Can changing our gut bacteria change us? According to the Gut Foundation, in the past 12 months around half the Australian population will have complained about some kind of digestive problem. This week’s Insight tackles the ground-breaking science and personal stories around the gut’s potential to change our lives.

Insight explores the stories of five women who speak about discovering their partners’ other lives, and how they dealt with that deception.

With international dating sites reporting growing subscriptions each year – along with the rising number of couples meeting and marrying through them – Insight asks: Why do people look for a partner overseas? What happens when they find one? And how do they make it work?

In this two-part Insight special, we hear from people that have witnessed serious crimes and the impact it has had on them.

What is it like to witness a serious crime or traumatic event? And how reliable are eyewitnesses?

Dowry practices are alive and well in Australia, not only in sections of the Indian community, but dowry or bride price is widespread amongst the African and Islamic communities too. This week on Insight we examine the future of dowry in Australia and hear the stories of new communities struggling with old traditions.

This week Insight looks at open relationships and finds out how they work and if they can last.

How do you know when surgery is the best option and who makes the call? About a million orthopaedic surgeries are done each year in Australia. Many of these are joint replacements or spinal surgeries to treat osteoarthritis. Hip and knee replacements alone cost the health system more than any other hospital procedure – over $2 billion a year. And some of these surgeries are on the rise. A Victorian study found that between 1994 to 2014, the number of hip replacements done went up 175 per cent, while knee replacements went up 285 per cent. But the evidence for many commonly performed operations is far from clear cut. Research suggests that about half of orthopaedic procedures have no scientific evidence to prove they work better than non-surgical treatments, and another quarter are no more effective than alternatives such as physiotherapy, exercise and weight loss.

The modern classroom is aglow with screens. Children as young as five are packing their own personal computers and tablets in their schoolbags along with their lunchboxes. But do laptops, tablets and phones in the classroom promote and enhance learning or do they bring with them a world of distraction for students and for teachers a battle for learner’s attention? Australia’s student performance in reading has fallen continuously since 2000 as more and more technology is introduced to our classrooms. Is BYO device BYO disaster or does technology used well amplify great teaching? We hear from educators on both sides of the debate. Australia is one of the highest users of technology in schools and our classrooms have the highest proportion of students using computers at school according to an OECD study. So what’s the evidence that technology in schools is improving learning and results for our children and how are schools making their decisions about what technology to introduce and when? We hear from schools that are evangelical about the benefits of tech and others that are proceeding with caution. In a Royal Children’s Hospital survey in 2015, Australian parents listed “excessive screen time” as their number one concern so we ask the experts what the effects on children of combined school and home use are.

Insight teams up with Dr Michael Mosley and some of Australia’s leading exercise experts to dissect the most common messages around exercise and ask how do you know what’s best for you?

How can we use exercise to combat chronic health conditions? Around 11 million Australians have one of eight major chronic conditions – that’s almost half the population. Conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental illness can develop in many ways but lack of physical activity is a primary risk factor. In part two of Insight’s exercise special - we examine the role of exercise in treating chronic health conditions and ask, is exercise really medicine?

How can your attention impact your life and can you change it?

What's it like to grow up in isolation?

From Fortnite to Candy Crush, for many people video games are a source of entertainment, relaxation, a chance to build friendships, or a career. But for a minority, games can be a problem. With 67 per cent of Australians playing video games, and 97 per cent of households with children having video games, Insight asks, “how much is too much? When does video gaming stop being fun?”

What is the impact of working on criminal trials? Chief Counsel of Victoria Legal Aid, Tim Marsh, says defending the seemingly indefensible is just part of the job. He recently represented notorious pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale on 20 counts of child sexual assault. “I was called all manner of names and had accusations levelled at me,” Tim says. “I’ve been spat at, I’ve been abused by a family of victims outside court.” Bill Hosking, former public defender and judge, represented one of the five men charged with the gruesome murder and sexual assault of Anita Cobby. It was a brief he wished he never received, but it was his duty.

Life can change in an instant. And in that instant, many hopes and dreams can be cruelly snatched away. When we’re hit with catastrophic injuries, how and where do we even begin to move forward and rebuild our lives?

Insight explores who’s getting prenups, and how binding are they?

This humorous and surprising episode examines what it’s like to look for love and companionship after the age of 60.

How do you know if you have chronic fatigue syndrome and how do you manage it?

What happens when you get more than you bargained for from a DNA test?

In this rare discussion, Insight puts the children of Australia’s inmates front and centre to share what it is like for young people when their parents are incarcerated.

This Insight episode hears from anxiety sufferers about what is helping them beat their anxiety.

This Insight, hears from gifted children, their parents and teachers about how you identify a gifted child, and what the best approach is in the classroom and beyond, so they can reach their potential.

What is endometriosis, and why do we still know so little about it?