Editor's note

A shared song between friends, family and lovers triggers memories years later, helping people with dementia re-live memories we thought were gone forever. Amee Baird and Bill Thompson explain how.

Anna Evangeli

Editor

Health + Medicine

Music can be a stronger trigger for shared memories than photos as we age, even in people with dementia. from www.shutterstock.com

The power of 'our song', the musical glue that binds friends and lovers across the ages

Amee Baird, Macquarie University; Bill Thompson, Macquarie University

For couples, families or friends who share a significant song, the effects of music can be powerful and persistent, lasting well into old age, even piercing through dementia.

Celebrity chef. Not a health professional. James Morgan/AAP

Dr Google probably isn't the worst place to get your health advice

Rachael Dunlop, Macquarie University

Who is your preferred source for health advice? Gwyneth Paltrow? Pete Evans? Dr Google is new and improved and beats these guys hands down.

Education

Not all students have equal opportunities to develop their talents. from www.shutterstock.com

Educational disadvantage is a huge problem in Australia – we can't just carry on the same

Laura Perry, Murdoch University

Continuing the status quo will not reduce disadvantage, and over time may even increase it.

Children may actually prefer reading books the traditional way. from www.shutterstock.com

Children prefer to read books on paper rather than screens

Margaret Kristin Merga, Murdoch University; Saiyidi Mat Roni, Edith Cowan University

Research shows that providing children with eReading devices can actually inhibit their reading.

Politics + Society

To survive in a Chinese world, Australia is going to have to say ‘no’ to China – as Gough Whitlam did. National Archives of Australia

Stephen FitzGerald: Managing Australian foreign policy in a Chinese world

Stephen FitzGerald, University of Sydney

Now, more than at any time in our history, Australia needs a relationship with China 'comparable with that which we have, or seek, with other major powers'.

In a world where educational opportunity is unjustly distributed, why should private schools be exempt from paying income tax? AAP/Tracey Nearmy

Should wealthy private schools and hospitals have charity status in Australia?

Matthew Harding, University of Melbourne

In a world where educational opportunity is unjustly distributed, there are questions as to whether private schools should be exempt from paying income tax.

Arts + Culture

Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (2012): the archtypal fictional spinster.

Friday essay: from grotesques to frumps - a field guide to spinsters in English fiction

Camilla Nelson, University of Notre Dame Australia

Grotesques, prattlers, hysterical women ... historically, spinsters have had a raw deal in fiction. But astonishingly, the situation for older single ladies in contemporary novels has scarcely improved.

Cultural scapegoating ‘still functions as a proxy for economic marginalisation’. Hartwig HKD/Flickr

Two decades after Gangland, the precariat is ageing and cultural scapegoating thrives

Mark Davis, University of Melbourne

Smashed avo storms, news stories about lazy millennials ... Has anything changed in the 20 years since Mark Davis wrote his influential book Gangland?

Business + Economy

Generation X and Y are equally, if not more aggressive than baby boomers when investing in property. Chris Devers/Flickr

Business Briefing: how the attitudes of the next generation are changing the property market

Jenni Henderson, The Conversation; Josh Nicholas, The Conversation

There's been a shift in attitudes to the property market over generations, from owning a home as a right, to owning a home as a commodity.

There are mixed results in research when it comes to the effect of shaming people into good behaviour. Lukas Coch/AAP

Naming and shaming bankers may be satisfying, but could backfire

Franz Wohlgezogen, University of Melbourne; Melissa Wheeler, University of Melbourne

Studies have shown that shame can motivate people to be both helpful but also vengeful, so the verdict is still out on whether it curbs bad behaviour.

Energy + Environment

SA energy minister Tom Koutsantonis outlines his plan to make his state more energy-independent. AAP Image/David Mariuz

South Australia makes a fresh power play in its bid to end the blackouts

Hugh Saddler, Australian National University

South Australia has unveiled its keenly awaited energy plan, featuring battery storage, a state-owned gas power station, and a thumb of the nose to the federal electricity rules.

The Great Barrier Reef is bleaching again, in its first back-to-back mass bleaching event. AAP/WWF Australia

Year-on-year bleaching threatens Great Barrier Reef's World Heritage status

Terry Hughes, James Cook University; Barry Hart, Monash University; Karen Hussey, The University of Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef is bleaching again. Without greater action on climate change and water quality, its World Heritage status could be listed as "in danger".

Science + Technology

Self-driving cars need to ‘see’ what’s going on around them. Intel/Mobileye

How to make a driverless car 'see' the road ahead

Michael Milford, Queensland University of Technology; Jonathan Roberts, Queensland University of Technology

For a driverless car to be safer than one driven by a person it must know what's going on around it. But making a system that can "see" is a challenge for tech companies.

What message is this really sending? Shutterstock

Seven things to keep in mind if you're going to March for Science

Will J Grant, Australian National University; Rod Lamberts, Australian National University

If those Marching for Science muddle their message, it may backfire on them. So here are some tips to help make sure the message is heard loud and clear by the right audience.

Cities

Gumtree Brutalism: the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library (1968), designed by Queensland architect James Birrell, on the James Cook University campus.

Brutalism, a campus love story – or how I learned to love concrete

Eduardo de la Fuente, James Cook University

Academics are often in the vanguard of the fight to preserve heritage buildings but they are losing the battle on home turf as universities shed their 1960s and 1970s concrete skins.

To meet the needs of lower-income households, housing should be both affordable and located near public transport and other services. Graeme Bartlett/Wikimedia

What a difference a month makes, but Victoria can still do more to get housing and planning right

Katrina Raynor, University of Melbourne; Carolyn Whitzman, University of Melbourne

Victoria has been lagging behind other states in developing an affordable housing strategy. Now that one has been released, how well does it meet the needs of households on lower incomes?

 

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