Pasha 70: Why have I been having weird dreams during the pandemic?

shutterstock Sleep is incredibly important for the body and mind. When we sleep our immune system makes antibodies, which help fight off pathogens. That’s obviously vital during a health crisis. But many people have been having disrupted sleep and weird dreams in recent times. In today’s episode of Pasha, DaleContinue Reading

The Conversation

The world has been worried about pandemic diseases for many years. Before COVID-19, attention was focused on influenza viruses as the most likely cause. A recent paper reminds us that the threat from flu remains very real. It reports that a swine flu virus is circulating in China that hasContinue Reading

The Conversation

From classic Andrew Lloyd Webber plays to the release of a recording of the original cast of Hamilton, theatre lovers have been able to stream the best of the stage at home during lockdown. Digital streaming has been a welcome stand-in while live performances haven’t been possible. However, as pubsContinue Reading

The sun is setting on unsustainable long-haul, short-stay tourism — regional travel bubbles are the future

www.shutterstock.com Unprecedented border closures and the domestic lockdown have paralysed New Zealand’s $40.9 billion a year tourism industry. In the process, the vulnerability of the sector to external shocks and the tenuous nature of tourism employment have been exposed. While New Zealand’s handling of the pandemic has been hailed asContinue Reading

UniSuper take note: there's no retirement on a dead planet

Shutterstock HESTA, the industry super fund for health and community workers, plans to dump its shares in thermal coal mining companies. Beyond that, its Net Zero by 2050 program announced on Friday commits it to cutting the carbon emissions in its portfolio by one third by 2030, and to “netContinue Reading

We developed tools to study cancer in Tasmanian devils. They could help fight disease in humans

Shutterstock Emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19, usually come from non-human animals. However our understanding of most animals’ immune systems is sadly lacking as there’s a shortfall in research tools for species other than humans and mice. Our research published today in Science Advances details cutting edge immunology tools we developedContinue Reading