Australia's deadliest natural hazard

Editor's note

We might love a sunburnt country, but heatwaves have killed thousands of Australians over the years. A recent survey found that many people don’t have a plan to deal with extreme heat, and nearly 45% don’t know how to respond to official warnings.

But it’s not too late to plan, writes Andrew Gissing, and some simple steps could save lives this summer.

Meanwhile, many tennis fans tuning into the Australian Open have been forced to endure the sound of players grunting during matches. But Damian Farrow explains how grunting has been shown to provide tennis players with a performance advantage.

Madeleine De Gabriele

Deputy Editor: Energy + Environment

Top story

Australians need better planning to cope with extreme heat. Mike Blake/Reuters

Australia's 'deadliest natural hazard': what's your heatwave plan?

Andrew Gissing, Macquarie University; Lucinda Coates, Macquarie University

Australia's scorching summers aren't just inconvenient: heatwaves are deadly. Yet new research has found many vulnerable people don't have a plan for extreme heat.

Politics + Society

All the racquet: what science tells us about the pros and cons of grunting in tennis

Damian Farrow, Victoria University

Grunting in tennis can be performance-enhancing for the grunter and performance-hindering for their opponent.
Democracy has a future, if we rethink and remake it

Alice el-Wakil, University of Zürich; Anna Szolucha, Polish Academy of Sciences; David A. Teegarden, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York; Graham Smith, University of Westminster; Nancy L. Rosenblum, Harvard University; Peter Wilkin, Brunel University London; Ryusaku Yamada, Soka University

Is it really time to eulogise democracy, or are we rather on the cusp of a new phase in its long and varied life?

Arts + Culture

Explainer: the evidence for the Tasmanian genocide

Kristyn Harman, University of Tasmania

That colonial wars were fought in Tasmania is irrefutable. More controversially, surviving evidence suggests the British enacted genocidal policies against the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
When we needed a new word, Twitter gave us 'milkshake duck'

Roslyn Petelin, The University of Queensland

'Milkshake duck', a word created in 2016 on Twitter, is the Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year. Efforts to coin new words have a long history and were particularly in vogue in the 1980s.

Science + Technology
Ethical design is the answer to some of social media’s problems Faye Miller, University of Canberra Tech companies are beginning to recognise that there is an ethical dimension to their work, and that they have some responsibility for the well-being of their users.

Health + Medicine
Four ways having a pet increases your lifespan Janette Young, University of South Australia Pet owners will often swear their beloved pooch or moggie does wonders for their wellbeing, and now we have empirical proof. Which medicines don’t go well with flying? Nial Wheate, University of Sydney Commonly recommended sleeping tablets aren't appropriate for plane travel. Here's why.

Business + Economy

In the economic power struggle for Asia, Trump and Xi Jinping are switching policies

Giovanni Di Lieto, Monash University

Trump is trying to shape the US as a power in Asia and block China in the process, using techniques familiar to Beijing.
We are only starting to figure out the value of sponsoring sports

Sarah Jane Kelly, The University of Queensland

Millions are spent on sports sponsorship in Australia each year, but we are only just starting to figure out whether it is worth it.

Education
Surveys are not the best way to measure the performance of Australian universities Tim Pitman, Curtin University An administrative link between a graduate's education and taxation records already exists, and it could be used to give us more accurate and detailed longitudinal analyses of graduate outcomes.

Environment + Energy
Our dogs and cats are spreading fleas around the world (and to us) Nicholas Clark, The University of Queensland; Jan Slapeta, University of Sydney; Konstans Wells, Griffith University Everywhere humans go, we take our pets. Fleas are along for the ride, spreading everything from typhus to bubonic plague.