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Life Top Stories
more than mates

Dogs are helping kids read and succeed

With their non-judgmental, easy-going nature, dogs are proving to be the perfect reading partner for kids, and helping many improve their literacy skills.
commercialising kids

My daughter is addicted to cute stationery, and I think I'm her enabler

It seems like only yesterday she was looking for fairies in the garden. These days, for Ian Rose’s seven year-old daughter, it’s all about the material(ist) world...
preaching self restraint

The perks of talking to yourself

Once considered a sign of deeper problems, experts now believe that this embarrassing pastime is a vital way to organise our thoughts, plan actions and control...
visual tricks

Junk food packaging hijacks the same brain processes as drug and alcohol addiction

Certain packaging activates the brain’s reward centres, making unhealthy foods even harder to resist.
Learn our ways

Comment: Who says migrants don't want to be here?

We need to dismantle the language we use about migrants, writes Amal Awad.
Long Read

Men down: why did James from Hobart die in Wales?

SAS selection. Do or die. Hottest day of the year. Three men collapse. Inquest into their deaths blames no-one. Really?
protest

Girl scout faces up to neo-Nazi

A powerful image of a girl scout in the Czech Republic standing up to an extreme rightwing protester has gone viral around the world.

Testing Teachers

Exploring the rewarding highs and challenging lows involved with educating Australia's youngest minds. Watch the new three-part Testing Teachers documentary series, currently streaming on SBS On Demand. 

Food for all

Way of the West: teaching children about social justice

One food drive program in Melbourne is teaching local school kids about social justice by encouraging them to help asylum seekers living in their community.
bright sparks

Are we leaving our brightest children behind?

As gifted students continue to disengage from our education system, parents are fighting an uphill battle just to have their children’s needs met.
the forgotten class

The upside of a very tough teaching job

When students with behavioural problems are turned away from mainstream schools, The Cheshire School in Melbourne welcomes them with open arms.
cyber learning

Are virtual schools the future of education?

A cyber schoolyard and masterclasses with human rights lawyers and astrophysicists are all part of everyday life at virtual school Aurora College.
the segregation game

Separating 'smart' kids from the rest: Do selective schools disadvantage underprivileged students?

Selective secondary schools are supposed to cater for gifted and talented students across all sections of society, but increasingly they are the preserve of...
Not all locations are equal

Can your postcode determine your level of education?

Your postcode can reveal a lot about you – not just where you live or what football team you support. As Nicola Heath explains, your postcode is one of the most...
Dreams do come true

Noelia Garella is Argentina's first preschool teacher with Down Syndrome

“I always feel good with the children. Their parents love me and the other teachers and principals I have had were wonderful.”
The Young Pope

Get hooked on the critically acclaimed series created and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Jude Law and Diane Keaton, binge the complete season now at SBS On Demand.

START WATCHING

Stairway to Spirituality

We celebrate and explore a multiplicity of spiritual beliefs from around the world. 

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Culture
Faithful followings

Why educated Christians are sticking with the church

New data suggests religious Americans with college experience tend to participate in services more often than their peers.
Culture
Interfaith interpretations

Comment: How to use Easter to cope with global tragedies

With so much happening around us, how do we even start to comprehend the enormity of ‘tragic circumstances’ across the world? Anglican minister, Dr Michael Jensen, explains what he sees as the fli...
Culture
Maybe baby

Atheists could die out because religious people have more babies

Faith in contraception could spell the end of atheism, according to a new study.
Relationships
Love, faith and culture

Comment: I didn’t expect to marry an Anglo Australian (and neither did my parents)

Amal Awad never imagined she would bring home a non-Muslim-but-soon-to-convert-Anglo guy to her parents. She further never envisaged the eventual acceptance of this union. But like gluten-free diets, ...
Culture
When faith meets food

Food of the faithful: Keeping Kosher

What is Kosher and how does one actually keep it?
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Opinion

Meet our columnists. They've got strong views on all things. Their words may (or may not) change the world.

How much will you pay?

