You don't need that dress, you need a hug. Or so says fashion activist and writer, Aja Barber.

It took 400,000 people to land man to the moon. And it's using that example as inspiration that the influential... more

Could Asia Pacific be with China within a couple of years? Is the independence of Taiwan worth for Australia to... more

Has the way politicians speak ever made you shout at the television, feel bamboozled, helpless,  or shut out of democratic... more

Only 50 years ago, if you were 60 years old your chance of dying was the same as an 80-year-old's... more

Gender equality isn't just about equal pay, it's a health and safety issue. Women perceive safety very differently to men,... more

How valuable are trees as an alternative crop? And what's the role of agroforestry in the future of sustainable farming?

They use of shark nets to protect us from sharks is highly controversial. Do they work, what do they do to... more

It's a question that has focused the minds of astronauts, scientists, space entrepreneurs and enthusiasts alike – is there, could... more

Folk legend Eric Bogle is opening up and talks about his life, his thoughts about death, friendship and love and... more

What is the future of Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza strip and surrounding region? Can the past help us... more

A wooden sarcophogas is sold in a Cairo market in the late 1800s, transported to Australia, and held in a... more

For decades, Mary Beard has forged her own path through the male dominated field of academia, from the ruins of... more

The best of talks, forums, debates, and festivals held in Australia and around the world.

What is the best response to hostage diplomacy? Pay the ransom? Sanction the responsible country, or individuals? Go public, or... more

Water is life. Rivers give life. But water and the rivers it flows down are also heavily politicised, and at... more

Australia’s bushfires are more intense, more frequent, and more costly. So how can we prepare for the inevitable – what... more

Many of you are involved in a charity: Handing out meals to homeless people, caring for surrendered animals in a... more

Grace is a hard word to define, but in her latest book, author, journalist and broadcaster Julia Baird explores the... more

When governments say they can't afford to fix climate change or lift kids out of poverty are they speaking the... more

Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world's foremost experts on trauma, discusses his pioneering research into traumatic stress and... more

Different generations agree that youth mental health is in decline, but disagree about the causes. We explore generational attitudes to... more

Liberalism isn't just a political philosophy but the basis of a truly meaningful life. That's the bold statement of philosopher... more

Quantum computing is all about physics, but for those looking to pioneer and revolutionise science, there are certain human qualities... more

Imagine a machine with more power than all the computers in the world combined. This is the promise of quantum... more

The US has claimed that it has “no greater ally than Australia”, but with the stability of its democracy in... more

Hear from four “many worlds travellers” who have visited parallel worlds to explore themes of Indigenous rights, disability, gender and... more

Can you put a price tag on regional education? In fact, you can. The large difference in the quality of... more

From dark energy to the nature of time, some of the most baffling mysteries in cosmology point to a surprisingly... more

Two years since Vladimir Putin’s Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine, the risks are as grave as ever, including the possibility of... more

We hear from the nation's anti-corruption leaders, including NACC Deputy Commissioner Nicole Rose, about the state of corruption in Australia.

Pioneering electronic musician and performer Laurie Anderson invites you contemplate the wonders of time. Time is one of the most... more

Best-selling author Holly Ringland says that everyone can be creative – yes, even you! Be it painting, cooking, knitting a... more

Most of us know that exposure to nature is good for us, because we’ve experienced it ourselves. Doctors can even... more

Celebrities, and their fans, wield tremendous economic, cultural and political influence – and none more so than US pop superstar... more

Have you ever followed your intuition, or been guided by a gut feeling? Is intuition real or imagined? Can it... more

What has happened to civil debate and the reasonable exchange of competing ideas in public, to conversations that might lead... more

There's nothing like an innocent story to rupture reality! Fiction is a literary seismograph for social conflict and stories can... more

Public libraries are for everyone, but last year, the LGBTIQA+ community became a target for exclusion by anti-queer campaigners, when... more

Some things feel impossible to change without money and power. Meet four trailblazers didn't let that stop them. Fighting corporations.... more

Women and girls in Iran continue to take to the streets and protest gender oppression and human rights abuses. And... more

US singer, songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek is known as one of the most inventive pop musicians working in the... more

Speaking freely isn't only about Freedom of Speech legislation, it's equally about social norms, loving your family and courage. Authors... more

Housing is a hot mess in many remote Aboriginal communities,  including Tennant Creek, and the rollercoaster of government policies and... more

Psychedelics were once the domain of hippies and cults, but these drugs have come long way from the ‘turn on,... more

Finishing your undergraduate assignments in English Literature in breaks between selling drugs … fighting and hurting people and committing crimes... more

Tiger parents: do their methods raise happy and successful human beings, or burnt out, damaged therapy cases? In this hyper... more

From the moment we’re born, we all age. So why limit the possibilities? The latest Intergenerational Report describes Australia's ageing... more

Craig Foster has a vision for the future: An Australia without racism, with equal access to food and representation and... more

In her fifth Massey lecture, Escaping the Burrow, self-described "feral intellectual" Astra Taylor explores how insecurity can also offer us a... more

An appeal for solidarity with species other than our own, in this fourth Massey lecture by renowned Canadian-American filmmaker, writer, political... more

