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Madonna, Charli xcx and Sabrina Carpenter have all used cigarettes as props during recent fashion shoots, music videos and shows. Kylie Jenner even lit up recently on the cover of Vanity Fair. But is smoking really “cool” or “back in vogue”, as the ensuing headlines claimed? New data released today suggests that’s not the case in Australia. In fact, it’s good news: just 5.6% of those aged 14 or over smoke daily, down from 12.2% in 2016. Australia has nearly hit its 2030 target of 5%, years ahead of schedule. And smokers haven’t just switched to vaping. As Becky Freeman and Michelle Jongenelis explain, vaping has remained steady. But pouches are the new product to watch, they say, with tobacco companies targeting young people with flavours, discreet design and social media promotion.
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Fron Jackson-Webb
Deputy Editor and Senior Health Editor
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Becky Freeman, University of Sydney; Michelle Jongenelis, The University of Melbourne
Smoking isn’t back. New data show Australia’s tobacco control laws are working.
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Greg Barton, Deakin University
The reality is there is no military pathway to opening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump may attempt to find one anyway.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
As he surveys the degraded and demoralised Liberal Party he presides over, Angus Taylor has major problems.
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Sarah Diepstraten, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) ; John (Eddie) La Marca, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
For one thing, there’d be a much higher rate of brain cancers in the decades since mobile phones were widely adopted.
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Julien Périard, University of Canberra
In extreme heat, the tour can provide extra shade, hydration during racing and even alter or cancel a stage. But is this enough?
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Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Swinburne University of Technology
Could we be thinking the wrong way about surging energy demand from data centres in Australia?
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Andrew Norton, Monash University; Ren-Hao Xu, The University of Western Australia
Job-ready Graduates created cheaper postgraduate education – especially for nursing students – but this may not last.
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Michael Westaway, The University of Queensland; Jennifer Silcock, The University of Queensland; Rahul Chandora, The University of Queensland; Robert Henry, The University of Queensland; Sammi Blinco, Indigenous Knowledge; Shawnee Gorringe, Indigenous Knowledge
Natural selection may not be the only force that has contributed to the evolution of channel millet’s unusual genetics.
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David M. Pritchard, The University of Queensland
Control of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus strait was life and death for ancient Athens. Waterways are no less important – and contentious – today.
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Anthony Macris, University of Technology Sydney
Is Christopher Nolan’s adaptation a definitive film version of Homer’s Odyssey? No, it isn’t. In fact, it can’t be.
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Politics + Society
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Jonathan Boston, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Election campaigns focus on today’s pressures. But NZ’s biggest challenges span decades and may require new institutions.
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Courtney Walton, The University of Melbourne; Aden Kittel, Deakin University
If VAR catches a player offside by their toe, this is a correct decision. Whether this is what we want as fans is a philosophical debate.
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Business + Economy
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Justine Nolan, UNSW Sydney
The changes come just weeks after the US threatened new tariffs of up to 12.5% on 60 countries – including Australia – for inaction on slave labour.
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Environment + Energy
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Brittany Hogben, Adelaide University ; Andrew Lowe, Adelaide University ; Colette Blyth, University of Adelaide; James B. Dorey, University of Wollongong
Four experts explain how we can protect the rare – and increasingly at risk – spidery wattle.
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Science + Technology
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Jemma Geoghegan, University of Otago; Nigel French, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
The confirmation of the bird flu virus in a brown skua appears to be a single detection. Ongoing surveillance will be essential to detect any further cases.
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Siobhan Lyons, Macquarie University
Many baby boomers see AI as a revolutionary tool, while young people see it as taking away their agency.
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Arts + Culture
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Ari Mattes, University of Notre Dame Australia
Now streaming on Stan, The F Ward is the latest Australian medical drama. And it’s a good one.
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Books + Ideas
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Angela Glindemann, RMIT University
Angela O'Keefe’s compelling new novel, Phantom Days, contemplates the power and agency of stories.
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Your Say
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Peter Greste’s article on “balance in journalism” is excellent. I was tickled at Jillian Segal’s reported comments at the Royal Commission on how the ABC should "balance" the Gaza tragedy. If Segal’s advice was followed during the WWII, then the BBC and others should have also “balanced” the Nazi genocide with “amazing” things the Nazis were doing in Germany. For instance, programs like the Kraft durch Freude (Strength Through Joy) initiative, which provided social benefits such as vacations, concerts, and sporting events for the German people. Although, these benefits were systematically denied to minorities and those the state deemed "undesirable".
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David John Eldridge's explanation of no-till farming covered it well. During my 35 years as a wheat farmer, I transitioned from full cultivation to minimum-till, and saw it transform the soil. Changing to minimum or no-till allowed it to crack, aerate and break up naturally, resulting in a much softer, looser soil. There appeared to be no reduction in the number of earthworms, although I was not able to monitor the smallest inhabitants. Regarding chemical safety, strict hygiene and correct handling and application are essential. The ultimate test was in the crops produced, and they improved with minimum-till.
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