Can Australian students actually afford to pay more for their university degrees?

Students will soon pay more to study at university. How will they manage the extra financial burden?
Raw and satirical

Comment: Why I'm not free to raise awareness about press freedom

Helen Razer celebrates World Press Freedom Day by (satirically) not saying things she knows she freely shouldn't.
Stereotypes on screen

Comment: I watched some casually racist, sexist Disney movies with my 6-year-old son. Here’s what I learned

Did all the racism and sexism turn my sweet boy into a bigot? Let’s find out. Together.
Read and reflect

5 powerful books to read on a public holiday

Looking for a good book to read this public holiday? Here are five acclaimed stories of war, exile, migration and hope told by authors here and abroad.
ANZAC attachment

How ANZAC Day came to occupy a sacred place in Australians’ hearts

Why are Australians today so deeply attached to commemorating our First World War efforts and the cluster of beliefs we call the ‘ANZAC legend’?

Health check

Breaking down the latest medical news, global health issues, research and analyses.

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Too much iron?

Feeling worn out? You could have iron overload

Too much iron (not too little) can cause serious health problems like fatigue, joint pain, diabetes and liver disease.
easing the pain

Men can help women deal with their PMS

A new study proves that, with a little empathy and know-how, partners can help decrease a woman's PMS symptoms rather than exacerbating them.
Can we live forever?

Fighting our human fate: to better life and beat death

Can technology help us to beat death?
cancer evolution

How to fight cancer (when cancer fights back)

Understanding how the disease evolves is the key to stopping it.
House of Hypochondriacs

Listen up hypochondriacs, how do you want to be remembered?

When a fear of illness actually makes you sick with anxiety: how do deal with hypochondria.
Smell test

This may be one reason people in China are becoming less happy

Could air pollution be to blame for fluctuating 'in the moment' happiness levels in China?
public health

Comment: One case of TB shouldn’t worry us, but millions should

The age-old airborne bacterial illness infects 10.4 million people and kills 1.8 million people a year, so why do we continue to downplay its existence?
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Relationships

Let's talk about sex, love, dating, marriage, coupledom.

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love hurts

Dating burnout: The fallout from serial online dating disappointment

You may not know the term but if you date online, then chances are you know the feeling of 'dating burnout' all too well, and it could be blocking your road to love.
Opposites attract

My husband and I have nothing in common—and that’s why our relationship works

Conventional wisdom goes that couples must have common interests to be happy. But what if the conventional wisdom is wrong?
conscious uncoupling

A divorce coach's guide to easing the pain

Divorce is devastating for everyone involved, but lessening that pain may be possible if we avoid the most common pitfalls along the way.
Finding your match

Here’s what it really means to have a romantic type

A new study says who we date is largely based on our own desirability and where we live.
Post dating burn-out

What comes after Tinder?

What to do when Tinder fails and swiping left or right just doesn't cut it anymore?
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Family

Parenting for modern families: new rules for a new age.

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racial bias

How does race affect a student's math education?

A new paper examines the ways “whiteness” reproduces racial advantages and disadvantages.
diverse play groups

My Caucasian kids are the minority and I love it

She's the 'typical Australian' according to the national Census but among her culturally diverse group of friends, Caitlin Wright and her kids are very much the...
#snapthatstigma

"I am not an outcast": Kids in care speak out against social stigma

A touching new short video and social media campaign has been launched by a children's advocacy group to help break the stigma that kids in out-of-home care face...
baby bias

Babies as young as 6 months old show racial bias

Babies show a preference for their own race and bias against people who are not their race from as young as 6 months, but parents can help to reverse this.
motherly malnutrition

The postnatal chef: How to maintain the necessary practice of eating as a new mum

The challenges of new motherhood are well documented, but Kelly Eng hadn't counted on malnutrition being among them until her own bun was out of the oven.
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Wellbeing

Here's how you can nourish the mind, body and soul. No empty calories here.

