Science - Rationale Magazine

20 Sep

The powers of botany

One of my favourite movies, even though the ending is fantastical, is The Martian. Its hero is a botanist. He decides to “science the s...

16 Sep

Science & Health

Is science journalism dying?

When two popular science magazines – out of about 17 in circulation – ceased publication in the same year, one commentator said:...

24 Aug

Science & Health

Australia needs more people who think like scientists

24/08/2026
By Brian Yates
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How we think and feel about science develops from an early age – and we never know where that early interest might take us. Take Han...

03 Apr

Science & Health

How citizen scientists are making a contribution

03/04/2026
By Adam Smith
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Until recently, the number of citizen scientists in Australia was estimated at between 100,000 and 130,000 people. But this i...

24 Feb

Science & Health

How climate scientists balance the tension between research and public protest

24/02/2026
By Samuel Finnerty
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From marches and demonstrations to civil disobedience, scientists are increasingly turning to climate protest. As a social psychologist...

12 Feb

Philosophy & Psychology

Orwell’s desire for a new way of thinking about science

12/02/2026
By Robert Colls
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In October 1945, George Orwell responded to a letter from Mr J Stewart Cook in the leftwing weekly newspaper Tribune calling for more s...

04 Feb

Science & Health

Marketing science

05/02/2026
By Beth DuFault
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People often see science as a world apart: cool, rational and untouched by persuasion or performance. In this view, scientists s...

06 Jan

Science & Health

Key lessons about misinformation from ancient scientists

06/01/2026
By Jemima McPhee
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Ancient scientists can be easy to dismiss. Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus, often described as the West’s first scientist...

12 Sep

Science & Health

We risk a deluge of AI-written ‘science’ pushing corporate interests

12/09/2025
By David Comerford
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Back in the 2000s, the American pharmaceutical firm Wyeth was sued by thousands of women who had developed breast cancer after t...

14 Aug

Science & Health

Science versus ownership: The true value of fossils

14/08/2025
By Jessica Theodor
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Last year, a Stegosaurus nicknamed 'Apex' sold at auction for US$40.5 million. A juvenile Ceratosaurus fetched US$30.5 millio...

31 Jul

Science & Health

When AI audits the scholarly record, what will happen to public trust in science?

31/07/2025
By Naomi Oreskes
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Self-correction is fundamental to science. One of its most important forms is peer review, when anonymous experts scrutinise res...

07 Jun

Science & Health

Reproducibility: A foundation of scientific credibility

07/06/2025
By Sarah Supp
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Many people have been there. The dinner party is going well until someone decides to introduce a controversial topic. In today’s world,...

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