. Losing that edge means losing access to the technologies and brainpower that come with it.

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Humanity is Heading Back to the Moon. Australia Isn't Even Funding Telescopes

Humanity is Heading Back to the Moon. Australia Isn't Even Funding Telescopes

A program cut has Australian astronomers up in arms - but it points at much bigger problems with national research funding.

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NASA Wants to Build a Base on the Moon by the 2030s - How and Why It Plans to Build Up to a Long-term Lunar Presence

theconversation

Innovation

Science Diplomacy

NASA Wants to Build a Base on the Moon by the 2030s - How and Why It Plans to Build Up to a Long-term Lunar Presence

It's about more than just beating China. As a space lawyer puts it, a Moon base would come with strategic, economic and scientific advantages.

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Panicking Scientists, Canceled Experiments - Federal Funding Cuts Turned My Work As a Research Dean into Crisis Management

theconversation

Careers

Funding

Panicking Scientists, Canceled Experiments - Federal Funding Cuts Turned My Work As a Research Dean into Crisis Management

When the Trump administration took aim at higher education and the scientific research enterprise, a university dean had to figure out on the fly how to support scientists and their work at his school.

theconversation

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News

Policy

Australia Has Set New Expectations for AI Data Centres - They Should Serve the Public

theconversation

Policy

Australia Has Set New Expectations for AI Data Centres - They Should Serve the Public

Essential infrastructure should serve local communities, not just the market.

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Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored

Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored

Public health depends on long-term planning, and when that planning is interrupted, some programs never recover.

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The Peer Review System is Breaking Down

theconversation

Research Assessment

Peer Review

The Peer Review System is Breaking Down

Peer review is so integral to the scholarly system that research would grind to a halt without it.

theconversation

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News

Science

AI-generated Text is Overwhelming Institutions - Setting off a No-win 'arms Race' with AI Detectors

theconversation

Science

AI-generated Text is Overwhelming Institutions - Setting off a No-win 'arms Race' with AI Detectors

Generative AI is enabling people to swamp all manner of institutions with documents, forms and messages.

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When Science Discourages Correction: How Publishers Profit from Mistakes

theconversation

Publishing

Journals

When Science Discourages Correction: How Publishers Profit from Mistakes

Academic publishing system often allows scientific errors to persist because it prioritises profit and prestige over timely correction.

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Measures of Academic Value Overlook African Scholars Who Make a Local Impact

Measures of Academic Value Overlook African Scholars Who Make a Local Impact

Ubuntu philosophy is a better way to represent scholarly contributions in African academia.

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The 5 Stages of the ‘Enshittification’ of Academic Publishing

theconversation

Research

Publishing

The 5 Stages of the ‘Enshittification’ of Academic Publishing

"Enshittification" isn’t just confined to the online world. In fact, it’s now visible in academic publishing and occurs in five stages. The same forces that hollow out digital platforms are shaping how a lot of research is produced, reviewed and published.

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Research Breakthroughs Often Come Through Collaborations − Attacks on Academic Freedom Threaten This Vital Work

theconversation

Collaboration

Academic Freedom

Research Breakthroughs Often Come Through Collaborations − Attacks on Academic Freedom Threaten This Vital Work

Academic freedom grew strongly after World War II, with greater university funding, protections and autonomy, yet global data now shows a decline.

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All Government Shutdowns Disrupt Science − in 2025, the Consequences Extend Far Beyond a Lapse in Funding

All Government Shutdowns Disrupt Science − in 2025, the Consequences Extend Far Beyond a Lapse in Funding

The Trump administration is not just reforming the US research system - it is trying to remake it.

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Science Costs Money - Research is Guided by Who Funds It and Why

theconversation

Funding

Research

Science Costs Money - Research is Guided by Who Funds It and Why

The federal government is more likely to fund curiosity-driven basic research, while industry is more likely to support research that has a clearer eventual payoff.

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AI Will Soon Be Able to Audit All Published Research - What Will That Mean for Public Trust in Science?

theconversation

Publishing

Trust

AI Will Soon Be Able to Audit All Published Research - What Will That Mean for Public Trust in Science?

An AI audit of scientific research would likely expose some fraud and widespread inconsequential work. But we need to be careful it doesn't discredit science in general.

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Africa's Innovations Are Overlooked Because Global Measures Don't Fit: What Needs to Change

Africa's Innovations Are Overlooked Because Global Measures Don't Fit: What Needs to Change

Many of Africa's most powerful innovations are not being measured correctly.

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Research Replication Can Determine How Well Science is Working - but How Do Scientists Replicate Studies?

Research Replication Can Determine How Well Science is Working - but How Do Scientists Replicate Studies?

Replication research can take the temperature on how accurate science in a given field is, but research replication is easier said than done.

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Science Requires Ethical Oversight - Without Federal Dollars, Society's Health and Safety Are at Risk

theconversation

Ethics

Funding

Science Requires Ethical Oversight - Without Federal Dollars, Society's Health and Safety Are at Risk

There are several steps between research on seemingly esoteric subjects and breakthrough medical treatments. Ethical oversight at every stage ensures science and society ultimately benefit.

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Cuts to Research into Inequality, Disparities and Other DEIA Topics Harm Science

Cuts to Research into Inequality, Disparities and Other DEIA Topics Harm Science

From HIV treatments to school desegregation, research into topics now considered DEIA have benefited Americans throughout history.

