Editor's note
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The problem with a warm winter is that – unlike sweltering summer heat – it largely feels like pleasant weather. But we still see climate extremes between June and September, and Bureau of Meteorology data reveal this winter saw the highest average daytime temperatures on record. It was also the driest winter in 15 years. Andrew King modelled this record-breaking weather and found that greenhouse gases have made this kind of winter warmth at least 60 times more likely.
Australian houses, built with a hot climate in mind, have been called ‘glorified tents’. And, as Lyrian Daniel and Emma Baker note, the result is that the cold kills far more people than the heat.
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Madeleine De Gabriele
Deputy Editor: Energy + Environment
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Environment + Energy
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This winter had some extreme low and high temperatures.
Daniel Lee/Flickr
Andrew King, University of Melbourne
In 2017 Australia's winter had the highest average daytime temperatures on record. This extreme is 60 times more likely to occur under the influence of greenhouse gas emissions.
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Guam’s trees are struggling without the birds that spread their seeds.
Elizabeth Wandrag, University of Canberra; Haldre Rogers, Iowa State University
Guam's trees are in trouble, thanks to the accidental release of a snake species 70 years ago, which has killed off many of the bird species that are vital for the health of the island's forests.
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Cities
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Soaring heating costs mean many vulnerable Australians endure cold houses and the associated risks to their health.
Paul Vasarhelyi from www.shutterstock.com
Lyrian Daniel, University of Adelaide; Emma Baker, University of Adelaide
The idea of a hot and sunny land is so baked into our thinking about Australia that we've failed to design and build houses that protect us from the cold.
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At first glance, old industrial sites, like this one in Carrington Street, don’t look like much. But they provide vital spaces for creative precincts to flourish.
Paul Jones
Chris Gibson, University of Wollongong; Alexandra Crosby, University of Technology Sydney; Carl Grodach, Queensland University of Technology; Craig Lyons, University of Wollongong; Justin O'Connor, Monash University; Xin Gu, Monash University
A new project documents who uses urban industrial lands slated for redevelopment. It reveals a vibrant but largely hidden sector at the interface between creative industries and small manufacturing.
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Podcast
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Navin75/Flickr, Australian Marine Conservation Society, ANU
Andrew Dodd, Swinburne University of Technology
In this episode of Change Agents, Andrew Dodd speaks with Darren Kindleysides and Don Rothwell on how Australia won a case against Japan's whaling activities at the International Court of Justice.
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Politics + Society
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Marriage is not an automatic right for anyone.
Shutterstock
Paul James, Western Sydney University
We need to get beyond hyperbole and half-truths from those both for and against marriage equality, and go back to basics.
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The modern marathon distance comes from the 1908 London Olympics.
shutterstock
James Kierstead, Victoria University of Wellington
The story behind the marathon is more complicated than it seems.
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Education
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Research has typically found that shared reading experiences are highly beneficial for young people.
Shutterstock/Alfira
Margaret Kristin Merga, Murdoch University
There are benefits to shared reading long after children can read to themselves, so how long should you read to your children?
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Our higher education system was devised 30 years ago, so perhaps it’s time for change.
Archie Campbell/Flickr
Stephen Parker, University of Melbourne
Degree apprenticeships are being rolled out in the UK. They bridge the gap between technical skills, employment and higher education. Is there scope for something similar in Australia?
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Health + Medicine
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Animals have played a pivotal role in countless life-saving discoveries.
from shutterstock.com
Ri Scarborough, Monash University
Virtually every medical therapy in use today owes its existence to animal experiments. But we can't assume what works in animals will in humans. And sometimes, the mismatch can be dangerous.
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More mammography, for instance, starting at a younger age or screening more often, isn’t necessarily better.
from www.shutterstock.com
Alexandra Barratt, University of Sydney
Calls to routinely offer breast cancer screening to more women might sound like a good idea, but can harm. Here are three questions to ask when figuring out whether more screening really is better.
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Business + Economy
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A Grameen Bank meeting in Bangladesh.
Reuters
Katherine Hunt, Griffith University
Grameen Bank has potential to increase financial inclusion in Australia but regulation is holding it back.
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Business leaders in ASX categories relying on household spending, have stronger than average positive outlook on the future.
Dan Peled/AAP
Ross Guest, Griffith University; Ben Hachey, University of Sydney
The sentiment of business leaders has remained positive and improved over the past 12 months according to our analysis.
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Arts + Culture
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Eva Blue/Flickr, Southern Cross Austereo
Kath Kenny, Macquarie University
The women’s magazine formula runs deep in many online publications branded as 'feminist'. While the personal was once deemed political, the emphasis now is on adapting to the status quo - not changing it.
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Hailed as “Mother of the Emperor”, Danelis goes to Constantinople to meet with Emperor Basil I.
From wikimedia
Mark Masterson, Victoria University of Wellington
The medieval Byzantine Empire might hold some lessons about tolerance and same-sex marriage.
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Science + Technology
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More than one dozen researchers took home Australian Museum Eureka Prizes on Wednesday.
Flickr/Matthew Perkins
Ariel Bogle, The Conversation
The 2017 Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners include autism advocate and researcher Andrew Whitehouse, and The Aboriginal Heritage Project ancient DNA expert Alan Cooper.
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Ancient whales, such as Janjucetus illustrated here, used their sharp teeth to capture and process their prey.
Carl Buell
David Hocking, Monash University; Felix Georg Marx, Monash University
Ancient whales were neither gentle, nor giants: they were smaller than those of today and judging from their teeth, a lot meaner.
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Featured jobs
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The Conversation AU — Carlton, Victoria
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Griffith University — Bundall, Queensland
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UNSW Sydney — Kensington, New South Wales
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La Trobe University — Bundoora, Victoria
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Featured events
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Alliance Française Brisbane, 262 Montague Road, West End 4101, Brisbane, Queensland, 4101, Australia — The Conversation
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Level 6, 14–20 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3051, Australia — Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation
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35 Stirling Hwy, Perth, Western Australia, 6009, Australia — University of Western Australia
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35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia, 6000, Australia — University of Western Australia
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