Health

Incensed in his early 20s when he finally realised just how cool science was, Todd Norton determined he would become a teacher so no other student would miss out. “It just didn’t come across how cool science was in school. And I thought I’d become a teacher to show (students) just how cool it can be,” the now Dr Norton says.  However, a teacher friend steered him away from the profession, suggesting he should “have a go at actual science”,…

A superhero belt, a hearty dose of time in nature and a bit of dirt are helping shape a new approach to improving children’s health and development. Early career researcher Dr Kylie Dankiw drew on her childhood exploring creeks and their leafy surrounds in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs. “I was really, always really passionate about the environment and fascinated in the natural world and how things worked, and our connection to nature,” she said. “All I did was explore and find…

Zero-alcohol drinks (<0.5% alcohol) resemble alcohol in appearance and taste and are often closely linked to a parent alcohol brand yet there are currently no age or marketing restrictions on these drinks, and they are freely promoted to all age groups, including young people.  In an Australian first, and funded by the Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation, Flinders University researchers will examine the impact of the rapidly growing zero-alcohol drinks market on young people’s perceptions of alcohol to determine if…