Welcome to the latest wave of 'modernizing,' 'progressive' school reforms in Ontario

By Theodore Christou

In Ontarios recent 2019 budget, the minister of finance says because the previous government failed at teaching the basics, a lack of foundational knowledge has left too many of our kids ill‐prepared for the challenges of...

And now for a newsflash: politicians actually do keep their promises

By Andrea Carson Et Al

A quick scan of political headlines over recent election campaigns will tell you that there is a trust deficit in Australian politics. Alarmingly, surveys uniformly find that public trust is falling in Australia. The...

Here's why electric cars have plenty of grunt, oomph and torque

By Jake Whitehead

Australian politicians, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, have raised the question of electric vehicles capacity for grunt. Now Im by no means a grunt expert, but when it comes to performance, electric cars are...

High-dose, immune-boosting or four-strain? A guide to flu vaccines for over-65s

By Allen Cheng Et Al

Flu vaccines work by exposing the body to a component of the virus so it can practise fighting it off, without risking infection. The immune system can then mount a more rapid and effective response when faced with a real...

Business-as-usual record on transport leaves next government plenty of room to improve

By Marion Terrill

This article is part of a series examining the Coalition governments record on key issues while in power and what Labor is promising if it wins the 2019 federal election. Election season means transport season: just...

The swamp foxtail's origin is hidden in its DNA

By Roderick John Fensham

Sign up to the Beating Around the Bush newsletter here, and suggest a plant we should cover at [email protected] Swamp foxtail (Cenchrus purpurascens) is a delightful grass that forms a neat tussock up to a...

$500m for station car parks? Other transport solutions could do much more for the money

By Nathan Pittman Et Al

Half a billion dollars sounds like a lot of money, but that really depends on what youre spending it on. In Tuesdays federal budget, the Coalition government announced its Commuter Car Park Fund, a A$500 million package...

We asked five experts: should we nap during the day?

By Alexandra Hansen

Often during the day I feel the need to have a bit of a lie-down. Whether its been a busy day, I didnt sleep well the night before, or for no particular reason I know of. But some will warn that youll be ruined for sleep...

Mercury pollution from decades past may have been re-released by Tasmania's bushfires

By Larissa Schneider Et Al

Tasmanias bushfires may have resulted in the release of significant amounts of mercury from burnt trees into the atmosphere. Our research shows that industrial mercury pollution from decades past has been locked up in west...

Casual academics aren't going anywhere, so what can universities do to ensure learning isn't affected?

By Dorothy Wardale Et Al

More Australian universities are relying on casual academics to teach their students. Its difficult to estimate the exact proportion of academic staff on casual contracts, but reports suggest up to 80% of undergraduate...

Chinese investment in Australia is down 36%. It's time for a more balanced debate about the national interest

By Hans Hendrischke

Chinese investment in Australia fell 36% in 2018, to A$8.2 billion (US$6.2 billion) from A$13 billion (US$10 billion) in 2017, according to research by KPMG and the University of Sydney Business School. This is despite...

In Québec, Christian liberalism becomes the religious authority

By Hannah Dick

The Québec government is proposing a secularism law to prohibit any new public servants in a position of authority including teachers, lawyers and police officers from wearing religious symbols while at...

The new Brazilian government is devoid of ideas

By Lenin Cavalcanti Brito Gue

Brazil, Latin Americas largest country, had some good years between 2003 and 2013. In 2010, the Brazilian GDP increased 7.5 per cent, two times more than the world average of 4.3 per cent and three times North Americas...

Cutting cancer costs is a worthy policy, but we need to try to prevent it too

By Terry Slevin Et Al

Removing the financial worries from Australians diagnosed with cancer is bound to be a popular move. The Oppositions A$2.3 billion cancer care plan announced in Bill Shortens budget reply speech on Thursday night aims...

Boxing: can the sport really help turn young men away from violent crime?

By Deborah Jump Et Al

Boxing is often praised as a way of teaching discipline, anger management and teamwork. Now, with violent crime on the rise in English cities especially among young men and boys the sport is being used to support those...

Evolution: how the theory is inspiring a new way of understanding language

By Glenn Hadikin

Words are often seen as the building blocks of languages. But as children we dont learn lists of words like we might in a school language class. We learn longer strings of sounds and break them up into words as we grow up....

