ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on December 4, 2025.
Why are some people extremely competitive while others are so chill?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Inge Gnatt, Psychologist, Lecturer in Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images If you’ve ever been on the sidelines at an under-12’s team sport, you will know that some children are fiercely competitive, while others are there simply to socialise. In the workplace, two colleagues
Why Tasmania’s politicians couldn’t say no to a once-in-a-century AFL opportunity
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney It is now (almost) official: Tasmania will finally take its place in the Australian Football League (AFL). Tasmania, a foundation state of the nation’s homegrown game of Australian rules football, has trod a tortuous route, with
Women told they have dense breasts don’t know what to do next, new study shows
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brooke Nickel, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, University of Sydney Andrii Zastrozhnov/Getty Imagine a 57-year-old woman, let’s call her Maria, who’s just opened a letter about her mammography results. She’s had several mammograms before, but this time reads new information: “Your breasts are dense”. While the letter
K’gari’s unique ancient lakes once dried out. Could this happen again?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Tibby, Associate Professor in Environmental Change, University of Adelaide Duncan McNab/UnSpash, CC BY-ND The lakes on the world’s biggest sand island, K’gari, are famous. Pivotal to the World Heritage listing of the Queensland island formerly known as Fraser Island, their turquoise waters feature in international tourism
Spotify Wrapped ghosted NZ music again. Local artists and audiences deserve more
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jesse Austin-Stewart, Lecturer, School of Music and Screen Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Getty Images Spotify has just released Spotify Wrapped, its annual end-of-year viral promotional exercise. For New Zealand musicians, however, there was little to get excited about. Spotify Wrapped aims to reflect
How scientists are growing computers from human brain cells – and why they want to keep doing it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bram Servais, PhD Candidate Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne A microelectrode array covered with neurons. Bram Servais As prominent artificial intelligence (AI) researchers eye limits to the current phase of the technology, a different approach is gaining attention: using living human brain cells as computational hardware.
Myanmar’s military will no doubt win this month’s sham elections. But could a shake-up follow?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Coppel, Honorary Fellow, The University of Melbourne Myanmar’s military regime has announced elections will be held in three phases, starting on December 28 and concluding in January. Two outcomes are certain: first, the military-aligned party will be recorded as winning and, second, the government in exile
Are mozzie repellents safe to use? And do I really need them in Australia?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Webb, Clinical Associate Professor, School of Medical Science & Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute; Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney Summer’s here and after a wet spring in many parts of Australia, mosquitoes are out in force. Insect repellent has become a routine requirement for time outdoors.
As music festival season ramps up, artists can help shine a light on an ‘invisible’ workforce
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast Vishnu R Nair/Pexels Around Australia, music festival season is once again kicking into high gear. Yet behind every headline act is a vast and often invisible workforce of stage crew, sound engineers, lighting techs, riggers, truck drivers,
The scariest stuff is what you can’t see: how we got the sound of horror films
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will Jeffery, Sessional Academic, Discipline of Film Studies, University of Sydney Psycho (1960) I was recently watching a scene from the 2025 film Weapons for a monograph I’m writing and noticed a familiar sound: a low, unsettling drone as a character walks down a hallway. It’s the
Is the focus on NAPLAN’s ‘top’ schools a good idea?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sally Larsen, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of New England On Wednesday, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority released the school-level results for this year’s NAPLAN tests. This reporting includes scores for years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across literacy and numeracy. Parents received children’s individual
Kim Kardashian’s brain scan shows ‘low activity’ and holes. I’m a brain expert and I have questions
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Hellewell, Senior Research Fellow, The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, and Research Fellow, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University A recent episode of the The Kardashians shared some startling news about Kim Kardashian’s brain. Discussing Kim’s recent brain scan, her doctor pointed out “holes”
Prada buys Versace in a €1.25 billion deal. Here’s what that means for fashion
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jye Marshall, Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology Prada will become the new owners of the Versace brand, under a €1.25 billion (A$2.2 billion) deal. Versace has recently struggled both financially and in keeping up with the larger luxury fashion houses.
Struggling to believe Stranger Things’ Jim Hopper as the ‘good guy’? You’re not alone
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Marshall, Emeritus Professor, New Media, Communication and Cultural Studies, Deakin University Netflix The first half of Stranger Things’ (2016–) final season has received almost 60 million views in five days – making it Netflix’s largest ever English language debut. But the reception has been marred by
Australian economic growth is solid but not spectacular. Rate cuts are off the table
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney Australia’s economy grew by a softer-than-expected 0.4% in the September quarter, slowing from 0.6% growth in the June quarter. It confirms the recovery is tracking forward but without strong momentum. Still, figures from the Australian Bureau of
Trump’s ratings recover a little after slump; Australian Labor retains large poll leads
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Donald Trump’s net approval is up a little after a slump to a term low on November 23, as Republicans hold a federal seat at a special
Like night and day: why Test cricket changes so much under lights
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Cricket’s first Test match was played between Australia and England in 1877. The next Ashes match, starting at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday, will be Test number 2,611. Read more: The ‘Bazball’ game style
Thunderstorms are noisily kicking off summer in NZ – what’s driving them?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor of Physical Geography (Climate Science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Hulton Archive/Getty Images The rumble of thunderstorms across the country this week is a noisy reminder that summer is arriving – and with it, the mix of heat, humidity and unstable
