A new exhibition gives us an insight into the daily life – and language – of Australian soldiers in World War One.
Courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, University of Melbourne.
When Australians went to the Western Front, language failed them. So they invented slanguage: a mix of slang, French words and creative swearing that, among other things, gave us the word “Aussie”.
John Z'graggen’s tapes from Madang.
Nick Thieberger
There are hundreds of different languages spoken in the Pacific region that could be lost. So it’s important to safeguard what recordings we have in a digital archive available to all.
Livestock ‘digestion’ produces nearly 3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year.
Cattle image from www.shutterstock.com
The Grattan Institute’s new report, Widening Gaps, invites us to think differently about how to measure student progress and tackle entrenched inequalities in achievement.
Current clinical trials are evaluating stem cell therapies for conditions ranging from eye disease to AIDS.
from shutterstock.com
Current clinical trials testing stem cell therapies for a number of diseases are going on in the US, Europe, Canada, Japan and elsewhere, but not in Australia.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has backed away from the personal income tax cut he had been hinting at.
Lukas Coch/AAP
It’s not easy to prove which type of tax cut will drive more jobs and growth.
Despite its limitations, the Bali Process is the main game in town when it comes to dealing with forced migration in the Asia-Pacific.
EPA/Hotli Simanjuntak
There is every sign the underlying causes of forced migration – war, repression, ethnic conflict, climate change displacement and rampant human trafficking – will continue.
Surely it isn’t too far-fetched to claim that if migrants are to promote democracy back home, it is beneficial for them to experience democratic values and principles in the countries hosting them.
LNP MP George Christensen has been vociferous in his opposition to the Safe Schools program.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
An artificial intelligence has defeated a world champion of Go, the ancient Chinese strategy game. But what is Go, and why is it worth teaching to a computer?
Internet connected devices like webcams are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Internet of Things.
DAVID BURILLO/Flickr
Millions of new devices are going online as the Internet of Things expands. But many have security or privacy holes. Here’s what to look for to keep yourself safe online.
Friend or foe? Birds that eat almonds can also help clear away unharvested nuts from the tree.
FearTec/Wikimedia Commons
It’s hard to keep wild animals out of farms. Birds, mammals and insects all affect crop yields, in positive ways (such as flies pollinating flowers) and negative ones (such as when birds damage fruit…
Many claim the Safe Schools program is essential for reducing homophobia and transphobia in school.
from www.shutterstock.com
After a three-week debacle, the findings of the review into the Safe Schools Coalition program are out. Here’s what academic experts make of the review.
Video games are an easy scapegoat for youth crime rates, but the evidence just isn’t there.
GTA V, Videogame Photography
Victorian police are attributing a rise in car thefts to the “Grand Theft Auto Generation”. But blaming video games just distracts from bigger questions of inequality and societal detachment.
A slowdown in mining has hit the industrial construction sector hard.
AAP/Paul Miller
What do Australians need to know when they go to vote for their senators in this year’s federal election?
The historic match between South Korean Go champion Lee Se-dol and the AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence system developed by Google.
EPA/Jeon Heon-Kyun
Google’s artificial intelligence made a surprise move in the recent Go challenge that has some people worried about what happens when AI makes a non-human decision that we could not anticipate.
Many university degrees require a high level of maths skill.
Shutterstock
Lowering maths prerequisites to study science, engineering and commerce at university has led to students playing catch up for years. This should be fixed.
Channel 7’s new program Seven Year Switch is not based on evidence, despite couching itself in scientific terms.
Channel 7