
living with fire and facing our fears
Danielle Clode, Senior Research Fellow in Creative Writing, Flinders University
The smouldering ruins of a child's bike lies amongst a property lost to bushfires in the Mid North Coast region of NSW last month.Darren Pateman/AAPIt is only mid-November but we have to walk early to avoid the heat. A northerly wind picks up clouds of dust and pollen, sending dirty billows across ...

how designing hospitals for Indigenous people might benefit everyone
Timothy O'Rourke, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, The University of Queensland
Sunshine Coast University Hospital uses evidence-based design to provide outside spaces with views that Indigenous people tell us they value.Architectus, Author providedWelcome to the next article in our Designing Hospitals series, where we explore how architecture and design shape our hospitals and...

why homicide rates in Australia are declining
Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology, Bond University
Latest figures reveal homocides in Australia are at historic lows. AAP/James RossAccording to the latest figures, homicides in Australia are at historic lows and compare well against international trends.So what do the trends tell us and why is the homicide rate in Australia declining?Perceptions an...

We're using lasers and toaster-sized satellites to beam information faster through space
Gottfried Lechner, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Telecommunications Research, University of South Australia, University of South Australia
The electromagnetic spectrum we can access with current technologies is completely occupied. This means experts have to think of creative ways to meet our rocketing demands for data.NASA Johnson/Flickr, CC BY-NCSatellites are becoming increasingly important in our lives, as they help us meet a deman...

Australia's slipping student scores will lead to greater income inequality
Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW
While no test is perfect but the Programme for International Student Assessment rankings are pretty useful for understanding the skills young people are being equipped with.www.shutterstock.comThe latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results are bad news for Australian studen...
Angus Taylor's troubles go international, in brawl with Naomi Wolf
Morrison would rather live with a problem minister in a key post than give a scalp to Labor.Mick Tsikas/AAPScott Morrison said it with a straight face, and repetition fo…
Early medical abortion is legal across Australia but rural women often don't have access to it
Australian women can have an early medical termination – which involves taking two oral medications – up to the ninth week of pregnancy.Jonatán B…
All hail apostrophes - the heavy lifters who 'point a sentence in the right direction'
Doing away with the apostrophe is not just the beginning of the end ... it's the end. www.shutterstock.comReports this week about the demise of the Apostrophe Protection…
It's the 10-year anniversary of our climate policy abyss. But don't blame the Greens
In 2009, a Bob Brown-led Greens party voted against an emissions trading scheme – but they can't be blamed for what came after.Mick Tsikas/AAPFederal Labor this we…
Morrison cuts a swathe through the public service, with five departmental heads gone
Scott Morrison has announced a dramatic overhaul of the federal public service, cutting the number of departments and creating several new mega ones, while removing fiv…
Tick, tock... how stress speeds up your chromosomes' ageing clock
At a molecular level, stresses and strains can make your body clock break into a sprint.Lightspring/ShutterstockAgeing is an inevitability for all living organisms, and …
The government wants to privatise visa processing. Who will be held accountable when something goes wrong?
The Department of Home Affairs has begun taking steps to outsource its visa processing to private service providers. This move has sparked an important national debate o…
Left-leaning Australians may look to New Zealand with envy, but Ardern still has much work to do
Jacinda Ardern created an indefinable aura of promise – but just as people fall in love, some have fallen out of love, too.AAP/Mick TsikasIn October 2017, 37-year-…
Scientists fear insect populations are shrinking. Here are six ways to help
Scientists need your help to protect Australia's insects and track their numbers.Joe Castro/AAPAre you planning a big garden clean-up this summer, or stocking up on fly …