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Turns out we may carry the genes of Neandertals or Denisovans around with us after all. Profound Whatever

Sex with the cousins: things are beginning to firm up

An article published in Science on Friday describing a newly assembled Denisovan genome, takes an ongoing debate to a whole new level, and finds this anthropologist eating a little piece of humble pie…
The government will boost schools funding today, but what’s next? Classroom image from www.shutterstock.com

Gonski is half the battle, trusting teachers is the next step

Today the Prime Minister will announce the government’s full policy response on schools funding, following the Gonski report earlier this year. The Gonski report recommended a funding boost across the…
High profile campaigns that don’t reduce consumption or profits are favoured by industry. Alexandre Chang

Who should be educating us about alcohol-related violence?

In a series of recent papers, our research team has documented the impact of community interventions at reducing alcohol-related harm in the Geelong region in Victoria. What we found was that despite the…
Some of the biggest water-energy-food integration challenges are on better soils close to major population centres; in this case, Adelaide. Andrew Campbell

Rethinking rural research in Australia

Rural research is vital. It is about 10% of our national innovation system. Annual investment exceeds $1 billion, according to the Rural Research and Development Council. The rural sector and farm-dependent…
The Coalition has ruled out increasing GST, despite calls from former Prime Minister John Howard for GST to apply to food. But could a policy change be in the wings? AAP

Coalition must come clean on plans for GST

There is almost unanimous agreement among mainstream economists, tax experts, Treasury, business and even politicians (albeit very quietly) that the Goods and Services Tax will have to be increased and…
Both political parties are lining up their elections strategies now, even though an election could still be a year away. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Feels like an election year? Here’s why

The former British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson famously said a week is a long time in politics. If this is the case, then you have to wonder how long it will feel if the current Parliament runs it full…
Australia’s Jacqueline Freney celebrates after the Women’s 100m Backstroke on August 30. Kerim Okten/EPA

Prowess and poise: Paralympians should be household names

As I peered out of a frosted Canberra window with child-like amazement at the gossamer snowflakes cascading from the muted grey sky, I thought of my friend training in the warm Swiss sun in preparation…
Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten has agreed to examine Newstart rates after ruling out a raise to the dole earlier this week. AAP

Down and out, and on the dole: why the Newstart Allowance needs a raise

Why do we have welfare policies that create unnecessary poverty? Despite a multitude of reports, submissions, public pleas and other advocacy on the problems of Newstart (NSA) recipients, the government…
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has become involved in the fight against the use of “conflict minerals” from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Exploitation of its vast resources has been at the centre of the country’s decades-long conflict. AAP

SEC takes on humanitarian role over Congo’s ‘conflict’ minerals

The US capital markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, has voted in favour of what has widely become known as the “conflict minerals” ruling. Aimed at reducing the illegal trade in resources…
Distress about genital appearance is a modern phenomenon. Flickr/ilperiodoipotetico

What to make of female cosmetic genital surgery?

Female cosmetic genital surgery is in the news again following Germaine Greer’s comparison of such surgery with female genital mutilation on the ABC’s Q&A earlier this week. This sudden attention joins…
The legal implications of changes to the carbon price mechanism are subtle, but important. Pawel Loj

The legal implications of changing the carbon pricing mechanism

Earlier this week the federal Government announced important changes to the carbon pricing mechanism (CPM). The political and economic consequences have been much discussed, but the less-talked-of legal…
Mitt Romney and wife Ann greet the Republican convention. EPA

Mitt Romney, the next President of the United States? Maybe

Today in Florida, Mitt Romney formally accepted the Republican nomination for President of the United States. In and of itself, this changes nothing. Since May we have known that Romney had the nomination…
There was cause for new NT chief minister Terry Mills to cheer this weekend, but political debate continues to suffer in Australia. AAP

Politics without passion: NT election another act in an uninspiring policy circus

Labor has just lost another election in Australia to the opposition in an electoral race that was dominated by negative messages, where both parties attempted unsuccessfully to differentiate themselves…
Classification allows athletes to compete against those with a similar level of impairment. EPA/Louisa Gouliamaki

Explainer: what is ‘classification’ at the Paralympics?

If you’re watching the Paralympics on TV, listening on radio or reading about the Games in the papers or online, you’ll notice different sports are sub-divided into separate classes. If you’re listening…
The debate around teacher quality should be informed by research, not hunches and misinformation. Teacher image from www.shutterstock.com

A political education: hijacking the quality teaching movement

All we seem to hear about these days is failing teachers in failing schools. Those from business, government and the field of economics have all weighed in, criticising teachers, teacher educators and…
“We’re accused of sitting in our ivory tower when we don’t engage with the public, and of sensationalism when we do.” photosteve101

‘Rewriting’ the Big Bang theory – a personal perspective

Melbourne Researchers Rewrite Big Bang Theory sang a recent headline in the Sydney Morning Herald. It was one of many suggesting the Big Bang theory had been somehow overthrown. As the principal investigator…
Other countries - either in the European Union or elsewhere - could be the main beneficiaries of the Australian Government’s move to link carbon pricing with Europe. AAP

Do we really want to hand control of our carbon price to Europe?

Linking Australia to the European Union carbon emissions trading scheme by 2015 will undoubtedly affect the revenue gained from carbon trading. The question is, how much? One should expect up to 50% less…
Iran’s gas could make a difference to the world’s carbon-reduction efforts, if only the world was allowed to use it. EPA/Abedin Taherkenareh

US–Iran normalisation could fight climate change

The problem of climate change policy at an international level is not only about reaching agreement on sharing the mitigation burden. It is also about how dysfunctional foreign policies - not directly…
More than 30 years have passed since the AFL last looked at the specifications and standards for making Australian footballs. puuikibeach

On the ball: does the AFL need to design a better footy?

In the game of Australian Rules Football (as with other football codes), few pieces of equipment are more important than the football itself. And yet the relative attention paid to the ball by the AFL…
The final pieces of the historical puzzle around the 1975 Whitlam dismissal are not as sensational as they first seem. Image courtesy of National Archives of Australia. NAA: A6180, 13/11/75/33

Mason’s role in the 1975 dismissal ‘unprecedented’? Hardly …

Much hyperbole has been generated by the recent revelations concerning Sir Anthony Mason’s involvement in the 1975 dismissal, but for the most part it shows ignorance of the past. Earlier this week, The…
The extension of women’s medical options for abortion is really important so this is a great step forward. Malloreigh/Flickr

Arrival of RU486 in Australia a great leap forward for women

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has registered RU486 (mifepristone linepharma) and GyMiso®(misoprostol) for wider use in Australia following an application for registration of the medicines…