A faulty ion channel function is a consistent biological feature of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), providing long-awaited validation for hundreds of thousands of Australians living with the debilitating illness.
The new Griffith University research found a crucial cellular structure responsible for calcium transport, the TRPM3 ion channel, was faulty in immune cells from people with ME/CFS.
Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
Director and senior author, Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik from Griffith’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED), said the TRPM3 played an essential role in calcium transport into cells, regulating responses properly in the body, immune function, and maintaining normal cellular balance.
“When it fails, cells cannot function properly as calcium signalling is essential for healthy immune cell activity,” Professor Marshall-Gradisnik said.
“Our findings provide clear and definitive scientific evidence that TRPM3 ion channels are not working properly in people with ME/CFS.”
Using a gold-standard technique, the team confirmed a significant and reproducible reduction in TRPM3 activity in ME/CFS patients compared with healthy individuals, regardless of location, laboratory, or operator.
Professor Marshall-Gradisnik said reproducing results in another laboratory more than 4,000 kilometres apart showed just how robust this discovery was.
PhD candidate Etianne Sasso
Lead author Dr Etianne Sasso said the discovery strengthened global scientific efforts to understand ME/CFS and validated the lived experiences of patients who had long struggled for recognition.
“These results provide further evidence for developing a diagnostic test for ME/CFS, and will also guide us toward new therapeutic targets, which could eventually lead to treatments which improve cellular function and overall quality of life for patients,” she said.
Dr Sasso said people with ME/CFS had been facing stigma, disbelief and uncertainty, and the research showed their cells behaved differently in measurable ways.
“The faulty ion channels act like ‘stuck doors’, preventing cells from receiving the calcium they need,” she said.
Dr Peter Smith, a clinician who treats ME/CFS patients, said the findings were an important step forward for medical practice.
“This research provides concrete biological evidence that supports what patients have been describing for decades,” he said.
“Knowing there is a measurable cellular dysfunction helps us recognise ME/CFS as a legitimate medical condition and improves confidence in patient care.
“This breakthrough brings real hope for future treatment options.”
ME/CFS symptoms included profound, persistent exhaustion; post-exertional malaise, pain, cognitive difficulties, dizziness, temperature instability and sensory sensitivity, severely restricting day-to-day functioning, education, employment and social participation.
The study was conducted across independent laboratory sites on the Gold Coast and in Perth, with participants recruited from South East Queensland, North East New South Wales, and Western Australia.
The study received funding support from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation.
The paper ‘Large-scale investigation confirms TRPM3 ion channel dysfunction in ME/CFS’ has been published in Frontiers in Medicine.
Could we – that is, Homo sapiens – and an archaic and now-extinct species of early human have lived alongside each other on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi more than 65,000 years ago?
This is the question posed by an international team of archaeologists after several seasons of excavations at Leang Bulu Bettue, a limestone cave in the Maros-Pangkep karst area of southern Sulawesi.
And, if it turns out the answer to this conundrum confirms the overlapping timelines of our species and another type of human, could they have met and interacted with each other?
The results of this new study, led by Griffith University and published in PLOS One, reveal, for the first time, a deep sequence of archaeological deposits extending to at least eight metres below the current ground surface – layers that preserve traces of human activity far older than the arrival of our own species on Sulawesi.
In contrast, modern humans (Homo sapiens) are thought to have reached the island at some stage prior to the initial peopling of Australia about 65,000 years ago.
“The depth and continuity of the cultural sequence at Leang Bulu Bettue now positions this cave as a flagship site for investigating whether these two human lineages overlapped in time,” said Griffith PhD candidate Basran Burhan, an archaeologist from South Sulawesi, who led the study under supervisor Professor Adam Brumm from Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE).
Excavations conducted since 2013, with funding from the Australian Research Council and Griffith University, revealed a uniquely long and well-preserved record of human occupation, with the deepest and oldest such evidence dating to earlier than 132,300-208,400 thousand years ago.
Among the most striking findings of this early human occupation was evidence for animal butchery and stone artefact production – including distinctive, heavy-duty stone tools known as ‘picks’ – all made long before our species had left Africa.
“These activities appear to represent an archaic hominin cultural tradition that persisted on Sulawesi well into the Late Pleistocene,” Professor Brumm said.
