Research stories
White wine and lorazepam: the ‘innocent’ face of addiction
CASS research shows not all addictions are treated equally by the media. Less stigmatised reporting could save lives. Originally published in ANU Reporter - By Luis Perez. “I don’t even have my lorazepam. I’m going to have to drink myself to sleep.” It’s one of the most viral lines…
Breaking barriers: Professor Samantha Bennett recognised for championing under-represented students
Professor Samantha Bennett always saw higher education as alien territory. Growing up in a working-class household where no one in her family had been to university, she attended what she describes as “an incredibly rowdy comprehensive school”, and left with grades that didn’t reflect her…
Teen boys, misogyny, and violence – could Adolescence be Australia’s wake-up call?
The TV series Adolescence might feel like dystopian fiction, but it could be closer to reality than we think. Article by Luis Perez, originally published in ANU Reporter. The Netflix show Adolescence isn’t your typical binge-worthy comfort watch. The limited series, which…
Hail Caesar or heil Hitler? Why politicians hijack classical culture
Pictures are worth a thousand words – our leaders know it. But how much of their visual identity is 'borrowed' from the Roman Empire? By Luis Perez, originally published in ANU Reporter. Elon Musk, the world’s most talked-about billionaire, shocked audiences in January with a…
Within seconds there was a dolphin right underneath me
Article by Joseph Carbone. When Canberra flautist Sally Walker was 25 she went on a dolphin dive organised by a friend. “She said ‘next time bring your flute, they love music’,” Walker says. “So, 30 years later I finally got around to it.” During the pandemic in 2021, soon after…
From Colombia to Australia: A Global South Fellowship Story
By Erika McGown. What happens when your job doesn’t just exhaust your time – but your body, your health, even your future? That’s the urgent question driving the research of Associate Professor Oscar Javier Maldonado Castañeda, a sociologist from Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá,…
The secret lives of brown snakes: how a university vet supports wildlife research
Written by Phillis Zeng. It’s peak snake season between September and April each year. Among the species inhabiting the region, brown snakes are the most commonly found in Canberra – exceptionally well adapted to urban ecosystems – and highly feared and maligned due to their proximity to…