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Coal has provided us with some stunning fossils. Bart Bernardes/Flickr

Coal’s formation is a window on an ancient world

Despite its insidious influence on the climate and our health, coal has a lesser-known positive side to its otherwise dark soul. It has provided us with some stunning fossils.
While politicians like Malcolm Turnbull and Barnaby Joyce do the traditional photo-ops, fewer people than ever are taking on farming, which can no longer support vibrant rural and regional communities on its own. AAP/Tracey Nearmy

Election 2016: the issues in non-metropolitan Australia

What are the issues facing rural and regional Australia? The challenges are many and varied – and only some have made the national political agenda – but these areas deserve better than neglect.
Bill Shorten, launching Labor’s childcare policy, inadvertently set off a debate about the major party leaders’ respective feminist credentials. AAP/Joel Carrett

The f-word enters the campaign and trips up both major parties

Talk of ‘women’s issues’, such as childcare, both accepts they are less important than other issues and assumes they have no universal value.
Dementia can affect the ability to perform tasks such as dressing, showering and eating. from shutterstock.com

How Australians Die: cause #3 – dementia (Alzheimer’s)

Dementia is the third leading cause of death in Australia. As the population ages, the number of people with dementia is expected to rise, as is the number of deaths from dementia.
In the Exoplanet Era, we are learning that planets abound in the cosmos. ESO/M. Kornmesser

Explainer: How to find an exoplanet (part 1)

Astronomers have discovered more than 3,000 planets around other stars, so far. In the first of a two-part series we look at how they find world’s elsewhere in the universe.
Aaron Pedersen reprises his Mystery Road role as Jay Swan in Goldstone. Ivan Sen’s latest film draws together white, black and Chinese Australia. Transmission Films

Ivan Sen’s Goldstone: a taut, layered exploration of what echoes in the silences

The Sydney Film Festival opens on Wednesday with the world premiere of Ivan Sen’s Goldstone. There is no filmmaker working here today who is more adept at touching the raw nerves of Australian culture.
The impressive computer aided design of the atrium at Melbourne’s Federation Square. Shutterstock/ChameleonsEye

Computing helps with the complex design of modern architecture

The architect’s pen and paper were replaced by the mouse and monitor thanks to developments in computing. Now computers are helping create designs never thought possible before.
Tony Abbott promised the IPA that his government would repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act – only to renege on this when in government. AAP/Mick Tsikas

With friends like these: just how close are the Liberal Party and IPA?

The Institute of Public Affairs was founded by rich men with rich men’s interests at its core, albeit with obligatory nods to the national interest.
Australia could capitalise on its sun-drenched landscape to innovate in renewable energy. Shutterstock

Where could Australia genuinely innovate?

There are several areas where Australia could be a world leader in innovation. If we can identify them and focus our efforts there, we could generate some genuine benefits here and abroad.
Both Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten are complex, enigmatic figures. AAP/Tracey Nearmy

Malcolm or Bill: who would you invite to your barbecue?

A party can have the most brilliantly informed and farsighted policies. But if the protagonists cannot communicate these effectively to the electorate, they will be overlooked.
Age-standardised cancer death rates have been falling in Australia. from shutterstock.com

How Australians Die: cause #2 – cancers

Currently, seven cancer types are listed in the top 20 causes of death in Australia. These are cancers of the lung, blood and lymph, bowel, prostate, breast, pancreas, skin and some childhood cancers.