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The COVID pandemic’s not over yet, so it might feel like it’s too soon to be talking about the next one. But we’ve seen several pandemics in recent decades, and there are reasonable grounds to expect we will see more.
As Allen Cheng explains, while influenza and coronaviruses have a track record of causing pandemics, scientists are keeping their eye on a range of other pathogens too. But what’s even more worrying is the possibility of an as-yet-unknown “disease X” – a threat not even on our radar yet. To prepare for this, we need to adopt new forms of disease surveillance.
Cheng’s article is part of a series exploring “the next pandemic”. We’ve already taken a look at whether human impacts on the environment are making pandemics more likely. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll look what lessons we can take from the COVID pandemic to better prepare for the seemingly inevitable next one.
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Phoebe Roth
Health Editor
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Allen Cheng, Monash University
The COVID pandemic is ongoing, but scientists are on alert for any pathogen that might lead to another global outbreak of disease.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
For many of us, COVID has become just a bad memory, despite its lasting and mixed legacies. While the media have largely lost interest in COVID, and people are now rather blase about it, the disease is still taking a toll.
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Anthony Scott, Monash University; Terence C. Cheng, Monash University
A government review into private hospitals has yet to be made public. In the meantime, here’s whether there’s a case for a government bail-out.
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Vitomir Kovanovic, University of South Australia; Maarten de Laat, University of South Australia; Rebecca Marrone, University of South Australia
We have been evaluating a trial of AI in South Australian schools. Teachers acknowledge the risks but say it can reduce time pressures and help students learn.
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Hallam Stevens, James Cook University
The AI industry is expending vast resources on growth, fuelled by unrealistic optimism about technology and the future.
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Andy Jackson, The University of Melbourne
In our post-COVID age of climate change catastrophe, disabled people are ideally equipped to imagine how to overcome barriers to an inclusive world. Andy Jackson led a collaboration of disabled writers.
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Lisa French, RMIT University
I asked Rachel Griffiths what she thought was the key to the film’s success. She identified its universality.
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Ross Lawrenson, University of Waikato; Chunhuan Lao, University of Waikato
Half of all GP practices in New Zealand have closed their books to new patients. This means people are going on emergency departments for care – with deadly outcomes when it comes to lung cancer.
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Sarah Legge, Australian National University; Braedan Taylor, Indigenous Knowledge; Jaana Dielenberg, Charles Darwin University; Pius Gregory, Indigenous Knowledge; Rachel Paltridge, The University of Western Australia
Footprints, droppings, diggings and other signs left behind by animals reveal a lot to a skilled observer. Indigenous knowledge feeds into one of Australia’s largest wildlife monitoring endeavours.
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Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University; Tom Hartley, University of Tasmania; Vaughan Cruickshank, University of Tasmania
In terms of AFL grand final upsets, the ‘Baby Bombers’ in 1993, the ‘Miracle of 58’ and the Western Bulldogs’ fairytale run in 2016 are among the most extraordinary.
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Politics + Society
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Gordon Waddington, University of Canberra; Jeremy Witchalls, University of Canberra
‘Precision health’ uses technologies and artificial intelligence which can lead to individual health and sports performance improvements.
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Marie-Eve Loiselle, Macquarie University
Donald Trump says immigrants are ‘attacking’ US cities and the country needs a closed border. The rhetoric sounded very much the same in the early 1900s.
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Health + Medicine
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Olga Anikeeva, University of Adelaide; Jessica Stanhope, University of Adelaide; Peng Bi, University of Adelaide; Philip Weinstein, University of Adelaide
When human activities disrupt and unbalance ecosystems, such as by way of climate change and biodiversity loss, things go wrong.
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Science + Technology
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Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is expected to be the brightest spectacle of 2024. Our charts will help you find it in the night sky.
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Environment + Energy
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Rewi Newnham, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Māori used all parts of raupō for weaving and food, but the plant also kept lakes healthy. This connection between cultural and ecological roles means its fate is closely linked with people.
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Education
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Felicity Roux, Curtin University; HuiJun Chih, Curtin University; Jacqueline Hendriks, Curtin University; Sharyn Burns, Curtin University
Fewer than one in ten teen girls surveyed could identify when ovulation happens in a menstrual cycle – even though many of them had had their period for years.
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Arts + Culture
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Ritesh Chugh, CQUniversity Australia
If you’re using generative AI tools yourself, here are some tips to keep your writing fresh and creative.
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Books + Ideas
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Eric Parisot, Flinders University
A novel that invites adoration and controversy in equal measure, Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther has endured in the popular imagination.
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Business + Economy
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Michelle Cull, Western Sydney University
Australia needs bold new housing policies that don’t just rely on the taxation system but consider a range of measures to meet the housing needs of all Australians.
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