The mission of the Beaker Street Festival is to make science accessible to all. Members of Tasmania’s deaf community share their experiences. Also, science communicators discuss the opportunities and obstacles of public engagement.

Illegal drug taking, alleged bullying and harassment, and deliberately losing matches to gain access to prized young recruits. These are some of the scandals that, over the years, have plagued the biggest sporting competition in the country, the AFL – the Australian Football League. But despite these, and other, crises, governance of the 700 million dollar a year competition leaves a lot to be desired.

Globalisation has long been touted as the end game for big businesses and governments alike. Where is globalisation headed, and do the benefits outweigh the costs?

Science fiction’s most frequent alternative to human is 'alien', another rich imaginative resource with which to think about what makes us human. Whether aliens are imagined as conquerors or saviours, their superiority has often been used to explore human limitations.

Green activists in our region are putting pressure on governments to act. In Bali there's a community campaign to reduce and recycle plastics and in China, non-government organizations are working to increase environmental action despite tight government control of their activities .

'Business as usual' is not an option for governments dealing with an escalating climate crisis.

It's now impossible to ignore or deny the grim manifestations, and warnings, that the planet is heating up.

So how must governance and democracy change? What are the impediments to overcome if we are to decarbonise the economy, and adapt to a changing climate?

The science of growing food and nutrition is as important as rocket science to sustain space travellers near and far. If you're on your way to Mars and hope to become a resident then you need to produce your own food. So what will be on the menu?

A landmark case in a European court marks a significant step on the road to justice for survivors of war crimes in Syria, and around the world.

If you’re a bird lover you’ll know how migratory birds depend on wetlands as staging posts. And if you’re a fisherman then wetlands are a breeding ground for fish. 

That’s just two of the services they provide. Yet globally, they’re drained for development. Apart from anything else , we’re destroying an ecosystem which can absorb carbon dioxide thirty to fifty times faster than terrestrial forests.

More people are digitally 'detoxing' and embracing mindfulness to try to calm their mind.

But what if, paradoxically, the digital technologies we are escaping from, are also able to enhance contemplative practice, and provide therapeutic benefits for, say, kids undergoing cancer treatment?

Can guided meditation in a 'virtual' natural environment lift your mood. Or a multi-sensory installation soothe those in palliative care?