Why Choose A Cotton Beach Towel Over A Cheaper Beach Towel?
Most people will agree that size really matters when choosing the right beach towel. They are often used for drying off after being in the water, but the chief purpose of a quality beach towel is to...
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Your Christmas shopping could harm or help the planet. Which will it be?
Many Australian consumers are concerned at the environmental impact of their shopping habits, especially at Christmas.AAPAustralian shoppers are set to spend $52.7 billion this Christmas. In the words...
Louise Grimmer, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania
Right-swipes and red flags – how young people negotiate sex and safety on dating apps
For many young people, app dating is just part of regular dating life.freestocks.org/UnsplashPopular commentary on dating apps often associates their use with “risky” sex, harassment and p...
Kath Albury, Professor of Media and Communication, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology
Bougainville has voted to become a new country, but the journey to independence is not yet over
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, a chain of islands that lie 959 kilometres northwest of Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, has voted unequivocally for independence.The referendum s...
Anna Powles, Senior Lecturer in Security Studies, Massey University
Preventing Electrical Overloads
An electrical overload is bad. In the best case it simply shuts down your power supply and you can restart it. You may lose some information from the quick shut down and sensitive devices may ha...
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When to Worry About Low Back Pain
The simple fact is that 80% of adults will experience back pain at some point in their life. The reason is often related to sitting too much, although it can also be caused by sports injuries and ot...
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The dangers of depicting Greta Thunberg as a prophet
Climate activist Greta Thunberg listens during a meeting with climate scientists at the COP25 summit in Madrid, Spain.AP Photo/Paul WhiteShe came from obscurity and ignited a global movement. Beginnin...
Ellen Boucher, Associate Professor of History, Amherst College
Friday essay: eco-disaster films in the 21st century - helpful or harmful?
A scene from the 2017 film Geostorm: many societies have historically attempted to deal with collective trauma by replaying and restaging it in art.Warner Bros., Electric Entertainment, Rat Pac-Dune E...
Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia
A new study shows an animal's lifespan is written in the DNA. For humans, it's 38 years
A genetic "clock" lets scientists estimate how long extinct creatures lived. Wooly mammoths could expect around 60 years.Australian MuseumHumans have a “natural” lifespan of around 38 year...
Benjamin Mayne, Molecular biologist and bioinformatician, CSIRO
Vital Signs: Australia's wafer-thin surplus rests on a mine disaster in Brazil
On Monday the Australian government will release the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). This will – as required by the Charter of Budget Honesty – provide an update on the key a...
Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW
Don't believe the stereotype: these 5 charts show our democracy is safe in the hands of future voters
Almost 900 school kids, aged 12 to 17, were surveyed.ShutterstockA new, ongoing survey on how young Australians understand and imagine their democracy is already challenging long-held stereotypes. The...
Mark Evans, Professor of Governance and Director of Democracy 2025 - bridging the trust divide at Old Parliament House, University of Canberra
Private health insurance premiums should be based on age and health status
Policy changes have failed to stop young people dropping their private health insurance.ShutterstockPrivate health insurance has come under intense scrutiny in recent months, as it becomes clear healt...
Francesco Paolucci, Associate Professor; Head of Health Policy Program, Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy and International Affairs, University of Newcastle
Knowledge is a process of discovery: how constructivism changed education
According to constructivists, we truly understand something when we filter it through our senses and interactions.from shutterstock.comThis is the second of two essays exploring key theories – c...
Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project; and Online Teacher at Education Queensland's IMPACT Centre, The University of Queensland
Grattan on Friday: Climate winds blowing on Morrison from Liberal party's left
Scott Morrison is picking up that Australia’s devastating, prolonged fires are producing a soured, anti-government mood among many in the community.It may not be entirely rational for people to ...
Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The federal government's response to the ACCC's Digital Platforms Inquiry is a let down
Of the 23 recommendations made in the ACCC's final report, the government supported six in their entirety, ten "in principle", "noted" five and rejected two. shutterstockToday, the federal government …
From face masks to air purifiers: what actually works to protect us from bushfire smoke?
Bushfire smoke has now been blanketing parts of Australia for months. This week the air quality in Sydney reached new lows, reported to be 12 times hazardous levels in some parts of the city on Tuesda…
Measles in Samoa: how a small island nation found itself in the grips of an outbreak disaster
Low immunisation coverage among young children in Samoa allowed a measles outbreak to take hold.From shutterstock.comThe pacific island nation of Samoa has been making headlines over the past month du…
Why are whales big, but not bigger?
Minke whale.Jeremy Goldbogen, CC BY-NDBoth toothed and baleen (filter-feeding) whales are among the largest animals ever to exist. Blue whales, which measure up to 100 feet (30 meters) long and can we…
Vital Signs: Australia's wafer-thin surplus rests on a mine disaster in Brazil
On Monday the Australian government will release the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). This will – as required by the Charter of Budget Honesty – provide an update on the key a…
How old should kids be to get phones?