“By around 40,000 years ago, however, the archaeological record shows a dramatic shift.”
An earlier occupation phase, defined by cobble-based core and flake technologies, and faunal assemblages dominated by dwarf bovids (anoas, labrador-sized wild cattle that are endemic to Sulawesi) alongside now-extinct Asian straight-tusked elephants, was replaced by a new cultural phase.
“This later phase featured a distinct technological toolkit, and the earliest known evidence for artistic expression and symbolic behaviour on the island – hallmarks associated with modern humans,” Mr Burhan said.
“The distinct behavioural break between these phases may reflect a major demographic and cultural transition on Sulawesi, specifically the arrival of our species in the local environment and the replacement of the earlier hominin population.”
PhD Candidate Basran Burhan
The research team suggested Leang Bulu Bettue could provide the first direct archaeological evidence for chronological overlap – and possible interaction – between earlier humans and Homo sapiens in Wallacea.
These findings highlighted the critical importance of Sulawesi for understanding human evolution in Island Southeast Asia, and opened new avenues for exploring how different human species coexisted, adapted, then disappeared.
“That is why doing archaeological research in Sulawesi is so exciting,” Professor Brumm said.
“For example, you could dig as deep as you like at an Australian site and you’ll never find evidence for human occupation prior to the arrival of our species, because Australia was only ever inhabited by Homo sapiens.
“But there were hominins in Sulawesi for a million years before we showed up, so if you dig deep enough, you might go back in time to the point where two human species came face-to-face.”
To add to the anticipation, the team has also not yet reached the bottom of the cultural deposits at the site.
“There may be several more metres of archaeological layers below the deepest level we have excavated at Leang Bulu Bettue thus far,” Mr Burhan said.
“Further work at this site could therefore reveal new discoveries that will change our understanding of the early human story on this island, and perhaps more widely.”
Maintaining a bedroom temperature of 24°C at night while sleeping reduces stress responses in older adults, according to new Griffith University research.
Dr Fergus O’Connor
Dr Fergus O’Connor from Griffith’s School of Allied Health, Sport and Social Work assessed the effect of increasing nighttime bedroom temperatures on heart rate and stress responses in older adults.
“For individuals aged 65 years and over, maintaining overnight bedroom temperatures at 24°C reduced the likelihood of experiencing heightened stress responses during sleep,” Dr O’Connor said.
“When the human body is exposed to heat, its normal physiological response is to increase the heart rate.
“The heart is working harder to try and circulate blood to the skin surface for cooling.
“However, when the heart works harder and for longer, it creates stress and limits our capacity to recover from the previous day’s heat exposure.”
Study participants wore fitness activity trackers on their non-dominant wrist, and the bedroom temperature was monitored via installed temperature sensors throughout the Australian summer-long data collection period.
The data from the study provided the first real-world evidence of the effect of increasing bedroom temperature had on heart rate and stress responses.
“Climate change is increasing the frequency of hot nights, which may independently contribute to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by impairing sleep and autonomic recovery,” Dr O’Connor said.
“While there are guidelines for maximum daytime indoor temperature, 26°C, there are no equivalent recommendations for nighttime conditions.”
The paper ‘Effect of nighttime bedroom temperature on heart rate variability in older adults: an observational study’ has been published in BMC Medicine.07
Integrating nature-based therapies into clinical health care could help to address global declines in mental health, a Griffith University study published in Nature Mental Health has found.
With global rates of stress, anxiety and depression continuing to rise, researchers found the delivery of nature-guided experiences through existing healthcare frameworks would offer a scalable, evidence-based solution.
Lead author Professor Emeritus Ralf Buckley from the School of Environment and Science said the mental health benefits of exposure to nature were well documented, but access remained limited.
School of Environment and Science Professor Emeritus Ralf Buckley.
“Nature-based therapies are not currently funded anywhere in the world as a national-scale response to poor mental health,” Professor Buckley said.
“For those who could benefit, barriers such as cost, mobility, distance, and psychological challenges often prevent access, and these could be overcome by embedding nature therapy into clinical healthcare.
“Evidence shows one-third of urban residents in developed nations andtwo-thirds in newly industrialised countries never visit national parks.”
Co-author Professor Paula Brough from the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing said the findings make a case for nature-based clinical mental healthcare to sit alongside existing treatments such as medication and counselling under the banner of occupational therapy.
Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing Director Professor Paula Brough
“Occupational therapy is a well-established allied health profession, supported by current funding and regulatory frameworks, and it could provide a practical pathway for individuals with clinically diagnosed mental health conditions to engage in nature-based therapy,” Professor Brough said.
“Evidence shows exposure to nature improves mental health conditions, but nature experiences designed to improve mental health are not yet incorporated in regulated clinical healthcare.
“Nature-based treatment requires multiple hours of exposure on a regular basis, and sessions are typically guided by a therapist or facilitator, conducted in small groups, for several hours each week over a sustained period.”
As a young research assistant more than 30 years ago, Professor Mark Kennard joined Professor Brad Pusey in Far North Queensland to explore the humid, dense and remote catchments of the Bloomfield River.
The purpose of this 1993 fieldwork was to survey the little-known Bloomfield River fish fauna as part of a larger study of the freshwater fish diversity of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, following its declaration as a World Heritage Area in 1988.
Professors Brad Pusey and Mark Kennard electrofishing in the early 1990s.
What they ended up discovering during this rugged mission was entirely unforeseen.
“It’s not every day you get to uncover a new species, but Brad and I did just that on this trip more than three decades ago,” said Professor Kennard, who is now Deputy Director of Griffith University’s Australian Rivers Institute.
“We camped every night for three rainy months to sample most rivers of the Wet Tropics.
“That’s when we collected this little fish with a blue-green tinge that we hadn’t seen before; we didn’t know what it was, it didn’t ‘key out’ in a taxonomic sense.
“Once we got a preserved sample back to the lab and analysed it, we knew it was a new species, which is really exciting as a scientist.”
Introducing the Bloomfield River cod
Scientifically named Guyu wujalwujalensis by Professors Kennard and Pusey in recognition of the region’s Traditional Owners, the Kuku-Yalanji Aboriginal people and nearby Wujal Wujal community on the Bloomfield River, the Bloomfield River cod is one of Australia’s rarest and most geographically isolated freshwater fish.
Jabalbina Ranger Eric Murgha holds a Bloomfield River cod.
From the team’s previous survey work, the species is currently found only within a small section of the Bloomfield River channel and some tributary streams, and is the only tropical representative of its family, 1,500km north of its nearest relative.
“But there is still so much we don’t know about it,” said Professor Pusey, now an Adjunct researcher at the Australian Rivers Institute.
“From a sample of 10 individuals, we know what it ate – that’s about it. We need to learn more about their ecology, distribution, reproduction and genetics.
“We need to know these things to better understand and manage the impacts of invasive species and of floods.
“We’re now getting a better idea of their habitat requirements, such as the large, tumbled rock slabs they like to dwell within.
“But that’s not a lot to know about a little fish, and certainly not a lot at present to ensure its continued survival.”
Humble beginnings to multi-partner project
Now, with a renewed focus on managing the Wet Tropics of Queensland, the Bloomfield River cod research project is supported by the Australian Government through the National Environmental Science Program (Resilient Landscapes Hub) and through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
The field research teams from Griffith University and James Cook University were supported on site by the Jabalbina-Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation Rangers and Terrain Natural Resource Management.
The collaborative project, led by Professor Kennard of Griffith University in partnership with Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation and stakeholders, aims to inform management and conservation of this rare and threatened fish species, and manage these threats through science and Traditional Owner knowledge.
Eastern Kuku-Yalanji Traditional Owner Bobby Kulka.
Bobby Kulka, Eastern Kuku-Yalanji Traditional Owner, said working with the scientific research team and project partners had been vital to supporting two-way learning between traditional custodians and scientists, and increase awareness within their communities and skills to care for the species.
“We had no notion of the species until we started working with the research team,” Mr Kulka said.
“It’s been really important, now that we know they’re here and that they’re thriving, we can take that knowledge down to the younger generation and into the schools.
“This is our fish, and we need to take care of them, look after the ecosystem, and be proud of the work that’s going on.
“We all learn so much from each other and it’s vital for the species; they’ve been here for a long time and we want them to be here for a long time.”
Why is this little cod special?
The Bloomfield River cod is isolated to the river between the downstream Bloomfield Falls and the upstream Roaring Meg Falls.
