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Officially, our inflation rate is lower than at any time since the 1950s, but we’ve reasons for doubting it. Shutterstock

Vital Signs: Why we distrust the consumer price index

Hardly anyone believes that prices are really increasing by only 1.9% per year. The fault lies with us, and also the way the Bureau of Statistics adjusts prices for ‘quality’.
Globalised fishing can leave workers vulnerable to exploitation. Shutterstock.com

How to keep slave-caught seafood off your plate

A lack of sustainability, profitability and transparency in the global fishing industry is exacerbating the problem of slave-like working conditions for crew. Here are the warning signs to look out for.
Sometimes statistical analysis suggests a result is significant – but actually in real life it means very little. Marlon Lara/Unsplash

What it means when scientists say their results are ‘significant’

What do stats really mean in the real world? Here’s an example from leukaemia research to help you identify if a result really is important.
Kirsten Dunst (centre), Winona Ryder (left), Trini Alvarado, Susan Sarandon and Clare Danes in Little Women (1994). The book is now being made into a film by director Greta Gerwig. Columbia Pictures Corporation,DiNovi Pictures

Little Women at 150 and the patriarch who shaped the book’s tone

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is an enduring classic for girls, soon to be a major Hollywood film. Yet many of the book’s themes and morals were imposed by the author’s father.
Airbnb’s likely impacts on people and their responses to it are related to their status as property owners, investors, prospective buyers or tenants. Justin Lane/EPA

Who wins and who loses when platforms like Airbnb disrupt housing? And how do you regulate it?

Short-term letting via digital platforms benefits some in the market at the expense of others. Closer regulation might be needed in Melbourne and Sydney, where a permissive approach prevails.
Ted Cruz held off a spirited challenge from Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke to help the Republicans hold onto the Senate in a big night for the GOP. Michael Wyke/EPA

The US midterms show the power of Trump’s divisive messages

Key victories by pro-Trump, anti-immigrant candidates have confirmed the president’s hold on the Republican Party and his ability to turn out his conservative base.
A hot summer will mean wetlands dry out faster than ever, so how will pest mosquitoes respond? Cameron Webb (NSW Health Pathology)

Will the arrival of El Niño mean fewer mosquitoes this summer?

The forecast arrival of El Niño may mean the east coast of Australia will experience an exceptionally hot and dry summer, but does this mean there will be fewer mosquitoes buzzing about?
People with a mental health condition are more likely to be smokers. From shutterstock.com

No butts – it’s time to help people with mental health conditions quit smoking

Smoking rates are high among Australians with a mental illness. Quitting is likely to improve their physical and mental health; supporting them to do so should be part of mental health care.
The absence of women rockers such as Chrissie Amphlett (pictured here in 2006) from an Oz playlist promoted by the prime minister speaks volumes about how women are excluded from the music canon. Joe Castro/AAP

Why Scott Morrison’s white, male music playlists matter

The PM’s Spotify playlists are significant as they offer insight into what he sees as valuable in popular culture. They also remind us how women are excluded from the music canon.