Two thirds of people in their 20s now live with their parents – here's how it affects their lives

By Donald Hirsch

Gone are the days when living at home in your 20s was seen as an embarrassing sign of arrested development. Today, 63% of single adults between the ages of 20 and 29 live with their parents, as do just over half of 25- to...

It's time for Canada and China to tone down the rhetoric

By Hugh Stephens

The death sentence recently meted out to convicted Canadian drug trafficker Robert Schellenberg in China is another ratcheting up of pressure on Canada by Chinese authorities. It came after Canada arrested Huawei CFO...

Stoking conflict between farming and conservation hurts everyone

By Philip A Loring Et Al

Canadas future prosperity will depend on effective environmental conservation and sustainable and profitable agriculture. Unfortunately, recent comments from former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall pit the two concerns...

Canada's new food guide: A fail on culture and sustainability?

By Sarah Duignan

Canadas food guide is being revised. After a three-year consultation process, the guide will be published within weeks. Sadly, economic and political agendas will likely continue to make its dietary recommendations...

Black Canadian women artists detangle the roots of Black beauty

By Cheryl Thompson

Renowned visual artist Mickalene Thomas has taken over the fifth-floor gallery space of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) with her show Femmes Noires. Working with curator Julie Crooks, it is the first time the...

What's the deal (or no-deal) with Brexit? Here's everything explained

By Giovanni Di Lieto

On June 23, 2016 the United Kingdom held a referendum to decide whether it should leave or remain in the European Union. More than 30 million people took part in the vote with 51.9% choosing to leave and 48.1% to...

Aged care royal commission benefits Generation X: it's too late for the silent generation

By Joseph Ibrahim

A surprising group of people stand to benefit from the aged care royal commission, whose hearings start today. These are residents of nursing homes in the far future people in their 50s and 60s, and their children. How is...

Vital Signs: the power of not being too clear

By Richard Holden

Incentives, in one form or other, are central to our lives. The Soviet experiment ended in December 1991 because it turned out that when people got paid the same whether they worked hard or slacked off, most people...

The financially well-off defy the stereotypes. They include retirees, and mortgagees

By David C. Ribar Et Al

Financial well-being is hard to get a handle on. Thats because its a mix of how people feel and how they objectively are. And its multifaceted, including things such as spending, saving, investing, borrowing, and...

Free public transport is great news for the environment but it's no silver bullet

By Ansgar Wohlschlegel

When Luxembourg announced recently that all public transport in the country will be free from next year, this radical move was received with astonishment. After all, most nations would surely shy away from putting such...

Brexit: a Norwegian view on the Norway-plus model and why it wouldn't be easy for the UK

By Hans Petter Graver

The UK parliaments rejection of the governments Brexit deal has put the idea of a Norway-plus model back on the table as a possible outcome of the UKs long march towards Brexit. Norway is not a member of the EU, but it is...

How investment in irrigation is paying off for Ethiopia's economy

By Gebisa Ejeta

After rapid economic growth averaging 10% every year between 2004 and 2014, Ethiopia has emerged as an engine of development in Africa. And there are no signs that ambitions for further growth are fading. This is clear...

Retiring from elite sport? Consider seeing a psychologist – Andy Murray did

By Paul Gorczynski

Andy Murrays announcement that he is contemplating retirement from professional tennis is sad news as it always is when one of tennis greats prepares to leave the game. The reason for his retirement a persistent pain in...

Sloths are far more adaptable than we realised

By Jan Hoole

Unless you live in the tropical rainforests of South or Central America, most of the sloths youll encounter will be two-toed sloths. This is because they are able to eat quite a varied diet and are therefore relatively...

Trump's interpreters for Putin meetings face ethical dilemma

By Laura Burian

President Donald Trump met several times with Russian President Vladimir Putin while no other American was privy to the communication except for a State Department interpreter. In July 2018, Democratic members of the...

A new way to curb nitrogen pollution: Regulate fertilizer producers, not just farmers

By David Kanter

Nitrogen pollution is produced by a number of interlinked compounds, from ammonia to nitrous oxide. While they have both natural and human sources, the latter increased dramatically over the past century as farmers scaled...

