Explainers
Explainer
Middle East tensions
Death in a guesthouse, ships under attack, a ‘wounded snake’: How to understand the Middle East
As old enmities simmer and alliances shift, tensions are ratcheting up still more in the region. Who’s who – and what’s next?
- by Jackson Graham, Angus Holland and Cindy Yin
Latest
Explainer
Health
Dim light, failing sight: Behind this classic sign of middle-age
The menu looks foggy. The tiny instructions are a blur. It’s that time when your vision, a marvel of evolution, needs some help sharpening up. What’s going on in the eye itself? And what else could possibly go wrong?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
World elections
‘I am Giorgia’: Italy’s far-right leader and the confounding world of Italian politics
Italy’s first female PM is also the first to govern from the far right in decades. Has Giorgia Meloni’s agenda changed in power? Where did her politics come from? And why has Italy had 68 governments since World War II?
- by Angus Holland
Explainer
Sports science
How does Scott Pendlebury stop time?
We explored the Collingwood veteran’s Matrix-like manoeuvres in this Explainer from 2019. Five years later, the now 36-year-old, on the cusp of his 400th AFL match, is still defying the passage of time.
- by Jake Niall
Explainer
Sovereign wealth
Trillion-dollar piggy banks: Inside the world of sovereign wealth
Norway’s is famously huge. Qatar used its to buy Harrods. How do sovereign wealth funds work? And why isn’t ours as big as Norway’s?
- by Angus Holland
Explainer
US Votes 2024
‘I screwed up’: When is a leader too old to lead?
Joe Biden’s recent halting debate against a blustering rival caused panic in some quarters. But does it mean he should throw in the re-election towel?
- by Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
Explainer
Housing crisis
‘A diabolical mess’: How did we get into this housing crisis, and how do we get out?
Hard-won deposits, soaring rents, crippling mortgages, capital gains, negative gearing … What’s to blame, and how do other countries do housing?
- by Angus Holland and Josh Gordon
Explainer
World elections
‘Le TikTok king’: Meet the 28-year-old fronting France’s far right
Snap elections in France have put a spotlight on the leader of its major far-right party. Who is he? And why is French politics in turmoil?
- by Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
Explainer
Science
They ‘see’ music, smell colours, feel flavour. What’s it like to have synaesthesia?
Zinia is a composer who literally sees her music take shape. But it’s not just artists who experience this rare “crossover of the senses”. How does it work?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
World politics
‘Grave provocation’: What does North Korea’s Kim Jong-un want?
K-pop is blasting into North Korea once more as bizarre tactics ratchet up tensions on the peninsula. We explore what’s behind this “tit-for-tat” in an Explainer updated from earlier this year.
- by Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
Explainer
United Nations
Why can’t the world’s peacekeeper stop the fighting in Gaza and Ukraine?
Two regional conflicts are threatening global peace. Could the United Nations step in – and, if so, why hasn’t it?
- by Angus Holland