ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on March 31, 2026.
First Nations rehabilitation programs aren’t keeping people out of prison. Here’s what would help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney There are unprecedented numbers of First Nations people in prisons. In Australia, 37% of adults and 60% of young people aged 10-17 behind bars are First Nations, despite making up 3.4% and 6.2% of the Australian population respectively.
Druski’s viral whiteface skit isn’t racism. It’s satire that punches up at power
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor of History and Associate Head (Research) of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University American comedian Druski has gone viral with a short parody video titled “How Conservative Women in America Act”. In it, Druski plays a character whose costumes, make-up
Social media giants are not complying with under-16s social media ban, new report finds
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa M. Given, Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University Nearly four months into Australia’s social media ban for under-16s, the online regulator today released its first detailed compliance update report on how the world-first policy is progressing. eSafety’s report comes
New Israeli law could mean death penalty by default for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shannon Bosch, Associate Professor (Law), Edith Cowan University Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, this week passed legislation that would vastly expand capital punishment in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories. The changes, made via an amendment to Israel’s penal law, allow for executions without proper appeal, pardons
Her song features in Ryan Gosling’s hit movie, but Erima Maewa Kaihau was once a star too
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Austin Haynes, PhD Candidate, School of Arts and Media, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Hollywood science fiction blockbuster Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, opened to generally positive reviews and strong box office receipts, but in Aotearoa New Zealand it made news for another
Exploding head syndrome: the surprisingly common condition with a terrifying name
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavie Waters, Research Professor, School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia Have you ever been drifting off to sleep when suddenly you hear what sounds like a gunshot, a door slamming, or an explosion inside your head? You jolt awake, heart pounding, sit upright in
‘We’re doing something about it’ – Fiji’s health minister defends HIV response
By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Fiji’s Health Minister Dr Ratu Antonio Lalabalavu has defended the government’s handling of the country’s HIV crisis. HIV is surging in Fiji with at least 9000 people — or nearly one percent of the population — reported to be now infected. There are concerns that the real figure
Israel passes extreme death penalty law targeting only Palestinians
By Minnah Arshad of Zeteo Israel’s Parliament has approved a one-sided death penalty measure to execute Palestinians. It is one of the most extreme laws in the nation’s history, and will exacerbate the far-right government’s illegal system of apartheid. Some members of the Knesset, including ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, were seen wearing noose
‘My head feels clearer’: how citizen science can improve people’s health
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Fuller, Professor in Biodiversity and Conservation, The University of Queensland The two of us can often be found in a patch of scrubby bushland, phone in hand, slowly scanning for plants. Or crouched behind a tree trunk with binoculars, pausing mid-breath to find the source of
There may be 10 times as many citizen scientists in Australia as we thought – and that’s great news for science
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Smith, Adjunct Associate Professor in Marine Science, James Cook University Until recently, the number of citizen scientists in Australia was estimated at between 100,000 and 130,000 people. But this is a major underestimate. My survey of about 20 key organisations suggests there are likely more than
Apple at 50: eight technology leaps that changed our world
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Dalton, Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science, Northumbria University, Newcastle In the early 1970s, the idea of an ordinary person owning a computer sounded absurd. Computers back then were more like aircraft carriers or nuclear power plants than household appliances – vast machines housed
Heat shield safety concerns raise stakes for Nasa’s Artemis II Moon mission
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ed Macaulay, Lecturer in Physics and Data Science, Queen Mary University of London The astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are preparing to launch into space on a trajectory that will make them the first humans to travel to the Moon in over
First European case of H9N2 bird flu reported in Italy – what you need to know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ed Hutchinson, Professor, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow The first human case of H9N2 influenza virus (bird flu) has been reported in Europe. A human infection was recorded by the Italian Ministry of Health on March 25, 2026. As an influenza virologist,
George Eliot is best known for Middlemarch, but she also wrote an early work of science fiction
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Murray, Lecturer, The University of Western Australia George Eliot – the pen name of Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans – is celebrated today as a writer of realist novels: Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Middlemarch (1871) and Daniel Deronda (1876). We don’t
Do peptides improve workout performance? A nutrition expert explains the science
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leonidas Karagounis, Professor Research Translation & Enterprise, Australian Catholic University Peptides are widely marketed as a kind of “holy grail” for workout recovery and physical performance. You may have seen advertisements online claiming these supplements can significantly boost muscle growth, eliminate joint pain, and accelerate recovery times.
Public health providers have to obey strict cyber security rules – so should private contractors
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gehan Gunasekara, Professor of Commercial Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Following a series of significant health data breaches, the government released a cyber security strategy and action plan to establish a national framework for responding to escalating cyber threats. The strategy covers New Zealand’s critical
Focusing on how and why you eat – not just what – may be the key to healthy eating
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nina Van Dyke, Associate Professor and Associate Director, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University When most people think about “healthy eating”, they usually focus on what they eat. That might mean trying to eat more fruit and vegetables or less fast food, or counting calories. But there’s a lot
Strongest evidence yet that vaping likely causes cancer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bernard Stewart, Professor, Paediatrics and Child Health, UNSW Sydney As early as the 1880s, there was evidence that smoking tobacco damaged your lungs. But it took almost 100 years to definitively show that smoking causes lung cancer. So, what about vapes? Until now, most research that has
Is E10 fuel bad for my car? And could it save me money?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zachary Aman, Professor of Chemical Engineering, The University of Western Australia Fuel has become a precious, and increasingly expensive, commodity. The ongoing Middle East conflict has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off 20% of the world’s oil supplies. This, coupled with tit-for-tat attacks on key
‘Mum and Dad both finished school in Year 10’– how to help first-in-family students graduate from uni
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sally Patfield, Lecturer, Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, School of Education, University of Newcastle Each year, about 30% of new undergraduates in Australia are the first in their families to go to university. This means their parents do not have a university-level qualification. Often, they also don’t
