I recently listened to an audiobook on the roots of America’s opiod crisis, and role of one family in it. Do check out Empire of Pain, by Patrick Radden Keefe, which you can hear in an abbreviated format here. Unsurprisingly then, I was drawn to this article, by a team of physicians who work with and study the use of opioids in surgical settings, which warns of a backlash that could itself now lead to safety risks for patients. For some are instructing medics that they do not want to be treated with opiods at all during surgery.

And a new Picasso exhibition has kicked off in Melbourne which challenges a common “lone genius” narrative of the artist, and instead highlights the creative force unleashed by collaborations he engaged in. Sasha Grishin of the Australian National University has had a look, and he’s pretty impressed. I may even pop in myself later this week, as I'm in the fair city to meet with colleagues from across The Conversation network. We'll be discussing developing the content we bring you in emails such as these, with a particular focus on podcasts, news analysis and research-derived exclusives. We are, of course, always keen to hear your thoughts on the work we do, so, if you have ideas, don't hesitate to share them.