Australian musicians hate AI using their songs, but have little legal protection

Andrew Cullen, The University of Melbourne

Music from Kylie Minogue, John Farnham, INXS, Midnight Oil, AC/DC, Tones and I, Gotye, Ben Frost, Nick Cave, Tame Impala, Parkway Drive, The Living End and Vance Joy has been found in a database of 12 million songs used to teach artificial intelligence.

This database, listing songs available on YouTube, is used by AI systems to train the ability to recognise and create music. AI relies entirely on these massive databases, trained on almost everything ever placed on the internet. And Australia’s inclusion in these databases is huge. Kylie alone has 182 songs in just one database.

The volume of Australian music used to train AI has caused significant anger in the Australian music industry, driven by the knowledge that “AI for music creators” platforms such as Suno create as much music as Spotify’s entire catalogue every two weeks.

Dobe Newton, co-writer of folk classic I am Australian and member of the Bushwackers, has music included in the databases. He believes there is “no real ethical nor moral underpinning” to current AI music practices.

Jesse Pattinson of The Delta Riggs is concerned about “the opportunity it will take away from real artists”. Screen composer and APRA board member Caitlin Yeo told me she holds “deep concern for the future of music made by humans for humans”.

She described feeling “violated” when discovering her work in these databases, realising decades of her work had been “hoovered up in a second” to “feed companies offshore that pay no taxes”.

While Australian artists are feeling ripped off, the intersection between copyright law and AI makes proving infringements incredibly difficult.

Copyright and AI

Lawsuits across multiple creative industries have covered how copyrighted books, speeches and even pornography have been used to train AI models.

These actions have led to massive settlements. In 2025, AI company Anthropic paid US$1.5 billion to writers who brought a class action lawsuit over the company’s use of a database of more than 7 million books to train its AI.

But when it comes to proving copyright infringement, the devil is very much in the details, and it may be harder for the impacted musicians to prove infringement than authors.

Crucially, these databases often do not contain any copyrighted material. Rather, they contain instructions on where to download the data from, along with associated information to help AI training.

Legal challenges

The distinction about how the databases are packaged up is not a minor thing.

Previous lawsuits surrounding similar databases found simply listing where copyrighted material can be found is not, by itself, copyright infringement. The infringement only takes place when an AI company uses the data to train its model.

Think of these databases like the map to a safe filled with gold. Having the map itself is fine; stealing the gold is when the law is broken. While we know at least some AI companies have used this data map, and that their training relies upon it, legally establishing use and any copyright infringements is a challenge.

This legal battlefield is complicated by the unique nature of music law.

Copyright protects specific expressions, like a distinct melody or recording, but not a general style. AI developers exploit this loophole. Rather than copying note-for-note, they extract underlying patterns, chord progressions and vocal textures to create a pastiche.

To a creator, this feels like theft. But in the eyes of the law it may just be imitation.

Legal challenges aren’t impossible. The German music royalties society successfully sued chatGPT’s OpenAI. Universal and Sony, representing more than 50% of the music industry, have sued Suno for infringing the copyright of more than 60,000 songs, following other cases against AI giant NVIDIA and Suno.

In response to these lawsuits, Suno described its platform as a fair-use training model, saying “learning is not infringing”.

What’s next?

Since artists became aware of these datasets, the international music industry has rapidly coalesced around several class action lawsuits and lobbying efforts. In Australia, 4,000 artists signed a petition calling on the government to increase protections for artists and today, artists held a press conference in Canberra to discuss AI’s impact.

Tech lobbyists are arguing for exemptions from Australian copyright law. Similarly the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argues that copyright law is a “strategic liability” that increases Australia’s reliance on foreign AI models.

There is a fierce tension between fostering innovation and protecting creative industries. But Australia does not have to choose between the two.

The European Union’s AI act forged an alternative path, to prevent AI companies from hiding copyright infringements from artists and rights holders.

From next August, all AI models accessed from within the EU must declare the source of their training data, and comply with local copyright laws, no matter where the AI was built.

These laws may break the veil of secrecy surrounding the AI data usage, and will significantly increase the likelihood of artists being paid when their work is included in these AI models.

The cultural heartbeat of Australia depends upon supporting creatives. Joining or drawing inspiration from the EU’s AI legislation could help protect artists, and ensure they are fairly represented regarding AI works derived from their labour.

At the very least, as Yeo told me, artists “should see a slice of the pie too”.

Andrew Cullen, Senior Research Fellow, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Worried about your job? You’re not alone. But there are proven ways to ease job insecurity

 

Victoria Aleksandrova/Unsplash, CC BY 

Sharon Kaye Parker, Curtin University

Unemployment in Australia is currently at 4.3% – below average for the past century. But last week, the Reserve Bank forecast unemployment will slowly climb from next year on, rising to 4.7% by mid-2028 – and possibly higher if the Middle East war drags on.

That forecast came after a long-running survey of 3,600 Australians – taken in the early weeks of the US-Israel war on Iran – found people thought their chances of losing their job had risen to 26.8%. Job insecurity fears haven’t been this high since 2020’s COVID-19 lockdowns, when unemployment hit 6.4%.

If worrying about keeping your job has been keeping you up at night, you’re far from alone.

But there are evidence-based things we can do – at an individual, organisational and government level – to manage job insecurity better in uncertain times.

How job stress hits our health and even our personality

Job insecurity can take a heavy toll on your mental and physical health.

There’s strong evidence from meta analyses – research where all the studies in that area are pulled together – that people are significantly more dissatisfied with work when experiencing job insecurity. The same study found job insecurity can also affect workers’ commitment to their organisation and undermine their job performance.

There’s also some evidence job insecurity can increase workplace bullying. When people feel really insecure, they’re more likely to lash out at others. The same study showed workers who’ve been bullied tend to feel more insecure in their work.

