Vanity Fair: Thackeray’s classic novel may be too modern for audiences today

By Jonathan Potter

The latest TV adaptation of Thackerays 1848 novel Vanity Fair has polarised audiences expecting a traditional period drama. The first two episodes of Vanity Fair, co-produced by ITV and Amazon, received a mixed response on...

Why it's time to end the culture of bullying on reality TV

By Dr Soseh Yekanians

Australians have embraced reality television. This isnt necessarily a bad thing (I watch it myself) but theres an unhealthy appetite for seeing people psychologically tearing one another apart both on and off the...

No matter what method is used to teach math, make it fun

By Anthony Bonato

Theres a change coming to Ontarios elementary school math curriculum. The new provincial government says it is responding to a decline of standardized test scores and plans to recommend a return to back-to-basics teaching...

Politics and paper towels: Disputing disaster death tolls

By Korey Pasch

Hurricane Florences battering of the southern United States has brought natural disasters and their devastating impacts back into the daily news cycle. The Atlantic hurricane season is in full swing and while earlier...

New research shows Australian teens have complex views on religion and spirituality

By Andrew Singleton Et Al

The 2016 Census suggested about a third of Australian teens had no religion. But ask a teenager themselves about religion, rather than the parent or guardian filling in the census form, and the picture is slightly...

Genes, joules or gut bugs: which one is most to blame when it comes to weight gain?

By Andrew Brown

With obesity on the rise, so too is the diet and weight loss industry, currently valued at US$70 billion in the US alone. But most of us are still confused about the factors that lead to weight gain. Three commonly...

Rising cyclist death toll is mainly due to drivers, so change the road laws and culture

By Peter Chambers Et Al

Recent reporting paints a picture of surging road deaths and failing safety strategies for cyclists. The Australian Automobile Associations Benchmarking report records 1,222 road deaths in the year ending June 2018. And...

Giving environmental water to drought-stricken farmers sounds straightforward, but it's a bad idea

By Erin O'Donnell Et Al

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack last week suggested the government would look at changing the law to allow water to be taken from the environment and given to farmers struggling with the drought. This is a bad...

The Beehive, a documentary in 1,344 versions, explores the unsolved murder of Juanita Nielsen

By Kim Munro

Review: The Beehive, ACMI Melbourne A conventional documentary presents a singular argument or perspective. But Zanny Begg throws out the conventions in her film, The Beehive, by presenting 1,344 possible versions of...

In 1968, computers got personal: How the 'mother of all demos' changed the world

By Margaret O'Mara

On a crisp California afternoon in early December 1968, a square-jawed, mild-mannered Stanford researcher named Douglas Engelbart took the stage at San Franciscos Civic Auditorium and proceeded to blow everyones mind about...

Yom Kippur: A time for feasting as well as fasting

By Ted Merwin

It was the bag of Fritos that gave me away. As a secular Jewish kid whose family did not belong to a synagogue, I did not think twice about riding my bike to the convenience store around the corner during the afternoon of...

When cutting interest rates might not help

By Richard Holden

Theres a meme around official interest rates since the financial crisis, and it goes like this. Central banks have already cut them to nearly zero (or actually zero) but advanced economies are still languishing. Therefore...

New body for complaints against police in Victoria is a good move, with some caveats

By Tamar Hopkins Et Al

A parliamentary committee has recommended that all serious police misconduct be investigated by a new independent police misconduct and corruption division within the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission...

Women in sports: double standards a double fault

By Marilyn Giroux Et Al

Naomi Osaka has made history as the first Japanese woman to claim a Grand Slam singles title after defeating Serena Williams in the final of the US Open. However, her defining performance was overshadowed by controversy...

Curious Kids: where do clouds come from and why do they have different shapes?

By Robert Lawry

This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children. The Conversation is asking kids to send in questions theyd like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome serious, weird or wacky! You might also like the...

Titans on TV: The life-changing magic of '[email protected]#k Batman!'

By J. Andrew Deman

[email protected]#k Batman is an odd sentiment to launch a DC TV series with, but a closer look at the history of the Teen Titans franchise and its impact on superhero storytelling reveals that [email protected]#k Batman holds the potential to be a...