Want better tips? Go for gold

By Na Young Lee

Although tipping is generally thought to be a voluntary payment meant to express gratitude to a service worker, the history of tipping suggests that it originated as a way for people to flaunt their wealth. But what if...

The biggest nonprofit media outlets are thriving but smaller ones may not survive

By Bill Birnbauer

Richard Tofel, ProPublicas president and founding general manager, likes to say the U.S. nonprofit news site was born on third base. Indeed, when the Pulitzer-winning outlet launched in 2008, ProPublica had US$10 million...

In 'airports of the future,' everything new is old again

By Janet Bednarek

As massive new airports open across Asia and the Middle East, U.S. airports are enhancing security checkpoints with technological gadgets to screen passengers and luggage more quickly. All these projects are often touted...

Coffee: 60% of wild species are at risk of extinction due to climate change

By Adam Moolna

Is your morning coffee an espresso or a skinny latte? Is it from a darkly roasted French or Italian blend? If its a high quality brew, its almost certainly made with beans from the Arabica species (Coffea arabica), which...

Skype hospital appointments are coming – but don't hold your breath

By Trish Greenhalgh Et Al

The NHS published in January its long-term plan in which it promised to redesign services so that, by 2024, up to a third of hospital outpatient consultations would be undertaken by video link. The idea is that this will...

Physical activity programmes in schools aren't working – here's why

By Rebecca Love Et Al

A third of children in the UK are overweight or obese by the time they reach primary school. Many other countries are facing the same issue, with a tenfold increase in the worldwide prevalence of childhood obesity over the...

Why Antarctica's sea ice cover is so low (and no, it's not just about climate change)

By Julie Arblaster Et Al

Sea ice cover in Antarctica shrank rapidly to a record low in late 2016 and has remained well below average. But whats behind this dramatic melting and low ice cover since? Our two articles published earlier this month...

How to feed a growing population healthy food without ruining the planet

By Alessandro R Demaio Et Al

If were serious about feeding the worlds growing population healthy food, and not ruining the planet, we need to get used to a new style of eating. This includes cutting our Western meat and sugar intakes by around 50%,...

How realistic are China's plans to build a research station on the Moon?

By Joshua Chou

The world is still celebrating the historic landing of Chinas Change-4 on the dark side of the moon on January 3. This week, China announced its plans to follow up with three more lunar missions, laying the groundwork for...

Recycling is not enough. Zero-packaging stores show we can kick our plastic addiction

By Sabrina Chakori Et Al

Wrapped, sealed, boxed, cling-filmed and vacuum packed. We have become used to consumables being packaged in every way imaginable. The history of packaging goes back to the first human settlements. First leaves, gourds...

It's time for a new way to regulate social media platforms

By Natasha Tusikov Et Al

When it came to our online lives, 2018 was revealing in its dysfunction. The just-expired years parade of scandals at Facebook alone was relentless Cambridge Analytica, its inflation of video-viewing stats that have...

El Chapo trial shows why a wall won't stop drugs from crossing the US-Mexico border

By Luis Gómez Romero

The trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán Loera has exposed just how powerful Mexicos cartels really are. The trial has now run for two months. On Jan. 15, a Colombian drug trafficker who...

Brexit: Theresa May survives confidence vote, but Brussels is in charge now

By Chris Stafford

Just 24 hours after suffering a historic defeat in parliament over her Brexit deal, the prime minister has survived a vote of no confidence in her government thanks to the support of her backbench MPs. Up until this...

Ganges: sewers could be making water quality of India's great river worse

By David Milledge Et Al

The Ganges is a lifeline for millions of people who live within its catchment as a source of water, transport and food. During the Hindu pilgrimage known as Kumbh Mela the Ganges plays host to the largest human gathering...

Luxembourg's free public transport sounds great, but it won't help people get from A to B

By Constance Carr Et Al

When the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg announced it would introduce free nationwide public transport from March 2020, the move was widely praised some even claimed it was a world first but that was to overlook Estonia) where...

How AI could help you learn sign language

By Stephanie Stoll

Sign languages arent easy to learn and are even harder to teach. They use not just hand gestures but also mouthings, facial expressions and body posture to communicate meaning. This complexity means professional teaching...

The legal implications of digital privacy

By Florencio Travieso

A June 2018 decision rendered by the Supreme Court of the United States established an interesting principle on digital privacy in a case related to a criminal proceeding. The decision stated that the government must...