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Some Australian Research Funding is Now a Lottery. And That's Actually Good News

Some Australian Research Funding is Now a Lottery. And That's Actually Good News

Optogenetics Wins the Nobel - One Neuroscience Breakthrough in a Line of Technological Innovations Helping Scientists Map and Control the Brain

Optogenetics Wins the Nobel - One Neuroscience Breakthrough in a Line of Technological Innovations Helping Scientists Map and Control the Brain

Our Research Shows How AI is Getting Better at Exams. Here's How Unis Can Respond

Our Research Shows How AI is Getting Better at Exams. Here's How Unis Can Respond

Jason Arday's Tragic Death Reveals the Intense Skepticism Black Scholars Face

Jason Arday's Tragic Death Reveals the Intense Skepticism Black Scholars Face

White House Plan for a 'Golden Age' of Science Ignores the Structures That Made the US a Scientific Superpower

White House Plan for a 'Golden Age' of Science Ignores the Structures That Made the US a Scientific Superpower

Why Do Some People Who Trust in Science Also Believe in Scientific Conspiracy Theories?

Why Do Some People Who Trust in Science Also Believe in Scientific Conspiracy Theories?

Anyone Can Fake a Scientific Image with AI, Tricking Even Academic Journals - and Undermining Trust in Science

Anyone Can Fake a Scientific Image with AI, Tricking Even Academic Journals - and Undermining Trust in Science

Trump Proposes Putting Political Goals Above Objective Criteria in Deciding Who Gets Government Grants

Trump Proposes Putting Political Goals Above Objective Criteria in Deciding Who Gets Government Grants

Self-censorship, More Stress, Tougher Recruiting - How the Trump Administration's Science Policies Have Affected US Researchers

Self-censorship, More Stress, Tougher Recruiting - How the Trump Administration's Science Policies Have Affected US Researchers

To Lead in Global Innovation, Canada Must Prioritize Basic Science

To Lead in Global Innovation, Canada Must Prioritize Basic Science

How Much Should Politics Influence Science, and Vice Versa? National Science Board's Ousting Resurrects an Existential Debate

How Much Should Politics Influence Science, and Vice Versa? National Science Board's Ousting Resurrects an Existential Debate

China Surpasses US in Research Spending - the Consequences Extend Far Beyond Scientific Ranking and Clout

China Surpasses US in Research Spending - the Consequences Extend Far Beyond Scientific Ranking and Clout

Humanity is Heading Back to the Moon. Australia Isn't Even Funding Telescopes

Humanity is Heading Back to the Moon. Australia Isn't Even Funding Telescopes

NASA Wants to Build a Base on the Moon by the 2030s - How and Why It Plans to Build Up to a Long-term Lunar Presence

NASA Wants to Build a Base on the Moon by the 2030s - How and Why It Plans to Build Up to a Long-term Lunar Presence

Panicking Scientists, Canceled Experiments - Federal Funding Cuts Turned My Work As a Research Dean into Crisis Management

Panicking Scientists, Canceled Experiments - Federal Funding Cuts Turned My Work As a Research Dean into Crisis Management

Australia Has Set New Expectations for AI Data Centres - They Should Serve the Public

Australia Has Set New Expectations for AI Data Centres - They Should Serve the Public

Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored

Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored

The Peer Review System is Breaking Down

The Peer Review System is Breaking Down

AI-generated Text is Overwhelming Institutions - Setting off a No-win 'arms Race' with AI Detectors

AI-generated Text is Overwhelming Institutions - Setting off a No-win 'arms Race' with AI Detectors

When Science Discourages Correction: How Publishers Profit from Mistakes

When Science Discourages Correction: How Publishers Profit from Mistakes

Measures of Academic Value Overlook African Scholars Who Make a Local Impact

Measures of Academic Value Overlook African Scholars Who Make a Local Impact

The 5 Stages of the ‘Enshittification’ of Academic Publishing

The 5 Stages of the ‘Enshittification’ of Academic Publishing

Research Breakthroughs Often Come Through Collaborations − Attacks on Academic Freedom Threaten This Vital Work

Research Breakthroughs Often Come Through Collaborations − Attacks on Academic Freedom Threaten This Vital Work

All Government Shutdowns Disrupt Science − in 2025, the Consequences Extend Far Beyond a Lapse in Funding

All Government Shutdowns Disrupt Science − in 2025, the Consequences Extend Far Beyond a Lapse in Funding

Science Costs Money - Research is Guided by Who Funds It and Why

Science Costs Money - Research is Guided by Who Funds It and Why

AI Will Soon Be Able to Audit All Published Research - What Will That Mean for Public Trust in Science?

AI Will Soon Be Able to Audit All Published Research - What Will That Mean for Public Trust in Science?

Africa's Innovations Are Overlooked Because Global Measures Don't Fit: What Needs to Change

Africa's Innovations Are Overlooked Because Global Measures Don't Fit: What Needs to Change

Research Replication Can Determine How Well Science is Working - but How Do Scientists Replicate Studies?

Research Replication Can Determine How Well Science is Working - but How Do Scientists Replicate Studies?

Science Requires Ethical Oversight - Without Federal Dollars, Society's Health and Safety Are at Risk

Science Requires Ethical Oversight - Without Federal Dollars, Society's Health and Safety Are at Risk

Cuts to Research into Inequality, Disparities and Other DEIA Topics Harm Science

Cuts to Research into Inequality, Disparities and Other DEIA Topics Harm Science