Editor's note
|
|
This week the federal government finally promised to put money behind plans for a national space agency. At Tuesday's federal budget, it will commit $50 million of seed funding to establish the Australian space agency. The general consensus amongst space experts is that the new space agency will give Australia a crucial boost, facilitating greater participation in the global space economy, and allowing us to retain talent and capability on the home front. So if you're not too familiar with what this might spell, have a read of the five articles below that our science and technology editors have pulled together on why it's important.
In other news, when Gonski 2.0 hit the headlines this week, we asked two experts to look at whether we really needed the report and the extent to which critical and creative thinking are already being taught in Australian schools.
|
Molly Glassey
Newsletter Editor
|
|
|
Science + Technology
|
Australia’s Space Agency and its journey to the stars.
The Conversation/Cindy Zhi
Michael Lund, The Conversation
Funding for Australia's Space Agency is expected to be announced at Tuesday's federal Budget. It's been a long campaign to get an agency up and running and The Conversation has followed the jourbey.
|
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook Dating during his keynote address at Facebook’s F8 developer conference.
Facebook
Evita March, Federation University Australia
Despite the claims of online dating services, there is little scientific evidence that using self-reported data for matchmaking can lead to long-term compatibility.
|
Listen
|
Dr Simon Rosenbaum in Gaziantep, Turkey, with participants in an exercise program for Syrian refugees.
Simon Rosenbaum
Sybilla Gross, The Conversation
Last year, two researchers flew to Gaziantep in southern Turkey, where about one in four people are Syrian refugees, to explore how exercise might help improve mental health.
|
The beautiful Franklin River in Tasmania.
Steve Daggar/Shutterstock
Billy Griffiths, Deakin University
The battle to save the Franklin River - an exhilarating story of politics, cultural heritage and passionate environmentalism - captivated the nation in 1983.
|
Business + Economy
|
Malcolm Turnbull poses for a photo with the leaders of Vietnam and Laos during the ASEAN Summit.
Mast Irham/EPA
Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
A year next Wednesday since the coup that installed Malcolm Turnbull, many Liberals are disappointed and surprised he has turned out, so far, a mediocre prime minister.
|
Arts + Culture
|
Detail from Tom Polo.
‘I once thought I’d do anything for you
(Joan)’
acrylic on canvas
152.5 x 101.5cm
© the artist Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins
Joanna Mendelssohn, UNSW
The lively reconfiguring of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman exhibitions means it is harder to work out which paintings the judges are considering as potential winners.
|
Four of the six shortlisted books for the 2018 Stella Prize were from smaller presses, as was the winner, Alexis Wright’s Tracker.
Stella Prize
Emmett Stinson, Deakin University
As major publishers chase bestselling books, small ones are leading the way in publishing Australian literary fiction. And of late, they have been sweeping our major literary awards.
|
Education
|
Without new scientific work, we can expect another 30 years of reviews and critiques on the role of general capabilities in schooling.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Bill Louden, University of Western Australia
The role of general capabilities in a subject-based curriculum has been a recurring theme in Australian curriculum history.
|
There are significant political hurdles to be overcome before the report’s recommendations can be translated into action.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Glenn C. Savage, University of Western Australia
The recently released Gonski 2.0 report focuses on overhauling core aspects of curriculum and reporting, and proposes a move away from the industrial model of education towards individualisation.
|
Cities
|
A group of young Asian men play basketball in the evening at Prince Alfred Park, Sydney.
icsnaps/Shutterstock
Amanda Wise, Macquarie University; Keith Parry, Western Sydney University; Kristine Aquino, University of Technology Sydney; Sarah Neal, University of Sheffield; Selvaraj Velayutham, Macquarie University
Casual sport can help communities thrive. But for many of Australia's most marginal communities, it's becoming harder to find a place to play.
|
Smart bus use can transform public transport in cities, as EMBARQ is doing in Brazil.
EMBARQ Brasil/Flickr
Jason Byrne, University of Tasmania; Emma Pharo, University of Tasmania
Trains and trams get most attention, but 'tweaking' bus transit can transform cities. Buses can be more cost-effective and deliver better service, especially for small to mid-sized cities.
|
Energy + Environment
|
Young southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus obesulus), an endangered marsupial species living in outer Melbourne.
Sarah Maclagan
Euan Ritchie, Deakin University; Sarah Maclagan, Deakin University
Endangered bandicoots have been found in the outskirts of Melbourne.
|
The imperilled Tapanuli Orangutan in northern Sumatra.
© Maxime Aliaga
Bill Laurance, James Cook University
A US$1.6 billion dollar dam in Sumatra threatens the recently discovered and desperately imperilled Tapanuli Orangutan.
|
Politics + Society
|
The government’s competitive neutrality inquiry will examine the online news services of public broadcasters ABC and SBS.
Paul Miller/AAP
Denis Muller, University of Melbourne
The focus raises questions about the motives behind the inquiry and how it might benefit anti-ABC crusaders, including Pauline Hanson.
|
Shifting family structures mean our understanding of housework needs updating.
Shutterstock
Leah Ruppanner, University of Melbourne; Claudia Geist, University of Utah
Existing theories of housework focus on traditional gender roles. But they need to be updated to reflect a more nuanced idea of gender, one that allows for dynamics in same-sex relationships.
|
Health + Medicine
|
Children dislike bitter foods because our ancestors had to avoid potential toxins.
from www.shutterstock.com
Holly Harris, The University of Queensland; Rebecca Byrne, Queensland University of Technology
Food refusal is a normal developmental stage, but there are a few problem traits to look out for.
|
The causes of back pain in children and teenagers are currently unclear.
from shutterstock.com
Suzanne Snodgrass, University of Newcastle
A new study has found no evidence to suggest a link between carrying a heavy backpack and back pain in these age groups.
|
| |
Featured jobs
|
|
The Conversation AU — Parkville, Victoria
|
|
Charles Sturt University — Orange, New South Wales
|
|
University of Melbourne — Parkville, Victoria
|
|
|
|
|
|
Featured events
|
|
Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales, 2009, Australia — Australasian Hydrographic Society
|
|
New Law School Foyer, Level 2, Sydney Law School, Eastern Avenue, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
|
|
Melbourne Business School, 200 Leicester St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, Australia — Australia New Zealand School of Government
|
|
|
CPC Lecture Theatre, University of Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
