Do you worry about the teenagers in your life? If so, you’re in good company. Socrates, Aristotle and even Shakespeare wrote of the impulsiveness and peer influence of adolescents. Once, hormones were blamed. Now, MRIs tell us their brains haven’t finished developing - in key areas associated with much-maligned teenage behaviour. These include planning, self-awareness, inhibiting inappropriate actions and even understanding other people. So, given the brain changes through adolescence, how might the pandemic impact its development, along with teenage mental health?

Food connects us with family and builds community. For migrants it offers a taste of the old country and an entrée into the new. For indigenous Australians, it’s sixty thousand years of knowledge about bush tucker. We visit two multicultural festivals to discover food and cultural identity.

What does a brutal murder tell us about our attitudes to land ownership, farming, and the natural environment? There are laws in Australian limiting the clearing of native vegetation. These laws have long been controversial, and many farmers fiercely oppose them. But none have ever gone as far as farmer Ian Turnbull, who shot and killed environmental compliance officer, Glen Turner.

Paul Barclay speaks with Kate Holden, who tells the story in her book, The Winter Road

Eighteen months of Covid restrictions have bent daily life and the health system out of shape. The pandemic has put other health conditions to one side. Cancer screening, mental health, elective surgery and dental check-ups are delayed or rescheduled. How can we make sure they're not forgotten?

Sifting truth from statistical chaff is more important than ever in these times of misinformation and information overload. From numbers on COVID cases and vaccination to numbers on elections and unemployment, the correct interpretation of statistics is crucial to help you understand the world around you. The secret is being open-minded without being gullible, maintaining a healthy scepticism without lapsing into cynicism. Above all, being curious.

Over 470 indigenous Australians have died since the royal commission thirty years ago. Indigenous people over-represented in our criminal justice system. They’re more likely to find themselves in police lock-ups and prisons. And more at risk of dying in custody. Indigenous law professor Larissa Behrendt looks at what’s behind those terrible statistics.

Australia's mental health system is broken and needs to change. On this, psychiatrists, as well as those with a mental illness, agree. But what needs to be done? Are we pathologizing normal human distress, and prescribing too much medication? Could psychedelic drugs, and therapy, be part of the solution?

The finance industry is turning away from investing in fossil fuels, consumers are forcing businesses to create more sustainable supply chains and preserving nature is being rewarded with cash incentives. Big Ideas explores how the nature of financial investment is changing to better reflect the ecosystem of the planet we live on, and how investing in nature can underpin sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

We've been encouraged for decades to learn an Asian language but many of us don't see the need to be bilingual. If we want deep engagement with our Asian neighbours then language learning should be a priority. In China, the government is pushing for the use of the national language Mandarin. While the benefits of a common language are understood minorities fear the loss of local languages and cultural identity.

The Chinese Communist Party celebrated its centenary recently. In 1921 China was a poor country dominated by foreign powers. One hundred years later it’s an emerging superpower with the party and its leader Xi Jinping tightly in control. So how does President Xi see China’s future?