ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 10, 2026.
Australia’s government has woken up to the risks of AI. More ambition is needed
AI’s risks and harms are already affecting Australians. There are new ones coming.
Threats may change, but geography doesn’t. It’s time for Australia to be a good neighbour to the Pacific
Australia has long shifted from neglect to anxiety and activity in its relationship with the Pacific. Here’s why, and how, that needs to change.
What happened to Australia’s snow season? A climate expert explains
Three climate-related factors have loaded the dice for a drier and warmer winter this year.
Giant kangaroos survived until 6,500 years ago on the New Guinea coast
A new study challenges conventional thinking about what drove the extinction of megafauna.
Sydney’s 1789 smallpox epidemic came from the First Fleet and killed up to 220,000 Indigenous Australians: new research
New mathematical modelling shows the first smallpox epidemic among Aboriginal people in the Sydney region may have spread thousands of kilometres and lasted decades.
Canada’s proposed clean water act needs stronger protections for Indigenous communities
In its current form, safe drinking water legislation would weaken key legal provisions, particularly those related to rights and governance for First Nations.
Renewed NATO co-operation and defence spending are about strategy, not obeying Trump
Spending by NATO members show they are prioritizing the strategic needs of the alliance as a whole rather than simply giving in to Donald Trump’s demands.
How Australia’s new negative gearing rules might accidentally favour some property investors
Negative gearing hasn’t been abolished, only restricted. But the new rules could distort the housing market in other ways.
Young people are being exposed to gambling too early. Here’s what we can do
Research shows young Australians are most at risk of experiencing gambling harm.
A big El Niño is likely. Australia needs to get ready now for drought, fire and the unknown
Too often, Australian authorities have relied on ad hoc preparations for the droughts and bushfires made more likely by El Niño.
Do your dreams have smells? New study on ‘blind minds’ reveals vast differences in imagination
When we’re awake, our imaginations are quite different. But what about our dreams?
New provincial laws are making it harder to access government records in Canada
Three provinces have passed laws that make it easier for governments to withhold, delay or dismiss requests for public records — and Ottawa may be next.
Earthquakes in Venezuela expose a severely under-resourced and unprepared healthcare system
Two physicians discuss the ongoing earthquake relief efforts in their home country of Venezuela and explain what the healthcare system was like before the disaster.
Earth’s deep memory is thawing with the Arctic permafrost, degrading records of our ancient world
Permafrost holds an extraordinary molecular record of ancient life — and we are only now learning to read it, just as warming begins to erase it.
The real mystery behind Moana: after 1,700 years, why did Polynesians suddenly sail east?
New evidence suggests a massive centuries-long drought may be part of the answer.
Hummingbirds and pineapples: why this ancient relationship hits the evolutionary sweetspot
Hummingbirds are responsible for some of the fastest evolution in the plant kingdom.
Making scientific knowledge free for all
Publishing and having access to scientific articles is an expensive business for research institutions. Fortunately, there are content providers out there who deliver rigorous material that’s free of charge.
What World Cup football can teach us about managing fatigue in extreme conditions
Elite teams plan for heat, recovery and warning signs. Workplaces expecting effort during heatwaves need the same kind of thinking.
Is recursive self‑improvement the dawning of AI superintelligence?
AI systems can now improve themselves by themselves. Is this the dawn of machine superintelligence?
The secret life of roots: how plants fight back against salty soils
As soils become saltier, roots are deploying remarkable survival strategies that could help safeguard future food supplies.