ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on February 25, 2026.
What is a ‘cancer gene’? How genetic mutations lead to cancer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) An estimated 170,000 Australians were diagnosed with cancer in 2025. Many people know the causes of cancer are partly genetic. But how do your genes, which contribute
Extreme weather is transforming the world’s rivers. We need new ways to protect them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Tonkin, Professor of Ecology and Rutherford Discovery Fellow, University of Canterbury In the summer of 2022, extreme heat and unprecedented drought drove parts of the world’s third largest river, the Yangtze, to dry up. The impacts for hydropower, shipping and industry in China were severe, immediate
AI companies promise to ‘fix’ aged care, but they’re selling a false narrative
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Barbosa Neves, Senior Horizon Fellow, AI and Ageing, University of Sydney Australia’s Royal Commission into Aged Care found a broken system. Now, technology companies are promising artificial intelligence (AI) will fix everything, from staff shortages to older people’s loneliness. This is known as agetech, an industry
How ‘smart’ rainwater tanks can help keep platypus habitat healthy
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Russell, Research Fellow, Urban Stream Geomorphology, The University of Melbourne A growing number of new housing developments feature a little known but powerful bit of tech: smart rainwater tanks. That’s where the rainwater tank next to each house is fitted with a little computer to open
Trump’s plan for strikes on Iran carries major risks – and the US military knows it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Gawthorpe, Lecturer in History and International Studies, Leiden University As the US continues to assemble military assets in the Middle East and Europe ahead of a possible strike against Iran, Donald Trump is running up against two problems that have plagued American presidents before him. The
Michelangelo hated painting the Sistine Chapel – and never aspired to be a painter to begin with
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Swartwood House, Associate Professor of Art History, University of South Carolina When a 5-inch-by-4-inch red chalk drawing of a woman’s foot by Michelangelo sold at auction for US$27.2 million on Feb. 5, 2026, it blew past the $1.5 million to $2 million it was expected to
Pauline Hanson’s no ‘good’ Muslims comment shows how normalised Islamophobia has become in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made headlines last week following an interview with Sky News in which she suggested there are no “good” Muslims. The comment was outrageous by any measure, but the response relatively muted, reflecting a
Ivermectin was touted as a cure for COVID, now it’s being tested for cancer. But what can it actually treat?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Ivermectin was originally celebrated as a revolutionary treatment for parasitic disease in humans and animals. It has since evolved into a focal point of misinformation and heated debate. During the early part of the COVID pandemic, it was
Climate change is drying out the ‘forgotten rivers’ that keep the Murray-Darling alive. We need a new plan
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Avril Horne, Research fellow, Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne If you stand beside Seven Creeks in Victoria or Spring Creek in Queensland, they might seem small and unremarkable. But these creeks flow into the mighty Goulburn and Condamine Rivers, and punch far above their
Victorian public school teachers want a 4-day week trial. What could this mean for schools?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona Longmuir, Senior Lecturer – Co-leader Education Workforce for the Future Impact Lab, Monash University When we think about jobs you can do from home, you may not immediately picture a school teacher. But as Victoria debates a new right to work from home, the state’s teachers
China’s dancing robots are a wake-up call for Australia on policy and productivity
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Yue Zhang, Associate Professor, Technology and Innovation, University of Technology Sydney Chinese state television rang in the Year of the Horse with humanoid robots doing kung fu, comedy sketches and mass choreography. They made complex martial arts choreography look easy. Social media was flooded with memes
Brontë’s Heathcliff wasn’t white. Jacob Elordi is. Is that a problem?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ellie Crookes, Lecturer in English Literatures, University of Wollongong The race of Heathcliff, the brooding antihero of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, is a much-discussed element of the classic tale. Brontë variously describes him as “a little lascar, or an American or Spanish castaway”; “that gipsy
New police powers to ‘move on’ rough sleepers only mask NZ’s deeper homelessness problem
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brodie Fraser, Senior Research Fellow in Housing and Health, University of Otago The government’s plan to empower police to “issue move-on orders as a tool to deal with disorderly behaviour in public places” will effectively apply to people as young as 14 who are experiencing homelessness and
‘I am the enemy of death’: Gisèle Pelicot’s memoir is a remarkable tale of survival
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Kevin, Associate Professor in Australian History, Flinders University Gisèle Pelicot’s compelling and moving memoir begins with the day she learned that over the course of at least nine years, she had been raped by her husband Dominique and around 80 other men, while she was drugged
The Palestine Chronicle: Roger Fowler’s legacy – a Palestinian tribute
The Palestine Chronicle New Zealand activist Roger Fowler, a longtime Gaza solidarity organiser and Palestine Chronicle contributor, who died last Saturday, leaves a legacy of principled resistance. Roger Fowler was a beloved figure in the global solidarity movement and a steadfast advocate for justice in Palestine. He leaves behind a legacy defined by courage, compassion,
West Papuan filmmakers expose Merauke rainforest destruction in ‘siege’ doco
Pacific Media Watch A world premiere of a new documentary revealing the devastation of rainforest in the southeastern part of West Papua is one of two films being screened in Auckland next month. Billed as “Sinéma Merdeka: Stories from West Papua”, the programme is showing the heart of a hidden Pacific conflict and will be
Science knows of 21,000 bee species. There are likely thousands more
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong It’s a question that has sparked the curiosity of scholars and bee lovers for decades: how many species of bees are there in the world? This might, at first, seem like a silly question. But it is
How Tourette’s causes involuntary outbursts – and what people with the condition want you to know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Licari, Senior Research Fellow in Child Disability, The University of Western Australia Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson has explained he left the British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAs) ceremony early on Monday night, aware his outbursts were causing distress. Davidson was attending the ceremony to support
High-speed rail from Sydney to Newcastle is a step closer. But what about Sydney to Melbourne?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Laird, Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Wollongong The federal government will spend A$230 million towards a high-speed rail line between Newcastle and Sydney, promising the project will be “shovel ready” for a final decision on construction in 2028. The government also released a partly redacted business
Punch the monkey isn’t the first lonely zoo animal to capture our hearts – or raise troubling questions
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruby Ekkel, Associate Lecturer in History, Australian National University For weeks, the story of Punch the monkey has tugged at heartstrings around the world. Videos of this lonely baby monkey at Japan’s Ichikawa Zoo have triggered global outpourings of empathy, grief and outrage. Abandoned by his mother,