Our 2020 study, tracking 1,046 Australians over nearly a decade, suggested a prolonged period of job insecurity could even change people’s personalities: making them less emotionally stable, less agreeable and less conscientious.

5 ways to turn fear into action

It’s easy to fall into the trap of unhealthy coping strategies when you’re stressed about work. These can include drinking too much alcohol or “ruminating”: allowing worries to go around and around in your brain.

While these can feel hard to resist, they usually leave you feeling worse.

There are healthier coping strategies, backed by research evidence.

Actively planning your career: This sounds obvious, but it can make a big difference. In a study my colleagues and I did of more than 200 Europeans on short-term contracts, we found that insecurity increased the closer people got to the end of their contracts – unless people took proactive steps. Workers who took the initiative to engage in career planning and talk to supervisors and others about how to boost their skills did not experience job insecurity, even as their short-term contracts got close to ending.

Seeking social support: reaching out to other people – family, friends, colleagues or your boss – is a well-established way to help with work stressors, such as job insecurity. For instance, a meta analysis of three decades of data from 39 countries found social support can reduce feelings of job insecurity.

Building a network with informal mentors: You don’t need a formal mentor program to do this. In fact, past evidence has shown informal mentoring (usually someone you’ve approached yourself) can be more powerful than formal mentoring. And seek out more than one mentor: one person might help on digital skills, another might have advice on career planning.

Working on in-demand skills: If you know you have gaps in your skills, such as if you’re worker with no experience with artificial intelligence (AI), start taking small steps to fill those gaps. There are a wide range of free online courses you can do from places such as EdX and Coursera, through to relatively affordable “micro credential” courses from universities around the world.

Building a life beyond work: Research shows job insecurity is more harmful to people for whom work is highly central to their identity. A 2025 Australian study confirmed what decades of research has shown: engaging in other social roles beyond work – like being a parent, friend, or volunteer – can boost your self-esteem and wellbeing.

Employers and government should do more too

It’s unfair to expect individuals to handle job insecurity on their own. Employers and governments have important roles to play too. Here are just two examples.

Better workplace training: Australians are worried about losing work to AI. Federal government research last year found more Australians are secretly using artificial intelligence, often in the absence of clear workplace rules. If organisations want to retain good staff, it’s in their interests to invest in employee training, including in AI – and have clearer policies on its use.

Government investment in training and welfare: A 2022 study comparing 17 European nations found workers experienced less job insecurity in nations such as Denmark and Sweden, because they invest more in helping people get work, such as plentiful opportunities for re-skilling, training, and career counselling. Generous employment benefits also improve people’s wellbeing through fostering financial security.

In Australia, JobSeeker payments to 900,000 unemployed, working-age people still fall well below the poverty line, despite repeated recommendations to lift them higher.

There are few jobs for life anymore. But amid so much change, there’s more we can do more to help ourselves, our colleagues, employees and those who are already unemployed feel less job insecurity than Australians currently do.

Sharon Kaye Parker, Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Curtin University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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How do I know if my electric blanket or heated throw is safe?

Niusha Shafiabady, Australian Catholic University

As temperatures drop across Australia, many households are pulling electric blankets and heated throws out of storage. For many, they’re among the cheapest and most energy efficient ways to stay warm during winter.

But some of us are understandably worried about fire risk. So how do you know your electric blanket is actually safe to use?

Is it compliant?

Modern electric blankets are generally considered safe when they comply with Australian electrical standards, as long as you follow the instructions.

But damaged, ageing or poorly manufactured blankets really can create serious fire and burn risks. According to Australian fire authorities, we should treat electric blankets like any other electrical appliance and inspect them regularly for damage.

The good news is there are several simple checks you can use to determine whether an electric blanket is safe.

The first thing to check – ideally before you buy – is whether the blanket complies with Australian safety requirements. Electric blankets sold in Australia must comply with the Australian and New Zealand Standard 60335.2.17, which applies to flexible heating appliances such as electric blankets and heated throws.

How do you know it’s compliant? The tag won’t necessarily list the standard. Look for the regulatory compliance mark – it looks like a checkmark in a triangle. This symbol indicates the supplier has declared the product complies with applicable Australian safety requirements.

The mark is especially important when buying products online – some imported electrical goods may not comply with Australian safety standards. A blanket may appear normal on the outside while containing poor-quality internal wiring or unsafe electrical components.

Is it old?

Another important factor is the age of the blanket. Many Australians continue using electric blankets for far longer than recommended. Most manufacturers and safety organisations generally recommend replacing electric blankets after about five to ten years, depending on their condition and frequency of use.

Older blankets may lack many of the safety protections now common in newer models, including overheat protection systems and automatic shut-off technology. These safety features are worth considering when purchasing a new blanket.

Is it stored properly?

One of the most common mistakes people make is folding blankets tightly during summer storage. This can damage the internal heating elements and weaken insulation around the wires.

Electric blankets should ideally be stored flat or loosely rolled rather than tightly folded. Don’t put anything heavy on top when storing them, either.

That’s because over time, the internal heating wires can weaken at the points where they were folded and under pressure. In some cases, damage may not even be visible from the outside.

There are several warning signs that may indicate internal wire damage, which means the electric blanket is unsafe and should no longer be used. You should immediately unplug and replace a blanket if you notice:

• hot spots or uneven heating
• scorch marks or burn smells
• frayed fabric or exposed wires
• stiff or lumpy sections inside the blanket
• flickering heat
• a controller that feels unusually hot, loose, or damaged.

Use general caution

Certain groups of people may need extra caution when using electric blankets. Older adults, people with diabetes and individuals with reduced heat sensitivity or nerve-related medical conditions may not notice overheating or burns quickly enough.

Pets can also create hidden hazards. Cats and dogs may scratch, chew, or puncture the fabric, potentially damaging the internal wiring without you noticing. Even small wire breaks can increase overheating or fire risks.

