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Environment 8 min read

Partnering to solve the Pacific plastics plight

by Penny Harnett

Microplastics are notoriously hard to detect but their impact is significant. How deep is the problem in the Pacific Ocean? Scientists from Australia and Samoa teamed up to find out.

Arts, Culture and Society 5 min read

Who invented the flat white? Italian sugar farmers from regional Queensland likely played a big role

by Garritt Van Dyk - Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences (History)

Australia’s coffee culture – a source of great national pride – is usually associated with the wave of Greek and Italian migrants who settled in Melbourne and Sydney following the second world war. But it was very likely in regional Queensland that one of Australia’s favourite brews first took root.

Environment 4 min read

The botanical imperialism of weeds and crops: how alien plant species on the First Fleet changed Australia

by Garritt Van Dyk - Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences (History)

Locally grown produce fills Australian shops, but almost all of these species were imported, as native as cane toads. Icons of Australian agriculture, like the Big Banana and Big Pineapple, proudly display the regions’ crops, but these are newcomers to the continent.

Business, Law and Politics 5 min read

The ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’ is exposing older Australians to the risk of financial abuse

by Julia Cook, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at The University of Newcastle, and Peta S Cook, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Tasmania

Young Australians who would have once been locked out of home ownership are increasingly relying on the so-called Bank of Mum and Dad to get a deposit or to guarantee a bank loan.

Business, Law and Politics 5 min read

The policing of LGBTQ+ people casts a long, dark shadow. Marching at Mardi Gras must be backed up with real change.

by Justin Ellis, Lecturer in the School of Law and Justice at the University of Newcastle, and Nicole L. Asquith, Professor of Policing in the School of Social Sciences at he University of Tasmania

Public trust and confidence in NSW Police has been sorely tested in the past two weeks. The charging of a police officer with the murders of a Sydney gay couple, Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, has seen shock turn to grief and then anger.

Arts, Culture and Society 5 min read

How international recognition of cultural practices could be a new way to protect refugees

by Alice Neikirk, Lecturer in the School of Law and Justice, and Ray Nickson, Senior Lecturer of Criminology in the School of Law and Justice

More than 6.6 million refugees live in camps located largely in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. In these camp communities, unique cultural practices can arise.

Health and Wellbeing 4 min read

Hate salad or veggies? Just keep eating them. Here’s how our tastebuds adapt to what we eat

by Dr Emma Beckett, Academic in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences

Do you hate salad? It’s OK if you do, there are plenty of foods in the world, and lots of different ways to prepare them.

Arts, Culture and Society 4 min read

As Aussie as vanilla slice

by Garritt Van Dyk - Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences (History)

In 1998, Victorian premier Jeff Kennett visited a town in regional Victoria and said he had discovered, in his opinion, the best vanilla slice in Australia at the local bakery.

Health and Wellbeing 3 min read

Curious Kids: why do some farts smell and some don’t? And why do some farts feel hot?

by Professor Clare Collins, Professor of NHMRC Investigator Fellow in the School of Health Sciences (Nutrition and Dietetics)

Why do some farts smell and some don’t, and some feel hot? – Kian, age 6, from Maleny in Queensland

Health and Wellbeing 4 min read

Thinking of trying a detox? Here’s what you need to know first

by Professor Clare Collins, Professor of NHMRC Investigator Fellow in the School of Health Sciences (Nutrition and Dietetics)

What is a “detox”? It’s a process that involves using particular products, diets or other detoxification methods to try and rid the body of so-called “toxins”.

Arts, Culture and Society 11 min read

Young Catholics seek new ways to ‘do church’

by Gemma Wolk

During a time of promising reformation in the Catholic church, unparalleled new insight into the thoughts and feelings of Catholic women has revealed a hunger for radical change.

Health and Wellbeing 4 min read

‘That’s getting a bit wild, kids!’ Why children love to play-fight and why it is good for them

by Emily Freeman

"That’s getting a bit wild, kids! Why don’t you play something quieter?" How often have you found yourself saying something like this to your children as they’re rolling around on the lounge room floor?

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