Resources for Journalists

Escaping exploitation with nowhere to go: Barriers in accommodating survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery

Publicly released: Tue 4 Jul 2023 at 1220 AEST, 1420 NZST

The Anti-Trafficking Review

We know we are in the middle of a severe housing crisis, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected housing affordability and the availability of rental properties and accommodation Read more about Escaping exploitation with nowhere to go: Barriers in accommodating survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery

Coronavirus inflammatory marker testing could save lives

Publicly released: Tue 4 Jul 2023 at 1123 AEST, 1323 NZST

Frontiers in Immunology

With vaccinations leading to high levels of population immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organization recently highlighted the decreasing trend in COVID-19 deaths, the decline in COVID-19 Read more about Coronavirus inflammatory marker testing could save lives

Voluntourism still a 'neo-colonial practice' despite new focus on cultural exchange

Publicly released: Fri 30 Jun 2023 at 1010 AEST, 1210 NZST

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Voluntourism is a controversial mix of overseas volunteer work and more traditional tourist experiences that before the Covid-19 pandemic some estimated to be a US$2 billion industry annually. Read more about Voluntourism still a 'neo-colonial practice' despite new focus on cultural exchange

Rising monkey and pig populations pose human disease risk

Publicly released: Fri 30 Jun 2023 at 0938 AEST, 1138 NZST

Biological Reviews

The wildlife origins of the COVID-19 pandemic show that mammals in human-modified ecosystems often host high pathogen loads and pose serious zoonotic disease risks,” he said. ... The research is Read more about Rising monkey and pig populations pose human disease risk

How COVID-19 affected dental services in Fiji

Publicly released: Fri 30 Jun 2023 at 0800 AEST, 1000 NZST

PLOS ONE

COVID-19 has had a big impact on how dental clinics practice, given how the virus spreads, but no research has been done until now about how the pandemic affected services ... They report that most Fijian Read more about How COVID-19 affected dental services in Fiji

New drug could one day treat long COVID and prevent re-infection

Publicly released: Tue 27 Jun 2023 at 1900 AEST, 2100 NZST

Nature Communications

A new drug developed by QIMR Berghofer could transform the treatment of COVID-19 by potentially protecting against infection by any SARS-CoV-2 variant and reversing the persistent inflammation that Read more about New drug could one day treat long COVID and prevent re-infection

Customising the fit of respirator facepieces proves a good measure

Publicly released: Tue 27 Jun 2023 at 1136 AEST, 1336 NZST

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

Working with public hospital workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Chapman with clinician and cardiac electrophysiology scientist at Flinders, Professor Anand Ganesan, led the project to compare Read more about Customising the fit of respirator facepieces proves a good measure

Even a mild COVID-19 infection may reduce sperm quality months later

Publicly released: Mon 26 Jun 2023 at 1915 AEST, 2115 NZST

European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Núñez-Calonge. It is known that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can affect the testicles and sperm, but the mechanism is still unknown. ... It should be mentioned that impairment of semen parameters may not be due Read more about Even a mild COVID-19 infection may reduce sperm quality months later

Yeast dust makes a cheap, fast virus test

Publicly released: Mon 26 Jun 2023 at 0001 AEST, 0201 NZST

Nature Nanotechnology

Researchers from The University of Queensland have made a dust from baker’s yeast that can detect COVID-19 and could safeguard communities against future pandemics. ... AIBN research fellow Dr Read more about Yeast dust makes a cheap, fast virus test

1.3 billion people will be living with diabetes by 2050, and the gap is widening for First Nations Aussies

Publicly released: Fri 23 Jun 2023 at 1030 AEST, 1230 NZST

The Lancet and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified diabetes inequity globally, with people with diabetes 50% more likely to develop severe infection and twice as likely to die compared to those without diabetes, Read more about 1.3 billion people will be living with diabetes by 2050, and the gap is widening for First Nations Aussies

