Analysis and Comment

Breed scientists better for a better breed of science

MATHS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: We’ve asked our authors about the state of maths and science education in Australia and its future direction. In this instalment, Jee Hyun Kim examines how the culture of academia…

What big business can learn from football

It’s often said the AFL has become a big business, increasingly embodying many of the rules of the marketplace. But people rarely look at it the other way – that is, how business is like the AFL. The…

Gender equality at work: the Labor legacy

I was recently phoned by a journalist and asked to reflect on what the Labor government had done for gender equality. I started to jot down a number of reforms on the back of an envelope and surprised…

A guide to a second medical opinion

How many dealers did you visit before you last bought a car? Were you happy with the first quote you got for a painting job or kitchen renovation? When it comes to your finances, your house and your…

Bad bushfire planning burns money

It’s cold now, but the debate over how to deal with higher bushfire risk is heating up. Firefighters and farmers around Australia are calling for more hazard reduction burns to reduce the risk of future…

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Research and News

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Maths and science education

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There needs to be a fundamental shift in how a scientist is viewed and measured. Søren Rajczyk

Breed scientists better for a better breed of science

MATHS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: We’ve asked our authors about the state of maths and science education in Australia and its future direction. In this instalment, Jee Hyun Kim examines how the culture of academia…

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NSA leaks

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Research Briefs

Volunteering lowers hypertension

Seniors can lower their blood pressure by volunteering more than 200 hours each year. The Carmellon University study found…

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Columnists

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Editors’ Picks

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The main trade deals are not struck through the G8. Gareth Fuller/PA

G8

The G8 talks trade, but the big deals are done elsewhere

Trade is one of the big buzzwords at this G8 summit. Along with tax and transparency, it makes up the “three T” priorities for the UK’s presidency of the group. But it is not at all clear whether multilateral…
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The focus group results deliver Mike Kelly a mixed report card. AAP/Alan Porritt

federal election

The Eden-Monaro project: Voters tired of leadership circus

As Labor caucus members return to Canberra uncertain who will be PM at the end of this final fortnight parliamentary sitting, voters in the bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro are saying to them: just sort…
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Science teachers cop a lot of flack – so what are our options? Michael Mueller

science education

Boosting the status of science teaching: what can we do?

MATHS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION: We’ve asked our authors about the state of maths and science education in Australia and its future direction. Over the next 10 days, we’ll be running a selection of their…
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We’re already seeing extreme weather; time to start doing something about it. LJ Mears/Flickr

environment

Updating the state of Australia’s climate

Two years ago the Climate Commission released its first major report, The Critical Decade: Climate Science Risks and Responses. The report synthesised the most recent climate change science. The phrase…
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It’s your right to seek advice and to be in charge of what happens to your body. Image from shutterstock.com

medicine

A guide to a second medical opinion

How many dealers did you visit before you last bought a car? Were you happy with the first quote you got for a painting job or kitchen renovation? When it comes to your finances, your house and your…
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Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas or the ethical underpinning of self-regulation. AAP/RSPCA

our society

Ethics is a jealous God: self-regulation vs self-sacrifice

Late one night recently I got a very frustrated email from a close friend. He’d just spent the evening arguing with investors about whether they needed to take ethics into account in their investment decisions…
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The decision may impact on an impending Australian appeal. Image from shutterstock.com

cancer

Top US court blocks patents on breast cancer genes

All nine members of the US Supreme Court have ruled that isolated genetic material cannot be patented – unless the material is markedly different to what exists in nature. The court ruled against Myriad…
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Research shows that overqualified workers can be an asset. Shutterstock

management

Survive or thrive? Overqualified a matter of management

Overqualified workers are often seen as the pariah of human resources but these employees can be a constructive or a destructive influence on your business, depending on the way they are managed. In my…
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Britain’s first female PM Margaret Thatcher also suffered similar sexism. AAP/Tony McDonough

gender

The gender wars: Thatcher and Gillard as ‘women’

The denigration of the first female Australian prime minister on the basis of her gender echoes that endured by the first female prime minister of Great Britain. While Julia Gillard has suffered the juvenile…

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  1. Ordering the vegetarian meal? There’s more animal blood on your hands
  2. Renaming English: does the world language need a new name?
  3. Nine reasons you should care about NSA’s PRISM surveillance
  4. Bullets fly as Labor steps up gender war
  5. Superfoods: not so super after all?

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