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Explainers

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‘Panic began to creep in’: Why do adults sleepwalk, and is it dangerous?
Explainer
Sleep

‘Panic began to creep in’: Why do adults sleepwalk, and is it dangerous?

In a twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness, ‘walkers’ go about their strange business. What do scientists know about this unsettling phenomenon, and what can habitual somnambulists tell us?

  • by Angus Holland

Latest

‘It’s in your genes’: What can we learn from our DNA?
Explainer
Genetics

‘It’s in your genes’: What can we learn from our DNA?

Did we really inherit that singing voice? What about our maths brain? Some of the answers are in our DNA – but how much can scientists actually tell?

  • by Jackson Graham
Rogue waves, the icy poles and hotspots around the world. We explain
Series
Science

Rogue waves, the icy poles and hotspots around the world. We explain

In these Explainers, journey with us to far-flung regions (and some closer to home) to understand the tensions shaping our world.

15 stories
What is Putin’s endgame? And why do Russians get poisoned? We explain
Series
Russia

What is Putin’s endgame? And why do Russians get poisoned? We explain

In these Explainers we’ve delved into the machinations of the Kremlin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, bringing context to the news and the people behind it.

9 stories
What is deja vu? What’s a panic attack? We explain
Series
Drugs

What is deja vu? What’s a panic attack? We explain

Explainers aim to demystify conditions that touch thousands of Australians, and offer insights into the latest research.

10 stories
Heart attack, stroke, cancer: What does the latest science say? We explain
Series
Illness

Heart attack, stroke, cancer: What does the latest science say? We explain

World experts tackle myths and misunderstandings about common health issues in our Explainers.

18 stories
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Are time travel and teleporting just pipe dreams? We explain
Series
Science

Are time travel and teleporting just pipe dreams? We explain

Dive in as Explainers sift fact from fiction. From de-extincting mammoths to making super soldiers in a lab ... the future is closer than you might think.

6 stories
Millions of people are battling superbugs. What happens when the drugs don’t work?
Explainer
Illness

Millions of people are battling superbugs. What happens when the drugs don’t work?

They could wipe 20 years off average life expectancy and rock the foundations of modern medicine. What are superbugs? What can we do about them?

  • by Henrietta Cook
What it took to win the biggest defamation case in Australia’s history

What it took to win the biggest defamation case in Australia’s history

Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Victoria Cross and Medal of Gallantry winner Ben Roberts-Smith, has lost a landmark defamation case.

  • by Michael Bachelard
Table manners, love and dreaming: Why do we behave as we do? We explain

Table manners, love and dreaming: Why do we behave as we do? We explain

We are social creatures but with our own unique quirks. Explainers aim to unpack the rules we live by (and break).

12 stories
The terror can flood back in an instant.  What is trauma and how can it get ‘stuck’ in the mind?
Explainer
Mental health

The terror can flood back in an instant. What is trauma and how can it get ‘stuck’ in the mind?

Faced with a life-threatening event, we fight, flee or freeze. But the horror can remain, splitting life into ‘before and after’. Why? And what can help?

  • by Sherryn Groch