The United States is laying the foundation for an Asia-Pacific century that looks quite different from what most Australians imagined in the carnage of the GFC, writes Geoffrey Garrett.
For opera to flourish in this country, both the Sydney Opera House and Opera Australia need to commit to the ongoing revitalisation of opera itself, writes Michael Hooper.
With Australia lagging behind Europe and the US in research output, and with Asia catching up, urgent policy action is needed, writes Professor Merlin Crossley.
Addictions can be difficult to kick, especially when we are surrounded by people and situations that trigger the habit. But psychological conditioning can break the cycle, explains Amy Reichelt.
Unless we can fill the void created by the loss of the Future Fellowships and other schemes, Australia's research horsepower will wind back significantly over the next few years, writes Professor Les Field.
Tourist "astronaut" millionaire Dennis Tito's quest to send an older couple to Mars could be a catalyst for further human exploration in space, writes Malcolm Walter.
Ocean acidification has been described as the evil twin of global warming and is becoming widely recognised as one of the top threats to coral reefs, explains Emily Shaw.
As revenues are harder to come by, Australian financial institutions need to manage costs more carefully. However, the offshoring of call centre and IT jobs should be a more strategic decision, writes Rosemary Howard.