Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

They say diamonds are forever, but maybe that isn't true. Over the last six months, major diamond mines around the world have either closed or stopped production, with one of the biggest companies looking to sell off 85 per cent of the business. With the growing popularity of lab-grown diamonds and changing consumer attitudes, does it really matter if the rock on your finger was pulled out of the...

When it comes to intellectual ability, the vast majority of us fall somewhere around the middle of the bell curve. But it's estimated that 10 per cent of students could be considered academically gifted, capable of learning at a much faster pace than their peers. Some are funnelled into accelerated learning programs designed to challenge them, while many high achievers are left to their own device...

Boys are less likely than girls to read for pleasure — especially as teenagers, according to international research.  Book influencer and fantasy author Luke Bateman recently told ABC's Australian Story we need more books written with boys in mind.  But researchers say addressing the gender reading gap is more complex than writing more "books for boys". So what really helps boys develop a lifelong...

It wasn't too long ago that smart phones were being lauded for how they made life so much easier and convenient. However, in the last few years we have seen a trend of apps, devices and strategies to make phones harder to operate in an effort to break our addiction to the technology.  What does the existence of these friction devices reveal to us about our habits, and how does convenience shape ou...

Last week the Clean Energy Council proposed a federal scheme to allow the regional areas that host renewable projects to directly benefit from their efforts. The nationwide legislated scheme would see councils receive money from energy companies for every megawatt hour of electricity generated by projects over their lifetime. The Clean Energy Council argues the industry's biggest problem isn't pro...

What are you willing to give up in order to do good? A takeaway coffee? A bigger house?  Meat? Ten per cent of your income? Renowned philosopher and ethicist Peter Singer has spent decades exploring that question. You might know his famous "drowning child in a pond" analogy, or his work on animal rights and effective altruism. His ideas have influenced the way we think about our responsibilities t...

Conventional wisdom tends to suggest we're sharpest in the prime of our lives, but recent research shows we can boost our cognitive performance well into old age. A study out of the University of Texas has put brain training exercises to the test and found there are benefits at all life stages. Researchers say their findings challenge the idea that cognitive decline is inevitable.

All through July, Life Matters has been exploring what it means to be a grandparent in 2026, but now it's time to turn inwards. What did your own grandparents teach you? Sometimes life lessons are passed down directly and explicitly, but often it's the little moments spent together, listening to their stories and absorbing their wisdom, that stick with you.   So what have you held on to from the g...

Early childhood friendships are usually pretty simple — struck up over shared interests in Lego, dress-ups or morning tea snacks. But the same can't always be said for adults.  So is it OK to steer your offspring towards other kids whose parents you might actually get along with?  This week the Aunties share their advice with a listener who's keen to broaden her son's friendship circle to bond wit...

If you went to high school any time before the 2010s, you probably had to endure some truly mortifying lessons on the miracle of life.  Sex education has come a long way in recent years, but research suggests we're not exactly nailing it yet. A recent survey of Australian school teachers found more than half had no formal training in sex and relationships education before becoming a teacher, and m...

Divorce has been on the decline in Australia in recent years, however new figures show the number of divorces increased in 2025. No-one gets married expecting to divorce, but the reality is it happens. And while a "good" divorce might be hard to imagine, it is possible, according to divorce coach and author Karen McNenny. The end of Karen's own marriage forced her to rethink divorce as a tool for...

You probably chose to listen to this episode out of your own volition. We make hundreds of choices every day, because free will gives us the power to choose the direction of our lives. But, is that really true? Does free will really exist?  And if it doesn't, what does it mean for our sense of humanity?

When children's author Jacqueline Harvey became "Nanny Jac" to her step-daughter's gorgeous son two years ago, it brought a totally new kind of love into her life. 

Do you ever catch yourself scrolling on your phone and think 'I am on this device far more than I should be'? The desire for a return to the offline world has led a group of people to organise The Summer of Ludd in New York City. It was an eight-day festival with 120 events promoting human connection in the spirit of the original Luddites of the 1810s, who were skilled textile workers that resiste...

When you picture a witch, the image that springs to mind usually involves women wearing pointy hats and flying around on broomsticks. The reason why lies in a 15th century book. Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) was a manual for how to hunt, torture and execute women accused of witchcraft, and was the catalyst for witch trials that killed thousands of women across Europe.  The University...

When was the last time you used a physical map to find your way? Or drove across the city with a street directory balanced precariously on your knees? In this age of navigation apps, you can simply enter an address and a robotic voice will plot the course and guide you straight to your destination. But if your phone dies, or the satellite technology fails, would you be lost without it? We meet two...

"You can be anything you want to be!" It's a message many of us heard growing up — perhaps you've said it to your own kids as well. But when we're told we can do whatever we set our minds to, does it inspire ambition, or leave us feeling pressure to achieve something extraordinary? How can we encourage big dreams without creating impossible expectations?

The number of Australians who smoke regularly has fallen to a historic low, with just 5.6 per cent of those over 14 identifying as daily smokers.  The data, from the Australian Insitute of Health and Welfare, provides the best indication of smoking rates that we have. But with the increase in the black market trade for tobacco, do we still have a clear picture of what's going on?

In the vast history of the universe, a human lifespan is a mere blip. But long after our bodies are gone, signs of the lives we lived will remain.  Postcards sent across the seas, photographs of treasured times spent with loved ones, and the seemingly ordinary objects we use in our day-to-day lives.  A new exhibition at the State Library of Victoria is exploring the idea of memory, and how the mun...

Grandparenting can come at a time of life where your old identities no longer fit. You're thinking about retirement, your grown kids have their own thing going on, and the things that used to fill your days are no longer occupying as much time as they once did. One thing you've been telling us about - especially the grandads out there - is how much this has been a time to reinvent yourself. Is thi...

True crime content has become a mainstay of popular culture, but the rise in fascination also comes with its risks. Last week an inquest in Queensland into a nearly 40-year-old murder case heard from a woman who confessed she tried to solve the crime herself. She acknowledged what she had done was reckless and said she'd been influenced by podcasts about the cold case. So how could this impact the...

If one more person compares Renee Vincent's life to the tradwife movement, she says she'll start throwing some sourdough. Renee is a rural mum, cattle farmer and homeschooler — and while she can see how her life might echo a "traditional wife" role, she says being a stay-at-home mum on a farm doesn't make her a tradwife. She says there's a big difference between taking on a traditional role, and f...

If you've ever suddenly lost a job, had a surprise health diagnosis or a relationship end, you know what it feels like to grapple with uncertainty. Let's face it, uncertainty is all around us, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. It's an uncomfortable feeling. But what could you be missing out on when fear of the unknown drives decision making?

The Aunties guide our listener through their entangled friendship group when one member of this chosen family isn't pulling their weight. Is it possible to get a friendship divorce?

For decades now, we've been losing our religion. Census data has consistently shown that with each generation, we're less interested in maintaining a relationship with whatever Gods we may have in the past. But new analysis shows that young Australian men are turning to religion at higher rates than their female counterparts. So how widespread and entrenched is this trend, and what's driving it?