Isolation, my dad and me

Social isolation is a double-edged sword especially for some older people. Although COVID-19 can kill, so too can loneliness, and so it’s up to all of us to stay in touch with our older family members and friends.

Exercise your brain too

The profound changes in our lifestyle due to COVID-19 social distancing may require us to take more deliberate actions to exercise our thinking skills. Here are some tips from the experts at Melbourne University.

Understanding the great toilet paper stampede

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only access one item, would you really choose toilet paper?

Holden on to history

Like a beloved relative who dies after a long illness, Holden’s decision to leave Australia wasn’t surprising – but it is a cause for sadness, and an opportunity to look back on what’s been lost.

Mud, glorious mud

A new review of the importance of nature play could transform children’s play spaces, supporting investment in city and urban parks, while also delivering important opportunities for children’s physical, social and emotional development.

Falling for a ghost

It would be easy to chalk up the success of dating apps to functionality, mobility and ease, but what about their reawakening of our romantic imaginations?

My world is not your world

While we assume we experience the same unfiltered and objective reality, our senses and brains combine to make sense of the world around us from birth in very complex – and individual – ways.

Don’t text and walk

In news that will surprise no-one, pedestrians who text while walking are more likely to walk into traffic than people paying attention to the world around them as they walk.

How much does your dog miss you?

Separation anxiety in pets can affect the quality of their life and the people who live with them. But there are ways to reduce the risk of your dog acquiring the condition.

8 things to know before your first cruise holiday

Luxury cruise ships have become a popular holiday option for Australians looking to explore Asia and the Pacific, and knowing some of the tips of the trade can help first timers make the most of their experience.

We wander lonely in the cloud

Humans are more connected to each other than ever, thanks to smartphones, the web and social media. At the same time, loneliness is a huge and growing social problem, so can we use technology to make things better, rather than worse?

The human cost of ‘fast fashion’

The global fashion industry is increasingly under pressure to address issues of sustainability, from both an environmental and human perspective.  How has the globalisation of the fashion industry functioned to empower and oppress women across the global north/south divide?