Sit and ponder

Here’s how long it should really take you to poop

A new study looks at the physics of doing your business.
guiltless pleasures

A researcher wrote the defence of binge-watching you’ve been waiting for

Feeling guilty for that TV marathon you indulged in over the weekend? Don't - science says there are cognitive benefits to some screen pleasures.
mythbusting

It's true, hot baths burn calories

Taking a hot bath can burn as many calories as a 30-minute walk, but is calorie-counting all it's cracked up to be?
Clean or clinically unhealthy?

Orthorexia: When your desire for 'clean eating' turns obsessive

What happens when our quest for "clean eating" and desire for "perfect health" trumps everything else, perhaps without us even realising it?
happy howls

Want a mood boost? Make yourself cry to sad music

Sobbing to a good old tearjerker song produces a measureable sense of pleasure in the listener.

Good vibes

Relish in our inspiring, motivational and celebratory news with a feel-good SBS story. 

top performance

Is Serena Williams’s pregnancy making her a better athlete?

For a lot of women, the early weeks of pregnancy are hardly reminiscent of world-class sporting prowess. But some of the changes which occur during this time could...
Picture this

These photos challenge the Aussie beachgoer stereotype in a wonderful way

"Most of the people who go to the beach don't necessarily fit into that bronzed Aussie stereotype. It's very multicultural these days."
Ending exploitation

Meet the woman who’s helping to empower survivors of modern slavery

“Human trafficking is a man-made issue. It’s not a disease that you get that we don’t have a cure for. It can be stopped.” Stephanie Lorenzo.
Women to be thankful for

A letter to all the women who refused to give up

To all the women who keep charging forward, who never give up despite all that is thrown at them. You are the women who have shaped me.
a letter to myself

Dear younger me: Here's what I need you to know about being female

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen wasn’t always a vegan or a feminist or proud of her Vietnamese heritage. In this letter to her younger self, she braces her teenage self...

Culture

Stories that wrestle with matters of identity and culture, and challenge racial preconceptions.

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NITV
#FU2Racism

10 things you should know about white privilege

How much do we actually know about the concept and history of this sociological term, which is rapidly gaining popularity?
Culture
Women's rights v racism

Comment: The hypocrisy of racist rhetoric

Do we really believe that all racists care about women’s rights?
Culture
re-writing history

Comment: Why do we erase people of colour from national myths?

Throughout history, heroic icons such as cowboys, goldminers and valiant ANZAC troops have all been depicted as white, but our origin stories are far more diverse, writes Neha Kale.
Culture
stand up to the system

How do you stop racism once and for all? You call it out

“But how do you challenge systems of discrimination, oppression and exploitation? The same as you would when facing a racist individual: you call it out."
Culture
The sound of online racism

Comment: Why racism in Australia feels so ‘loud’

"The Internet has made racism more accessible, for both the racists and the victims of this hatred."
PopAsia
21 Mar 2017 - 9:59am

K-Pop artists speak out about racism

It's Harmony Day, so we're sharing stories from these stars about facing racism and how they've dealt with it.
Culture
Demand equality

Comment: Why identity politics is the most urgent issue of our time

Identity politics is coming under fire from conservatives who say it is promotes false grievances, and progressives who call it a distraction from class issues. Omar Sakr explains why he thinks those ...
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#WalkWithUs

Stories bringing Indigenous into Australia’s identity. Celebrating inspiring groups and individuals. #WalkWithUs

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2 May 2017 - 12:13pm

Indigenous Languages at risk

Australia's Indigenous languages could be completely wiped out by 2050 according to experts. The number of traditional languages has dropped from 250 to 120 over the last two hundred years.And the ...

26 Apr 2017 - 4:34pm

Indigenous Conversations: Hidden Aboriginal star maps in Australia’s highway network

For 50,000 years, Australias First Peoples have traveled long distances using star maps in the night sky.   
#FU2Racism

10 things you should know about white privilege

How much do we actually know about the concept and history of this sociological term, which is rapidly gaining popularity?
12 Apr 2017 - 4:40pm

Indigenous Conversations

Walk with us on SBS sheds the lights on Aboriginal culture.

