Research stories
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…
There’s another health crisis looming – what happens when the pokies switch back on?
When the COVID-19 restrictions came into force more than two months ago, it meant lights out for the country’s 200,000 poker machines. Now, the pokies are slowly turning on again across the country. This week, NSW became the first state to allow venues to reopen, with certain rules mandating…
Why good leaders need to hold the hose: how history might read Morrison’s coronavirus leadership
What does political leadership look like in a pandemic? Many of us probably carry images in our heads of what good leadership might be in a depression or a war. But before 2020 few of us would have had any conception of what political leadership might look like during a life-threatening public…
Self-employed Australians’ hours have fallen 32% since coronavirus hit – double the impact on all employees
Australia Bureau of Statistics data has confirmed the massive economic hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, with total hours worked across the economy officially falling 9% between early March and early April 2020. Our analysis, using data from the quarterly ANUpoll, suggests the self-employed have…
Singing the unsayable
Dr Bonnie McConnell’s new book opens with the musician Fatou singing the unsayable. “You know I am HIV positive and taking my treatment. Don’t worry, let’s join hands and fight the virus.” It’s 2007 in the Gambia, and Dr McConnell was onstage playing keyboard next to Fatou. In the front row of…