Research stories
From microscopic things, big ideas grow
Using a new technique that she and her thesis supervisor pioneered, Aleese Barron has discovered that sorghum and pearl millet were domesticated several hundred years earlier than previously determined. Sorghum is one of the most important cereal crops in the world behind rice, wheat, and barley…
ANU archaeologist awarded top honour for life's work
An Emeritus Professor with the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology whose work has changed the way we think about early human life has been honoured with a prestigious science prize. Archaeologist Peter Bellwood's research explored how farming spread around the globe, the formation…
Girl power: Celebrating and reclaiming girlhood
Combatting misogyny is a long and complex project. It begins, Ashley Remer says, with girlhood. The PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural Research program at the Australian National University is the founder of Girl Museum, the first and only museum in the world dedicated to…
Study offers new clues on domestication
If you've ever wondered how your beloved pet pooch came to look so different from its wild relatives, biologists now have another piece of the puzzle. A new study, led by Dr Laura Wilson from the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology looked closely at six pairs of domestic and wild…
Greater risk for babies born during natural disasters
Pregnant women exposed to natural disasters such as volcanoes are more likely to give birth prematurely, according to a new study by scholars from the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology. The study looked at pregnant women who've been evacuated from villages near Mount Sinabung volcano in…
Unearthing artistic talent in archaeology and anthropology
The artists behind the exhibition ‘Unearthed’ are more accustomed to plying their trade with trowels, microscopes, and a good notebook rather than paints and canvases. That’s because the featured artists are students and staff in archaeology and anthropology at ANU. The exhibition shows the…
A ‘treasure’ map of Indigenous history in Australia
A new project at The Australian National University (ANU) shifts from the Australian history told from our colonial beginnings to one told by Aboriginal people, with stories that connect their recent past to the ancient history of their traditional lands. Under the direction of the ANU Research…