UK Neurosurgeon, Henry Marsh, talks to Paul Barclay about the wonder and mystery of the human brain - and how, as brain surgeon, you are one tiny mistake away from complete catastrophe.

Is there a fair way to pass on assets from one generation to the next? Some think the inheritor has done nothing to earn the wealth - and therefore the state should get a portion for the good of society. For others, any inheritance tax should be abolished as theft. How we think about inheriting goes back to many centuries and is based in different legal cultures. Why are there such differences, and what impact do they have on social mobility and inequality?

Numeracy and literacy are the core business of Australian schools. But should we add music to that list? Too often in schools music is seen as an optional extra yet research shows that learning to play a musical instrument boosts cognitive development and gives children the edge at school. Music is also a tonic for emotional well being.

Meritocracy is a nice theory, but research shows that chance plays a big part in how your life plays out. Poverty and disadvantage are being passed on from parents to children. What does that mean for the moral obligations of society? What do you owe your fellow citizens if you have the luck of a good start to life? Glyn Davis discusses policies and practices to end entrenched poverty.

Constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has had the support of both Coalition and Labor governments. Yet still, we wait for a referendum. If not now, then when, asks Indigenous leader, Noel Pearson. Recognition is not, Pearson says, a project of woke identity politics, but our longest standing and unresolved project for justice and inclusion.

The Covid pandemic has tested every political leader. And female leaders seem to have come out on top. Countries with women at the top have some of the lowest Covid infection and death rates. So could the pandemic deliver an unexpected boost to gender equality?

Born of her own brutal experience as a witness in the Cardinal Pell case, award winning journalist Louise Milligan lays bare the flaws of our adversarial court system and the devastating impact that can have on the delivery of justice. She describes how witnesses in sex abuse cases are being intimidated and belittled.

Trial by jury is the cornerstone of our criminal justice system. Not all countries believe it’s the best way to get justice. They prefer judge-only trials instead. And when you think of it, trial by jury puts the fate of the accused in the hands of ordinary people, chosen at random, with no particular expertise. So why do we think this is the best system and how did it evolve?

Few things are more difficult for children than their parents separating.   The Family Court becomes involved when parents are unable to agree on custody arrangements.  Disputes between separating parties can get ugly. Sometimes family violence is involved.  Are children listened to throughout the family law process? Do we put their rights first?

The real-life thriller of destroying war-torn Syria’s stash of chemical weapons: Pulitzer winner Jody Warrick reconstructs the key decisions and the unprecedented international effort to remove the weapons under fire and then - when no country was willing to accept them - to destroy them at sea. The humanitarian crisis in the region could have been even bigger.