Editor's note

The first of the ABC’s Boyer Lectures will be delivered by Professor John Rasko on RN’s Big Ideas at 8pm tonight. The Life Engineered lectures explore ethical and other issues around gene therapy and its potential to cure disease, prolong life and change the course of human evolution. For some background, we’ve asked Merlin Crossley to explain where gene therapy began (with the mapping of DNA’s structure) and where we’ve ended up (with some ability to replace or correct defective genes). But the science is still in its infancy, and only a limited number of diseases are likely to benefit from treatments in the near future.

And more people are watching TV through services such as Netflix, but what does that mean for Australian shows and films? As Ramon Lobato and Alexa Scarlata explain in a new report LINK, Australian content makes up a tiny fraction of Netflix’s and Stan’s catalogues. But the news isn’t necessarily bad.

Sasha Petrova

Deputy Editor, Health + Medicine

Top story

Determining the structure of the DNA was the beginning of the gene therapy journey. from shutterstock.com

Boyer Lectures: gene therapy is still in its infancy but the future looks promising

Merlin Crossley, UNSW

Once genetic lesions for diseases such as cystic fibrosis and haemophilia were identified, the idea of replacing or correcting defective genes grew into what we now call "gene therapy".

While local content makes up a small proportion of the Australian Netflix catalogue, Netflix has also heavily promoted Australian shows overseas, such as Hannah Gadsby’s standup show Nanette. IMDB

Local film and TV content makes up just 1.6% of Netflix’s Australian catalogue

Ramon Lobato, RMIT University; Alexa Scarlata, University of Melbourne

While the figures may seem alarming, we should remember that, unlike free-to-air TV, subscription video-on-demand services are not regulated for local content.

Participants in a virtual reality travel experience reported a sense of relaxation, similar to that gained from travel in real life. Shutterstock

VR technology gives new meaning to ‘holidaying at home’. But is it really a substitute for travel?

Vikki Schaffer, University of the Sunshine Coast; Alexandra Bec, University of the Sunshine Coast; Brent D. Moyle, University of the Sunshine Coast; Noel Scott, Griffith University

Mind wandering engages the same neural pathways used to receive stimuli from the real world, evoking emotions similar to real life. VR can elicit these same feelings.

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