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Editor's note
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For centuries, humans have been locked in a battle with malaria. The parasitic disease, carried by mosquitoes, continues to kill one child every two minutes. Before we developed antimalarial drugs, bed nets, or even the basic understanding of how malaria is caused, our bodies fought against it through changes in the genetic code that created conditions less hospitable to the pathogen. Today, a large proportion of people born in malaria endemic regions, and their descendants, carry genetic mutations that protect them from malaria. Sant-Rayn Pasricha outlines the history of these mutations, that have largely occurred inside the human red blood cell.
And on a completely different topic, if you’ve ever been around people who spend more time looking at their phone than they do at you, then you know what it feels like to be “phubbed” – and you’re probably guilty of doing it yourself. Yeslam Al-Saggaf writes you’re more likely to phub your family than you colleagues.
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Sasha Petrova
Deputy Editor, Health + Medicine
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Top story
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Even without drugs, nets or an understanding of what caused malaria, human bodies were still fighting against the parasite – and winning.
from shutterstock.com
Sant-Rayn Pasricha, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Today, human populations carry heavy genetic marks from the war with malaria. And it is the red blood cell (erythrocyte) that mostly bears the scars.
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Some social situations are more conducive to phubbing than others.
Shutterstock
Yeslam Al-Saggaf, Charles Sturt University
Looking at your phone while in the presence of others – called phubbing – has become commonplace. But who gets phubbed most? How frequently? And in what situations?
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Arts + Culture
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Camilla Nelson, University of Notre Dame Australia
Many harsh things are said in Summers' book. It’s difficult to decide whether to praise its “breathtaking honesty” – as critics undoubtedly will – or draw back like a witness to some gruesome accident.
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Rose Michael, RMIT University
As we enter the age of the Anthropocene, there is a growing recognition of different kinds of 'un-real' storytelling.
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Education
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Jane Herbert, University of Wollongong; Elisabeth Duursma, University of Wollongong
Children need the same information repeated to encode it permanently.
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Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University
Recycled or scrap parts including tunnels, pipes, crates, foam, rubber and plastic parts make for better play equipment for kids than a fixed swing set.
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Environment + Energy
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Ruth Gamble, La Trobe University; Alexander E. Davis, La Trobe University
Standing 240m tall, the Statue of Unity celebrates India's development. But jarringly, it towers over a divisive and environmentally damaging dam project.
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Bill Laurance, James Cook University; David Salt, Australian National University
National parks and nature reserves are vital for conservation, but are also great places for recreation. Balancing the two is tricky, but it can be done if we realise parks are not just playgrounds.
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Business + Economy
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Jeff Borland, University of Melbourne
As political and legal fights over casual work crank up, it's worth busting some myths, such as the idea that it is becoming more common.
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Peter Sun San Wong, Southern Cross University
Wanting to change a person’s autistic behaviours is like attempting to correct left-handedness or sexual preference. The modern workplace should see strength in difference.
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Politics + Society
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Silke Meyer, CQUniversity Australia
In order to change public opinion, campaigns need to move beyond awareness raising and start addressing the perpetrators and causes of domestic violence.
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Matt Fitzpatrick, Flinders University
After 18 years as leader of her party, and 13 as German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has announced that this will be her last term. How has she changed Germany and the world?
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Cities
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Bronwyn Bate, Western Sydney University
Renting a house shouldn't mean it's not home. Until we change our meaning of home by separating it from ownership, we will never be able to "fix" Australia’s housing crisis.
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Nicole Kalms, Monash University
The map will help uncover real experiences of gender inequality in public places, from sports facilities to public transport, community services and infrastructure, to simply walking down the street.
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Podcast
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Andrea Carson, University of Melbourne; Andrew Dodd, University of Melbourne
We often hear about media companies shedding staff and revenues, but is there hope? We ask the man with a mission to launch 100 media start-ups in three years: what does the future newsroom look like?
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Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Jordan Fermanis, The Conversation; Justin Bergman, The Conversation; Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
Dairy farmers used to put sheep brains and chalk in skim milk to make it look frothier and whiter. Coffee, honey and wine have also been past targets of food fraudsters. Can the law ever keep up?
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Michael Lund, The Conversation; Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
In this episode of Speaking with, author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz explains why humans lie to each other, but often tell the internet the truth.
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Science + Technology
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Samuel Hinton, The University of Queensland
Are there stars other than the Sun that might explode soon close to us? Yes, there are! As long as by 'soon' we mean within a million years.
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Health + Medicine
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Vincent Ho, Western Sydney University
Around 75% of our faeces is made up of water. The other 25% is the good stuff, including bacteria, viruses and undigested food.
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