The Yarn

Every day, our brains take cognitive shortcuts.  Our limited time and attention make it easy to fall back on familiar biases.  Among the most deeply ingrained is the assumption that “natural” always means “healthier”.  This week, we’re interrogating this idea with stories about “natural” and   synthetic remedies.   It’s the fourth episode of Not Natural, a series about the tension between the natu...

In the throes of addiction, people can enter a time warp. The clock seemingly stops when cravings are met and dopamine floods the brain.  But I’m not talking about drugs. I’m talking about social media.    Heavy users can squander hours per day on TikTok binges. And the App’s developers see this as a feature, not a flaw.    This week, we’re bringing you stories about how social media is rewiring o...

Social media feeds can make Botox and fillers seem as commonplace as getting a haircut. On TikTok alone, the plastic surgery hashtag has 22 billion views.   Is this newfound acceptance democratising beauty, or making beauty obligatory? And who gets to decide what counts as beautiful?  This week, we’re binging you stories about our increasingly narrow beauty standards.   It’s the second episode of...

There’s this phrase God Mode that was born out of the gaming world. It refers to a notorious cheat code in the 1993 shooter game, Doom. Once activated, a player becomes invincible and vanquishes opponents with ease.  Nowadays, God mode is a slang term for achieving superhuman feats in real life, and in our era of artificial intelligence and cybernetic implants, it’s becoming more and more pertinen...

Since July, the cost of living crisis has gotten a whole lot worse for international students. Thanks to the reinstatement of pre-pandemic work restrictions, their maximum working hours have been limited to 24 hours per week. Experts call it a return to "normal", but those facing financial peril say otherwise.  This week, Wuxi Fan talks to three students whose lives have been turned upside down by...

Rules have been following us from the moment we were born. Children follow the rules set by parents, students follow the rules set by schools, workers follow the rules set by companies, and citizens follow the laws set by governments. But what happens when international students face rules in different countries and cultures? This week on Subclass 500, Xuyang Liu investigates the stories of two in...

This episode explores long-distance relationships for international students. Part one is about the problems faced by a couple who are dating long distance. The second part introduces the phenomenon of life partners based on the story of a Melbourne-based Chinese student's relationship.   Credits: Series Producer: Yuxuan Liu  Senior Producer: Songyu Wu, Xuyang Liu Host: Cissy Sound Design: Elliot...

The number of international students in Australia is rapidly increasing, and some of them want to stay here to work and live. But they will face various difficulties and challenges. They have all put in a lot of effort. However, their future is still uncertain. The first interviewee, Michael Zhao, studies engineering and will graduate at the end of this year. He is very dissatisfied with the emplo...

When international students first set foot in Melbourne, they often feel alienated due to the absence of a sense of home and may feel apprehensive due to the cultural differences. They yearn for resonance and familiarity. In this episode, two Chinese students join the university's Chinese martial arts club, while another student from China blends Chinese music with various other genres. An Indones...

In this episode of Subclass 500, Elliot Rodriguez speaks with fellow international students about struggles with language barriers. At the University of Melbourne professors are strict about translation rules for assignments, making it even harder for some students to do their assessments. However, the language barrier doesn't just affect non-native English speakers, Elliot discovers throughout th...

From the rule changes that make hard to earn a living, to the challenges of a long-distance relationship, from the freedoms of being a woman in Australia, to the cage made by paperwork designed to keep you out, all while learning to speak in a new language. These are some of challenges faced by international students at the University of Melbourne, and this is a podcast revealing those stories.sev...

For the first time in four years, Australia is facing an El Nino — a weather pattern that can cause extreme heat.  These increased temperatures would make Bendigo especially vulnerable to droughts. But an adaptation plan to restore the region’s waterways will provide a much-needed safeguard.    Today, we’re bringing you an interview with journalist Sasha Gattermayr about her reporting on Bendigo’s...

This weekend, millions of Australians will vote on whether to enshrine an Indigenous voice to Parliament in the constitution.     For most young Australians, it will be their first ever referendum. It’s also the first to take place in the era of social media — and misinformation has been rife.     Today, we’re taking a break from our Regional Reporting series to bring you a special report on the r...