Smokeless tobacco products flying under the radar of regulation in many countries

By Kamran Siddiqi

Smokeless tobacco products are addictive and cause cancer, yet only a few countries have adequate policies to regulate them. As a result, the global efforts to control smokeless tobacco use are lagging behind the progress...

Those future tax cut promises... they're nowhere near as big as you'd think

By Matthew Gray Et Al

The 2018 budget contained big tax measures worth A$143 billion over the next decade initially targeted at lower and middle income Australians, but after five or so years to be heavily weighted towards higher income...

Why it might be time for New Zealand to reconsider the legal definition of murder

By Brenda Midson

The man arrested over the Christchurch terror attacks has appeared in court today, facing 50 charges of murder and 39 of attempted murder. Although further charges relating to terrorism are possible, I argue, as I have...

Most of us support mandatory vaccines for schoolkids, but is it good policy?

By Alison Braley-Rattai

Recently, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including a measles outbreak in British Columbia, have ignited a firestorm of public debate about childhood vaccination and what should be done about current...

What just happened to our tax? Here's an explanation you'll understand

By Peter Martin1

With all the announcements on tax over the past few days its hard to keep track. So here goes. A year ago the then treasurer Scott Morrison unveiled a seven year personal tax. Some of it involved tax cuts way out...

Invasive ants: federal budget takes aim but will it be a lethal shot?

By Lori Lach

Amid all the usual items we expect to see in the federal budget was one that raised eyebrows: A$28.8 million for three ant eradication programs. Yet amid the inevitable media puns about the government upping the ant-e,...

Why do we mix up faces? Game of Thrones might help us find the answer

By Christel Devue Et Al

In the Game of Thrones universe, confusing a photograph of actor Jack Gleeson, who played the popular HBO TV shows despised sadist Joffrey Baratheon, for one of Maisie Williams, the beloved Arya Stark, is an egregious case...

Cyclone Idai showed how some countries battle to handle disasters

By Femi Amao

Cyclone Idai has caused enormous damage in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Hundreds of people have died, about 400,000 people lost their homes and an estimated 2.9 million people have been affected by the...

Japan: spring and prosperity the watchwords as country announces a new era

By Nicolas Tranter

When Emperor Akihito abdicates on April 30 it will, quite literally, be the end of an era for Japan. Crown Prince Naruhito will formally accede to the Chrysanthemum Throne and the event will be marked by a change of era...

The road to Brexit: how did the UK end up here?

By Christopher Fear

Britons are typically a polite bunch. Theyre fearful of giving offence and traditionally slow to take it. But the project of withdrawing from the European Union (Brexit) has got more people shouting their opinions and...

Pet owners want to be masters, not servants – which is why we value dogs more than cats

By Colleen P. Kirk

Cat videos may rule the internet, but dogs possess mastery of their owners hearts at least if spending is any guide. Dog owners spend US$240 a month caring for their pets, compared with $193 for cats, according to the...

Congressional oversight is at the heart of America's democracy

By Derek W. Black

President Donald Trump increasingly acts as though he believes he can ignore Congress and set wide-ranging national policies on his own. He has, for instance, recently taken unilateral steps to cut off foreign aid to...

What is social structure, and why does it help some but harm others?

By Shervin Assari

The college admissions cheating scandal has outraged millions, bringing to light the gaps between the privileged and less privileged citizens. Being a social scientist who studies societal origins of economic and health...

Can bacteria help us prevent salt damage to concrete roads and bridges?

By Yaghoob Farnam

Bacteria, which have been working for millennia as natures stonemasons, could soon be enlisted to help neutralize the destructive effects of road salt. According to the Transportation Research Board, it takes about 10...

Voter ID laws don't seem to suppress minority votes – despite what Republicans might want

By Ben L. Pryor Et Al

Strict voter ID laws require residents to possess a valid, state-approved identification in order to vote. Support and opposition to these laws primarily fall along party lines. Proponents mainly Republicans argue...

Venezuela's power struggle reaches a tense stalemate, as human suffering deepens

By David Smilde

Even in a country where crisis has become the norm, the past month has been eventful. On April 3 Juan Guaidó, the Venezuelan National Assembly president who is leading an effort to remove President Nicolás...

Shorten promises $2.3 billion package to relieve costs for cancer patients

By Michelle Grattan

Bill Shorten has promised his government would introduce a A$2.3 billion four year package to slash cancer patients out-of-pocket costs, and has committed $1 billion to give extra tax relief for low income earners, above...

