An ancient oracle warned invading Persia would backfire – from Croesus to Trump, rulers have failed to listenPeter Edwell, Macquarie University
Easter has a soundtrack just like Christmas, so why do we never hear it?Wendy Hargreaves, University of Southern Queensland
We can’t implant our brains in robot beavers – but Hoppers gets a lot right about animal scienceRebecca Lynne Hendershott, Australian National University
Unethical brain rot: why are millions watching AI fruits have affairs on TikTok?Niusha Shafiabady, Australian Catholic University and Theresa Dicke, Australian Catholic University
New Stan film Whale Shark Jack is a kid-focused tribute to WA’s awe-inspiring coastlineEllie McFarlane, RMIT University
From spaghetti harvests to fake news: why the glory days of April Fools gags are overPhoebe Hart, Queensland University of Technology
Selling stolen art is tricky, so why even bother heisting it? An expert explainsAnja Shortland, King's College London
Druski’s viral whiteface skit isn’t racism. It’s satire that punches up at powerClare Corbould, Deakin University
Her song features in Ryan Gosling’s hit movie, but Erima Maewa Kaihau was once a star tooAustin Haynes, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
My baby loves children’s music, but I don’t – what can we listen to together?Emily Dollman, Adelaide University
A Bible Belt track without a pulse – it’s no surprise fans hate the 2026 FIFA World Cup song LighterBrent Keogh, University of Technology Sydney
Homebodies: bold TV about a trans man, his mother and the conversations they never hadDamien O'Meara, RMIT University
Mary Shelley is often underestimated on screen – does The Bride! finally get her right?Fiona Wilkes, The University of Western Australia
Singing, slaying and going viral: how KPop Demon Hunters rocked the internet – and the OscarsJennifer Stokes, Adelaide University
Horror won big at the 2026 Oscars – it’s time the genre was taken seriouslyFrazer Lee, Brunel University of London
The Other Bennet Sister: this fresh take on Pride and Prejudice transforms the overlooked MaryAndrew McInnes, Edge Hill University
A brief history of denim – and why the ‘perfect pair’ of jeans remains elusiveRose Marroncelli, Nottingham Trent University
Morgan le Fay was King Arthur’s sister – but also a healer, mathematician and murdererNicole Kimball, University of Newcastle
War in Iran: Why destroying cultural heritage is such a foolish strategic move in any conflictCostanza Musu, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
‘Fry now pay later’: tracing a century of skin cancer messaging in AustraliaAndrew J. May, The University of Melbourne
A 2,850-year-old mass grave in Serbia reveals a shift in prehistoric violenceBarry Molloy, University College Dublin and Linda Fibiger, University of Edinburgh
I AM: a powerful declaration of Indigenous identity at the Art Gallery of Western AustraliaJennifer Moyle Ogbeide-Ihama, Edith Cowan University
Banksy’s identity may have been published. Was the investigation in the public interest?Peter Bengtsen, Lund University
A new museum every 1.5 days: what’s driving China’s massive cultural expansionJustine Poplin, Southern Cross University
Stories open to interpretation: the 2026 Biennale of Sydney embraces narratives with multiple meaningsTracey Clement, Australian Catholic University
The Swedish concept of döstädning or death cleaning is about more than just getting rid of thingsLynn Akesson, Lund University
Why do some people treat the Magic Kingdom and Disney adults like cultural abominations?Adam Kadlac, Wake Forest University
Kitchens are the heart of the home. What do all these bland luxury renovations lose?Caroline Cumberbatch, University of Tasmania
A deadly strike, or Call of Duty clip? How the US government is trying to memeify the war on IranDaniel Baldino, University of Notre Dame Australia
Sex Pistols at 50: how punk’s most notorious band became part of the mainstreamAdam Behr, Newcastle University
Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball reveals the gothic tradition behind modern celebrityHarriet Fletcher, Anglia Ruskin University
Charli XCX turned Wuthering Heights into a sonic gothic masterpieceLillian Hingley, University of Oxford
What Kate Nash’s grassroots music protest reveals about touring and streamingPaul G. Oliver, Edinburgh Napier University
Are video games art or products? This tension lies at the heart of Australia’s gaming industryZainab Darbas, Monash University
Is Spotify’s AI ‘killing’ Australian music? What we found from analysing more than 2 million tracksMohsin Malik, Swinburne University of Technology and Guy Morrow, The University of Melbourne
Paramount acquires Warner Bros Discovery in mega deal: the winners, losers and Trump’s man in the middleLiam Burke, Swinburne University of Technology
What this year’s Tropfest winning film tells us about mothers in the screen industrySheree Gregory, University of Newcastle and Michelle O'Shea, Western Sydney University
How melodrama became the theme running through the 2026 Perth FestivalJonathan W. Marshall, Edith Cowan University
The West Gate Bridge disaster looms large over Melbourne. A new play can’t fully capture its griefJonathan Graffam-O’Meara, Monash University
Flora captures the Australian environment. It is something bold and new in Australian danceYvette Grant, The University of Melbourne
Timothée Chalamet says nobody cares about opera and ballet. The backlash ignores an awkward truthCraig Dalton, Edith Cowan University