Research stories
No ape jape: gibbons need protection from COVID-19 too
Experts studying how tourism affects wild gibbons say visitors should wear PPE masks and have health checks before visiting them. While tourism to wild gibbon populations halted with the first COVID-19 lockdowns, tour operators in Cambodia and China are gearing up to resume visits. The…
Investing in early fire detection could save $8 billion
Early bushfire detection could save the Australian economy $8.2 billion over the next 30 years, according to new modelling from The Australian National University (ANU). The research, led by the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, examined how much money would be saved between…
Indigenous education strategy failing remote communities
A policy where remote Indigenous students board 'off country' to advance education opportunities is having the reverse effect, a major new report warns. The report, the first of its kind and led by Dr Marnie O'Bryan and Dr William Fogarty from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (…
Worry increases, distancing decreases with COVID second wave
Victoria's COVID-19 second-wave outbreak and related lockdown has seen a spike in anxiety and worry among Australians everywhere, but particularly in Victoria, new data from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. The latest survey forms part of the ANU Centre for Social Research…
Indigenous banana cultivation dates back over 2,000 years
ANU archaeologists from the ANU Achool of Archaeology and Anthropology have found the earliest evidence of Indigenous communities cultivating bananas more than 2,000 years ago. The evidence of cultivation and plant management dates back 2,145 years and was found at Wagadagam on the tiny island of…
Brando’s atoll was holiday getaway for Tahitian royalty
A paradise lost has been re-discovered by on the tiny Pacific atoll of Teti'aroa, once owned by Hollywood icon Marlon Brando. The finds from ANU include two rarely-seen archery platforms and a huge open-air altar, likely used for ceremonial purposes and ritual offerings…
Stress and finances worse off during pandemic
Almost one in two Australians, 47 per cent, say they are more stressed because of the COVID-19 crisis, according to new data from The Australian National University (ANU). The findings also show three in 10 Australians say their finances have worsened during the pandemic. The report is based on a…