Life Matters - Separate stories podcast

Crowded lecture theatres. Hours spent sprawled on the lawn between classes. Late nights watching bands at the uni bar.For generations these were staples of university life. But with so much learning now delivered online, campuses aren't the hive of social activity they once were.  Does that matter? Or are today's students missing out on the part of university that shapes them most?

The way we interact with digital spaces has changed dramatically since the inception of the internet.With the spread of artificial intelligence, the challenge of fully understanding this new digital landscape — the platforms, the politics, the problems — is a big one. Aiming to be "AI literate" sounds like a reasonable goal, but is a concept like literacy even enough to cover something as vast and fast moving as AI?And if we don't understand it, how are we going to equip our kids to manage this brave new world they're entering?

We've all been there, when a song pops into your head and suddenly you're humming it without even thinking.But earworms aren't always innocent, advertisers have long understood the power of music. A catchy jingle can build brand recognition in seconds, and long after we've seen an ad the tune is still in our heard, and so is the product.So could the soundtrack in your head be shaping more of your decisions than you realise?

Australians are among the highest consumers of textiles, per capita, in the world, buying an average of 55 garments of clothing per year.The over-consumption of fast fashion is a big problem to solve, and one simple solution is to opt out.Some shoppers are embracing low- or no-buy experiments to give their spending a bit of a reality check, and reassess the way they feel about what's in their wardrobe. So how realistic is this idea, and could it help address the 220,000-tonne elephant in the room?

It wasn't long ago that zero-alcohol drinks were a niche product. Now they're everywhere, including on supermarket shelves, looking almost identical to the real thing.  New research warns these drinks — along with "low sugar", "low carb" and "low calorie" alcohol products — are blurring the line between drinking and healthy living.Is it time for tougher regulations?

It has never been harder to be a small live music venue in Australia.You've got multinational companies squeezing the market, an onerous regulatory environment and a young generation who don't drink alcohol. All of these elements work against venues trying to turn a profit.Music lovers will say it's never been about the money, so what if there was another way to set up these small rooms where big things start, where you didn't need to make a profit? 

New research has explored which voices we find more attractive and how our sexuality might shape the kinds of speech that turns us on. Though, it might not come as a surprise to learn that deeper voices are considered more attractive to everyone except straight men.But what exactly shapes the way we talk, and our desires? And how do our voices reflect power, status and our place in the world? 

In the age of wellness, there's an endless stream of advice about how to live longer, stay healthy, and even reverse your biological clock.It ranges from the mild — eat well, move your body, maybe throw in some supplements — to the extreme, with billionaires "biohacking" their way to a long life.Some people are taking it so far that an unofficial diagnosis has emerged: "longevity fixation syndrome", an intense anxiety that stems from this idea of maximising our health.So are we becoming so obsessed with living longer that we're no longer living well?

When an age-gap friendship starts to feel a little tiring, and you're finding you have less in common, is it time to break up? And how do you manage phasing someone out if you're worried about their health, and you don't know their wider support network?

Last year, 47 per cent of Australians with debt struggled to make their repayments. So if you've ever felt that quiet panic when a payment is due, you are very far from alone.Debt can bring up a lot of emotions — stress, shame, embarrassment — but it's a reality for most of us. So how do we get more comfortable talking about our relationship with money, and shift some of the shame around debt?