Fires and droughts are only the flashpoints of rising temperatures. Heat-induced health issues, though less conspicuous, are also a risk.   Bendigo’s socio-economic landscape makes it especially vulnerable to this creeping problem, and its residents are suffering — both physically and mentally.  Today, we’re bringing you an interview with CAJ student Jerome Des Preaux about his reporting on health...

This week, we’re investigating a controversial strategy to control Bendigo’s pests by reintroducing an apex predator — the dingo.  It’s a response to Victoria’s growing Kangaroo population, which has increased by approximately one million since 2017.   The national icon is decimating crops, causing car accidents, and destroying ecosystems. Hundreds of thousands are culled by hunters every year, bu...

When we encounter unexpected information, our brains enter what psychologists call “the surprise sequence”.  Whether positive or negative, the sequence begins with a state of heightened emotions and extreme curiosity. After this, our points of view shift to make sense of a new reality. Sometimes fundamentally.  This week, we’re bringing you three stories about being humbled by new information and...

Back in January, China’s education ministry made a snap decision. Effective immediately, online study at foreign universities was banned.   Tens of thousands of students scrambled to secure visas and book flights to Australia in time for semester one. To make matters worse — their new home was in the midst of a rental crisis.  This week, we’re bringing you two interviews about The Citizen’s covera...

Blind spots are easy to see in others. It’s much harder to see our own.  This discrepancy is called the blind spot bias, and psychologists believe almost all of us suffer from it.  This week, we’re bringing you three stories about blind spots and misunderstandings. Stories about biases clouding our judgment and making us blind to nuance.   It’s the second episode of Dark Matters. A series about th...

When we imagine great mysteries we think of distant galaxies or unexplorable ocean depths. But one of the greatest mysteries is a lot closer to home. It’s in our heads.   The human brain is the most complex data processor in the known universe. But we still have very little idea how our own consciousness actually works.   This week, we’re bringing you three stories that shed light on the intricaci...

Today, we’re bringing you three student-produced stories about a topic close to home — The University of Melbourne itself.    Stories about how global issues like the rise of AI are playing out on campus, as well as stories more specific to the university.    It’s the third and final episode of Hyperlocal. A series about the big issues impacting small communities in Melbourne.     Featuring storie...

Today, we’re bringing you three stories about the shortcomings of Melbourne’s roadways and how to fix them. Stories about the life-changing — and even life-saving — potentials of transport engineering.   It’s the second episode of Hyperlocal, a series about the big issues impacting small communities in Melbourne.   Featuring stories by Timothy Evetts, Bridget Collier, and Xiyan Wang.   See omnystu...

This week, we’re bringing you three stories about neighbours banding together — either to help each other out or unite against a mutual adversary.    It’s the first episode of Hyperlocal, our new series about the big issues impacting small communities in Melbourne.     Featuring stories by Filment Ho, Jerome Des Preaux, and Amelia Costigan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last seven years, producers from the podcast All the Best have mentored Melbourne University's audio journalism students.   It’s part of an initiative that teaches emerging storytellers the ins and outs of audio production, culminating in a series of student-produced documentaries. Today, we’re bringing you a collection of All the Best’ s all-time favourite audio stories from these mentors...

Today, we're bringing you another episode of News Bites — a series of live interviews showcasing the work of local journalists.   This week’s guest is Erik Jensen, the editor-in-chief of Schwartz Media.  Erik’s career has been multipronged.  He began working as a music critic when he was only fifteen. After high school, he went on to join the Sydney Morning Herald and won a Walkley Award.  Later,...

The Pacific island of Kiribati could be completely submerged by rising sea levels in just seventy years, but the nation is among the world’s lowest emitters of C02.   Australia, on the other hand, is among the highest. In 2019, we emitted twenty-one times more C02 per capita than Kiribati.   Today, we’re bringing you three stories about climate injustice — stories about the world’s richest countri...