As such, it has one of the most geographically limited distributions of any of the region’s freshwater fishes.
A Bloomfield River cod caught by Professor Mark Kennard and Brad Pusey in the 1990s.
It is thought to be a relict species and may date back to the early Miocene around 20 million years ago.
It could represent what remains of a previously more widespread fauna that is now confined to temperate and sub-tropical regions.
However, recent threats, including the introduction of non-native fish and extreme flood events (such as Tropical Cyclone Jasper in 2023), are putting the species at risk.
Professor Kennard said its population was highly vulnerable due to its isolation, likely low genetic diversity, and potential inability to cope with introduced species or extreme events.
“It’s a relict, ancient population that’s never had to deal with more modern threats coming into the catchments,” he said.
“So, we need better knowledge to help us understand what we can do to maintain this unique species into the future, and working with the Jabalbina Yalanji Indigenous Rangers is a wonderful way to help achieve that.”
Into the wild with new technology
From multiple sampling trips in recent years, the research team has now surveyed more locations throughout the Bloomfield River catchment, finding the cod in previously unexplored stream sites thanks to the guidance of the Jabalbina Rangers team in Wujal Wujal.
When Professors Pusey and Kennard first discovered the cod during their 1993 fieldwork, surveying sites and sampling was much more challenging without the use of modern technologies routinely used today.
Wujal Wujal Falls.
In those days, the team relied on paper topographic maps for navigation and sampled the fish with a bucket, nets and a very heavy backpack electric fishing device.
“When Brad and I did this 30 years ago, it was just the two of us in a vehicle – we were probably lucky to make it back out,” Professor Kennard said.
“This kind of science is not possible without our team of collaborators and our Jabalbina Rangers team.
“We’re working in quite a remote part of northern Australia on their country; it’s a long drive in, but it wouldn’t be possible to explore these beautiful creeks, rainforests and eucalypt forests without these teams behind us.”
During their most recent fieldwork, the research team from both Griffith and JCU employed the use of electrofishing, underwater cameras and snorkelling, drones and environmental DNA sampling to determine the distribution and abundance of fish species in the river.
They also recorded data on water quality and habitat conditions, and collected samples of the Bloomfield River cod and its food sources for later laboratory analysis.
“The damaging effects of extreme floods associated with Tropical Cyclone Jasper were clearly evident, with significant damage to riverbank vegetation,” Professor Kennard said.
The stream channel had also been greatly scoured with a substantial loss of submerged wood, leading to a significant change in fish habitat structure.”
Cyclone and flooding impacts to the scoured catchments and riparian vegetation can be seen from above.
Compounded with the storm’s wake, the presence of three new introduced fish species posed an increasing threat.
Two of these species – Tully grunter (Hephaestus tulliensis) and eel-tailed catfish (Tandanus tropicanus), were native to other rivers of the Wet Tropics region, and the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) – had been introduced from overseas.
“It is unknown how, why or when these species were introduced into the Bloomfield River, but all three are now very widespread and abundant,” Professor Kennard said.
“There is therefore no doubt they pose a significant risk to the Bloomfield River cod, through competition for food and space, and the potential for predation on cod eggs and larvae.”
In the lab and beyond
With fish, water and potential food sources sampled, the next stage of the project is to find missing pieces of the Bloomfield River cod puzzle, including their genetic diversity and biology, adding exponentially to the limited knowledge of this little-known species.
Dr Kaitlyn O’Mara processes invertebrate samples, which will could determine the Bloomfield River cod’s diet.
“Working in the labs with our genetics colleagues at Griffith University, we’re hoping to be able to answer some of those questions – how many are there, what is their distribution, how genetically diverse is their population, how long do they live, when do they reproduce, what do they eat, what external factors impact them?” Professor Kennard said.
“Can we get some signals from its very interesting past by sampling its DNA in the present?”
Findings from these analyses being undertaken at both Griffith University and James Cook University are expected to be completed in 2026.
Professor Kennard hoped these outcomes would inform next steps for on-ground conservation management to ensure the persistence of the Bloomfield River cod well into the future.
Professors Brad Pusey and Mark Kennard during the recent trip.
In the interim, the research team is developing a bespoke monitoring method the Jabalbina Rangers can use to track the health of Bloomfield River cod populations and their critical habitats long after the project is finished, for “their own species in their own country”.