Bee disease offers rare insights into RNA virus origins

Publicly released: Thu 22 Jun 2023 at 1600 AEST, 1800 NZST

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

The study offers a rare insight in the origins of an RNA virus which, as we’ve seen through the COVID-19 pandemic, can be notoriously tricky to isolate,” Professor Mikheyev ... These mites carry the Read more about Bee disease offers rare insights into RNA virus origins

Tackling viruses with pandemic potential

Publicly released: Thu 22 Jun 2023 at 0830 AEST, 1030 NZST

Nature Communications

Dr Isaacs said the virus caused fever and severe respiratory symptoms and was from the same class of viruses as the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses. ... We saw with COVID-19 how unprepared the world was Read more about Tackling viruses with pandemic potential

Urgent action needed to further improve child survival in Ethiopia

Publicly released: Thu 22 Jun 2023 at 0400 AEST, 0600 NZST

PLOS Global Public Health

With Ethiopia’s mortality rates two and three times those figures, the country is unlikely to reach those targets. ... Given the study uses data prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent civil war Read more about Urgent action needed to further improve child survival in Ethiopia

Deep sea dive from a desk uncovers three new species

Publicly released: Fri 16 Jun 2023 at 1615 AEST, 1815 NZST

Zootaxa

The Schmidt Ocean Institute voyage ‘Seamounts, Canyons & Reefs of the Coral SeaCruise’ was in 2020 and there was a lot of uncertainty with regards to travelling during the COVID epandemic,” Dr Read more about Deep sea dive from a desk uncovers three new species

Lessons learned from New Zealand's ‘genomic journey’ through the COVID-19 pandemic

Publicly released: Fri 16 Jun 2023 at 1143 AEST, 1343 NZST

BMC Medicine

New Zealand scientists at the forefront of our COVID-19 pandemic response say the lessons learned from our world-leading genomic surveillance programmes could be useful in the looming crisis of Read more about Lessons learned from New Zealand's ‘genomic journey’ through the COVID-19 pandemic

Chinese Daigou shoppers a new type of entrepreneur

Publicly released: Thu 15 Jun 2023 at 1345 AEST, 1545 NZST

Journal of Business Venturing Insights

Even with restrictions on international travel caused by the global COVID pandemic, Daigou has flourished and remains a vital and lucrative channel, with an estimated trade of between US$40bn to Read more about Chinese Daigou shoppers a new type of entrepreneur

Video games spark exciting new frontier in neuroscience

Publicly released: Wed 14 Jun 2023 at 1300 AEST, 1500 NZST

Nature Communications

Dr Tristan Wallis and Professor Frederic Meunier from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute came up with the idea while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. ... Individual proteins bounce and move in a Read more about Video games spark exciting new frontier in neuroscience

Lung and heart stem cell research paves way for new COVID-19 treatments

Publicly released: Wed 14 Jun 2023 at 0100 AEST, 0300 NZST

Stem Cell Reports

Lung and heart stem cell research paves way for new COVID-19 treatmentsResearch at a Glance:Melbourne researchers have used heart and lung stem cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 to ... SARS-CoV-2 primarily Read more about Lung and heart stem cell research paves way for new COVID-19 treatments

Sports injury hospitalisations return to pre-COVID-19 trends

Publicly released: Wed 14 Jun 2023 at 0001 AEST, 0201 NZST

injury hospitalisations largely in line with pre-COVID-19 trends – according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). ... In response to COVID-19 lockdowns and the Read more about Sports injury hospitalisations return to pre-COVID-19 trends

Addressing challenges to social cohesion in Aotearoa

Publicly released: Tue 13 Jun 2023 at 0300 AEST, 0500 NZST

Covid was an interesting test case of both disengagement and engagement. ... Older alliances, collaborations and ways of working together (such as the King Movement and the Māori Churches), have declined. Read more about Addressing challenges to social cohesion in Aotearoa