Taking short breaks combined with planning work tasks can improve energy, motivation and stress management, according to a University of Queensland study led by Stacey Parker. The study involved 91 participants and analysed more than 600 work hours. Only 6 per cent of hours involved this combined approach, while about 65 per cent involved little energy-management activity. Researcher Scott Pedersen said standing and moving regularly helps reactivate enzymes that protect against metabolic disorders. He suggested setting an hourly timer to prompt movement breaks.
Logan school-leavers facing financial hardship can apply for up to $5000 to help cover university costs such as textbooks. The City of Logan Tertiary Education Bursaries are paid across three years in semester or trimester instalments. Mayor Jon Raven said the cost of university can be a challenge for some people. Mina Sharifi, a University of Queensland student, said the bursary has helped her with study costs. Applications close on Tuesday 29 December and are funded by Logan City Council and community sponsors.
Researchers have found that snail shells can provide insights into historical weather events. By studying the Biggenden banded snail in Queensland's Coalstoun Lakes National Park, scientists determined the snail's age and the weather conditions during its life. Elevated radiocarbon levels from 1960s nuclear tests helped date the snail, while oxygen and carbon isotopes revealed rainfall patterns, including evidence of cyclones. This method could help reconstruct past cyclone events, offering a new way to understand historical rainfall levels.
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Seventy-two sporting clubs across Queensland will share $30 million under the second round of the state government's Games On! Grassroots Infrastructure Program. The round will support sports including football, cricket, netball and gymnastics, funding new and upgraded courts, rooms, lighting and grandstands. The first recipient is the University of Queensland Football Club at Chapel Hill in Brisbane, which will receive more than $1.4 million for a new clubhouse. In the first round, 119 projects are being delivered, with 40 complete and 79 underway.
Hospitalisations from e-scooter falls among boys aged 12 to 15 rose fifteen-fold between 2019/20 and 2024/25, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Boys in that age group were four times more likely than girls to be hospitalised after an e-scooter fall. E-scooter-related deaths rose from seven in 2014/15 to 20 in 2024/25, though the proportion of deaths remained stable. New data codes from July will help separate e-scooter and e-bike injuries.
About half of privately owned e-mobility devices in Queensland are non-compliant, according to a government-funded survey. The study estimates close to one million private devices across the state, including 587,000 e-bikes. A third of e-bike riders are aged over 60. The most common issue reported was a maximum speed above 25km/h. Since new laws took effect in July, police have seized 600 e-bikes that do not meet the European Standard EN15194. The state government says it has since introduced stronger laws and enforcement.
A team led by a police museum curator and an archaeologist dug in the yard of the Mount Larcom police station, in central Queensland, to look for documents a constable allegedly buried rather than destroy. The constable, Edward Robb, had reportedly been ordered to destroy papers older than 10 years. The search relied on an old story and a missing tin roof marker, and the team found no documents. Its members said the papers may still be there and that a further search would need ground-penetrating radar or machine excavation.
Residents and experts have told the NSW Independent Planning Commission that a proposed silver, lead and zinc mine near Lue could pose health risks. A University of Queensland professor recommended moving Lue Public School, two kilometres from the site, citing potential lead dust exposure. The mine's proponent, Silver Mines Limited, says predicted health risks are very low and that the project has been independently reviewed. Concerns about water supply and drainage were also raised. The commission is due to make its determination by December 9.
A University of Queensland study has found that one quarter of global endometriosis guidelines were not informed by adolescents, even though symptoms often begin in the teenage years. Researchers analysed 47 international guidelines and found major gaps in African and Eastern Mediterranean countries. Professor Gita Mishra said young people must be listened to if diagnosis times are to be reduced. Melbourne woman Konstandina Karavias said she waited seven years and visited more than 20 doctors before receiving a diagnosis. The research calls for standardised international guidelines from the World Health Organisation, informed by patients.
Brisbane rock band Powderfinger will reunite in September 2027 to play 18 Australian dates. The group, which ended in 2010, made the triple j Hottest 100 22 times and topped it twice. Its 2000 album Odyssey Number Five topped the Hottest 100 in back-to-back years. The band disbanded after a vote, with frontman Bernard Fanning saying the split followed years of tension and family pressures. A guide highlights key tracks, including My Happiness, D.A.F., Passenger, These Days and Sunsets.
Hackers raised temperatures on fridges and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets, spoiling food worth millions of euros. Les Mousquetaires said fridges at about 150 of its stores were heated to 50 degrees Celsius overnight. French authorities are investigating, and a software vulnerability linked to Danish company Danfoss has been identified. Australian cyber security experts say supermarkets using similar centralised systems could face similar attacks, though the exact method remains unconfirmed.
Dr Charlotte Lovejoy has been named General Practitioner in Training of the Year by the Royal Australian College of GPs. The college recognised her commitment to rural and regional healthcare, her leadership and her advocacy. Dr Lovejoy completed the past two years of her Rural Generalist training in Kingaroy, where she worked at Kingaroy Hospital and the Bunya Pines Medical Centre. She shared her experiences as a rural registrar at the college's GP25 conference. She has started work this month at James Street Medical in Brisbane.
Doctor Winnie Yum and her partner, electrician Nelson Athanasiou, are spending a year at the Davis research station in Antarctica. Yum met Athanasiou in Mount Isa, where she completed her medical internship. Both applied separately for roles at the station and were placed at the same site. Yum says life there is simple, with food, rent and utilities covered. She describes working alone as a doctor and says sharing the experience with her partner has made it easier. The couple expect to return to Hobart in late November or early December.
Queensland's Department of Justice reported 6,403 people were denied working with children checks in the 2024-2025 financial year, nearly double the previous year's 3,712. The state's blue card system now monitors 1.4 million people, up 100,000 from last year. Academics warn increased refusals do not necessarily mean a safer system, as discretion in decisions may prevent suitable candidates from obtaining cards.
More than 500 university workers in Brisbane struck and rallied at Queens Gardens on October 8. The National Tertiary Education Union members came from Griffith, Queensland University of Technology, and the University of Queensland. They are bargaining with management over pay and conditions, with universities offering below-inflation raises or no offers at all. The union is seeking fair pay rises, better superannuation for casual staff, and an end to job cuts and increasing workloads.
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More than 500 Brisbane university workers went on strike and rallied at Queens Gardens. The National Tertiary Education Union members from Griffith, Queensland University of Technology, and the University of Queensland protested against below-inflation pay offers and management demands. They seek fair pay increases, better superannuation for casual staff, and an end to job cuts and excessive workloads. The rally was larger than a similar event four years ago, reflecting growing workplace organising by the union.
Federal electoral funding reforms, set to commence in January, include donation caps and faster disclosure requirements. Critics argue the changes favour major parties, with minor parties challenging the laws in the High Court. University of Queensland emeritus professor Graeme Orr described the reforms as complex and criticised the delay in implementation. He suggested political donations to One Nation may have influenced the postponement. South Australia's total ban on political donations and increased public funding is being closely watched as a potential model for reform.