As to why the nation and the world should know and care about this unassuming, little fish tucked away in the Far North of Australia, Professor Pusey said the risk of losing yet another faunal species to human impacts was far too great to ignore.
“It’s a really significant part of the biodiversity of Australia, and it’s a significant part of the evolutionary history of the fauna; it’s from a southern family, it is surprising it’s up here given the current distribution of the other members of its family,” he said.
“Yes, it is only a little fish, but it’s important in its own right.
“I would liken it to say ‘why worry about tigers, or pandas’ – they’re big and charismatic, sure; but these little fish, even without the charismatic aspect for a lot of people, are equally deserving of protection.
“We shouldn’t be causing the loss of more species, simply because we subjectively place a higher value on them than others.
“So, there is a chance here to do something of really great value.”
People rely on their memories to provide details of events that happen in their lives. But it can often be hard to retrieve the details when feeling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed by emotions.
Researchers at Griffith University are focused on helping victims of traumatic crimes to better remember and report their experiences. Their recent focus is on achieving justice for adult survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The Centre for Investigative Interviewing has received a boost to pursue this important work thanks to a major philanthropic donation in memory of Dr Nina Westera, a police officer and then researcher who devoted her career to ensuring victims voices could be heard with clarity and integrity.
Professor Martine Powell and Dr Nina Westera
Dr Westera’s work highlighted adults who reported sexual assault and domestic violence were sometimes vulnerable to misunderstanding and miscommunication, and thus great care was needed to ensure the interview process helped them do their best.
Director of the Centre, Professor Martine Powell from Griffith Criminology Institute, acknowledged there were several challenges that needed to be addressed when interviewing victims about stressful or traumatic events.
“Historically the focus was on children and people with a cognitive impairment being classed as vulnerable. But there are often compounded problems affecting adults’ memory and willingness to report too,” she said.
“Interview frameworks used by police around the world are not always specifically designed with the unique needs of these victims in mind.
“A domestic violence victim may be worried about the consequences of reporting, for example, or they might be confused about some of the specific details due to having experienced similar prior attacks by the same perpetrator. What this funding enables us to do is follow through on Westera’s vision to develop specialised interview procedures for these witness groups.”
Understanding these issues and knowing how to address them in interviews would be a key area of focus for researchers as they built on Westera’s initial stream of work.
“To successfully prosecute a specific act of violence, it’s important that the victim is able to recall details of the incident to support the legal process,” Professor Powell said.
Dr Sonja Brubacher
“However, we know that people who experience repeated acts of violence tend to recall generic details about what typically occurred with relative ease, but have difficulty recalling specifics of an individual incident.”
Dr Sonja Brubacher (Adjunct Senior Research Fellow) together with Professor Powell, would embark on several research projects related to supporting victims of personal crimes.
Dr Brubacher noted research had already uncovered a variety of verbal and nonverbal behaviours interviewers could use to build rapport and make interviewees feel more comfortable in interviews, but recommendations to use these techniques were broad, and interviewers often struggled to know when and how to put them into practice.
“When talking to the police, it’s critical that victims feel listened to, and as comfortable as they can be, so that they can access their memories and give their best evidence,” Dr Brubacher said.
“Improving just outcomes for adult sexual assault complainants may require more simplified and streamlined police interview frameworks.
“While research in this area is growing, there are still many things we don’t understand about the supports vulnerable adult victims actually need in police interviews, and when interviewers need to provide them.
“This donation to continue Westera’s important work has real potential to make a difference for victims who come through the justice system.”
Achieving first-class honours at Griffith University is a huge achievement for anyone, but for Daniel Clarke, this extraordinary accolade is worthy of recognition.
Graduating with first-class honours, Daniel Clarke with his father, Rodney Clarke.
Daniel has cerebral palsy, though he has never let his disability stop him from achieving his goals.
Prior to his academic endeavours, Daniel has been recognised nationally and internationally for his conservation and advocacy work.
He was named the 2021 Queensland Young Australian of the Year, served as the National Ambassador for the 2021 International Day of People with Disability, and co-authored two award-winning books on orangutan conservation which were incorporated in the NSW school curriculum.
