Editor's note

In case you missed it (we imagine it would have been hard to) here at The Conversation has been going hard promoting our 2018 donations campaign. Surely you can’t blame us - we need to raise a quarter of our annual budget in a fortnight to continue the important work we’re doing.

But it’s Saturday and you deserve a break from our hassling, so let’s take a look at some of the stories from the week that may have gone unnoticed. Say, did you know we launched an exciting new series this week for all you floraphiles out there. Beating Around the Bush profiles the wonderful, winsome and weird plants of Australia. So far we’ve looked at the Bunya Pine (hot tip, don’t leave your car under one) and the Sandpaper Fig.

In arts news, this week our Friday Essay looked at The William Ricketts Sanctuary, a curious and somewhat disturbing anachronism that remains a popular drawcard at Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges. There’s little doubt, according to author Mitchell Rolls, that the space is a racist anachronism, but can it foster empathy?

Molly Glassey

Newsletter Editor

Top story

Chanting: plants plants PLANTS PLANTS PLANTS. Rexness/Flickr

Welcome to Beating Around the Bush, wherein we yell about plants

Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation

Are you stressed? Of course you are. Read about awesome plants instead.

Environment + Energy

Health + Medicine

Five ways hospitals can reduce their environmental footprint

Forbes McGain, University of Sydney

Health care produces 7% of Australia's carbon emissions. And hospitals produce about half of this. Not to mention all the single-use items thrown away every day.

Health Check: why do we yawn and why is it contagious?

Mark Schier, Swinburne University of Technology; Yossi Rathner, Swinburne University of Technology

We don't have evidence that can point us to the exact purpose of yawning. But there are several theories.

Arts + Culture

Education

What outcomes parents should expect from early childhood education and care

Wendy Boyd, Southern Cross University

Children aged three to five don't need to do formal academic assignments in early childhood education to hit their milestones.

How NAPLAN could assess creativity and critical thinking

John Munro, Australian Catholic University

To assess problem-solving, creative and critical thinking skills on NAPLAN would fit with broader movements in education internationally, but there are some questions to address first.

Business + Economy

Science + Technology

Eruptions and lava flows on Kilauea: but what's going on beneath Hawai'i's volcano?

Chris Firth, Macquarie University

The current eruption of Kilauea on Hawai'is big island can tell us a lot about what is going on beneath the volcano and may provide lessons for future eruptions.

Tough new EU privacy regulations could lead to better protections in Australia

Vincent Mitchell, University of Sydney

By choosing to deal with companies with better data protection policies, Australian consumers can create pressure for change in how personal data is handled across the board.

Politics + Society

Cities

From the editor

The Conversation has a monthly readership of over 35 million people through republishing.

We need your help to support The Conversation

Misha Ketchell, The Conversation

We need your help to raise a quarter of our annual budget over the next two weeks.

 

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