International #ResearchIntegrity conference 16-18 November 2025
Come to hear @elisabethbik.bsky.social Ivan Oransky @jamesheathers.bsky.social @retractionwatch.com Lisa Bero @liammannix.bsky.social @jdwilko.bsky.social @jacksonwryan.com +many others, stay for Sydney in late Spring @sydney.edu.au 🧪

Good journalism reveals problems and just asks more questions Due to a negative focus and social media, audiences are divided into warring camps. But there’s a solution.

"News titles “should be the best friend of people... Is it somebody who constantly calls you up and says ‘the castle is on fire’? is it someone constantly complaining about everything? People don’t think we are good friends.”

www.theage.com.au/national/goo...

Cancer research misconduct sparks calls for reform The architect of Australia’s current research integrity system says it isn’t working.

How should we deal with the issue of research misconduct in Australia?

A growing chorus of voices is now calling for a key reform: the establishment of an independant office of research integrity. My story

www.theage.com.au/national/can...

The cancer drug, the faked data and the superstar scientist An investigation can reveal the secret history of one of Australia’s top scientists, whose faked data underpins a drug now being given to patients.

Mark Smyth was one of Australia's most-important scientists, right at the very top of the pile.

Until his own institute accused him of "serious academic misconduct"

A two part investigation by me in @theage and @smh

1: www.theage.com.au/national/the...

2: www.theage.com.au/national/fol...

The cancer drug, the faked data and the superstar scientist An investigation can reveal the secret history of one of Australia’s top scientists, whose faked data underpins a drug now being given to patients.

Australia's failure to enforce research integrity: "CSIRO chief executive Doug Hilton said the Smyth case clearly highlighted the need for an independent research misconduct watchdog instead of allowing universities to investigate allegations against their staff." www.smh.com.au/national/the...

Out of the ashes, a new treatment for a hidden cancer It’s the insult Stephen Bailey can’t wait to hear. “You’re boring”, the nurse says, matter-of-factly.

Well done @liammannix.bsky.social good piece of science communication. 🌈
www.smh.com.au/national/out...

lol

What the evidence says about sending your kids to single-sex v co-ed schools This debate is as old as schooling itself: should boys and girls really be going to different schools?

What the evidence says about sending your kids to single-sex v co-ed schools www.theage.com.au/national/wha...

it's historic I think John

Are groundbreaking science discoveries becoming harder to find? Researchers are arguing over whether ‘disruptive’ or ‘novel’ science is waning – and how to remedy the problem.

Are groundbreaking science discoveries becoming harder to find? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

An Evidence-Based Approach to Covid-19 Vaccination | NEJM This article from the FDA compares broad U.S. recommendations on Covid vaccination with those from other countries and announces the adoption of an evidence-based approach to such recommendations.

US's updated COVID vaccine recommendations under Trump's FDA - look like they move it into alignment with Australia?

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

appreciate it Alex :)

$10m was spent on these melanoma scanners. Doctors were better at detecting cancer Is this new scanner a medical miracle, or a cautionary tale about the perils of shiny new tech?

New from me: $10m was spent on these melanoma scanners. Doctors were better at detecting cancer

A complex story about technology, overdiagnosis, and Australia's national cancer

www.theage.com.au/national/10m...

The staggering cost of loving a pet: Vet bills soar amid overdiagnosis concerns Vet costs are pushing pet owners to the brink, with treatment fees rising by 34 per cent over the past four years, which eclipses the rate of inflation.

332 comments on this investigation from me and Henrietta Cook into the vet sector www.theage.com.au/healthcare/t...

Albanese's new ministry recalibrates machinery of innovation The Second Albanese Ministry and its 2025 Administrative Arrangements Order show a government shifting decisively from reform design to delivery architecture. With stable super-departments and a growi...

The Second Albanese Ministry and its 2025 Administrative Arrangements Order show a government shifting decisively from reform design to delivery architecture

www.innovationaus.com/albaneses-ne...

Oh no 💔

cosmosmagazine.com/news/a-new-f...

U.S. Charges Russian Scientist With Smuggling

U.S. Charges Russian Scientist With Smuggling www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/h...

I call him Mr Lizard

A stubby goanna-like creature walked across a muddy creek, rewriting the timeline of life 350 million years later A fossil found in Victoria’s High Country has given scientists an astonishing new insight into life’s evolution from water onto land.

New from me: A stubby goanna-like creature walked across a muddy creek, rewriting the timeline of life 350 million years later www.theage.com.au/national/a-s...

When ChatGPT Broke an Entire Field: An Oral History | Quanta Magazine Researchers in “natural language processing” tried to tame human language. Then came the transformer.

Fascinating piece

When ChatGPT Broke an Entire Field: An Oral History www.quantamagazine.org/when-chatgpt...

There's the critical voter argument too: educated voters are more likely to vote minor or change their vote. This should apply in America too tho. I do wonder about the expanded ability here to vote for minors... Maybe that plays a bigger role

polarisation Alex?

The science that could explain the federal election result While commentary tends to focus on the day-to-day campaign, researchers say there’s long-term forces at play in how we vote.

We often talk about micro-political factors that explain election results. Are there structural factors at play as well? Me on the 'thermostasis' theory of politics

www.smh.com.au/national/the...

Global soul drives Dandenong through highs and lows A visit to a suburb so diverse that researchers call it superdiverse reveals a thriving community bonded by shared hurt – and shared hope.

To tell the story of Dandenong, we can begin in a small red-roof hamlet hemmed in by the rolling mountains, dark rivers and thick forests of the Pelagonia Valley. The people who live there call their town Keshava.

www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Find me a more Australian photo

Shingles-dementia link gives weight to a ‘heretical’ theory The shingles vaccine seems to give some protection against dementia. But why?

The shingles vaccine seems to offer some protection against dementia. Why? And what does this tell us about the real causes of neurodegeneration? My piece from Sunday

www.theage.com.au/national/shi...

cheers Mark :)

Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health? Researchers are debating the strength of evidence connecting technology to surging rates of adolescent mental illness. But they have some clear advice for parents.

The science of social media and kids feels a long way from the debate on SocMed age limits in Australia

"A 2024 literature review by the US National Academies of Sciences... “did not support the conclusion that social media causes changes in adolescent health”.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

How the pandemic prompted a surge in adult ADHD diagnoses Everything changed in 2020. Millions of Australians found themselves stuck inside – just as an ecosystem of ADHD content creators was flourishing on social media.

New from me: in the last 5 years, ADHD prescribing patterns have undergone a profound shift. More women, more adults. What's driving the change? www.theage.com.au/national/how...

it's not exactly innovative tech