Importantly, an electric blanket should never actually feel really hot – this can lead to heat stroke and be dangerous. Modern blankets are designed to provide gentle and consistent warmth rather than intense heat. A blanket that becomes excessively hot in one area may actually be showing signs of an internal fault.

All that said, when properly certified, correctly used and regularly inspected, electric blankets and throws are generally considered safe household appliances.

A quick checklist

Don’t assume your blanket is fine simply because it still heats up, especially if it’s old. A safe electric blanket should:

• display the regulatory compliance mark
• include manufacturer details and instructions
• heat evenly across the surface
• have no visible damage or exposed wiring
• include safety features such as an automatic shut-off or timer.

Make sure to check the blanket carefully before starting to use it in winter, inspect it regularly during use, store it correctly, and replace it when signs of wear begin to appear.

As long as you do the above, you should be able to use a heated blanket or throw without fear, and stay cosy during the colder months.

Niusha Shafiabady, Professor in Computational Intelligence, Australian Catholic University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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3 New Lizard Species Discovered in Australia–Including Stunning Orange-Headed Rock Monitor

Orange-headed rock monitor lizard (Varanus umbra) on savannah in north Queensland -Supplied by Stephen Zozaya

These days, when scientists announce they’ve discovered a new species of animal, it’s usually some miniature frog or deep sea isopod.

But check out this Varanus umbra, a never-before-described species of rock monitor, and he’s a real lookah’

Dr. Stephen Zozaya, a research fellow at the Australian National University, described the shock he and his colleagues experienced when seeing the animal for the first time to ABC News AU.

“I was like, ‘What is that?'” Dr. Zozaya said. “I had no idea these things existed, and it turns out a few photos had showed up online from nature enthusiasts.”

The orange-headed rock monitor is just one of a trio of newly-described monitor lizards that Dr. Zozaya and his colleagues identified on an expedition into the savannahs of north Queensland state.

The discoveries also include the Varanus phosphorus, or the yellow-headed rock monitor, and the rainbow rock monitor Varanus iridis. It’s hugely unlikely that such large and charismatic reptile species could remain unknown to humans, and in fact, they were already known to local wildlife enthusiasts.

“They hadn’t really attracted the attention of researchers who work on monitor lizards,” evolutionary biologist Zozaya, who specializes in reptiles, told ABC.

Varanus iridis, or the rainbow-headed rock monitor – credit, Dr. Stephen Zozaya

“Levels of genetic divergence between these three populations was much greater than many of the other species we already recognize.”

Indeed anyone who had given it some thought assumed the three lizards were simply local colorations of existing species. But genetic samples taken from the animals proved otherwise.

Encouragingly, these three lizards were all documented by Zozaya and his team in areas considered unsuitable for cattle grazing, and overly treacherous for all but the most robust vehicles and determined drivers.

The scientists told ABC that there was already evidence that the yellow-headed rock monitor had been poached for exotic pet trading, an unscrupulous practice putting dozens of reptile species at risk worldwide.

REPTILE REVALATIONS: World’s Smallest Snake Rediscovered in Barbados After 20 YearsNon-involved experts speaking with ABC said that the discovery highlights how understudied Queensland’s dry savannahs are when compared with the state’s rainforests, and that new species, even as large as a monitor lizard, are waiting to be discovered. 3 New Lizard Species Discovered in Australia–Including Stunning Orange-Headed Rock Monitor

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Largest ever Parkinson’s study shows how symptoms differ between men and women

Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Adelaide University

Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurological disorder, with over 10 million cases worldwide. Up to 150,000 Australians currently live with the disease and 50 new cases are diagnosed each day.

The number of people living with Parkison’s is projected to more than triple between 2020 and 2050.

Yet despite the immense impact on those living with Parkinson’s and their loved ones, and the staggering cost to our economy – at least A$10 billion a year – there is still a lot we don’t know about how this disease presents and progresses.

A recent large-scale study of nearly 11,000 Australians living with Parkinson’s disease provides some critical insights into symptoms, risk factors and how these affect men and women differently. Let’s take a look.

First, what is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s is a progressive disease in which cells that produce the chemical messenger dopamine in a part of the brain called the “substantia nigra” begin to die. This is accompanied by multiple other brain changes.

It is usually considered a movement disorder. Common motor symptoms include a resting tremor, slowed movement (bradykinesia), muscle stiffness and balance issues.

But Parkinson’s also involves a variety of lesser known non-motor symptoms. These may include:

• mood changes
• difficulties with memory and cognition (including slower thinking, challenges with planning or multitasking and difficulty paying attention or concentrating)
• sleep disturbances
• autonomic dysfunction (such as constipation, low blood pressure and urinary problems).

While these are sometimes referred to as the “invisible” symptoms of Parkinson’s, they often have a greater negative impact on quality of life than motor symptoms.

So, what does the new research tell us?

The study used data collected as part of the Australian Parkinson’s Genetics Study led by the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. After a pilot study in 2020, it was launched as an ongoing, nationwide research project in 2022.

Some 10,929 Australians with Parkinson’s were surveyed and provided saliva samples for genetic analysis. This is the largest Parkinson’s cohort studied in Australia and the largest active cohort worldwide.

There were several key initial findings.

1. Non-motor symptoms are common

The study reinforced how common non-motor symptoms are, with loss of smell (52%), changes in memory (65%), pain (66%) and dizziness (66%) all commonly reported.

Notably, 96% of participants experienced sleep disturbances, such as insomnia and daytime sleepiness.

2. A better picture of risk factors

The study also provided insights into what can influence Parkinson’s risk.

This is important because we don’t completely understand what causes the dopamine producing cells in the substantia nigra to die in the first place.

Age is the primary risk factor for Parkinson’s. The new study found the average age for symptom onset was 64, and for diagnosis, 68.

