Editor's note
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If you’ve finished wrapping those Christmas chocolates, you might want to rethink putting them under the tree if you have a dog. Just three squares of milk chocolate is enough to make dogs sick, and even less for dark chocolate. Our canine friends have an amazing sense of smell and a sweet tooth, but chocolate is a definite no-no.
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Fron Jackson-Webb
Senior Health + Medicine Editor
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Health + Medicine
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As little as three squares of chocolate can make dogs sick.
Duffy Brook
Susan Hazel, University of Adelaide
Chocolate poisoning in dogs remains a problem, particularly at Christmas.
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Some experts have likened burning a mosquito coil in a closed room to smoking 100 cigarettes.
By trini, CC BY 2.1 jp
Cameron Webb, University of Sydney
Mosquito coils can help beat the bite of mosquitoes are most effective outdoors, and best avoided in closed, indoor settings.
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FactCheck
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The Conversation’s academic expert FactCheck authors delved into the evidence for and against myriad claims made by Australian leaders in 2017.
AAP and Q&A
Lucinda Beaman, The Conversation
Australian leaders make claims, we ask the experts to test them. Can you tell fact from fiction? What's spot-on and what's spin?
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Cities
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A vehicle, understood to be a white Suzuki SUV, ploughed into pedestrians in central Melbourne.
AAP/Joe Castro
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Jordan Fermanis, The Conversation
The Flinders Street incident, in which a car was driven into pedestrians on a busy Melbourne street, underscores the need for new ways to design cities to protect pedestrians from vehicle attacks.
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An artist’s depiction of the new Apple store proposed for Federation Square.
Daniel Andrews
Matt Novacevski, Deakin University
Apple’s interest in Federation Square, and in co-opting the idea of the public square in general, goes beyond the quest for profit.
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Politics + Society
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LGBTIQ minorities in many Asian countries must overcome violence and discrimination in their day-to-day lives.
Reuters
Michael Kirby, UNSW
One day the violence and discrimination will be finished in Asia and throughout our region – but in the meantime, there is a need for heroes.
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Jewish law recognises patient choice as decisive in some situations where assisted dying may be an option.
shutterstock
Daniel Sinclair, Fordham University
Under Jewish law the preservation of human life is a cardinal commandment: both suicide and self-endangerment are forbidden.
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Business + Economy
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The ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative has existed since 2006, but the statistics show the gap is growing.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Zoe Staines, Queensland University of Technology
To Close the Gap, Indigenous Australians are the experts. Indigenous organisations are more likely to achieve outcomes because they understand local issues and have ‘skin in the game’.
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There is a glaring need to reform Australia’s archaic wealth inequality statistics to make them commensurate with international practice.
www.shutterstock.com
Christopher Sheil, UNSW; Frank Stilwell, University of Sydney
The squeeze on wealth in the middle class by those at the top is a long established trend in international inequality data. But the ABS doesn't provide this information.
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Environment + Energy
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Marcella Cheng/The Conversation
Alan Pears, RMIT University
At the end of 2017, Australia is starting to (slowly) address our energy problems. But it's also clear the federal government has abdicated leadership and responsibility.
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Justin A. Welbergen
Justin Welbergen, Western Sydney University; Kyle Armstrong, University of Adelaide
We need balanced media reporting about bat-borne diseases to help avoid vilification of Australia's under-appreciated creatures of the night.
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Education
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Mental disorders affected one in seven students and were associated with being less connected and engaged at school, having lower attendance rates, and poorer academic outcomes than their peers.
Shutterstock
Benjamin Goodsell, University of Western Australia; David Lawrence, University of Western Australia
A national survey has shown Australian school students with a mental disorder can be almost three years behind in their studies by the time they sit their final NAPLAN test in year nine.
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shutterstock
Wendy O'Brien, Deakin University
The royal commission’s work, and the testimony of survivors, has brought to light an issue that has been denied for far too long.
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Podcast
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Social researcher Hugh Mackay and The Conversation’s FactCheck Editor Lucinda Beaman.
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Lucinda Beaman, The Conversation
Author and social researcher Hugh Mackay says fragmentation was among the key themes of 2017 – but he has some concrete suggestions on how we can do better in 2018.
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Science + Technology
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Happy holidays, and thanks to all our readers in 2017.
Marcella Cheng/The Conversation
Michael Lund, The Conversation; Sarah Keenihan, The Conversation; Shelley Hepworth, The Conversation
The year is up, the numbers are in and we're about to go on summer holidays. Here's a snapshot of the Science and Technology articles you enjoyed the most in 2017, month by month.
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Sales of Apple smartwatches are increasing, while Fitbit sales are on the decline.
By Crew [CC0 or CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
Deborah Lupton, University of Canberra
Research shows that people's social networks, employment conditions and life stages all impact their use of wearable devices. Understanding these factors can help you achieve your fitness goals.
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Arts + Culture
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Christmas Dinner, Mt Margaret Mission 1933.
State Library of Western Australia
Laura Rademaker, Australian Catholic University
Aboriginal missions were notorious for their austerity, but Christmas was a brief time of joy. While celebrations had a sinister assimilationist edge, Aboriginal people often adopted traditions into their own culture.
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French engraving of a cuckolded husband.
University of Victoria
Una McIlvenna, University of Melbourne
'Cuck', short for cuckold, is the favoured insult of men's rights activists today. But the term has a long history: from the 16th to 18th centuries it reflected a deep anxiety about women's sexual appetites.
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Featured jobs
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Featured events
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Business School, Dr Chau Chak Wing Bldg, 14-28 Ultimo Road, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
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RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — RMIT University
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Business School, Dr Chau Chak Wing Bldg, 14-28 Ultimo Road, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia — University of Technology Sydney
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Esplanade Hotel Fremantle, 46-54 Marine Terrace, Fremantle WA, Perth, Western Australia, 6160, Australia — Curtin University
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