Cosmetic companies overwhelmingly target their advertising at women, but it’s been revealed that men are increasingly stepping up their beauty game.

New data from eBay shows almost one in five beauty purchases in Australia are being made by men with Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra leading the pack.

Mark was fascinated by the revelation also as much as he was interested in the job of the person who compiled the data - Julie Nestor eBay’s trend watcher.

A new international study has found the presence of different strains of grass pollen in the atmosphere can help predict when hay fever and asthma could strike.

The research has been carried out by an international team of scientists from Australia and the UK.

Associate Professor Nicholas Osborne from the School of Public Health at the University of Queensland explains to Mark work now is focusing on which grass pollen species are the most harmful strains.

There is no bigger challenge for the Australian Electoral Commission than organising a federal election, which only comes around about once every four years.

Although Prime Minister Scott Morrison is yet to visit Yarralumla to ask the Governor-General to dissolve the 45th parliament, it is all but certain the poll will be held on the 18th of May.

AEC Electoral Officer and State Manager Queensland Thomas Ryan tells Mark everything is in place and voters can expect an even smoother experience than in the past.

Brisbane ballooning population is placing increased strain on the city’s charachter with more apartment buildings going up and homes being squeezed onto smaller blocks.

Often residents complain they aren’t consulted about changes and developments and that wading through development applications is beyond them.

Retired land use planner Howard Briggs is one, who despite his experience, has become frustrated getting answers and he tells Mark that’s why he penned a stinging opinion piece in the Courier Mail.

The new Aussie thriller Locust will have its world premiere on Thursday at the Gold Coast Film Festival before doing the rounds of festivals and showcases in the USA.

The movie tells the story of two estranged brothers, one a tech entrepreneur and the other an ex-con, who are reunited in their remote hometown at their father's funeral, only to become the target of an extortion scam.

It’s the brainchild of writer-producer Angus Watts who tells Mark he penned the script when he had time away from his day job as a radiologist.

All to often the Paw Paw is considered the poor cousin to the Mango because many shoppers don’t think it is sweet enough.

That may be about to change thanks to a research and breeding program at Griffith University.

Molecular scientist Professor Rebecca Ford has used selective breeding rather the GMO to make paw paws sweeter and tells Mark the exciting thing is unlocking ‘the secret of sweetness’.

Radical vegans across the country have staged a national day of action which included 21 protesters invading and disrupting operations at an abattoir near Warwick.

It follows other recent actions where activists have trespassed on farms and they are vowing more actions to come.

The Palaszczauk Government is drafting new regulations to allow police to issue protesters with on-the-spot fines and Agriculture Minister Mark Furner tells Mark he’s had a “gutful” of vegan “zealots.”

Australia has among the highest allergy rates in the world with the rate of life threatening allergies doubling in the last 10 years, while one in 10 infants has a food allergy.

It is World Allergy Week and Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia is calling on the federal government to inject $20 million over five years into a National Allergy Strategy.

Leading children’s allergy specialist Associate Professor Richard Loh tells Mark more work needs to be done on research, treatment and education.

A new report has found the app industry in Australia is expanding rapidly with a 20 per cent increase in jobs in the space of just two years, now employing around 136,000 people.

The US based Progressive Policy Institute says New South Wales leads the pack but Queensland is not far behind because of its wealth of highly skilled people.

The local industry is forecast to be worth around $2 billion this year and IBISWorld senior industry analyst Liam Harrison tells Mark while it is becoming an increasingly crowded field the payoffs can be huge.

Russell Morris is perhaps best known to Aussie rock lovers for the psychedelic classic The Real Thing which was released 50 years ago last month.

Russell though has been a constant on the music scene, continuing to write, record and perform.

He plays the Triffid in Brisbane next month on the back of his new album Black And Blue Heart, which was co-produced by former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning.

Russell joins Mark from the studio in Melbourne and gives him an acoustic version of a new track.