With achievements also spanning sport and public service, Daniel has represented Queensland in wheelchair rugby, appeared on ABC’s Australian Story, received a Pride of Australia Medal, and personally signed letters of recognition from former United States President Barack Obama, David Attenborough and the Princess of Wales, Princess Catherine.
“I’ve always been the type of person who doesn’t let my disability get in the way of anything I do,” Daniel said.
With a Bachelor of Social Science majoring in politics, Daniel began work on a Community Transport project as a research assistant at Griffith University, and was encouraged to incorporate this topic into a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) thesis.
Director, International (Arts, Education and Law) and Senior Lecturer, Migration and Security (School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science) Dr Samid Suliman.
Director, International (Arts, Education and Law) and Senior Lecturer, Migration and Security (School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science) Dr Samid Suliman was Daniel’s honours supervisor.
“Throughout his honours degree, Daniel paired his passion for human rights and social justice and his commitment to his academic excellence with unique research insight that can only come from researchers with lived experience of living with disability,” Dr Suliman said.
Daniel’s thesis had three areas of focus surrounding community transport which included: mapping the complex funding pathways of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Commonwealth Home Support Package, which fund community transport; analysing technological advancements in the sector; and identifying user tolerances of clients using community transport.
“Community transport has received very little attention and investigation,” Daniel said.
“My research was able to uncover and present the range of algorithms, smartphone apps and technologies currently used by community transport operators to provide an efficient service.
“When separate operators are sharing an algorithm to service the community, it provides a seamless service to customers and improves efficiency to the community transport fleet, instead of individual drivers competing for minimum distance for maximum pay off.”
This research was unique, as Daniel drew on his lived experience of disability to shape his thesis, outlining the challenges he had to overcome when completing his honours.
These challenges included disability-induced fatigue and support worker availability.
Determined to overcome these challenges, he worked closely with Griffith staff to raise awareness and find solutions to reach his goals.
“Whenever I needed a bit more time, or if I needed to take a break from work for a bit, everyone around me at Grifith has been so supportive,” Daniel said.
Dr Suliman said Daniel’s hard efforts to deliver meaningful research despite the challenges, and continue his advocacy work, was a testament to Daniel’s determination to succeed and was well deserving of achieving first-class honours.
“There’s always a pathway to achieve my dream,” Daniel said
Looking ahead, Daniel is now working with a team using quantum computing to help people with disability navigate crowds and transport at the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The project analyses pedestrian flows to minimise risk and transport routes to maximise efficiency, helping people in wheelchairs navigate high-traffic pedestrian areas and ensuring they can get to their destination in a timely fashion.
“We know we’ll get a huge number of visitors in 2032, and by using quantum computing we can effectively calculate millions of different journeys to make sure everyone can get to their destination easily and safely,” he said.
“At the moment there is a mismatch between support and demand – there is more demand for access to vehicles than there are vehicles.
“At the Paralympic games, demand will go through the roof.
“We need an algorithm to ensure people with disability don’t experience major delays, their dignity is not impacted and people with disability aren’t excluded from events.”
Ganalay and guli are species of native grasses – used as a food source and ground into a flour – that used to thrive on the black alluvial soil plains of Moree, New South Wales, particularly after heavy rains or flooding.
Kerrie Saunders winnowing grasses on a coolamon. Credit: Kerrie Saunders
In summer, they produce florets containing seed that can be eaten raw or cooked as flour; however, grazing, cropping, water regulation, and irrigation have caused their decline.
But a project led by Griffith University historian Dr Margaret Cook, from the Australian Rivers Institute, and Kamilaroi knowledge-holder and researcher Kerrie Saunders in Moree has helped restore Kamilaroi women’s knowledge.
Their 2024-25 research, funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, explored how changing water flow regimes and agriculture had affected the Kamilaroi people, the grasses, soils and waterways in Moree.
“In Kamilaroi culture, harvesting grain was women’s work,” Ms Saunders said.
“Much of the food consumed by Aboriginal people was plant based, harvested and cooked by women.
“Through colonisation much of the knowledge of the grasses, harvesting and food production has largely receded into memory.”
Kamilaroi knowledge-holder and researcher Kerrie Saunders
Ms Saunders and Dr Cook recorded the oral histories of 19 Kamilaroi women, and informed by sensory ethnography, they asked each woman to smell a cup of wet guli as a mnemonic device or memory trigger.