How to 'love-craft' your relationships for health and happiness

By Carrie Jenkins

You know how to find happiness: Just meet Prince Charming (or Cinderella), overcome all obstacles, get married. The end. Sure, we kind of know real life doesnt work like that. And yet this romantic story remains right...

A Canadian food policy moves closer to becoming a reality

By Evan Fraser

One of the key commitments the federal government made upon taking office was to establish a food policy for all Canadians. The rationale was simple. Although, or perhaps because, food intersects so many aspects of life...

Doug Ford's attack on the 'Court Party'

By Brian Budd

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced he intends to use the notwithstanding clause of Canadas Constitution in his battle to shrink Toronto city council and reintroduce his controversial Better Local Government...

In defence of conspiracy theories (and why the term is a misnomer)

By David Coady

Before 2012, if you had voiced suspicions that the Australian government had been anything but open and honourable in dealing with East Timor its newly independent but impoverished neighbour you would likely have been...

The paradox of choice. Why made-to-order might not solve the fashion industry's problems

By Jessica Pallant Et Al

How could you go from winning awards for Store Design of The Year and Best Shoe Ever to selling nothing? In 2009 the Australian startup Shoes of Prey set out to make exactly the shoes its customers wanted. Customers...

In Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, language is power

By Dr Gemma King

Ever since his 1989 film Do the Right Thing opened with Rosie Perezs boxing-inspired dance to Public Enemys Fight the Power, Spike Lees cinema has been driven by the tensions between power and race in America. Lees mostly...

A new way to recognise an Indigenous nation in Australia

By Michael Breen

After years of debate, the process for achieving constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has reached a crossroads. More than a year has gone by since the Uluru Statement from the Heart, when Indigenous peoples...

Lack of technical knowledge in leadership is a key reason why so many IT projects fail

By Darryl Carlton

Implementing information technology projects in the public sector is challenging. And we seem to experience these challenges with a regularity that is both perplexing and frustrating. Think #censusfail, the myki smartcard...

Health Check: what happens when you hold in a fart?

By Clare Collins

Ever been in a situation where passing wind is going to be hugely embarrassing and youve had to hold in a fart? Lets face it we all have. Trying to hold it in leads to a build up of pressure and major discomfort. A...

Can you tell fact from fiction in the news? Most students can't

By Kathleen Williams Et Al

Have you clicked through to this article from your news feed? Are you checking it on your phone? More of us are consuming news online, and increasingly were turning to social media for news. Social media platforms are now...

Enough is enough on section 44: it's time for reform

By H. K. Colebatch

Among the many lessons the recent Liberal leadership spill has taught us is that the problems arising from section 44 of the constitution, which already has quite a hit list, have not gone away, and there may be more to...

Three things Netflix’s controversial 'fat-shaming' series Insatiable gets right

By Andrea Waling

Netflixs controversial Insatiable (2018) is the story of a teen who loses weight and competes in beauty pageants. Some people have said the show promotes fat-shaming and disordered eating. Thousands of viewers have called...

Five types of food to increase your psychological well-being

By Megan Lee Et Al

We all know eating healthy food is good for our physical health and can decrease our risk of developing diabetes, cancer, obesity and heart disease. What is not as well known is that eating healthy food is also good for...

Melbourne or Sydney? This is how our two biggest cities compare for liveability

By Lucy Gunn Et Al

The question of which city is the most liveable is an annual hot topic. Competition is fierce, especially between Melbourne and Sydney. We have previously highlighted the limitations of The Economist Intelligence Unit...

What Nestlé's attempt to trademark the shape of a KitKat teaches us about design

By Tom Lee Et Al

For many people there is something irresistible about chocolate. But in the hungry rush to make it part of our bodies there is a missed opportunity to meditate on the different gestural experiences chocolate affords. We...

Lack of climate policy threatens to trip up Australian diplomacy this summit season

By Christian Downie

Australia has navigated a somewhat stormy passage through the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru. Scott Morrisons new-look government faced renewed accusations at the summit about the strength of Australias resolve on climate...

Survey: Americans like their jobs, not the US labour market

By Marc Fleurbaey

The labor market in the US is quite different from most European countries, with less protection for workers, and stagnant wages for several decades, leading some analysts to declare that the American dream is dead. The...

