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Editor's note
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The idea of giving a pet as a Christmas present used to be frowned upon. But as Bronwyn Orr and Mark Westman write the advice has changed, with animal welfare groups now supporting the idea of adopting a pet from a shelter as a Christmas gift. With an estimated 175,000 dogs and cats in shelters in Australia put down each year, it’s hoped that gifting an unwanted pet to a new home could help reduce that number.
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Michael Lund
Deputy Editor: Science + Technology
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Top Stories
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Beagle X puppies adopted from RSPCA ACT in 2017.
Alison Maddalena/RSPCA ACT
Bronwyn Orr, University of Sydney; Mark Westman, University of Sydney
Around 175,000 dogs and cats in Australian animal shelters are put down each year. But you can gift a pet a new home this Christmas, with the support of animal welfare groups.
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Single parents have been made worse off by the Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott and Turnbull governments. It’s time to take stock.
Shutterstck
Peter Whiteford, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; Ben Phillips, Australian National University; Bruce Bradbury, UNSW; David Stanton, Australian National University; Matthew Gray, Australian National University; Miranda Stewart, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Fixing Newstart isn't enough. We need a comprehensive inquiry into our complex and bewildering social security system, especially as it applies to single parents.
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Tight finances are the main reason more older Australians, especially women, are living in share houses.
belushi/Shutterstock
Sophia Maalsen, University of Sydney
While share houses are more a matter of financial necessity than choice, many older Australians are discovering it has unexpected social benefits for them.
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Science + Technology
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Mathieu Duval, Griffith University; Mohamed Sahnouni, National Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH)
Ancient stone tools found in what is now Algeria show early humans likely spread across Africa more rapidly than first thought.
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Business + Economy
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Paul Redmond, University of Technology Sydney
Soon we'll have a better idea of what we are buying. There are no penalties, but "naming and shaming" might make Australia's Modern Slavery Act work.
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Christian Downie, Australian National University
The G20's power comes from its members, but also vital is its informal structure and close working relationship with other international organisations.
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Health + Medicine
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Vincent Ho, Western Sydney University
When we get nervous, a number of processes occur in the brain that are passed onto the stomach and affect the digestive process. This is a hangover from our hunter-gatherer days.
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Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
Only about one quarter Australians report getting eight or more hours of sleep. And in pre-industrial times, it was seen as normal to wake for a few hours in the middle of the night and chat or work.
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Politics + Society
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Rodrigo Praino, Flinders University
Research shows that in elections with low information and poor engagement, candidate attractiveness plays a significant role in how people vote.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Michelle Grattan speaks to Deep Saini about the week in Australian politics.
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Katharine Gelber, The University of Queensland; Luke McNamara, UNSW
While some complaint that anti-discrimination laws stifle freedom of speech, there is good evidence that they make a more harmonious, safe and equal society.
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Environment + Energy
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Edward Morgan, Griffith University; Brendan Mackey, Griffith University; Johanna Nalau, Griffith University
As leaders and negotiators head to Katowice, Poland for this year's round of UN climate talks, it is clear that there is still much work to be done to meet the goals set in Paris three years ago.
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Jake Whitehead, The University of Queensland; Robin Smit, The University of Queensland; Simon Washington, The University of Queensland
It's unclear exactly what mix of technologies will drive the zero-emission vehicles of the future. But in terms of 'well-to-wheel' efficiency, electric batteries outperform hydrogen.
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Sonja Dominik, CSIRO
An Australian steer named Knickers broke the internet this week. The heavyweight Holstein-Friesian weighs as much as a small car, but genetically speaking he's within the normal range (just).
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Ryan Phillips, La Trobe University
Australia is the world centre for sexual deception in plants, tricking wasps along the way.
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Arts + Culture
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Anna-Sophie Jürgens, Australian National University
The Rocky Horror Show and its star, Frank-N-Furter, debuted in 1973. His character owes much to older performance traditions.
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