Every kid should have their own cell phone. Or should they? Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to a…
‘Richard Jewell’ is only the latest film to depict a female journalist trading sex for scoops
Actress Olivia Wilde plays reporter Kathy Scruggs in 'Richard Jewell.'Invision/AP Images/Jordan StraussCriticshave lambasted Clint Eastwood’s new biographical drama, “Richard Jewell,&rdquo…
Supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy may have a friend
An artist's conception of two black holes entwined in a gravitational tango.NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Christopher GoDo supermassive black holes have friends? The nature of galaxy formation suggests t…
Winter is coming: 5 essential reads about snow and ice
'Tis the season.Anteromite/ShutterstockAs cold weather settles in across North America, some communities have already started up their snowplows, while others keep watchful eyes on the forecast. Snow …
Myths around mental illness cause high rates of unemployment
Many employees with mental illnesses don't get the help they need for fear of discrimination.pathdoc/Shutterstock.comEven though mental illness affects one in five adults – and depression is the…
Slave life's harsh realities are erased in Christmas tours of Southern plantations
Christmas tours to mansions often present a 'magical' experience to tourists, but they ignore the realities of the lives of slaves who worked there.Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, CC…
School resource officers aren't arrested often – but when they are, it's usually for sexual misconduct
Trust is key for school resource officers to be effective, research shows.Simone Hogan/Shutterstock.comThe presence of law enforcement in schools – better known as school resource officers &ndas…
Myanmar charged with genocide of Rohingya Muslims: 5 essential reads
A narrow river divides Myanmar from Bangladesh, where nearly 1 million now live as refugees. AP Photo/Bernat ArmangueMyanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi is defending Myanmar in court against accus…
Is a Home Inspection Required When Buying a House?
Inspecting anything before you complete a purchase is a good idea. For example, you can use a magnetic particle testing device to check that the metal surface is free from defects. Or, you can have …
Trump Remembers the Forgotten
Not so long ago Washington all but gave up on our country’s blue-collar workers. They washed their hands of those in the supposedly outdated manufacturing and energy sectors. The message the perpe…
As weary Britons head to the polls again, parties seem incapable of handling the nation's problems
The cost of running the 2017 UK general election was estimated at £140 million (A$270 million). It’s likely to be higher this time. In 2017, the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democ…
I had an idea in the 1980s and to my surprise, it changed education around the world
Cogitive load theory explains why explicit guidance from teachers is more effective in teaching students new content and skills than letting them discover these for themselves.from shutterstock.comThi…
Indonesian cave paintings show the dawn of imaginative art and human spiritual belief
This hunting scene, painted 44,000 years ago, is the oldest known work of representational art in the world.Ratno Sardi, Author providedOur team has discovered a cave painting in Indonesia that is at …
As simple as finding a job? Getting people out of social housing is much more complex than that
A private member’s bill, moved by Labor MP Josh Burns, recently called on the Australian government “to help build more affordable homes” in response to the growing homelessness cri…
Marianne Leonard: a new film tells us little about the woman fixed in the role of musician's muse
Marianne Ihlen: she remains stuck in the role of the beautiful ingénue, the part-time lover, in Nick Broomfield's documentary.Copyright Nick BroomfieldNick Broomfield’s latest documentary…
What limits shareholder activism as a force for good: the free-rider problem
Shareholder activism involves directly engaging with directors and executives of companies to effect change.www.shutterstock.comThe board of Australia’s second-biggest bank is in for some stick …
How New Zealanders miss out on hundreds of thousands in retirement savings
New Zealanders pay higher fees for KiwiSaver funds than people elsewhere.from www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-NDIn the 12 years since New Zealand introduced the retirement fund KiwiSaver, nearly three mil…
Diabetes and pregnancy can be a tricky (but achievable) mix: 6 things to think about if you want a baby…
A successful pregnancy if you have diabetes comes down to planning and making sure you have the right health-care team behind you.from www.shutterstock.comThe number of people with diabetes is expecte…
Examining how primates make vowel sounds pushes timeline for speech evolution back by 27 million years
Baboons make sounds, but how does it relate to human speech?Creative Wrights/Shutterstock.comSound doesn’t fossilize. Language doesn’t either.Even when writing systems have developed, they…
What limits shareholder activism as a force for good: the free-rider problem
Shareholder activism involves directly engaging with directors and executives of companies to effect change.www.shutterstock.comThe board of Australia’s second-biggest bank is in for some stick …
How New Zealanders miss out on hundreds of thousands in retirement savings
New Zealanders pay higher fees for KiwiSaver funds than people elsewhere.from www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-NDIn the 12 years since New Zealand introduced the retirement fund KiwiSaver, nearly three mil…
USMCA: The 3 most important changes in the new NAFTA and why they matter
Pena Nieto, Trump and Trudeau signed the USCMA in November 2018.AP Photo/Pablo Martinez MonsivaisPresident Donald Trump and Democratic leaders agreed on a deal to pass a new trade agreement between th…
Mexican Mennonites combat fears of violence with a new Christmas tradition
The countryside around Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, is home to the country's largest Mennonite population. AP Photo/Gregory BullMennonites in Mexico are promoting a …
Like 'Little Women,' books by Zitkála-Šá and Taha Hussein are classics
Louisa May Alcott has delighted readers for generations.AP Photo/Steven SenneI’m a scholar of literature who spends a lot of time thinking about why certain stories continue to be revisited, and…