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About Blog Central
Blog Central is a space for RMIT academics and senior staff to blog about their areas of expertise and interests.
The views and opinions expressed by the authors on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of RMIT University.
All are welcome to contribute. If you're interested in blogging, please contact Zoë Kleeborn from University Communications.
Category Archives: Research
The lust that dare not speak its name
There are few things more disturbing for many people than human-animal sex. I can still recall the shocked face of a woman in the university cafeteria after reading a paper on zoophilia at the Minding Animals conference in Utrecht in 2012. I asked her if she was all right. “Well, I wasn’t expecting to hear that,” [...]
Also posted in Education, Social Justice, Writing Tagged beastiality, biotechnology, German parliament, Minding Animals Conference, research, writing, Zoophilia Comments closed
One for Mum but not for Dad and definitely not for the Country
Yesterday the Treasurer announced that the baby bonus would be reduced by $2,000 for second and subsequent children with the view to save $461 million over four years. While much media and political discussion has focused on the distributional implications of this reduction, the important implications for fertility and population have largely been overlooked. Following [...]
Also posted in Economics & Finance, Politics Tagged baby, baby bonus, children, family Comments closed
Black mamba snake venom could hold the key to new pain therapies
One of the world’s most poisonous snakes might hold the key to new pain therapies in its venom. As ironic as that sounds, a protein component in black mamba venom called “mambalgin” has been shown – in a Nature paper published today – to act as a pain killer in mice. The snake is found [...]
Also posted in Health Science Tagged black mamba, pain management, pain therapy, pain treatment, snake venom Comments closed
2 years (and a bit) on: happy second birthday Whisperer!
To be honest with you, I didn’t think the blog would last this long. I thought I would run out of things to say long before this, but lucky for me every day life seems to provide endless blog fodder and people are kind enough to keep sending in guest posts. I am confident, so [...]
Also posted in Writing Tagged blog, Inger Mewburn, research blog, thesis, Thesis Whisperer Comments closed
What’s up with universities – Whackademia or just grumpy old academics?
When a friend showed me the blurb for Whackademia: an insider’s account of the troubled university, I immediately left the office to buy a copy, solely on the promise in the title. I read it in just two sittings but finished with conflicted feelings. This book made me angry when I agreed with what it [...]
Also posted in Education, Writing Tagged academia, academics, Richard Hil, Whackademia Comments closed
The auspicious university: What’s an artist to do?
I work with the cool people at the university: artists, designers, architects, social scientists, humanities scholars and educators – all sorts of excellent people. Many of them are professionals in their chosen professions. That is, they are professional artists, designers, architects, poets, writers, etc. Their research is ‘practice-based’ research; they create stuff. The process of [...]
Also posted in Art & Design, Education Tagged arts funding, auspicing agent, funding, practicing artist, research funding, university lecturer Comments closed
Athletes: wash your mouth out!
With the Australian Open about to open, professional athletes are once again looking at legal ways of gaining an edge. Research shows that simply mouth-rinsing a standard sports drink before it is swallowed may be able to generate the small enhancement to performance that can be the difference. In fact, mouth rinsing can improve performance [...]
Also posted in Health Science, Sport Tagged athlete, Australian Open, carbohydrate, exercise, sport drink Comments closed
Biodiversity offsets: solving the habitat-saving equation
Biodiversity offsets are touted as a new tool for protecting our natural environment. While they have the potential to deliver real gains, understanding the possible consequences of these polices over the long-term raises many challenges. These policies aim to balance biodiversity loss arising from habitat destruction at one location by enhancing and/or protecting similar but separate [...]
Also posted in Business, Economics & Finance, Politics, Sustainability Tagged Australia, biodiversity, carbon, environment, mining, policy Comments closed
Pregnancy sucks: Twilight’s high-risk journey
When it comes to The Twilight Saga’s latest instalment, Breaking Dawn, author Stephenie Meyer pulls no punches. Pregnancy sucks, literally. After a series of successful movies in her unstoppable vampire franchise, which is notorious for its lack of blood and violence as well as abstinence, fans are subjected to Bella’s high-risk pregnancy from hell. The second-last [...]
Also posted in Art & Design, Entertainment, Media & Communications Tagged Breaking Dawn, Edward, Jacob, Movie, Stephenie Meyers, teen pregnancy, Twilight Comments closed
Will I get the grant?