The Latest Breaking News from Flinders University

Controversial claims about extinct humans are stirring up evolution research. Here's how the mess could have been avoided

In June, researchers led by palaeoanthropologist Lee Berger published sensational claims about an extinct human species called Homo naledi online and in the Netflix documentary Unknown: Cave of Bones. They argued the small-brained H. naledi buried their dead in Rising Star Cave in South Africa more than 240,000 years ago,…

The Conversation · Nov 30, 2023

Giant eagles and scavenging vultures shared the skies of ancient Australia

Today, Australia is home to 17 species of hawks and eagles. But the fossil record shows some other, rather special raptors were present in the relatively recent past.

The Conversation · Nov 16, 2023

Prehistoric Australian vultures and eagles brought to life in ‘gory’ new painting

Flinders University palaeontologists use new details about ancient raptors to paint a more complete picture of Pleistocene-era Australia

The Guardian - AU · Nov 16, 2023

Doggy Detectives Could Provide Vital DNA Evidence

Investigators may need to consider dogs as a vector for indirect transfer of human DNA within particular scenarios.

Zenger · Aug 21, 2023

Intake to the National Institute of Circus Arts has been ‘paused’. Where to next for Australia's performing arts training?

The 2024 intake into the Bachelors-level degree at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) has been “paused”, reportedly on the grounds of financial viability and “strategic alignment” with Swinburne University, which has auspiced NICA since 1995.

The Conversation · Jul 5, 2023

Minors bypass age restrictions to access dating apps

A Flinders University study has found children as young as 12 are bypassing age restrictions so they can access dating apps on the internet.

AAP · Jun 27, 2023

Sierra Leone has been at peace for 20 years after a brutal civil war - what went right

Sierra Leone’s June 2023 parliamentary elections are the fifth since the end of the civil war in 2002.

The Conversation · Jun 22, 2023

Ancient Indigenous cutting tools found off WA coast

Indigenous leaders are urging increased funding for cultural dives, with 9000-year-old Aboriginal cutting tools discovered off the coast of Western Australia.

AAP · Jun 21, 2023

Mysterious rock art painted by Aboriginal people depicts Indonesian warships, study suggests

Archaeologists may have solved the mystery of the origins of two boat paintings detailed inside a cave in Australia.

LiveScience · Jun 14, 2023

Meet the biggest and most bizarre skink ever found in Australia. It became extinct 47,000 years ago

Many of the giant marsupials and birds that roamed ancient Australia had vanished by 40,000 years ago. While the duration and drivers of these extinctions remain debated, fossils clearly show the continent lost a host of creatures which would have dwarfed humans, such as short-faced kangaroos, diprotodons, “thunder birds” and…

The Conversation · Jun 13, 2023