Explainers
Explainer
Draft
Free agents, pick swaps, salary dumps: What does AFL trade jargon mean?
What do you call a free agent who isn’t actually free? What is a salary dump? And will pick purchasing become a feature in the AFL?
- by Peter Ryan and Jon Pierik
Latest
Explainer
Daylight saving
It’s nearly time to put clocks forward an hour. Where did daylight saving come from?
An insect expert first suggested daylight saving in 1895. Since then, it has caught on across the world. What effect does it have on us?
- by Rachael Houlihan and Anthony Segaert
Explainer
Middle East at war
Can Israel’s Iron Dome withstand Iran’s missiles?
The Iron Dome is just one part of Israel’s missile defence system. David’s Sling is another. How does it all work?
- by Jackson Graham and Angus Holland
Explainer
Middle East tensions
‘It’s mayhem’: Can all-out war in Lebanon be prevented?
Why has the conflict over the Israel-Lebanon border escalated? How bad is it looking? And what do Iran and the US want to happen?
- by Gemma Grant, Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
Explainer
Company tax
Do big miners pay their fair share?
Described as “the gift that keeps on giving”, Australia’s mineral wealth has made mine owners into multibillionaires. But at a time when we pay to import our own gas, are the spoils being shared fairly?
- by Angus Holland
Explainer
Space
‘Puffy-head bird-leg syndrome’: What space travel does to the body
Weird things can happen to the body in space – not least from abrupt changes in gravity as well as weightlessness, radiation and being in close quarters. How do astronauts do it?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
US Votes 2024
‘A summer romance’: How the US fell in love with Kamala Harris
Previously written off, Kamala Harris has energised the Democratic Party and reshaped the race to the White House. But how was she shaped by her early life, what does she stand for now – and can she defeat Donald Trump?
- by Angus Holland and Cindy Yin
Explainer
Natural world
Clever birds and killer bots: What to know about swarm intelligence
Birds, bees and ants all co-operate to solve problems with no one in charge. Here’s what humans are learning from them.
- by Angus Holland and Jackson Graham
Explainer
Middle East tensions
Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas: Who they are and what they want
As Israeli troops raid Lebanon, conflict is spreading again in the Middle East. Who are the key players, and what is the Axis of Resistance?
- by Jackson Graham, Angus Holland and Cindy Yin
Explainer
Health
Dim light, failing sight: Behind this classic sign of middle-age
The menu looks foggy. The tiny instructions are a blur. It’s that time when your vision, a marvel of evolution, needs some help sharpening up. What’s going on in the eye itself? And what else could possibly go wrong?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
World elections
‘I am Giorgia’: Italy’s far-right leader and the confounding world of Italian politics
Italy’s first female PM is also the first to govern from the far right in decades. Has Giorgia Meloni’s agenda changed in power? Where did her politics come from? And why has Italy had 68 governments since World War II?
- by Angus Holland
Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/topic/explainers-1lz9