3. Genes and environment both play a role

In the recent study, one in four people (25%) had a family history of Parkinson’s. But only 10–15% of Parkinson’s cases are caused by – or strongly linked to – mutations in specific genes.

It’s important to remember that families don’t only share genes but often their environment.

Multiple environmental factors, such as pesticide exposure and traumatic brain injury, also increase risk of Parkinson’s.

The majority (85–90%) of cases of Parkinson’s are likely due to complex interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors, and advancing age.

The study showed environmental exposures linked to Parkinson’s risk were common:

• 36% of people reported pesticide exposure
• 16% had a prior history of traumatic brain injury
• 33% had worked in high-risk occupations (such as agriculture, or petrochemicals or metal processing).

These exposures were significantly higher in men than in women.

4. Differences between the sexes

The disease is 1.5 times more common in men. In the new study, 63% of those surveyed were male.

Parkinson’s also presents and progresses differently in males and females.

The study found women were younger than men at time of symptom onset (63.7 versus 64.4 years) and diagnosis (67.6 versus 68.1 years), and more likely than men to experience pain (70% versus 63%) and falls (45% versus 41%).

Men experienced more memory changes than women (67% versus 61%) and impulsive behaviours, particularly sexual behaviour (56% versus 19%) – although most participants exhibited no or only mild impulsivity.

What we still don’t know

The large-scale study and its comprehensive survey shed valuable light on people living with Parkinson’s in Australia.

But it’s still only a sliver of the population. More than 186,000 people with Parkinson’s were invited to participate and just under 11,000 took part – a less than 6% response rate.

Of these participants, 93% had European ancestry. So this sample may not be fully representative of Parkinson’s disease.

The information we have about symptoms also relied on self-reports by the study’s participants, which are subjective and can be biased or less reliable than objective measurements of function. To address this, the researchers are planning to use smartphones and wearable devices to collect more comprehensive data.

Finally, while this provides a snapshot of the current cohort, it’s not clear how participants compare to people of a similar age without Parkinson’s, or how their symptoms may change over time.

These are important areas of future research for this ongoing study.

What all this means

Studies like this provide crucial insights into risk factors linked to Parkinson’s. They also help us better understand the symptoms people experience.

This is important because the way Parkinson’s presents varies from person to person. Not everyone will experience the same symptoms to the same extent.

Similarly, the way the disease progresses over time differs between people.

A better understanding of the factors that influence this can lead to earlier identification of who’s at risk and more personalised ways of managing this disease.

Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Associate Professor, School of Biomedicine, Adelaide University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Should e‑bike riders be required to have a driver’s licence?

 

KBO Bike/Unsplash 

Richard J. Buning, The University of Queensland; Dorina Pojani, The University of Queensland, and Tyler Riordan, The University of Queensland

E-bikes have been increasing in popularity – they make cycling more accessible than ever. However, they’ve also been linked to tragic accidents.

In response, the Queensland government has conducted a parliamentary inquiry on e-mobility devices, including e-scooters and e-bikes.

The inquiry aimed to improve safety and address community concerns. It examined benefits, risks (crashes or battery fires), existing regulations compared to other jurisdictions, enforcement approaches, and importation laws.

The resulting report recommends banning all e-bikes for riders under 16, and requiring at least a learner driver’s licence to operate them.

If implemented, Queensland would become only the second jurisdiction in the world to mandate a driver’s licence for riding a standard e-bike, joining New Jersey, which passed similar legislation in January to much condemnation.

If Queeensland adopts this rule, it will quickly become the worst state for cycling in Australia – and set a dangerous precedent.

How risky are legal e-bikes?

Legal e-bikes (also known as pedelecs, short for “pedal electric cycles”) don’t pose greater risks than conventional bicycles. On average, e-bike crashes are equally as likely and severe as conventional bike crashes. And research from Denmark even shows e-bike riders are more likely to follow traffic laws and are more safety oriented than conventional cyclists.

A pedelec is defined under the European Union EN 15194 standard as a bicycle in which the motor provides assistance only when the rider pedals, power is limited to 250 watts, and the maximum assisted speed is 25km/h. This is the standard recognised in Australia.

To be clear, 250 watts is roughly the power an avid cyclist can generate with their body. Professional cyclists easily produce well over 400 watts.

The injury stats only become troubling when these standard pedelecs get mixed in with more powerful devices that can have a max pedal-assisted speed of 45km/h or more. The problem of increased danger doesn’t lie with EN 15194 compliant e-bikes.

Who would be impacted by licensing requirements?

About 7.5% of Queenslanders aged 16 and over – more than 340,000 people – don’t hold a driver’s licence. Across Australia, an estimated 1.5 million adults are without a licence.

These include:

• people with certain types of disabilities (visual, neurological or cognitive)
  
• children under 16 riding to school
• migrant workers from countries with licences not recognised in Australia, or who are in the process of transferring overseas licences. Many delivery riders fall in this category
• urban youth, who increasingly rely on alternative transport and delay obtaining a learner’s permit
• older people who have given up driving for age-related reasons
• low-income people for whom the costs associated with lessons, testing, and car ownership are prohibitive
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly in regional and remote areas. These communities often face practical barriers to licensing, such as high cost, difficulties obtaining identity documents, and limited access to training
• individuals who are car-free by choice for lifestyle or environmental reasons
• people who have temporarily lost their driver’s licence, such as for speeding.

In short, legal e-bikes provide an important way to get around and maintain independence for many people. They can travel to work, education, or social activities without relying on a car.

For Queensland locals, even requiring a learner’s licence would impose a significant burden. Obtaining one costs about A$77 and requires passing an online test which typically takes four to six hours. Test questions focus on motor vehicle laws, not rules specific to cycling or e-mobility. The test is offered only in English and requires proof of identity and residency in Queensland.

