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Editor's note
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Piece by piece, study by study, scientists put together a timeline of where and how our earliest ancestors evolved. And new research published overnight may shake up the existing view completely.
As one of the researchers, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, explains, 300,000 year-old human remains and stone tools found in Morocco are the earliest dated evidence of modern humans, Homo sapiens. With narrow faces reminiscent of our own, these ‘people’ appear to have lived across Africa and perhaps even coexisted with other hominid species 100,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Meanwhile in the UK, voters are about to head to the polls to vote for their next government. As Ben Wellings writes, it is by no means the foregone conclusion it was when Theresa May called the election.
And if you haven’t already, there’s still time to make a tax deductible donation to our annual reader campaign, which ends soon.
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Sarah Keenihan
Section Editor, Science and Technology
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Top story
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Just like us, but different: recently-discovered Homo sapiens fossils have a modern face, but an ancient brain case.
Philipp Gunz, MPI EVA Leipzig
Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Southern Cross University
New paired research papers have pushed back by 100,000 years the time frame in which humans, or _Homo sapiens_ are thought to have lived in Africa.
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Politics + Society
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Ben Wellings, Monash University
Terrorism, Brexit, Scottish independence: there is a lot going on in the UK election, and the landslide once predicted for the Conservatives is no longer a safe bet.
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Rick Sarre, University of South Australia; Lorana Bartels, University of Canberra
As difficult as it is to concede, lone-actor, grievance-fuelled violence cannot be solved simply by tightening justice processes.
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Nicole Curato, University of Canberra; Lucy J Parry, University of Canberra
Populist politics would appear to have left deliberative democracy by the wayside, but innovations that engage citizens in reasoned decision-making have much to offer.
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Michael Jetter, University of Western Australia; David Stadelmann, Bayreuth University
Once we switch from focusing on total terror deaths (or attacks) per country to terror deaths per capita, relevant conclusions about what drives terrorism change dramatically.
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Arts + Culture
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Dan Torre, RMIT University
Killers, cartoons, and even romantic objects, the cactus's ongoing popularity has led it down some strange paths.
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David McCooey, Deakin University
This extraordinarily odd speech might well be the singer’s most Dylanesque performance.
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Sharon Crozier-De Rosa, University of Wollongong
In a world where public avenues for violence are increasingly open to women, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman presents us with an ethical and feminist model of fighting femininity.
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Education
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Melitta Hogarth, Queensland University of Technology
Indigenous peoples have very little power when it comes to education policy. Goals, targets and strategies are instead set by the government.
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Cities
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Ryan Jopp, Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne's street art has an international reputation and may be a very valuable tourist attraction. But the city remains ambivalent about the activities that have created its 'laneway galleries'.
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Health + Medicine
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Nicholas Geard, University of Melbourne; Rebecca Chisholm, University of Melbourne
Vaccinating against an infectious disease can stop once the threat of future transmission is deemed sufficiently low.
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Rodney Sinclair, University of Melbourne
Hair loss from alopecia areata can be embarrassing and distressing for people of all ages. But new treatments are being trialled.
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John Dixon, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
Of the 22,713 weight loss operations performed in 2014-15, about 90% were performed in private hospitals, highlighting the difficulty in accessing this type of surgery through the public system.
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Environment + Energy
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Andrew King, University of Melbourne; Ben Henley, University of Melbourne; Ed Hawkins, University of Reading
The Paris climate agreement aims to keep restrict global warming to within 2℃ above 'pre-industrial levels'. But what does that mean, exactly?
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Michael Mintrom, Monash University
As the US leaves the Paris accord, how much faith should we put in international treaties? States, cities and local movements are increasingly important players in the fight against climate change.
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Jane Williamson, Macquarie University
Sharks can't sneeze like we do, but they can do other cool tricks -- like making their stomach stick out of their mouth to get rid of unwanted stuff.
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Science + Technology
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Robyn Torok, Edith Cowan University
Politicians want social media giants to crack down on those publishing extremist material. A focus on disruption, encryption, recruitment and creating counter-narratives is recommended.
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Featured jobs
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University of Melbourne — Abbotsford, Victoria
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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Deakin University — Newtown, Victoria
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Curtin University — Perth, Western Australia
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Featured events
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Darlington, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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UTS Business School, Dr Chau Chak Wing Bldg. Level 8, 14-28 Ultimo Rd, Ultimo,, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
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792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — University of Melbourne
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