This opened a rich seam of childhood stories about playing cubby houses in the long grasses and catching fish and swimming in the Mehi River, which was once clear, abundant with animals, flowing, and fresh to drink.
In the 1970s, the New South Wales Government constructed Copeton Dam, six weirs and regulators to regulate the flows of the Mehi River and creeks.
“With water supply seemingly assured in a wet decade, unregulated water licenses were over supplied by about 50 per cent of the river system’s capacity,” Dr Cook said.
“This brought cotton to the region, which has become highly industrialised, corporate and large scale, and depends on fertilisers and pesticides to sustain high yields.”
Dr Margaret Cook from Griffith University with Kamilaroi knowledge-holder and researcher Kerrie Saunders.
Ms Saunders and Dr Cook said the Kamilaroi women spoke of hearing the pumps starting as soon as there was any flow in the river and seeing the Mehi River run backwards, such was the strength of the pumps.
Although restrictions have since been introduced, irrigation continues, and the largest water users in Moree Shire currently are irrigators (mainly cotton producers) who used on average 95 per cent of the water consumption.
“Excessive water extraction, pesticides and fertilisers, the women say, brought pollution and sickness to the rivers and Kamilaroi people,” Ms Saunders said.
“The women lamented the loss of favourite fishing holes and declining fish numbers and species.
“Land holdings and weirs meant swimming places were fenced off, so that now rivers rarely flowed and the water was murky and stank.
“Many of the women stopped swimming in the river as children ‘were coming home with yellow toes’ and ‘their hair started falling out from the chemicals in the water’.
As the river’s health declined, the government introduced environmental water flows designed to restore the environment.
“They drink bottled water as the river water is no longer safe to drink.
“The riverbanks are bare and surviving grasses have gone yellow from no nutrients.”
Ganalay bread with lilly pilly jam. Credit: Kerrie Saunders
While they helped, the women criticised their timing, with water released after the harvest and not when the wetlands need them.
Despite the degradation and water loss, guli (native millet) and ganalay (curly Mitchell grass) have survived and can flourish if watered at the right time.
Ms Saunders has been working with local grazier, Patrick Johnston, to harvest grasses and together they are working to produce native flour.
“Ganalay and guli require less water than imported grasses, are gluten free and have a higher protein content and lower glycaemic index than wheat, making them a healthy alternative,” she said.
“It’s my dream to put Australian native grasses into mainstream Australian diets.”
Through her business, Yinarr-ma, Ms Saunders hoped to sell ganalay and guli flour for everyone’s cooking.
“The Kamilaroi women’s stories remind us that water policy is never just technical —it is also cultural and political. Rivers are not only about flow rates or farming; they incorporate social justice, health and respect. A rethinking in water management is needed that honours Aboriginal rights and restores ecological relationships.”
Dr Margaret Cook, Griffith University
The report ‘Wetland Grasses, Ancient Grains, and Indigenous Food Production’ has been published by the Murray Darling Basin Authority.
COVID-19 does not just affect the respiratory system, but also significantly alters the brain in people who have fully recovered from the infectious disease, highlighting the long-term neurological impact of the virus.
Researchers from Griffith University’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Disease (NCNED) used advanced MRI techniques to ascertain the neurological implications of COVID-19 compared with those who had never been infected.
The research provided compelling evidence that even in the absence of ongoing symptoms, prior infection with the virus could leave a measurable imprint on the brain.
Dr Kiran Thapaliya
Lead author, Dr Kiran Thapaliya, said: “We used multimodal MRI techniques to examine both grey and white matter brain regions critical for memory, cognition and overall brain health and found clear differences across all participant groups.”
“The unique MRI approach identified significant alterations in brain neurochemicals, brain signal intensity, and tissue structure not only in individuals with Long COVID but also in those who considered themselves fully recovered,” he said.
“The research also reported that altered brain tissue was associated with symptom severity in individuals with Long COVID, suggesting the virus may leave a silent, lasting effect on brain health.”
These findings offer vital insights into how COVID 19 affects the central nervous system and may help explain the cognitive problems, such as memory and concentration, reported both shortly after infection and months or even years later.
Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
NCNED Director, Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, said: “The NCNED brings together a critical mass of talented researchers and clinicians committed to improving the lives of the patients.”