Visitors from countries where driver’s licences are far less common than in Australia would be impacted too. For example, only about half of Chinese adults have a licence.

Queensland hosts more than 2 million international visitors annually, and Brisbane is expected to welcome more than 100,000 international visitors during the 2032 Olympic Games. Unless they hold a licence from their home country, these visitors would be forced to rely on ride-hailing services or risk penalties for using a legal e-bike.

What should be done instead?

A more effective approach would focus on clear vehicle classification, targeted regulation, safe cycling infrastructure, and education. This is the model used in the European Union.

Regulators should maintain a clear distinction between standard e-bikes and higher-powered devices.

EN 15194 compliant e-bikes should be legally treated as ordinary bicycles and integrated into everyday mobility. They shouldn’t require a driver’s licence, registration, or insurance. Riders should simply follow the same rules that apply to cyclists.

Only the more powerful models should require licensing and insurance. E-bikes that reach up to 45km/h should be classified as mopeds. In this way, regulation can reflect the actual risk level of the vehicle.

Enforcement is key. Authorities should focus on ensuring that devices sold in the market actually comply with power and speed limits. Regulators should keep targeting non-compliant imports and illegal modifications.

We all share the road

Beyond product standards, much more emphasis should be placed on infrastructure. Investments in protected bike lanes, traffic calming, and well-designed intersections are crucial to improving safety for all road users.

Finally, Australia should start investing heavily in education and communication campaigns. Cycling education should be provided through schools, local councils, and road safety programs. These should focus on responsible riding, interaction with pedestrians, and visibility in traffic.

Importantly, they should also encourage a mindset that moves away from an “us versus them” stance between drivers and cyclists. Children should learn early that, as adults, they may occupy both roles – sometimes driving, sometimes cycling.

In combination, these policy approaches would allow e-bikes to expand while remaining a safe, accessible and inclusive mobility option.

Richard J. Buning, Research Lead, UQ Micromobility Research Cluster, The University of Queensland; Dorina Pojani, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Queensland, and Tyler Riordan, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Strategic Management, The University of Queensland

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Aus Open: Rybakina brushes past Pegula to set up final showdown with Sabalenka

Photo credit: AusOpen/X

Melbourne, (IANS) Elena Rybakina booked her place in the women's singles final of the Australian Open 2026 with a composed, hard-fought straight-sets victory over sixth seed Jessica Pegula on Thursday night, prevailing 6-3, 7-6(7) under the lights at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park in Melbourne on Thursday.

The fifth seed reached her third career Grand Slam final, and her first since 2023, by withstanding a fierce late surge from Pegula, saving two set points in a tense second-set tiebreak to close out the match in just over two hours. Rybakina will now meet World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka for the title, renewing their rivalry from the 2023 Australian Open final.

Rybakina appeared in control early, dictating play with her serve and first-strike power to take the opening set. Serving at 5-3, she brushed aside a brief wobble with a series of heavy deliveries, repeatedly pushing Pegula behind the baseline. A moment of resistance came when Pegula erased one set point with a stunning backhand winner, but Rybakina quickly shut the door, finishing the set with a body serve followed by a clean forehand strike to secure it 6-3.

The second set unfolded as a far more dramatic contest. Pegula, seeking to become the first woman in the Open Era to reach her first two Grand Slam finals after turning 30, refused to fade. Down 5-3 and facing three match points on her own serve, the 2024 US Open runner-up dug deep, holding serve before breaking Rybakina twice as the Kazakhstani attempted to close out the match at both 5-4 and 6-5.

That resilience forced a tiebreak filled with momentum swings and extended rallies. Pegula struck first, winning a gruelling 19-shot exchange to set the tone, but Rybakina answered with clutch serving, firing aces at key moments to stay level. Neither player could create separation as mini-breaks were exchanged and tension mounted.

At 7-7, Rybakina found her breakthrough. A pair of aggressive returns pressured Pegula’s second serve, setting up match point. She sealed it emphatically, ripping a backhand down the line from well outside the sideline to end the contest and spark a roar from the Melbourne crowd.

The win sends Rybakina into her second Australian Open final, where she will again face Sabalenka, who won their 2023 Melbourne showdown in three sets on her way to her maiden major title and holds a narrow overall edge in their head-to-head. However, Rybakina has enjoyed greater success in their final matches, including a straight-sets victory at the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh.

With her serve firing and her nerve holding firm in the biggest moments, Rybakina now stands one win away from a second Grand Slam title — and a chance to settle the score on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

Rybakina and Sabalenka will contest a rare repeat Australian Open final, becoming only the fourth pair this century to meet multiple times in Melbourne. Neither player has dropped a set en route to the final, a feat last achieved at the Australian Open in 2004 and only the 23rd time in the Open Era overall.Rybakina enters the final in outstanding form, having won 19 of her last 20 matches since losing to Sabalenka in Wuhan last October, including nine straight victories over Top 10 opponents. She also improved her head-to-head record against Jessica Pegula to 4-3 with her semifinal win. Aus Open: Rybakina brushes past Pegula to set up final showdown with Sabalenka | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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Human heart regrows muscle cells after heart attack: Study

(Photo: AI generated image/IANS)

New Delhi, (IANS) In a world-first discovery, scientists in Australia have found that the human heart can regrow muscle cells after a heart attack, raising hopes for future regenerative treatments for heart failure.

The study, published in Circulation Research, revealed that while parts of the heart remain scarred after a heart attack, new muscle cells are also produced, a phenomenon previously seen only in mice and now demonstrated in humans for the first time, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Until now we've thought that, because heart cells die after a heart attack, those areas of the heart were irreparably damaged, leaving the heart less able to pump blood to the body's organs," said Robert Hume, research fellow at the University of Sydney and first author of the study.

"In time, we hope to develop therapies that can amplify the heart's natural ability to produce new cells and regenerate the heart after an attack," said Hume, also lead of translational research at Australia's Baird Institute for Applied Heart and Lung Research.