In her third provocative CBC Massey lecture, Canadian-American filmmaker, writer, political organiser, rock musician  and self-described "feral intellectual" Astra Taylor argues our... more

We take certain fundamental rights for granted, but who got to define them and are they enough? You'll find solidarity... more

Who was Cura and what's she got to do with how capitalism shapes our lives and psyches? In this year's... more

Three successful authors Akuch Anyieth, Shannon Burns and Catherine Deveny talk about memoir, and why they're interested in the form. Moderator... more

Two teams of heavy-hitters debate the fate of human creativity in a world of artificial intelligence. In a Big Ideas first, two... more

In early 2020, as Australians were being locked down, something strange was happening in an inner-suburban hotel in Brisbane. A... more

It's possibly the greatest ever example of artistic censorship in Australian history. Police have requested hip hop to be taken... more

From apps that help us swim safely to using Crispr to cut the genes of box jellyfish to technology that... more

What do the streets feel like where you live? Unsafe for kids to ride to school, big busy highways, limited... more

Three influential women explore the power, the politics, and the cost of speaking out.

The history and development of the nuclear industry is shred in secrecy and contradictions. And its future is throwing up... more

Are Greek-Australian's now considered to be 'white' in Australia's colourful social fabric? A panel of prominent Greek-Australians discusses questions of... more

"Are they a girl or a boy?" That question is often asked about a newborn. But what if you're born with genetic... more

The best of talks, forums, debates, and festivals held in Australia and around the world.

Meet some climate refugees of a different kind. From the Western swamp tortoise to honey ants to whales, can they... more

Questioning whether travel is ethical is probably the last thing on your mind when you decide to go on holiday.... more

Would you eat protein brewed in a vat from bacteria instead of meat? "Nom nom nom!", you might say. George... more

The planet's hotter than it has ever been. July was the Earth's hottest month ever recorded since records began. And the... more

If you can't control it – then don't worry about it. It's one of the core messages of stoicism. Much... more

For more than 100 years, birdwatchers have searched for evidence that one of Australia's rarest native birds is not extinct.... more

We make machines, but do our machines also make us? And who's in control really? Superstar anthropologist, technologist, futurist, cyberneticist, and Silicon Valley insider Genevieve... more

Movie or TV roles for older women accurately reflecting contemporary, society and experiences are rare. Sigrid Thornton, Rachael Maza, Sophie... more

Who doesn't dream of being loved dangerously, thrillingly free from the tethers of restraint? It's a question journalist and author... more

Harvard University has been running the world's longest study into happiness. The Harvard Study of Adult Development has been running... more

Who sets the agenda when it comes to designing houses? More often than not wealthy developers call the shots. The... more

In its simplest definition, orientalism refers to the patronising depictions of the 'Eastern world' — a term that encompasses North... more

Where once photography gave us images of the world as seen by machines, photography under AI gives us images of... more

While Australian women were among the first to get the vote in the world, their lives were still constrained for... more

Your internal experience of consciousness – your rich inner life — has had scientists and philosophers completely perplexed for centuries. How... more

In 1963, as the space race was taking off, the influential political philosopher Hannah Arrendt challenged scientists over their shift... more

Mental health problems and chronic diseases are plaguing societies around the world. Both fields need new solutions. We know that... more

Australians on average chuck out 7.6 billion tonnes of food per year. That amounts to 312 kilos per person, or... more

In a world of hyper-connectivity and social media, why do so many of us feel so damn lonely? Being lonely... more

Many people embark on a journey to discover their family's past in order to contextualise their present. But what happens... more

What happens when Australia’s best poets and writers walk into the world of scientists? How do they feed of each... more

A range of media outlets — including the ABC — have been criticised for their coverage of the latest Israel-Gaza... more

A range of media outlets — including the ABC — have been criticised for their coverage of the latest Israel-Gaza... more

Multi-award-winning Australian photojournalist Andrew Quilty went to Afghanistan on a two-week assignment. He stayed for 9 years. At just 25, Afghan-born... more

Technology's default setting is 'male' — more precisely a white, or at least, light-skinned male. Tracey Spicer exposes how technology... more

In 2020, veteran science journalist Ed Yong intended to write a book about the world of animal senses. But fate... more

If you find yourself locked up in a foreign prison on fake charges, what would you like your government to... more

Has feminism been too white and too middle-class for too long? From India to Australia, five trailblazing women spanning generations, geography, and... more

The road to peace is one littered with compromise. From Belfast to Bosnia, Dili to the Democratic Republic of the... more

He was one of the most remarkable producer/director/actors to come out of Hollywood. The cinema wunderkind George Orson Welles. But... more

The director of Doherty Institute for Infectious Diseases was out of office when the first official case of the novel... more

Clem Ford, author of bestselling book Fight Like a Girl, Boys Will be Boys, and How We Love, is back with a... more

There is nothing like cheering on your favourite sport team; or seeing our Aussie athletes on the top podium at the... more

While it was Mao Zedong who believed power came from the barrel of a gun, philosopher Hannah Arendt saw it... more

How can you quiet those nagging voices inside your head; expectations that you should to better; anxiety how to make ends... more