Sugar daddy capitalism: even the world's oldest profession is being uberised

By Peter Fleming

The sleazy sugar baby scandal involving Australian politician Andrew Broad, exposed for his reported cringy attempts to hook up with a woman almost half his age, might look like just another case of a politician caught in...

Superannuation: why we stick with the duds

By Susan Thorp

Picking an under-performing superannuation fund can cost you about 13 years pay over a working lifetime - roughly the value of an apartment in Melbourne or Sydney. High fees alone can delete two years pay, and poor...

What happens after you take injured wildlife to the vet?

By Bronwyn Orr

Australias wildlife is unique and endearing, with many species found nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, it isnt rare to encounter sick or injured wildlife around your home or by the side of the road. My research,...

Populism's problems can be fixed by getting the public better-informed. And that's actually possible

By Ron Levy

Many commentators have been alarmed at the electoral wins of ultra conservative leaders around the world, as well as policy decisions such as Brexit made by a popular referendum. They see these as signs of a rising...

Why Big Pharma must disclose payments to patient groups

By Itai Bavli Et Al

A United States congressional report revealed last year that five opioid manufacturers made more than $10 million in payments to patient advocacy groups and professional societies between 2012 and 2017. Initiatives from...

DNA sequencing can help fight epidemics -- but there are privacy risks

By Liam Shaw Et Al

The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling an Ebola outbreak. As is the case with any disease caused by pathogenic viruses like Zika or influenza Ebola spreads dangerously and unpredictably. This makes tracking the...

Ramaphosa sets out a bold vision for South Africa. But can he pull it off?

By Cheryl Hendricks

As South Africa heads for the polls in a few months time in its sixth democratic election, political party electioneering has begun in earnest. President Cyril Ramaphosa kick started the governing African National...

If Trump declares a national emergency, could Congress or the courts reverse it?

By Chris Edelson

If President Donald Trump declares a national emergency to fund some portion of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border without congressional authorization, what would happen next? Would the courts step in? What is...

Is the 'midlife crisis' a real thing?

By Nick Haslam

Middle age is often seen as lifes pivot point. A hill has been climbed and the view over the other side is unsettling. As Victor Hugo said: forty is the old age of youth and fifty the youth of old age. The idea adults...

China wrestles with contested heritage of conflict and colonial rule

By Shiqi Xiong Et Al

China often makes headlines on a great variety of topics, yet very little is said and known about its contested heritage. At a time when this country with a complex and rich history is undergoing rapid urbanisation, one...

Brick-bait: three tricks up retailers' sleeves to lure you back to physical shops

By Eloise Zoppos

Bricks-and-mortar retail stores are under intense pressure from online competition. Feeling the most heat are clothes shops and department stores. This year David Joness profit halved, to A$64 million. Myer declared a...

Why we need to take food education in Australian schools more seriously

By Tony Worsley Et Al

This article is part of a series focusing on the politics of food what we eat, how our views of food are changing and why it matters from a cultural and political standpoint. Schools are expected to do a lot of...

Five life lessons from your immune system

By Joanna Groom

This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology in the broader context of society and humanity. Scientists love analogies. We use them...

When pets are family, the benefits extend into society

By Lisa F. Carver

There is a growing global trend to consider pets as part of the family. In fact, millions of people around the world love their pets, enjoying their companionship, going for walks, playing and even talking to them. And...

Solving phantom limb pain – science is getting closer

By Victoria Root

After amputation of an arm, most amputees report vivid and continuous sensations of their missing limb. Some can even move their missing hand as if it were still there. For many amputees, though, these sensations are...

What is really eating Apple – and why Steve Jobs would not be doing a lot better

By Arturo Bris

Apple has started the new year by disappointing investors with its first profit warning in 17 years. The company said that poor sales of its latest range of iPhones has helped to weaken its first financial quarter...

Fast-food chains use cute animal toys to market meat to children – new vegan ranges pose a dilemma

By Kate Stewart Et Al

Being vegan appears to be all the rage in Britain. The news that McDonalds has launched a new plant-based Happy Meal for children based on a vegan wrap would seem to bear this idea out. McDonalds new offering is the latest...