Research stories

Search filters
16
Sep
2025

Oldest evidence of mummification uncovered by ANU experts

The earliest known evidence of mummification has been uncovered by archaeologists at The Australian National University (ANU), with the remains from burials at sites across southeastern Asia dating back more than 10,000 years. According to the researchers, it was common for ancient hunter-…

05
Sep
2025

This ANU researcher is pulling back the curtain on Big Tech’s promises

Technology promises progress, but Dr Thao Phan wants us to question who really benefits from it.This story was originally published on ANU Reporter and written by Luis Perez. Dr Thao Phan doesn’t claim to have a superhero origin story.  “I’m not Steve Jobs,” she says. “I can’t…

22
Aug
2025

Meet Robert: a life gilded in punk couture, queer expression and royal opulence

Associate Professor Robert Wellington is using art history to speak truth to power. Since his teens, fashion has served as a kind of armour for Robert Wellington – a way of wearing self-confidence on his sleeve.  He still remembers one of the first times his dad gave him money to go…

Photo of Dr Filip Slaveski
22
Aug
2025

Under the shadow of war: an ANU historian’s mission to mend Ukraine’s social fabric

Dr Filip Slaveski is tracing the echoes of history to help offer Ukrainians a path towards recovery. How do you rebuild a country when hundreds of kamikaze drones fall from the sky every other day? How do you repair the homes of millions displaced, the roads they once travelled, or the…

06
Aug
2025

Building bridges across the Global South

ANU is helping Catalina Torres untangle the numbers behind Latin America's rapid demographic transition. This story was originally published in ANU Reporter. When Associate Professor Catalina Torres was awarded a fellowship to conduct research in Australia, her colleagues in Uruguay did…

29
Jul
2025

First-of-its-kind study reveals psychological toll of war in Gaza extends far beyond the region

Article by Dr Aino Sumi. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is having a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of Australian women who migrated from directly impacted countries, or have family ties to the region, according to researchers from UNSW Sydney and The Australian…

17
Jun
2025

Rare archival photographs commemorate a pivotal moment of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) history

Written by Erika McGown. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a collection of archival photographs is an entire library of memories. Fifty years ago, a group of Japanese researchers – known as the Torres Strait Kenkyūkai – travelled to Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait), visiting every…