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Editor's note
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Every year, male superb fairy wrens shed their dull brown feathers and grow spectacular bright blue, black and indigo plumage. The dominant male in a group stays blue the longest, and is so attractive to females that they sneak out to find him for conjugal visits under the cover of darkness.
But this beauty comes at a cost. Alexandra McQueen explains her new research showing that male fairy wrens become more cautious while brightly coloured. Wary of predation from other species, blue wrens flee more often, stay in hiding, spend more time scanning their surroundings and less time foraging for food than brown wrens. It’s not easy being blue.
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Sarah Keenihan
Section Editor, Science and Technology
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Science + Technology
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New research shows that fairy-wrens become more cautious as they change colour.
Niki Teunissen
Alexandra McQueen, Monash University; Anne Peters, Monash University
Being blue is risky for superb fairy-wrens: males become more cautious when their plumage turns blue, and other wrens take advantage by using them as colourful decoys.
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The experience of journalists like Maria Ressa is all too common.
EPA/FRANCIS R. MALASIG
Julie Posetti, University of Wollongong
Filipino journalist Maria Ressa has faced online harassment campaigns designed to discredit and silence her.
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Podcast
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Amee Meredith and Caterina Politi turned the worst day of their lives into a campaign for meaningful law reform.
AAP/The Conversation
Andrew Dodd, Swinburne University of Technology
In this episode of Change Agents, Andrew Dodd speaks with Amee Meredith and Caterina Politi, who lost family members to random acts of violence, on their campaign to reform 'one-punch' laws.
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FactCheck
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Social Services Minister Christian Porter in Question Time.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Ben Phillips, Australian National University
Christian Porter said Australia's welfare system 'was costing over 100% of all income tax raised' under Labor after the GFC, and that it's 'around 80%' under the Coalition. Is that true?
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Business + Economy
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The current system of credit card fees is too confusing.
Shutterstock
Stephen King, Monash University
As the federal government changes the rules around credit cards, it should force companies to be more transparent about fees.
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The South Australian bank levy could illicit a response from Canberra.
AAP/ Ben Mcmahon
Joe McIntyre, University of South Australia
Given the small percentages involved, South Australia's bank levy won't interfere with the federal government's levy, and would arguably be compatible with it.
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Politics + Society
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Pokie losses in Australia’s pubs and clubs increased fourfold between 1990 and 2000.
AAP/Paul Jeffers
Martin Young, Southern Cross University; Francis Markham, Australian National University
While fewer people are gambling on the pokies, the amount of money lost per gambler has remained relatively constant over time.
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The Liberal Party contains moderates like George Brandis, Christopher Pyne and Malcolm Turnbull, and conservatives such as Tony Abbott, Eric Abetz and Peter Dutton.
AAP/The Conversation
Chris Wallace, Australian National University
With fringe right parties feasting on the margins of conservative political discontent in Australia, deeper questions are being asked about whether the Liberal Party itself is at risk.
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Health + Medicine
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Yoga moves like downward dog put strain on your hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders.
from www.shutterstock.com
Evangelos Pappas, University of Sydney; Marc Campo, Mercy College
New research shows yoga can improve back and neck pain, but can put strain on the body in some poses.
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The edges of your lost tooth are sharp because when the root of the baby tooth is being eaten away, it tends to start from the middle of the root. That leaves a sharp edge behind when the tooth breaks off.
Flickr/Stephanie Young
David Manton, University of Melbourne
Nicholas, aged 6, was watching TV one day when his tooth fell out. He noticed that the bottom edge of the tooth was very spiky. Now he wants to know why.
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Cities
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When dog owners meet, it helps build a safe and connected community.
Wrote/flickr
Lisa Wood, University of Western Australia
A study of Australian and US cities has demonstrated that pet ownership strengthens people's connections with their neighbours.
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Geelong’s relatively high creative industries score, coupled with a robust rate of business entries, provides a solid foundation for steady growth.
paulrommer from www.shutterstock.com
Leonie Pearson, University of Canberra
Regional cities can be as effective at generating jobs and growth as their big five metro cousins. But they must identify and build on their strengths to be investment-ready.
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Environment + Energy
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Adélie penguin at the Mt Siple breeding colony, West Antarctica.
Jasmine Lee
Jasmine Lee, The University of Queensland; Justine Shaw, The University of Queensland; Richard Fuller, The University of Queensland
Climate change is set to expand Antarctica's ice-free area, potentially helping native species to flourish but also paving the way for invasive species to gain a foothold.
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How do you value the Great Barrier Reef?
AAP
Neil Perry, Western Sydney University
A full valuation of the Great Barrier Reef leads to a number so high it is essentially not worth considering in economic terms.
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Arts + Culture
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Some musicians believe certain instruments, such as the trumpet, are more ‘masculine’.
Alenavlad/shutrerstock
Cat Hope, Monash University
Women are disturbingly under-represented in Australian jazz, with relatively few female composers and instrumentalists. What's holding them back? And what can be done about it?
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The helmet of a heavily armed ‘secutor’, first century AD.
Rógvi N. Johansen, Department of photo and medie Moesgaard
Alastair Blanshard, The University of Queensland
Roman gladiators were unique and complex characters, and certainly not the sporting heroes they're depicted as in culture today.
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Education
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Financial, social, and cultural factors influence the decision for Indigenous students to go to university.
/ Shutterstock.com
Jenny Gore, University of Newcastle
We need to shift the focus of equity programs to nurturing the already strong aspirations Indigenous children have from primary school.
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Children living in the most disadvantaged areas will average half the NAPLAN scores in reading, writing and numeracy tests than those living in the least disadvantaged areas.
Shutterstock
Rebecca Cassells, Curtin University; Alan Duncan, Curtin University; Michael Dockery, Curtin University
The gap between the most and least advantaged areas in Australia is reflected in educational inequality.
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Featured jobs
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RMIT University — Bundoora, Victoria
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University of Melbourne — Shepparton, Victoria
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Griffith University — Bundall, Queensland
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UNSW Sydney — Kensington, New South Wales
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Featured events
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Hilton Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland, 4000, Australia — Queensland University of Technology
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James Cook University, Townsville campus, Townsville, Queensland, 4817, Australia — James Cook University
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Philosophy Room, the Quadrangle, University of Sydney, Australian Capital Territory, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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Yellow Building 1, Level 2, Room 48, Charles Darwin University, Ellengowan Drive, Brinkin , Darwin, Northern Territory, 0810, Australia — Charles Darwin University
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