Viciousness reaches new lows in the second debate, but it is unlikely to change the race
Donald Trump landed some blows in the second debate, but not enough to change the momentum of the campaign, which is firmly favouring Hillary Clinton.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
Trump and Clinton clash in second presidential debate: experts respond
The Conversation's experts respond to the second US presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
How retro storytelling can help boost imaginative capacity
The 1980s cult show Fat Tulip's Garden fuelled the creativity of its young viewers. But in a digital age, are children less exposed to this kind of absurdist, performative storytelling?
Paid domestic violence leave: how do other countries do it?
It's uncommon internationally for workers to have a statutory right to paid domestic violence leave, but things may be shifting.
FactCheck Q&A: do eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses?
Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Mark Butler told Q&A that eating disorders "are the mental illness type which has the highest mortality rate". We check the research.
Private equity isn’t all bad: how PE funds help companies expand overseas
Companies looking to expand through overseas acquisition do better with a private equity fund on their side.
Health Check: what is normal vaginal discharge and what’s not?
Vaginal discharge varies in consistency, texture, smell, taste and volume in the same woman from day to day, week to week, month to month and beyond.
Clear skies ahead: how improving the language of aviation could save lives
Flying is known to be the safest mode of transport, but many accidents could be avoided with better communication.
Social media abuse is a sign that the feminist project still far from finished
Social media trolling, which is disproportionately aimed at women, is a sign of a much deeper malaise that must be redressed.
Post-truth politics and the US election: why the narrative trumps the facts
To decide between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, American voters will have to decide which narrative they prefer, leaving the truth to emerge later from the political rubble.
Why ‘baby talk’ is good for your baby
People often tell new parents to avoid 'baby talk' because it will slow down the child's language development. But evidence shows it does the opposite.
Renters are being left out in the cold on energy savings: here’s a solution
Improving energy efficiency is not an option for a significant number of people in Australia – renters.
Why do parents take such different approaches to their kids’ education?
While some parents are investing in tutoring and preparing for examinations from an early age, others are strongly rejecting this approach. Why is this?
Younger farmers more open to sharing the family farm with outside investors
Young farmers are more open to outside investment and ownership of the family farm, than older farmers, new research shows.
In praise of trigger warnings
In the fraught debate over trigger warnings in the university classroom, they are routinely associated with censorship and silencing. Yet for teachers, they can open up a discussion of difficult material – not suppress it.
A future world full of driverless cars… seriously?!
Driverless cars are the future, right? Wait. While things would be simple if our roads were 100% driverless, getting there is anything but. And planning for roads shared by robots and humans is hard.
Climate change must be part of Australia’s electricity system review
Australia's electricity market will be reviewed over the next six months, following South Australia's state-wide blackout.
Commodifying Banksy
An exhibition in Melbourne of work by the world's most famous street artist is replete with ironies: from the eerily neat faux London streetscape in which the works hang to the hefty price tag and copious merchandise.
New VET Student Loans unlikely to weed out dodgy private providers
Placing greater control over student fees will not lift the quality of student outcomes and ensure the integrity of the qualifications issued.
What’s in a name? How a democracy becomes an aristocracy
Democracy today contains within itself impulses towards both inclusion and exclusion. Spinoza's thinking on aristocracy should alert us to how democratic rule by the people can be hollowed out.
Do the governance experts at the World Bank have a governance problem?
The World Bank risks looking hypocritical and becoming redundant if it doesn't improve its own management.
Hacked by your fridge: the Internet of Things could spark a new wave of cyber attacks
A recent massive distributed denial-of-service attack by compromised Internet of Things devices highlights a growing cyber security threat.
Protecting migrant workers requires a rethink on employer freedoms
The taskforce must redesign Australia’s rather chaotic and unfair temporary labour migration program.
Research and News
Government knocks out 478 courses from loans under VET crackdown
Diplomas of circus arts, fraud control, explosive ordinance manufacture, and sound and vibration therapy are among 478 courses that will be excluded from government funding.
Panel to assist in working up long-delayed changes for universities
The government's long road to a higher education policy has taken another small step forward with Education Minister Simon Birmingham setting up an expert advisory panel.
Morrison to rule on Hancock-Chinese bid for Kidman cattle empire
Gina Rinehart has partnered with a Chinese company to buy the giant Kidman pastoral empire, after two previous bids by Chinese buyers were rejected by the federal government.