“We are privileged to access state-of-the-art technologies which drive transformative scientific discoveries.”
The research was funded by ME Research UK and the Stafford Fox Medical Research Foundation.
The paper ‘Altered Brain Tissue Microstructure and Neurochemical Profiles in Long COVID and Recovered COVID-19 Individuals: A multimodal MRI Study’was published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity – Health.
Dr Maarten Wynants (right) co-led the fieldwork in Tanzania.
Recent fieldwork by Griffith University researchers has highlighted an African country is facing a rapidly escalating environmental crisis as severe gully erosion – locally termed “mega gullies” – advances across valuable agricultural landscapes.
Associate Professor Andrew Brooks and Research Fellow Dr Maarten Wynants from Griffith’s Precision Erosion and Sediment Management Research Group (PrESM) found the affected areas in Tanzania supported high-value farmland critical to local food security and economic stability.
“Without swift and coordinated action, the situation is a ‘time bomb’ that could inflict irreversible social, economic, and ecological damage,” Dr Wynants said.
“The onset of these mega gullies dates back 30–50 years, but recent evidence suggests they are now expanding on an exponential growth curve, meaning that each year they erode more and faster.”
Drivers of the problem
Through their years of fieldwork and study, Associate Professor Brooks and Dr Wynants said the trigger for this major erosion was caused by increasing human pressures and changes to how they interact with their environment, including:
Overgrazing
Deforestation
Removal of natural vegetation for farmland, driven a rapidly growing population in Tanzania (doubling about every 25 years and currently at 70 million people)
Forced settling of nomadic pastoralists
And loss of socio-economic capital (the loss of indigenous skills during the colonial period, a lack of governance of natural resources, and no investment in soil conservation).
“There are, of course, also some natural factors that make the region so vulnerable to this issue, such as volcanic and dispersive soils, variable rainfall with switching of droughts and extreme floods, and hilly terrain,” Associate Professor Brooks said.
Images from the site show the dramatic erosion and risk to nearby properties.
But primarily, the major shift in human land use played the critical role.
“Following independence, many Maasai pastoralists relocated into permanent settlements, abandoning the nomadic grazing patterns that once allowed landscapes to recover during seasonal migrations,” Dr Wynants said.
“Today, land that was historically grazed only seasonally is permanently cropped and overgrazed, placing immense strain on fragile volcanic and dispersive soils.”
Impacts: social, economic, ecological
The research team said not only did the mega gullies threaten agricultural lands, grazing lands, roads, and bridges, they also posed risks to schools, homes and community areas.
In a region where about 70 per cent of people relied on subsistence farming, the loss of arable land directly jeopardised both income and food security.
“Infrastructure was equally at risk: two bridges in the study region, each costing about USD $100,000, were destroyed within a decade of installation – an immense setback in a nation striving to develop essential services,” Dr Wynants said.
“Collapsing roads and bridges also stop people from selling excess produce to distributors or taking it to the markets, so they cannot earn money.”
Downstream, sediment from eroded landscapes was rapidly filling reservoirs and lakes, degrading water quality and threatening biodiversity hotspots such as Lake Manyara National Park, a UNESCO Man and Biosphere reserve which is home to more than 350 bird species and a wide range of typical African terrestrial wildlife such as lions and elephants.
Researchers and land holders on site.
Solutions and restoration activities
In response to these erosion impacts, Griffith researchers, in collaboration with the Tanzanian Nelson Mandela African Institution for Science and Technology, Ghent University, Belgium, and Tanzanian stakeholders and NGOs such as the Women’s Agri-Enviro Vision, have initiated monitoring stations and demonstration projects using indigenous, low-cost erosion-control techniques – including slow-forming terraces, earth bunds, and leaky dams – but these measures can only stabilise smaller gullies.
The team emphasised large-scale restoration, significant financial investment, and major societal shifts in livestock management and soil stewardship were urgently needed to halt the further advancement of mega gullies to protect Tanzania’s future.
“To completely stop this problem, we need a total shift where people destock and better regulate livestock grazing, but also invest in soil improvement and management,” Associate Professor Brooks said.
“And there is also a need to set up a large investment fund supporting the ongoing restoration and future prevention of these mega gullies.”
