Turning pages, changing lives – How the humanities teach us to live in uncertain times

When Sophie Gee’s husband was suddenly rushed to hospital, her life was plunged into uncertainty.   Amid the chaos, she discovered a surprising source of strength: her study of classic literature, and in particular, the works of Jane Austen.  Sophie, who was Associate Chair of the English Departm…

Political powerhouse Alastair Campbell on broken politics, the Iraq War, and why he’s grateful for his breakdown

“If you’re going to have a breakdown, try not to have it in a top secret secure naval dockyard.”  You might know Alastair Campbell as the formidable former press secretary of British prime minister Tony Blair and co-host of popular podcast The Rest is Politics.  But back in 1996, when Alastair wa…

Clones, cheats, and ChatGPT – How the AI revolution is reshaping education

If you had a clone of yourself, what would you want it to do?  Professor Danny Liu pictures a classroom in the not-too-distant future where teachers work alongside AI ‘clones’ to help their students learn.  “It’s not about replacing them as teachers. It’s about empowering them and making them mor…

Saving nature’s unsung heroes – Why pollinator decline threatens life as we know it and how you can help

If you go into your backyard right now, you’ll be able to find a species of insect that is new to science. Tanya Latty guarantees it – even if you live in the inner city.  Tanya has loved creepy crawlies since she was little, and is now an entomologist at the University of Sydney. “You would be su…

Not sleeping enough can kill you. Master the art of good sleep, with Dr Carmel Harrington

After her son died of SIDS, Dr Carmel Harrington left her job as a lawyer to devote her career to finding answers. “You blame yourself. You must have missed something. How can such a catastrophic event occur without any sign or symptom?” Her groundbreaking research into SIDS opened up another mis…

The first 1,000 days – baby doctor Adrienne Gordon on giving your child the best start in life

Neonatologist Adrienne Gordon helps save the lives of tiny babies in intensive care. They constantly amaze her. Their unique personalities. How fast they learn. The way they can be so close to death and yet go on to thrive. Adrienne shares what parents need to know about the first 1,000 days, the…

The longevity revolution – how to invest in your future and plan a meaningful 100-year life

Andrew Scott was born in 1965. His identical twin died within the first few days of life. Decades later, Andrew looked through the stats, and got a surprise. "I found that the first year of life was the most common age of death in England at that time. Today, the most common age of death is 87,” …

This is the room where it happens – How leaders unlock the power of collaboration, from the Thai cave rescue to leading a minority government

In the dark of night, through the mud and the monsoon rain, Richard Harris and a group of cave divers band together for a risky mission to rescue a group of boys from a flooded cave in Thailand. Her country split down the middle, Julia Gillard negotiates for 17 agonising days to win the support of…

Superstar teacher Eddie Woo on unlocking a love of learning (at any age)

“She started to explain to me about rhythms and melodies and harmonies and how they all fit together in a beautiful symmetry. And I said to her, ‘That is all mathematics.’” An infectious smile flashes across Eddie Woo’s face as he recalls meeting singer-songwriter Odette backstage at a TED Talk. S…

How to cool your body and survive in extreme heat

Picture the towering waves of a tsunami rolling in. The ground cracking open in an earthquake. Fiery red embers raining down during a bushfire. Heatwaves kill more people than all natural disasters combined – but because they’re not visually dramatic, we underestimate how dangerous they are. “On …