19th century weather data is helping climate scientists predict the future
Apr 12, 2016 08:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
The 19th-century English historian Lord Acton famously advised people to live in both the future and the past, and said those who do not live in the past cannot live in the future. It may seem a stretch to apply this...
Why it is good policy, not bad politics, to ignore bad modelling on negative gearing
Apr 12, 2016 07:31 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Negative gearing and capital gains tax are a looming battleground in the federal election. The debate was heightened last month by the release of modelling by consultants BIS Shrapnel purporting to show that reforms would...
Shifting the field of view: Telling science stories with virtual reality
Apr 12, 2016 06:53 am UTC| Insights & Views Science Technology
Since first donning a Virtual Reality (VR) headset only 8 months ago, my personal relationship with this technology has progressed at lightning speed, way past the awkward getting-to-know-you phase. In the broad scheme of...
Retirees, don't worry about your health deteriorating – leaving work can be good for you
Apr 12, 2016 06:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Health Life
A few years ago, my mother had a bit of a crisis in the lead-up to her retirement. She struggled with her self-worth, perceived value to society and fears of boredom. Shes not alone in her worry. The literature suggests...
Burning fossil fuels is responsible for most sea-level rise since 1970
Apr 12, 2016 06:27 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Nature
Global average sea level has risen by about 17 cm between 1900 and 2005. This is a much faster rate than in the previous 3,000 years. The sea level changes for several reasons, including rising temperatures as fossil...
Tasmania's 'smoke-free generation' is undemocratic age discrimination
Apr 12, 2016 05:11 am UTC| Insights & Views Law
Tasmania is considering legislation to create a tobacco-free generation by banning sales to persons born after July 1, 2000. It is a tobacco prohibition law, albeit one whose endgame will play out for future generations...
Ideas for Australia: Consensus versus the culture wars – getting the balance right
Apr 12, 2016 05:05 am UTC| Insights & Views
In recent years, political point scoring and wedge politics have made it hard to have a calm, reasoned political debate on a range of issues from same-sex marriage to refugees or climate change. However, potentially...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
Biden administration tells employers to stop shackling workers with ‘noncompete agreements’
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects