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Melbourne and Sydney have similar access to public transport overall, but this and other liveability indicators vary greatly across the cities. Julian Smith/AAP

Melbourne or Sydney? This is how our two biggest cities compare for liveability

Every year, our big cities vie for global liveability honours. But as well as differences between the cities, liveability varies widely within them, leaving plenty of work to be done.
In July, Nestlé lost its case in the European Union to protect the the four-finger shape associated with KitKat. Shutterstock

What Nestlé’s attempt to trademark the shape of a KitKat teaches us about design

The concept of “affordances” is used by product designers to capture the sense that an object seems to call for certain kinds of use. A handle affords holding, a button pressing and a KitKat breaking.
The AMP began life as a mutual, somewhere for its members to put their savings. Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Why AMP and IOOF went rogue

Parallels in the historical trajectory of AMP and IOOF are striking. Both were founded in the 1840s. Both demutualised, and now both find themselves centre stage at the banking royal commission.
Myrmecocystus honeypot ants, showing the repletes, their abdomens swollen to store honey, above ordinary workers. Greg Hume via Wikimedia Commons

Wasps, aphids and ants: the other honey makers

Honey might be synonymous with bees, but they’re not the only insects that come up with the goods.
The majority of refugees have access to smartphones. Tür a Tür Digital Factory, 2017

Mobile platforms can give refugees access to vital information when they arrive in Australia

Accessing the right information in a timely manner is essential, but difficult for newly arrived refugees. Information varies, plus there are language barriers and geographical complications.
The housing boom increased wealth gains for affluent households while rising housing costs undermined income gains for less affluent households. Sam Mooy/AAP

How the housing boom has driven rising inequality

The Productivity Commission neglected the impact of housing costs. After allowing for these costs, the top 10% of households’ average disposable income grew at 2.7 times the rate of the bottom 10%.
Getting more out of ‘lazy’ land, such as this community housing built over a Port Phillip City Council-owned car park, is a key strategy to reduce the shortage of affordable housing. CIty of Port Phillip

Put unused and ‘lazy’ land to work to ease the affordable housing crisis

As Melbourne’s population hits 5 million, it’s a reminder that growing cities must make much better use of vacant and underused land to meet the urgent need for affordable housing.
Folklore says we might be able to predict the coming of rain by observing the behaviour of ants. from www.shutterstock.com

We’ve got apps and radars – but can ants predict rain?

Ants have many tricks to deal with rain – like holding their breath, blocking nest entrances or drinking excess water and releasing it elsewhere by ‘communal peeing.’ But can they see rain coming?