Editor's note

Before 1914 flowers were seen as part of women’s culture, but the first world war changed that. As Ann Elias writes, men gathered flowers and turned them into symbols of life among carnage, creating the remembrance tradition that continues today.

James Whitmore

Deputy Editor: Arts + Culture

Arts + Culture

Poppies at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. katatrix/shuttershock.com

Flowers, remembrance and the art of war

Ann Elias, University of Sydney

The wildflowers that WWI soldiers encountered in Europe become symbols of remembrance and the fragility of life. The red poppy in particular is a powerful motif in Australian war art and photography.

Exhibition installation view of Robert Mapplethorpe: the perfect medium at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 27 Oct 2017 – 18 Feb 2018. All artworks © Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission. Photo: AGNSW, Christopher Snee

Friday essay: Mapplethorpe and me

Annamarie Jagose, University of Sydney

The distinctive visual style of Robert Mapplethorpe’s beautiful, oversized images seems now more classical than shocking. But he can still reveal the subconscious of an era we think we have outgrown.

Education

Students should be taught to recognise the political, social, and economic factors that influence how a society conducts and participates in memorialisation of the past. David Crosling/AAP

Why children need to be taught to think critically about Remembrance Day

Kim Wilson, Macquarie University

Teaching students to recognise and understanding the political, social, and economic factors that influence how we celebrate Remembrance Day would make them more active citizens.

Babies start their musical development in the womb. Shutterstock

How to use music to fine tune your child for school

Chelsea Harry, University of the Sunshine Coast

There a number of ways you can use music to shape your child's brain for success, from 16 weeks gestation right up until they start school.

Politics + Society

The Australian national football team’s remarkable triumph in Vietnam in 1967 has never been properly and collectively recognised. Australian Soccer Federation

As Socceroos face moment of truth, let's remember our football triumph of 1967

Roy Hay, Deakin University

At the height of the Vietnam War, the Holt government agreed it would be a good idea if the national football team took part in a tournament in Vietnam to boost morale.

Prime Minister Billy Hughes worked hard to quash rebellion over conscription during the first world war. Australian Prime Ministers

How the 'Warwick egg incident' of 1917 exemplified an Australian nation divided

Jeff Kildea, UNSW

A little-known incident 100 years ago reminds us that Australia at the time was riven by class, religious and political divisions.

Podcast

Dave Hunt/AAP

Politics podcast: swinging into the Sunshine State's election

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The pundits are reluctant to place bets on who will win Queensland's November 25 election.

A canine commuter catches up on some sleep on the Paris Metro. Kevin O'Mara/Flickr

Speaking with: Emma Power and Jennifer Kent about why Australian cities and homes aren't built for pets

Dallas Rogers, University of Sydney

Why does Australia, a nation of pet lovers, not allow pets on public transport or guarantee tenants the right to keep a pet?

Cities

Stony Creek drain: untidy and often slightly threatening, informal green space still has value for residents, which appropriate intervention can enhance.

How do we turn a drain into valued green space? First, ask the residents

Leila Mahmoudi Farahani, RMIT University; Cecily Maller, RMIT University

Residents often have concerns about informal green space but some still use it. Work to enhance these areas should aim to resolve these concerns without destroying what residents do value.

The Thomson Dam, Melbourne’s largest water storage, dropped to only 16% of capacity in the last big drought. Melbourne Water/flickr

This is what Australia's growing cities need to do to avoid running dry

Ian Wright, Western Sydney University

Australian cities have turned to some very costly solutions when water is scarce. But as the world's second-highest users of water per person, more efficient use and recycling are key.

Health + Medicine

No, having a cold shower won’t make you lose weight. from www.shutterstock.com

Can 'brown fat' really help with weight loss?

Andrew Carey, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute; Bronwyn Kingwell, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Cold showers have been recommended to activate brown fat, but they are unlikely to yield any health benefit.

Scientists aren’t sure exactly why we cry when we are sad. Thomas Stromberg/Flickr

Curious Kids: Why do tears come out of our eyes when we cry?

Michelle Moscova, UNSW

Whether we're happy or sad, it doesn't take much to turn on the waterworks. But how and why do humans cry?

Science + Technology

The star Betelgeuse varies in brightness. Flickr/A Tag

Stars that vary in brightness shine in the oral traditions of Aboriginal Australians

Duane W. Hamacher, Monash University

A new look at some of the oral traditions of Aboriginal Australians shows a deep understanding of three red-giant variable stars, long before European observers.

A detection station for seismic activity at Bilibion, a remote corner of Russia. The Official CTBTO Photostream (Copyright CTBTO Preparatory Commission)

I've always wondered: do nuclear tests affect tectonic plates and cause earthquakes or volcanic eruptions?

Jane Cunneen, Curtin University

Human-induced earthquakes have been reported from every continent except Antarctica. We asked a geologist to investigate whether North Korea's nuclear tests could trigger geological changes.

Business + Economy

The Australian superannuation system was never meant to be privatised. Shutterstock

Could we nationalise the superannuation system even if we wanted to?

Suzanne Taylor, Queensland University of Technology

The Australian superannuation system was originally meant to be government-run, and so many necessary protections weren't included.

The first strategy is to require the public disclosure of country by country reporting of company tax affairs. Shutterstock

Three strategies to fight the tax avoidance revealed by the Paradise Papers

Roman Lanis, University of Technology Sydney; Brett Govendir, University of Technology Sydney

The ideas are already out there to tackle some of the tax avoidance highlighted by the Paradise Papers.

Environment + Energy

Communities in Cape York are among those with restricted access to mains water. NomadicPics/Flickr

Some remote Australian communities have drinking water for only nine hours a day

Cara Beal, Griffith University

Some remote Australian communities have access to drinking water for only nine hours a day but can use ten times the average of urban households.

Laiap, to the west of the site of the now-disappeared Nahlapenlohd.

Islands lost to the waves: how rising seas washed away part of Micronesia's 19th-century history

Patrick D. Nunn, University of the Sunshine Coast

In1850, the Micronesian island of Nahlapenlohd was the scene of Pohnpei state's first battle involving cannons and muskets. Less than two centuries later, it has sunk beneath the waves.

 

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