New livestreaming legislation fails to take into account how the internet actually works

By Andre Oboler

In response to the live streamed terror attack in New Zealand last month, new laws have just been passed by the Australian Parliament. These laws amend the Commonwealth Criminal Code, adding two substantive new criminal...

Rent or buy: does the British obsession with home ownership pay off?

By Abdulkader Mostafa Et Al

Unlike the Germans, who are a nation of renters, the desire to be a homeowner is firmly rooted in the British psyche. In 2003, the proportion of UK households owning their own home reached a peak of almost 71%. While it...

Dogs in the classroom – coming to a school near you soon?

By Diahann Gallard

When you think about your own school days, you might have had a furry friend to keep you company in the classroom maybe a school hamster, rabbit or guinea pig. But what about a school dog? Thats whats being suggested...

For political parties in Indonesia, large social media followers has little effect on electoral success

By Ella S. Prihatini Et Al

Half of Indonesias 260 million population are connected to the internet. They spend on average nearly nine hours a day online. Joint Google-Temasek research has predicted that Indonesia will have 215 million internet users...

If you're not sleeping at work, you should be fired

By Jamie Gruman

In days gone by, when our economy was dominated by agriculture and manufacturing, an employees value was gauged by their inputs. If they slacked off by not placing a bumper on a car fast enough they were unproductive, and...

Why agricultural groups fiercely oppose the carbon tax

By Tristan Skolrud

When the Pan-Canadian Approach to Pricing Carbon Pollution was announced in October 2016, it was met with passionate responses, from supporters and those in opposition. Agricultural groups were quick to dismiss the...

Goodbye Google+, but what happens when online communities close down?

By Stan Karanasios

This week saw the closure of Google+, an attempt by the online giant to create a social media community to rival Facebook. If the Australian usage of Google+ is anything to go by just 45,000 users in March compared to...

Forensic science is in crisis – and this could have critical effects on UK legal system

By Tim J Wilson

British scientists played a major role in developing key technologies and techniques for global legal systems. These tools such as fingerprint and DNA analysis reveal relationships between individuals, objects and...

Is bottom-pinching still 'indecent' by today's community standards?

By Hadeel Al-Alosi

In a recent court case in Western Australia, Magistrate Michelle Ridley ruled that in an era of twerking and easy access to pornography, a police officer pinching a womans backside is not indecent assault. Heres what...

Oil's corrosive impact on democracy is the true socialist gateway drug

By Russell Cobb

During the Cold War, socialism was portrayed as a gateway drug to communist orthodoxy. The crisis in Venezuela has resurrected tired old tropes about pinks and useful idiots who start out as democratic socialists, but end...

Here's what the carbon tax means for you

By Kathryn Harrison

The federal carbon tax is now in effect in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick. The tax increases the cost of fossil fuels in order to reduce consumption, thus lowering Canadas carbon emissions. Many...

What gangs tell us about the world we live in

By Dennis Rodgers

In a speech delivered on March 28, 2019, at a political rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., US president Donald Trump dramatically described gang members as some of the sickest, most demented, most vicious people in the world....

Brexit breakthrough? May and Corbyn will meet to find a compromise

By Matthew Cole

There is some good news about Brexit. The magic eye picture of Britains policy is beginning to emerge from the random pixels of the referendum campaigns promises and threats to a shadowy image of compromise. But there are...

Going to the naturopath or a yoga class? Your private health won't cover it

By Jon Wardle

Starting this week, private health insurers are prohibited from providing benefits for a number of natural therapies. This includes aromatherapy, Western herbalism, homeopathy, naturopathy, pilates, reflexology, Rolfing...

Banning 'tiny vehicles' would deny us smarter ways to get around our cities

By Hussein Dia

E-scooter mania is sweeping cities around the world. Fun, accessible and cheap to rent, shared electric scooters are one of the biggest technology stories this year. Their main appeal is that they are so easy to ride. A...

Total transport spending is about par for the course, but the pattern is unusual

By Marion Terrill

The budget just before an election seems to have a special quality: the transport infrastructure will surely be more plentiful than usual, and carefully chosen to shore up the electoral bulwarks. But dont get too excited:...

How everyday politics shapes the way African cities are run

By Jeffrey W Paller

Cyclone Idai tore through Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique and devastated local communities. Hundreds were killed and more than a million people were displaced. Much of this devastation occurred in southern Africas...