Spyware merchants: the risks of outsourcing government hacking
The Australian government is using spyware. Is that legal?
Both franchisees and franchisors benefit from company-owned stores
Mitre 10 franchisees are calling for an end to company-owned stores, but they benefit from them too.
Explainer: how scientists invent new colours
Scientists continue to invent new colours for new applications thanks to nanoscale structures.
Friday essay: from the Great Wave to Starry Night, how a blue pigment changed the world
Hokusai's Great Wave is the enduring image of Japanese art. Less well known is the story of its primary pigment - Prussian blue - which was created in a lab accident in Berlin and sparked 'blue fever' in Europe.
Grattan on Friday: Abbott shapes up in Liberals’ fight over their ‘internals’
Even if Malcolm Turnbull brought Tony Abbott into cabinet, which he won't, it would likely eventually end in tears.
Plonk: a language lover’s guide to Australian drinking
Our drinking culture has brought some colourful phrases into the Australian vernacular.
Social mix in housing? One size doesn’t fit all, as new projects show
Mixing public and private housing in urban renewal projects can be a contentious business. But public good and optimal use of public resources, not developer interests, should guide such decisions.
Vital Signs: the RBA’s still longing for Goldilocks growth
This week's strong growth in full-time employment shows a robust labour market. This only deepens the puzzle of why inflation is so low at the same time.
When to send a child to school causes anxiety and confusion for parents
When to start their child at school is often a stressful decision for parents, and there is a need for more support for them in making that choice.
New complementary medicine health claims lack evidence, so why are they even on the table?
Would you trust a complementary medicine described as "vermifuge", "vulnerary" or "emmenagogue"? That's what new labelling proposes and not everyone's happy about it.
In banning plastic bags we need to make sure we’re not creating new problems
Banning single-use plastic bags makes sense, as long as it doesn't usher in behaviours that are just as bad, or worse – like over-using heavier bags made of even more plastic.
How ‘nudge theory’ can help shops avoid a backlash over plastic bag bans
The success of the plastic bag ban announced by Australia's big two supermarkets will hinge on whether they can persuade customers to change an engrained behaviour - without annoying them.
Can Trump use the presidential pardon to thwart the Russia investigations?
Presidents past have used this nearly limitless power to halt criminal prosecutions before. What's to stop Trump?
Antidepressants and pregnancy: study didn’t find they actually cause autism
A new paper published today has reported a small increase in the number of children born with autism from mothers who were using antidepressant medication while pregnant.
Three ways to help your teenage kids develop a healthier relationship with alcohol
Teenagers pick up cues about drinking from you and your family. Here's how you can help them develop a healthier relationship with alcohol.
Everyday makers defy populists’ false promise to embody ‘your voice’
The only exceptional leaders we need today are the ones who help us to govern and take care of ourselves.
The four-year treasure hunt for the hoodwinker sunfish
A four-year puzzle has ended with the discovery of a new species of sunfish. These famously strange-looking animals are the largest bony fish in the oceans.
Dunkirk survivors’ terror didn’t end when they were rescued
Moviegoers get a hint of why Dunkirk stayed with those who lived through it, but an online archive of survivors' stories offers more depth.
How to borrow tools from the startup world for aid and development
There is a lot of potential in borrowing ideas from the startup world to complement foreign aid funding.
Refuge in a harsh landscape – Australian novels and our changing relationship to the bush
White settlers and authors once saw the bush as an alien, despairing place. But writers from Tim Winton to Rachael Treasure now portray the land in complex and optimistic ways.
