Society

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Environment 13 min read

‘Forever chemicals’ have made their way to farms. For now, levels in your food are low – but there’s no time to waste

by Ravi Naidu

They stop your food from sticking to the pan. They prevent stains in clothes and carpets. They help firefighting foam to extinguish fires. But the very thing that makes “forever chemicals” so useful also makes them dangerous.

Arts, Culture and Society 19 min read

‘No home to go to, and no means of living’: how colonial vagrancy laws punished the poor

by Catharine Coleborne

Vagrancy – being found in the street without any visible means of support – was a crime in many parts of Australia right up to the final decades of the 20th century. In some jurisdictions, vagrancy laws were only repealed in the early 2000s.

Health and Wellbeing 13 min read

Can chewing help manage stress, pain and appetite? Here’s what the science says

by Clare Collins

Ever feel a bit stressed or need a concentration boost? Research suggests one remedy may be right under your nose. Chewing has benefits for brain function, stress, anxiety, exam performance, pain perception, as well as hunger and food intake.

Health and Wellbeing 11 min read

Nope, coffee won’t give you extra energy. It’ll just borrow a bit that you’ll pay for later

by Emma Beckett

Many of us want (or should I say need?) our morning coffee to give us our “get up and go”. Altogether, the people of the world drink more than two billion cups of coffee each day.

Arts, Culture and Society 7 min read

NGARRAMA – Newcastle’s largest reconciliation event

by Shahni Wellington

How one conversation became a community movement

Health and Wellbeing 13 min read

Want your child to eat more veggies? Talk to them about ‘eating the rainbow'

by Emma Beckett

Parents of young children today were raised during some of the most damaging periods of diet culture. From diet and “lite” foods and drinks, to expensive “superfoods”, one constant across these changing trends has been the moralisation of food as “good” or “bad”.

Our Communities 6 min read

Traditional knowledge key to solving the world’s plastics pollution disaster

by Gemma Dawkins & Shahni Wellington

A return to Indigenous-led solutions may be our only hope to address the global waste issue, according to researchers.

Business, Law and Politics 13 min read

A class action against Optus could easily be Australia's biggest - here's what is involved

by Mirella Atherton and Eliezer Sanchez-Lasaballett

With the Optus data breach exposing almost 10 million current and former customers to identity theft, law firms are circling for what could end up being the biggest – and most valuable – class action case in Australian legal history.

Health and Wellbeing 13 min read

The internal shower

by Clare Collins

Does TikTok's chia-lemon 'internal shower' really beat constipation? Here's what science says.

Health and Wellbeing 14 min read

Australia's preparation for the next disaster

by Mark Maund, Kim Maund and Thayaparan Gajendran

Nearly 6 months on, flood victims are still waiting to be housed. This is what Australia must do to be ready for the next disaster.

Business, Law and Politics 4 min read

Gaza's humanitarian crisis

by Amy Maguire

Amid death and destruction, the latest conflict in Gaza highlights the depths of its humanitarian crisis

Education 13 min read

Lacking literacy skills

by Margaret Kristin Merga

Every teacher needs to be a literacy teacher - but that's not happening in most Australian schools

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