Making society civil again

By Jordan Richard Schoenherr

The United States media has been awash with debates about civility in recent months after a number of officials in Donald Trumps administration have been heckled and shamed in public places. Commentators have claimed...

NAFTA negotiations may threaten pharmacare

By Joel Lexchin

Around 91 per cent of Canadians want a national pharmacare plan, according to a recent national poll, so they dont have to choose between buying groceries or paying for drugs to keep them healthy. The same public...

Location, location, location: Trump has the best spot in American politics

By J.M. Opal

How long until hes impeached? Canadian observers of the political dumpster fire down south are right to pose this question, for the list of scandals and offences is long and growing. One week, we learn about...

Protecting heritage is a human right

By George Nicholas

Technological advancements in archaeology in recent decades have produced amazing insights into the lives of ancient peoples. These range from uncovering lost Mayan cites in Guatemala to identifying Neandertal-Denisovan...

Labor leads 56-44% in Newspoll, but Morrison rates better than Shorten

By Michelle Grattan

Newspoll has the Coalition still trailing Labor 44-56% in two-party terms, as government members return to parliament with wounds remaining raw from the leadership coup and tighter numbers in the House of...

Censorship through the millennia. And trying to locate it in the 21st Century

By Peter D. McDonald

Once upon a time we all knew what censorship was, who the good and bad guys were, and what could be done to make the world a better place. Look up the noun censor in the Oxford English Dictionary and youll find an outline...

Explainer: the role of foreign military forces in Niger

By Craig Bailie

Niger is one of the most militarised countries in Africa. In November 2017, this came to wider notice when four American Special Forces soldiers and at least four of their Nigerien counterparts died in an ambush. Since...

Viewpoints: should universities raise the ATAR required for entrance into teaching degrees?

By Anne-Marie Morgan Et Al

Shadow education minister Tanya Plibersek has announced a Labor government would raise the ATAR required for entrance into a teaching degree if elected at the next election. Plibersek said: I dont want people with...

Why AMP and IOOF went rogue

By Andrew Linden Et Al

The M in AMP stood for Mutual. Like another former mutual, IOOF, it was owned by, and set up to benefit, its members. Both AMP and IOOF were presented with draft findings that they acted against the interests of their...

Green Bay Packers fans love that their team doesn't have an owner – just don't call it 'communism'

By Alan J. Kellner

In July, I was walking with my parents through the newly constructed Titletown District in Green Bay, Wisconsin, a new community development across the street from Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers play their home...

Kavanaugh's 'judge as umpire' metaphor sounds neutral but it's deeply conservative

By William Blake

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh invoked baseball to explain his judicial philosophy at his confirmation hearing. A good judge, he said in his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 4,...

Ten years of Large Hadron Collider discoveries are just the start of decoding the universe

By Todd Adams

Ten years! Ten years since the start of operations for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), one of the most complex machines ever created. The LHC is the worlds largest particle accelerator, buried 100 meters under the French...

Do blind people have better hearing?

By Loes van Dam

The sensation of sound occurs when the vibrations from sounds enter our ear and cause little hairlike structures called hair cells within our inner ear to move back and forth. The hair cells transform this movement into...

Lad culture and sexual harassment in universities: it's about more than a 'few bad apples'

By Carolyn Jackson Et Al

Sexual harassment is widespread and affects the lives of women and girls, in particular, every day. In the face of calls to tackle sexual harassment and violence, the UK government committed to carry out a review to see if...

Food price hikes of £2 billion due to extreme weather are completely avoidable – here's how

By Manoj Dora

Extreme hot and cold weather in the UK will have driven up average household food prices by 45m a week in 2018, according to recent research from the Centre for Economic and Business Research. Cue numerous press articles...

LEDs could be harmful to health – the EU halogen ban will make it worse

By Arnold J Wilkins

The European Union recently announced a ban on halogen light bulbs, to persuade the public to switch to LED lamps. Its unlikely to raise many eyebrows. There are, after all, lots of different lamps on the market. Some...

Animal welfare: if you want cheap knitwear, it's the sheep that may suffer

By Lindsay Hamilton

Secretly filmed footage of a group of sheep shearers working on a farm makes for shocking viewing. Animals are kicked, stamped on and punched in the face. The abuse, uncovered by an animal rights group, is difficult to...