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Editor's note
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Alcohol awareness campaigns like Dry July might grab our attention, but do they really lead to better drinking habits? The evidence might surprise you. Not only can you benefit from an alcohol-free month, your friends do too. But the jury’s out on any longer-term benefits and whether these campaigns work for everyone.
And new guidelines unveiled at this weekend’s G20 meeting will force companies to disclose how climate change affects their businesses. Large investors are behind the new framework, but it will also give more information to ordinary investors who want to direct their money toward tackling climate change.
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Health + Medicine
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Giving up alcohol for a month might help you feel better in the short term, but no-one knows if taking part in these campaigns promotes long-term healthy drinking habits.
from www.shutterstock.com
Julie Robert, University of Technology Sydney
Many of us might be tempted to give up alcohol for a month as part of a highly publicised campaign, like Dry July. But how successful are these campaigns and how do you measure any long-term benefits?
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Modern diets are changing the compositions of our gut microbiota, and with that, our personalities.
from shutterstock.com
Amy Loughman, RMIT University; Tarsh Bates, University of Western Australia
For most of the twentieth century, we were at war with microbes, leading to substantial changes in our body's ecosystem. This has changed our diets, disease profile, moods and even personalities.
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Business + Economy
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Michael Bloomberg will present new guidelines for reporting on the risks of climate change.
AAP
Rosemary Sainty, University of Technology Sydney
The G20 will see new guidelines for how companies report the risks of climate change. This will allow investors to compare companies and make more informed decisions.
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Dr. Benjamin Koh blew the whistle on former employee CommInsure in 2016 for their systemic program of denying valid insurance payments.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Janet Austin, University of New Brunswick
Australian authorities are considering offering financial incentives for would-be whistleblowers to motivate them to come forward with high quality information.
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Arts + Culture
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Madonna and fashion designer Jeremy Scott arrive at this year’s Met Gala in New York.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Michelle Smith, Deakin University
Why is Cher, 71, celebrated when she wears a near-nude costume while Madonna, 58, receives revulsion? 19th century women's magazines reveal how the double standards of beauty for older women came about.
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Rosie Tasman Napurrurla, Warlpiri 2002, Ngurlu Jukurrpa (‘Grass Seed; Bush Grain Dreaming’), line etching on Hahnemuhle paper.
Warnayaka Art Centre, Lajamanu, and Aboriginal Art Prints Network, Sydney
Christine Judith Nicholls, Flinders University; Mary Laughren, The University of Queensland
The theme of this year's NAIDOC week is "Our Languages Matter". Aboriginal languages under threat across Australia. Read a Warlpiri introduction to Dreamtime and The Dreaming.
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Politics + Society
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Kim Jong-un’s rhetoric and action against the US and others is framed domestically as the heroic defiance of an evil enemy.
Reuters/KCNA
Nicholas R. Smith
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s rhetoric and actions is brinkmanship, aimed at maintaining his domestic grip on power.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pictured here with French President Emmanuel Macron, has managed to keep centrists happy while holding on to her conservative base.
Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch
Matt Fitzpatrick, Flinders University
Looking like a centrist, but governing as a conservative, Angela Merkel has cleared the decks before the coming German election.
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Science + Technology
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Ulysses butterflies (Papilio ulysses) in CSIRO’s Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra.
CSIRO
Kevin Thiele, University of Western Australia; David Yeates, CSIRO; Kym Abrams, University of Western Australia; Nerida Wilson, Western Australian Museum
Australian taxonomy resources number around 70 million specimens, valued at over AU$5 billion. That's big science.
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Should we add emus to our diet?
Jillian Garvey
Jillian Garvey, La Trobe University
If Australians are to eat healthy, unprocessed meats while making sustainable choices, native animals would be an obvious choice.
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Education
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Even with higher fees, higher education will still be worthwhile for most young people.
Shutterstock
Ittima Cherastidtham, Grattan Institute
Earnings data suggest higher education remains financially attractive for most students, and the small proposed fee increases should not materially affect that.
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When played in moderation, electronic games can be beneficial for children’s learning and development.
shutterstock
Sue Walker, Queensland University of Technology; Susan Danby, Queensland University of Technology
Low-to-moderate use of electronic games may have a positive effect on children's later academic achievement, but overuse can be detrimental.
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Multimedia
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Editing DNA has the potential to treat disease by repairing or removing defective genes.
Kyle Lawson/flickr
William Isdale, University of Melbourne
William Isdale speaks with University of Queensland Professor Peter Koopman about CRISPR technology.
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The mechanical shark used in the 1975 film Jaws.
Tom Simpson/ flickr
Bruce Isaacs, University of Sydney
The 1975 film Jaws launched the career of a young Steven Spielberg. In this scene, the town's police chief Martin Brody witnesses the shark's brutal attack for the first time - taking the viewer along for the ride.
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Environment + Energy
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The crack along the Larsen C ice has grown significantly over the past few weeks.
EPA/NASA/John Sonntag
Chen Zhao, University of Tasmania; Christopher Watson, University of Tasmania; Matt King, University of Tasmania
A huge iceberg is set to break free from Antarctica. While the iceberg isn't hugely concerning, it could herald the breakup of the entire Larsen C ice shelf, which could trigger more sea-level rise.
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This quenda seems to have been a victim of land clearing.
Colin Leonhardt/Birdseyeviewphotography.com.au
Hugh Finn, Curtin University
More than 50 million birds, mammals and reptiles are thought to be killed each year in New South Wales and Queensland by the removal of native vegetation, and planning laws are failing to protect them.
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Cities
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Cities suffer the planning consequences of rapid population growth while the federal government reaps the revenue.
Gilad Rom/Flickr
Glen Searle, University of Sydney
Financial benefits are behind the development industry’s push for a continuous rapid population growth. But our poorly planned cities are ill-prepared and already struggling.
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At the Ashwood-Chadstone estate, Port Phillip Housing Association has built high-quality homes, with no visible difference between the 72 private and 206 community housing dwellings.
PPHA
Terry Burke, Swinburne University of Technology
Concerns about the privatisation of public housing estates should not blind us to the benefits of the transfer of public housing to the not-for-profit community housing sector.
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Featured jobs
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University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
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Curtin University — Perth, Western Australia
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RMIT University — Melbourne, Victoria
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University of Queensland — Saint Lucia, Queensland
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Featured events
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University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, QLD 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia — The University of Queensland
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St Lucia campus, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia — The University of Queensland
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Sydney Law School, University of Sydney, Australian Capital Territory, 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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