Podcasts
Politics with Michelle Grattan
Talking politics with politicians and experts, from Capital Hill.
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Business Briefing
Brief analysis of what's making news in Business and Economy.
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Change Agents
A podcast series about change and the people who make it happen
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Speaking with…
Ideas and analysis from the sharpest minds in the academic and research world.
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Marine reserves
The Coral Sea: an ocean jewel that needs more protection
The marine reserves review has recommended major changes to the Coral Sea, but not for the better.
Marine parks and fishery management: what’s the best way to protect fish?
The public and political debate about marine reserves often comes down to one thing: fishing.
Banking inquiry
Big four bank chiefs face parliamentary committee: experts react
As the chief executives of Australia's big four banks come before a House of Representatives economics committee, we ask a panel of experts what questions the banks should be answering.
Gardening
Bath bullies, bacteria and battlegrounds: the secret world of bird baths
Bird baths are more than just ornamental splash pools. They're also a site where animals socialise and intense rivalries play out. And bird bath design, location and cleanliness can have a big impact.
Climate change is happening in your garden: here’s how to spot it
Birds, bees and bugs: your garden is an ecosystem, and it needs looking after
A revolution disguised as organic gardening: in memory of Bill Mollison
The science is in: gardening is good for you
Are common garden chemicals a health risk?
Fertile ground: what you need to know about soil to keep your garden healthy
US Election 2016
Columnists
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“ Berlusconi’s Italy was a country whose disease was ‘chronic rather than acute’
Giovanni Navarria -
“ Sharapova was bewildered that the ITF initially sought the maximum ban of four years
Daryl Adair -
Mark Beeson — “Revolutions look anachronistic. China may yet challenge this idea too”
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Bryan Cranston — “Trump will not lose a single vote following this latest revelation”
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Lauren Rosewarne — “While I don’t doubt that Trump thought his banter with Billy Bush was private”
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Brian McNair — “Liberals must stand up and defend the right to offend, and to be offended in turn”
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
US election
Post-truth politics and the US election: why the narrative trumps the facts
To decide between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, American voters will have to decide which narrative they prefer, leaving the truth to emerge later from the political rubble.
Honorary titles
Why do we still hand out honorary academic titles?
The decision to award former Prime Minister John Howard an honorary doctorate was criticised. So what are honorary titles - and why do we still have them?
Virtual reality film Collisions is part disaster movie, part travelogue and completely immersive
What if your first contact with the Western world was witnessing an atomic test? This is the story of Nyarri Nyarri Morgan, told in stunning virtual reality in animation/documentary hybrid Collisions.
Banking inquiry
Banks make millions in delaying interest rate cuts
When the cash rate increases, lending rates shoot up like rockets, but when the opposite occurs they go down like feathers.
Nobel Prize
Yoshinori Ohsumi – a deserving winner of the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine
Ohsumi, autophagy pioneer.
Nobel Prize
20 years on, what impact has the Nobel Prize for medicine had on our immune systems?
Peter Doherty's Nobel Prize-winning insights proved crucial for understanding how viral infections are controlled.
CEO pay
Australia should compare CEO and average worker pay like the US and UK
Like in the US and UK, Australian companies should be forced to disclose how the pay of CEOs compares with that of an average worker.
Sharks
State of fear: what should we do about sharks in New South Wales?
A recent cluster of dangerous encounters with sharks in New South Wales has raised new concerns among the public.
Sharks
Shields and smart buoys: new technology to protect sharks and people
A recent increase in shark encounters has prompted New South Wales to investigate new technologies.
Media
The robots are polarising how we consume news – and that’s how we like it
Changes in news media distribution and the impartiality of news sources provide good reason to be concerned. However, digital inequality is not the way to understand or measure it.
Job Board
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Policy Director, Research and Innovation
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Associate Professor or Professor in Contract Law
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Snr Lecturer, Fashion Technology
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Professor Dietetics And Human Nutrition
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PhD Scholarship: Electrophoretic methods for the separation of inorganic cations
Events
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Sydney Ideas: Can Mindfulness Save the World? — University of Sydney
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Sydney Ideas: Primo Levi Reads Dante. The role of literature in our world — University of Sydney
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