ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on September 24, 2025.
Is TikTok right? Should I avoid matcha if I have low iron?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Swinburne University of Technology Tom Werner/Getty The popularity of matcha continues to boom. But recent videos on social media have suggested it could be bad for you if you have low iron. One Sydney woman recently told media she had “no idea”
Spectacle, weirdness and novelty: what early cinema tells us about the appeal of ‘AI slop’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alfio Leotta, Associate Professor, School of Arts and Media, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Georges Méliès, Story Of Animation/Youtube, The Conversation Talking monkeys vlogging from sacred sites, three-legged sharks wearing Nike sneakers, babies trapped in space… if you spend any time on social media
Keith Rankin Analysis – Pushing a String: Ineffective Monetary Policy
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Back in the day, Economics 101 students learned that trying to recover from a depressed economy using monetary policy alone was like ‘pushing on a string’. Easy monetary policy is supposed to work by getting people – households, businesses, and governments – to incur more debt; in a phrase, to borrow
What a newly discovered gas bridge between galaxies tells us about the cosmic cycle of matter
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lister Staveley-Smith, Professor at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia A composite image shows a diffuse ‘bridge’ of gas linking two dwarf galaxies. ICRAR, N. Deg, Legacy Surveys (D.Lang / Perimeter Institute) Most of the ordinary matter in the universe
100 years before quantum mechanics, one scientist glimpsed a link between light and matter
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Arianrhod, Affiliate, School of Mathematics, Monash University MirageC / Getty Images The Irish mathematician and physicist William Rowan Hamilton, who was born 220 years ago last month, is famous for carving some mathematical graffiti into Dublin’s Broome Bridge in 1843. But in his lifetime, Hamilton’s reputation
Lawsuits, cancellations and bullying: Trump is systematically destroying press freedom
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne Roberto Schmidt/Getty United States President Donald Trump is well advanced in his systematic campaign to undermine the American media and eviscerate its function of holding him and others in power to account. Since the
New measles cases in Queensland show ‘herd immunity’ is more important than ever
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Beard, Associate Professor in Public Health, University of Sydney CHBD/Getty The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Australia free of measles in 2014. Historically, high childhood measles vaccination coverage and thorough follow-up of suspected cases have helped prevent outbreaks. But in the last six weeks, a growing
Countries are threatening to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s inclusion. How will Australia respond?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate Professor, Music Industry, RMIT University Last week, Spain joined Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands in announcing it will not take part in Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to participate. Other countries such as Belgium and Finland have indicated they are considering withdrawing.
Another local election, another low turnout? Syncing local and general elections could be the answer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julia Talbot-Jones, Senior Lecturer | School of Government, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images By now you should have received those familiar orange envelopes containing your local body election papers. Have you opened them? Will you vote? And will you remember to post
View from The Hill: Albanese left off Trump’s meeting list, as Ley oversteps the mark
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The foreign policy performances on both sides of politics currently have a dash of the amateur hour about them. Anthony Albanese has seemingly again received the brush off, after months of diplomatic effort to secure a bilateral meeting with Donald
What is leucovorin, the drug the Trump administration says can treat autism?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University The US government has announced controversial guidance on the prevention and treatment of autism in children. New health recommendations aim to discourage pregnant women from taking the painkiller paracetamol – also known as acetaminophen and by the brand
Managing mould, housemates, and landlords: new research reveals sharehousing horror stories
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoe Goodall, Research Associate, HHAUS research group, Swinburne University of Technology Sladic/Getty Sharehousing has traditionally been a rite of passage for many young people and students in Australia, but is also increasingly common among all age groups. Conflicts with landlords – over issues such as repairs, leaks
It’s OK to use paracetamol in pregnancy. Here’s what the science says about the link with autism
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Wood, Professor, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney United States President Donald Trump has urged pregnant women to avoid paracetamol except in cases of extremely high fever, because of a possible link to autism. Paracetamol – known as acetaminophen or by the
