Rings of Power: season three promises a ‘fresh start’ but there’s no such thing in Tolkien’s Middle‑earth

Prime Video’s high-budget series is turning a page, but it can’t escape Middle-earth’s ever-heavier load of canonical baggage ...

Nothing to see here? Cricket Australia’s next integrity test is its own investigation

Cricket Australia says it will not reopen the 2018 ‘Sandpapergate’ investigation. That will leave many vital questions unanswered.

When it comes to rape cases involving a celebrity, the media too often miss the point

Research in Australia has found rape myths are routinely relied on in rape trials, not only by defence lawyers, but also by ...

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kos Samaras & Richard Willingham on Victoria’s expected change of government

On this podcast we speak to two close observers about the Victorian election, RedBridge pollster Kos Samaras and the ABC’s ...

The End of Everything by M. John Harrison wins the 2026 Booker prize – a wonder of weird fiction for our incomprehensible times

M. John Harrison blends genres in his work of speculative fiction, taking inspiration from everything from theological ...
Opinion

Australia will impose mandatory safety rules on AI. Are we focused on the right risks?

One area that looks promising is the requirement to respond to new standards and rules. Depending on how the guardrails are implemented, standards such as Australia’s nuanced and sophisticated ...

Time is running out to protect Franz Josef from its rising river. Stopbanks won’t work forever

The Waiho River is rising faster because it deposits gravel along a confined bed. There is a strong case for letting the ...

GLP‑1 drugs carry risk of rare but serious eye condition – a physician studying these medicines explains the potential side effect

Doctors often call the condition a stroke of the eye – and though the risk is small, patients should know the symptoms and ...

Democrats’ agenda will be set by their ability to organize and compromise — not by the socialist, progressive or centrist factions all claiming victory

The future of the newly ascendant Democratic party has been projected onto who gets elected to lead the party in Congress.

A chemical fingerprint in ancient rocks suggests plate tectonics began 2.5 billion years ago

Tectonic plates may have allowed life to form on Earth – but exactly when they started moving is a long-standing mystery.

How Aristotle helps us unpack the art of deception in Nathan Fielder’s You Can See Everything

A compelling imitation, Aristotle argues, is delightful because we love to learn, and imitation teaches us. Is this why ...