A groundbreaking announcement for the recovery of lost ancient literature was recently made. Using a non-invasive method that harnesses machine learning, an international trio of scholars retrieved 15 columns of ancient Greek text from within a carbonized papyrus from Herculaneum, a seaside Roman town eight kilometres southeast of Naples, Italy. Their achievement earned them a US$700,000 grand […] … learn more→

In the 1800s, British colonists in India set about trying to reduce the cobra population, which was making life and trade very difficult in Delhi. They began to pay a bounty for dead cobras. The strategy very quickly resulted in the widespread breeding of cobras for cash. This danger of unintended consequences is sometimes referred to […] … learn more→

Human Anatomy is a basic subject in all studies in health sciences. Knowledge of the human body is key to developing good clinical practice: it improves understanding of pathology and skill in certain procedures in different disciplines, such as medicine, nursing, physiotherapy or psychology, among others. Until a few years ago, their learning was based on […] … learn more→

Over the last decade, we’ve written a lot of words about how to get research funders to say ‘yes’. I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about who can say ‘no’ to you applying for a grant. I want to talk about the people who can stop you from applying. First, a caveat: your […] … learn more→

Knowledge matters. It informs how we think about the world around us. It informs our decisions and government policies, supporting economic growth and development. Knowledge is also power. Certain types of knowledge are given more value than others. This is driven by histories of privilege. In South Africa, apartheid looms large in debates about how knowledge is produced. […] … learn more→

We all want to do research that matters. Right? Surely no one out there wants to spend a load of time and energy doing research that is of no value, that nobody will take any notice of and that won’t make an iota of difference to anyone anywhere? Why do that? Of course, there is a […] … learn more→

Australia’s research institutions are targets for nefarious actors, from China and elsewhere. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has publicly tabled an “awareness” of various attempts to compromise the sector. What are we doing about it? Not enough, according to critics. One recent charge is that Australia “lags behind” its allies and partners in responding to threats to “research […] … learn more→

What’s a “side project”? A side project is the academic project you do alongside your main academic research. If you’re doing a full time PhD, the side project is another smaller bit of research. If you’re working as a postdoc on someone else’s project and this is is your main work then, alas, trying to […] … learn more→

Katalin Karikó is the brand new winner of the latest Nobel Prize in Medicine, along with Drew Weissman. For this Hungarian scientist, her personal and professional life were never a bed of roses. She emigrated to the United States, along with her husband and her daughter, with nothing more than about $1,200 hidden in the little […] … learn more→

My job is to help people get funding. I occasionally get requests from friends and family to help them with a funding application. I love these requests – I get to show them what I do, and help them with something that they need. It reminds me that different types of funding need different approaches, […] … learn more→