Though increased mitosis (a process in which cells divide and reproduce) after a heart attack has been observed in the heart muscles of mice, this is the first time the phenomenon has been demonstrated in humans.

The team made the breakthrough using living heart tissue samples collected from patients undergoing bypass surgery at Australia's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

"Ultimately, the goal is to use this discovery to make new heart cells that can reverse heart failure," said Professor Sean Lal, the study's senior author and heart failure cardiologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.Cardiovascular disease remains the world's leading cause of death, and heart attacks can eliminate a third of the cells in the human heart, researchers said, adding that the discovery offers promising groundwork for novel regenerative medicine. Human heart regrows muscle cells after heart attack: Study | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

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Millions of hectares are still being cut down every year. How can we protect global forests?

David Clode/Unsplash, CC BY Kate Dooley, The University of Melbourne

Ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Belém last month, Brazil’s President Lula da Silva urged world leaders to agree to roadmaps away from fossil fuels and deforestation and pledge the resources to meet these goals.

After failing to secure consensus, COP president Andre Corrêa do Lago announced these roadmaps as a voluntary initiative. Brazil will report back on progress at next year’s UN climate summit, COP31, when it hands the presidency to Turkey and Australia chairs the negotiations.

Why now?

These goals originate in the outcomes of the first global stocktake of the world’s progress towards the Paris Agreement goals, undertaken in 2023.

At the COP28 talks in Dubai in that year, there was an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels and to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.

Yet achieving these goals relies on a “just transition”, where no country is left behind in the transition to a low-carbon future, including a “core package” of public finance to address climate adaptation, and loss and damage. The Belém outcome fell short.

Forests need urgent protection

Forest loss and degradation is continuing, at an average rate of 25 million hectares a year over the last decade, according to the Global Forest Watch. This is 63% higher than the rate needed to meet existing targets to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030. Yet the climate pledges submitted for the Belém COP remain far off track from this goal.

In the 2025 Land Gap Report, my colleagues and I calculated the scale of this “forest gap” – the gap between 2030 targets and the plans countries are putting forward in their climate pledges.

We show the pledges submitted up until this year’s climate summit would cut deforestation by less than 50% by 2030, meaning forests spanning almost 4 million hectares would still be cut down. The pledges would lead to forest degradation – where the ecological integrity of a forest area is diminished – of almost 16 million hectares. This is only a 10% reduction on current rates.

Together, this equates to an anticipated “forest gap” of around 20 million hectares expected to be lost or degraded each year by 2030. That’s about twice the size of South Korea.

While this underscores the inadequacy of commitments, the analysis is based on pledges submitted up to the start of November 2025, at which point only 40% of countries had submitted an updated plan. Major pledges submitted during COP31, such as from the European Union and China, don’t change this analysis.

This graph shows that deforestation will only slightly decline to 2030. The Land Gap Report, author supplied., CC BY-ND

Forest wins in Belém

A new fund for forest conservation called the Tropical Forests Forever Facility was launched in Brazil, attracting $US6.7 billion in pledges ($A9.9 billion).

The forest fund focuses on tropical deforestation, the leading cause of emissions from forest loss. But it has a key weakness: the limited monitoring of forest degradation, which could allow countries to receive payments while still logging primary forests.

The fund will establish a science committee and plans to revise monitoring indicators over the next three years, creating an opportunity to strengthen its ability to protect tropical forests.

The COP30 leaders’ summit also saw the launch of a historic pledge of $US1.8 billion ($A2.7 billion) to support conservation and recognition of 160 million hectares of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ territories in tropical forest countries.

But global action on forests needs to extend beyond the tropics. Across both deforestation and forest degradation, countries in the global north are responsible for over half of global tree cover loss over the past decade.

Beyond tropical forests

A global accountability framework on forests is needed to increase ambition on climate action, including in countries and regions with extensive forests outside of the tropics, such as Australia, Canada and Europe.

In these regions, industrial logging is a major driver of tree-cover loss but receives far less political attention than tropical deforestation. Wide gaps in reporting – between deforestation and degradation – mean logging-related degradation often goes unreported.

In a recent report, only 59 countries said they monitor forest degradation. Of these, almost three-quarters are tropical forest countries.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress which convened in Abu Dhabi this year prior to the climate talks, passed a motion on delivering equitable accountability and means of implementation for international forest protection goals. This arose from a recognised need to promote greater equity between forest protection standards across countries.

All of this points to an urgent need to tackle accountability in global forest governance. The forest roadmap to be developed for COP31 in Turkey could help drive stronger alignment and transparency across UN processes – from the UN Forum on Forests’ 2017–2030 plan to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 2030 target to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Australia could lead on forests

Australia could help shape global forest ambition in the year ahead. It is currently the only country whose emissions pledge promises to halt and reverse deforestation and degradation by 2030 – a clear signal that developed countries must lead.

As President of Negotiations at COP31, Australia can also work to bring Brazil’s fossil-fuel and forest roadmaps into formal negotiations. But this depends on two things: credible leadership from developed countries and long-overdue climate finance. As a deforestation hotspot with ongoing native forest logging, Australia has considerable work to do to meet this responsibility.

Kate Dooley, Senior Research Fellow, School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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57% of young Australians say their education prepared them for the future. Others are not so sure

Lucas Walsh, Monash University

When we talk about whether the education system is working we often look at results and obvious outcomes. What marks do students get? Are they working and studying after school? Perhaps we look at whether core subjects like maths, English and science are being taught the “right” way.

But we rarely ask young people themselves about their experiences. In our new survey launched on Tuesday, we spoke to young Australians between 18 and 24 about school and university. They told us they value their education, but many felt it does not equip them with the skills, experiences and support they need for future life.