11 Apr 2017 - 12:06pm

Indigenous life depicted on Greek-Australian artist's paintings

Indigenous life depicted on Greek-Australian artist's paintings
More

More dispatches from Life

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PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY

One personality trait predicts domestic nudity

If you carry this trait, then you're more likely to swear around other people, buy organic food, and lounge around the house naked.
If you regularly read about psychological research, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard of the Big Five personality scale. It’s currently the most popular, recognised way in the field to gauge people’s personalities, and it breaks th...
preaching self restraint

The perks of talking to yourself

Once considered a sign of deeper problems, experts now believe that this embarrassing pastime is a vital way to organise our thoughts, plan actions and control ourselves.
Being caught talking to yourself, especially if using your own name in the conversation, is beyond embarrassing. And it’s no wonder — it makes you look like you are hallucinating. Clearly, this is because the entire purpose of talking alou...
more than mates

Dogs are helping kids read and succeed

With their non-judgmental, easy-going nature, dogs are proving to be the perfect reading partner for kids, and helping many improve their literacy skills.
Dogs can be clever creatures: many respond to a variety of commands, and some perform fun tricks. But even the cleverest canines can’t read – a fact that isn’t stopping some schools from inviting them in to help kids improve their literacy...
visual tricks

Junk food packaging hijacks the same brain processes as drug and alcohol addiction

Certain packaging activates the brain’s reward centres, making unhealthy foods even harder to resist.
Food is important for our survival, which is why all living beings have developed an urge for high energy foods, like those high in sugar and fat. Historically, this hadn’t been an issue, as energy dense foods weren’t always as available a...
commercialising kids

My daughter is addicted to cute stationery, and I think I'm her enabler

It seems like only yesterday she was looking for fairies in the garden. These days, for Ian Rose’s seven year-old daughter, it’s all about the material(ist) world, and fluffy pens.
I’m beginning to think the girl may have a Smiggle problem.  She’s mad for the stuff, spends her time cooing over her aromatic erasers and texters in her room, when in the past she’d be goofing around with dolls or making fairy gardens. It...
Power of play

India can solve half of its problems by just getting boys and girls to play together

Teaching marginalised Indian children how to respect their bodies and be self-aware.
On a pleasant spring evening in March, a group of about 20 children from the Husadiya slum in Lucknow, a north Indian city, have congregated in a vacant plot opposite a flyover. Everybody opens up arms, thrusts out chests, and imitates a c...
Learn our ways

Comment: Who says migrants don't want to be here?

We need to dismantle the language we use about migrants, writes Amal Awad.
We joke in our family about how mum and dad's ride from Mascot airport to Sydney city was in a limo.  It was pure luck. A kind stranger took pity on the freshly-arrived newlyweds and delivered them to the flat they would be staying in for ...
How much will you pay?

Can Australian students actually afford to pay more for their university degrees?

Students will soon pay more to study at university. How will they manage the extra financial burden?
The government unveiled its plans this week for a series of long-awaited higher education reforms. It wasn’t the deregulation bloodbath the Abbott government wanted to unleash on our universities in 2014. Instead, a more conservative round...
growing pains

Electrode can tell you if a baby is really experiencing pain

Grimaces and squints can mean a baby is in pain, but can also be signs of hunger. Now a single electrode device can tell what a baby’s really feeling.
When a baby’s crying, it can be difficult to know what’s wrong. Detecting brain signals could provide a more reliable way to tell if babies are in pain. “Babies can’t talk, so we need other ways to tell if they’re in pain,” says Rebeccah S...
protest

Girl scout faces up to neo-Nazi

A powerful image of a girl scout in the Czech Republic standing up to an extreme rightwing protester has gone viral around the world.
Lucie Myslikova, a member of the Czech Scout group Junak, was photographed by amateur photographer Vladimir Cicmanec at a protest in Brno, the second largest city in the country.  Posted on the Facebook page of the World Organisation of th...