Our research

In the Australian Youth Barometer, we survey young Australians each year. In the latest report, we surveyed a nationally representative group of 527 young people, aged 18 to 24. We also did interviews with 30 young people.

We asked them about their views on the environment, health, technology and the economy. In this article, we discuss their views on their education.

‘They don’t teach you the realities’

In our survey, 57% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed their education had prepared them for their future. This means about two fifths (43%) didn’t agree or were uncertain.

Many said school made them “book smart” but didn’t teach essential life skills such as budgeting, taxes, cooking, renting or workplace readiness. As one 23-year-old from Queensland told us:

They don’t teach you the realities of life and being an adult.

This may explain why 61% of young Australians in our study had taken some form of online informal classes, such as a YouTube tutorial. Young people are looking to informal learning for acquiring practical skills such as cooking, household repairs, managing finances, driving and applying for jobs.

Some interviewees discussed how informal learning – outside of formal education places – was a key site for personal development. One interviewee (21) from Western Australia explained how they had learned how to fix computer problems online: “I’ve learnt a great deal from YouTube”. Others talked about turning to Google, TikTok and, more recently, ChatGPT.

A key question here is the reliability of these sources. This is why students need critical thinking and online literacy skills so they can evaluate what they find online.

‘This is so much money’

Young people in our survey echoed wider community concerns about the rising costs of a university education. As one South Australian man (23) told us:

I was looking at the HECS that came along with [certain courses] and I was like, this is crazy, this is so much money.

One woman (19) explained how the fees had been part of the reason why she didn’t want to go to uni.

Truthfully there was nothing at uni that interested me, any careers that it would be leading me to […] also because university is so expensive, I wouldn’t want to get myself in a HECS debt for the rest of my life.

‘Why don’t I know anyone?’

For those who did go to uni, young people spoke about how they were missing out on the social side of education – partly due to COVID lockdowns, the broader move to hybrid/online learning and changes in campus experiences. As one Queensland 19-year-old told us:

For the past year and a half I kind of just went to class and then went home again and I was like, ‘Why don’t I know anyone? Why do I have no friends?’

While some students reported online study saved time, others told us they found it impersonal and disengaging. As one Victorian (23) told us:

It’s more like I’m learning from my laptop, not by a university I’m paying thousands of dollars to.

Another 23-year-old from NSW said students would complain but learn more if they had face-to-face classes:

[online is] more flexible but it means it’s harder to turn off and on […] more traditional university would be nice.

Some young people are worried

One of the key roles of education is to provide pathways to desirable futures. But 40% of young people told us they were worried about their ability to cope with everyday tasks in the future. Almost 80% told us they thought they would be financially worse off than their parents, up from 53% in 2022.

Education alone can’t address all the challenges facing young people, but we can address some key immediate issues. Our findings suggest young people believe education in Australia needs to be more affordable, practical, social and engaging. To do this we need:

• more personalised career counselling and up-to-date labour market information for school leavers and university graduates – so young people have clearer ideas about what study or training can lead to particular jobs and careers

• better ways of ensuring online learning enables connections and interactions between students and students and teachers – so learning is not as impersonal and there are more opportunities to learn in person or deliberately social online ways

• more investment in campus clubs, student wellbeing programs and peer support so young people have more opportunities to make friends and build networks.

Lucas Walsh, Professor of Education Policy and Practice, Youth Studies, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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The Roman empire built 300,000 kilometres of roads: new study

Rosario Lepore / Wikimedia, CC BY

Ray Laurence, Macquarie University

At its height, the Roman empire covered some 5 million square kilometres and was home to around 60 million people. This vast territory and huge population were held together via a network of long-distance roads connecting places hundreds and even thousands of kilometres apart.

Compared with a modern road, a Roman road was in many ways over-engineered. Layers of material often extended a metre or two into the ground beneath the surface, and in Italy roads were paved with volcanic rock or limestone.

Roads were also furnished with milestones bearing distance measurements. These would help calculate how long a journey might take or the time for a letter to reach a person elsewhere.

Thanks to these long-lasting archaeological remnants, as well as written records, we can build a picture of what the road network looked like thousands of years ago.

A new, comprehensive map and digital dataset published by a team of researchers led by Tom Brughmans at Aarhus University in Denmark shows almost 300,000 kilometres of roads spanning an area of close to 4 million square kilometres.

The Roman road network circa 150 AD. Itiner-e, CC BY

The road network

The Itiner-e dataset was pieced together from archaeological and historical records, topographic maps, and satellite imagery.

It represents a substantial 59% increase over the previous mapping of 188,555 kilometres of Roman roads. This is a very significant expansion of our mapped knowledge of ancient infrastructure.

The Via Appia is one of the oldest and most important Roman roads. LivioAndronico2013 / Wikimedia, CC BY

About one-third of the 14,769 defined road sections in the dataset are classified as long-distance main roads (such as the famous Via Appia that links Rome to southern Italy). The other two-thirds are secondary roads, mostly with no known name.

The researchers have been transparent about the reliability of their data. Only 2.7% of the mapped roads have precisely known locations, while 89.8% are less precisely known and 7.4% represent hypothesised routes based on available evidence.

More realistic roads – but detail still lacking

Itiner-e has improved on past efforts with improved coverage of roads in the Iberian Peninsula, Greece and North Africa, as well as a crucial methodological refinement in how routes are mapped.

Rather than imposing idealised straight lines, the researchers adapted previously proposed routes to fit geographical realities. This means mountain roads can follow winding, practical paths, for example.

Itiner-e includes more realistic terrain-hugging road shapes than some earlier maps. Itiner-e, CC BY

Although there is a considerable increase in the data for Roman roads in this mapping, it does not include all the available data for the existence of Roman roads. Looking at the hinterland of Rome, for example, I found great attention to the major roads and secondary roads but no attempt to map the smaller local networks of roads that have come to light in field surveys over the past century.

Itiner-e has great strength as a map of the big picture, but it also points to a need to create localised maps with greater detail. These could use our knowledge of the transport infrastructure of specific cities.

There is much published archaeological evidence that is yet to be incorporated into a digital platform and map to make it available to a wider academic constituency.

Travel time in the Roman empire

Fragment of a Roman milestone erected along the road Via Nova in Jordan. Adam Pažout / Itiner-e, CC BY

Itiner-e’s map also incorporates key elements from Stanford University’s Orbis interface, which calculates the time it would have taken to travel from point A to B in the ancient world.

The basis for travel by road is assumed to have been humans walking (4km per hour), ox carts (2km per hour), pack animals (4.5km per hour) and horse courier (6km per hour).

This is fine, but it leaves out mule-drawn carriages, which were the major form of passenger travel. Mules have greater strength and endurance than horses, and became the preferred motive power in the Roman empire.

What next?

Itiner-e provides a new means to investigate Roman transportation. We can relate the map to the presence of known cities, and begin to understand the nature of the transport network in supporting the lives of the people who lived in them.

This opens new avenues of inquiry as well. With the network of roads defined, we might be able to estimate the number of animals such as mules, donkeys, oxen and horses required to support a system of communication.

For example, how many journeys were required to communicate the death of an emperor (often not in Rome but in one of the provinces) to all parts of the empire?

Some inscriptions refer to specifically dated renewal of sections of the network of roads, due to the collapse of bridges and so on. It may be possible to investigate the effect of such a collapse of a section of the road network using Itiner-e.

These and many other questions remain to be answered.

Ray Laurence, Professor of Ancient History, Macquarie University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Are business schools priming students for a world that no longer exists?

Carla Liuzzo, Queensland University of Technology and Mimi Tsai, Queensland University of Technology

Endless economic expansion isn’t sustainable. Scientists are telling us our planet is already beyond its limits, with the risks to communities and the economy made clear in the federal government’s recent climate risk assessment.

Sustainability is a hot topic in Australian business schools. However, teaching about the possible need to limit economic growth – whether directly or indirectly related to sustainability – is uncommon.

Typically, business school teaching is based on concepts of sustainable development and “green growth”. Under these scenarios, we can continue to grow gross domestic product (GDP) globally without continuing to grow emissions – what is known as “decoupling”. It’s a “have your cake and eat it too” promise for sustainability.

Our new research published in the journal Futures shows business students themselves are interested in learning the skills they would need under an alternative post-growth future.

Emerging alternatives to ‘growth is good’

There is mounting evidence of the difficulty of “decoupling” economic growth from emissions growth. The United Nations goals of sustainable development are “in peril”.

This has led to increased interest in no-growth or post-growth economic models and to the movement towards degrowth. Degrowth means shrinking economic production to use less of the world’s resources and avoid climate crisis.

Explicit teaching of degrowth rejects the belief in endless growth. This presents a challenge to traditional concepts in business education, including profit maximisation, competition and the notion of “free markets”.

The issue, and one that degrowth invites students to consider, is that green growth and sustainable development are underpinned by the need for continued economic growth and development. This “growth obsession” is pushing the planet and society to its limits.

Students are keen

Our new study provides a snapshot of students’ interest in alternative systems. It reveals 90% of respondents are open to learning about different economic models.

The study found 96% of students believe business leaders must understand alternative models to continued economic growth. Yet only 15% were aware of any alternatives that may exist. Most (71%) believed viable alternatives exist, but they admitted to lacking sufficient knowledge.

The study had 61 participants currently studying a masters of business administration (MBA) in a top Australian institution.

The research raises the question: if future business leaders are not made aware of alternatives, won’t they continue to assume growth is “inherently good”, and perpetuate the business practices that have pushed humanity beyond planetary boundaries?

The trouble with endless growth

Advocates of the “beyond growth” agenda argue endless growth is not possible. They promote alternate measures of progress to GDP, such as the recent Measuring What Matters report.

Degrowth proposes scaling back the consumption of resources as part of a transition to post-growth economies. Their aim is what economist Tim Jackson calls prosperity without growth. This entails businesses sharing value with communities, and reducing production of things like fast fashion, fast food and fast tech.

It is a rejection of maximising profit in favour of maximising value, based around meeting real needs like housing, food and essential services. Some industries would grow, such as care, education, public transport and renewables. Others may shrink or vanish.

Degrowth and post-growth aren’t alien concepts. There are grassroots movements such as minimalism. Social media abounds with lists of “things I no longer buy”, social enterprises, the right-to-repair movement and community-supported agriculture.

Degrowth also invites students to debate concepts like modern monetary theory, income ratio limits and universal basic income.

The role of business schools

Business schools are doing great work teaching students about changing consumer preferences for green alternatives, new global standards for reporting environmental and social impact, and ways businesses can reduce their environmental impact.

The Australian Business Deans Council in March this year detailed these efforts in its Climate Capabilities Report. This highlighted the need for business schools to produce graduates capable of “balancing business and climate knowledge”.

Our study of Australian business school students shows they are open to learning about degrowth. It challenges the assumption that ideas critical of endless growth would be unwelcome in business schools in Australia.

There is an argument for making explicit degrowth teaching in business schools more accessible because business schools have been criticised for not doing enough to address climate change and social inequality.

Globally, degrowth is starting to be taught explicitly in business schools in Europe, the UK and even the US.

Business schools have long been criticised for a culture of greed and cutthroat competition. As one distinguished professor from the University of Michigan recently put it, “today’s business schools were designed for a world that no longer exists”.

The introduction of no growth or degrowth scenarios to business schools in Australia may go some way to ensuring they are preparing leaders for the future – not priming students for a world that no longer exists.

Carla Liuzzo, Lecturer, Graduate School of Business, Queensland University of Technology and Mimi Tsai, Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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