In Situ Science

By in situ Science

What's In Situ Science about?

Sharing the stories behind scientific discovery. Each episode James O'Hanlon meets a different scientist and hears their 'behind the scenes' stories.

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In Situ Science episodes:

10.01.2020
Ep 98. Bird feeding and book publishing with Darryl Jones
SPECIAL GUEST: Darryl Jones (Griffith) Don't feed the birds! Well.. OK, if you must make sure you do it properly. Dr Darryl Jones is an urban ecologist who has spent years studying the interactions between humans and animals in towns and...
08.14.2020
Ep 97. Mozzie bites and urban sprawl with Cameron Webb
Cameron Webb, to put it simply, is the mozzie guy. He has built his career studying the diversity and ecology of mosquitoes and also their interactions with humans and how they can be vectors of significant human diseases. His expertise...
06.08.2020
Ep 96. Ugly animals and scientific illustration with Sami Bayly
SPECIAL GUEST: Sami Bayly (Author and Illustrator) Sami Bayly is the author and illustrator of the award winning children’s’ book ‘The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals”, published by Hachette Australia. This book features full page illustrations and fun facts about some...
05.21.2020
Ep 95. COVID-19, mental health and therapals with Pod Therapy
SPECIAL GUESTS: Dr Jim Jobin and Nick Tangeman (Pod Therapy) How are you handling isolation and COVID-19? If you feel like you need some support and want to talk to someone about it, our two special guests today are here to...
04.26.2020
In Situ Science UPDATE
Whats next for In Situ Science? In the weird new world we are living in things have changed quite a bit. Here's a quick update to let you know that we're still here and we're so happy to have your support...
03.29.2020
Flashback episode with Dr Charlotte Mills
Way back on episode 39 Charlotte Mills was a PhD student at UNSW. She has since completed her PhD and is now Dr Charlotte Mills. Charlotte describes her time as a PhD candidate as a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ experience. This experience has taken...
03.15.2020
Flashback episode with Dr Dieter Hochuli
This flashback episode takes us back to episode 60 where we chat with Dieter Hochuli, an invertebrate biologist and urban ecologist from the University of Sydney who studies how nature survives in towns and cities. His research investigates the ecological,...
03.01.2020
FLASHBACK EPISODE with Dr Heather Hendrickson
Our next flashback episode goes all the way back to Episode 11 where we chatted with Dr Heather Hendrickson about the battle against anti-biotic resistant bacteria. Dr Hendrickson is a research scientist and science communicator from Massey University in New...
02.18.2020
FLASHBACK EPISODE with Dr Karl
For the next few episodes In Situ Science will be revisiting some old classics while James takes a break from podcasting to tackle a very important job :-) First off the rank is Episode 47 with the one and only Dr...
02.03.2020
Ep 94. Painkillers, opioids and addiction with Adam Hamlin
Adam Hamlin is a neuroscientist at the University of New England who studies how drugs, such as painkillers, affect brain neurochemistry. These chemicals can have wonderful affects and are miracles of modern medicine, however if used improperly can lead to...
01.19.2020
Ep 93. Cannabis, legalisation and pill testing with Samuel Banister
SPECIAL GUEST: Samuel Banister (USyd) The cannabis plant is useful for everything from textiles to medicine, however our ability to use these plants has been hampered by its association with illegal drugs. People are beginning to make very big claims about...
01.05.2020
Ep 92. Bird brains, documentaries and serial killers with Lucy Farrow
SPECIAL GUEST: Lucy Farrow (UNE) Humans have the biggest brains of any animals… well, kind of… only if we correct for body size… which is important… we think. Understanding animal intelligence is difficult, especially when brains are so complex that our...
12.22.2019
Ep 91. Forensics, photography and the CSI effect with Glenn Porter
SPECIAL GUEST: Glenn Porter (UNE) The science of forensics has popularised by the success of TV crime shows, but the reality of how criminal investigations occur, and the science behind evidence gathering is often nowhere near as glamorous as these shows...
12.08.2019
Ep 90. Beards, phobias and implicit biases with Belinda Craig
SPECIAL GUEST: Belinda Craig (UNE) How well can we read other people’s faces? And how good are we at faking our own emotional responses? Turns out not to great. In the absence of other contextual cues people are not very good...
11.25.2019
Ep 89. Tiny gardeners and environmental educators with Matthew McKenzie
SPECIAL GUEST: Matthew McKenzie (Thalgarrah EEC) Support In Situ Science on Patreon Matthew McKenzie is the principal and head teacher of a public school with a difference. Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre is located in the woodlands outside of Armidale in regional NSW....
11.10.2019
Ep 88. Video games, dentistry and ageing basketballers with Michael Kasumovic
SPECIAL GUEST: Michael Kasumovic (UNSW) Support In Situ Science on Patreon After a brief stint trying to become a dentist, Michael Kasumovic found his true calling studying the ecology and evolution of spiders. That was until he found another calling studying everything...
10.27.2019
Ep 87. Communication, education and science speed dating with Isabelle Kingsley
Support In Situ Science on Patreon SPECIAL GUEST: Isabelle Kingsley (UNSW) From school teacher, to science communicator, to events producer, and now researcher, Isabelle Kingsley has spent her career spanning widely different areas of science education and outreach. She founded the Sydney...
10.13.2019
Ep 86. Science puns and stand-up comedy with Benji Kessler
Support In Situ Science on Patreon SPECIAL GUEST: Benji Kessler (UC) Benji Kessler is a man of many talents, he studies the behaviour of spiders, teaches mathematics to school kids, does stand-up comedy and looks great in a Spider-Man costume. Benji is...
09.29.2019
Ep 85. Theory vs reality, and dancing in the middle with Alva Curtsdotter
SPECIAL GUEST: Alva Curtsdotter (UNE) Support In Situ Science on Patreon Some scientists go out in to the field, collect data and conduct experiments to test their hypotheses. Other scientists conduct their experiments inside a computer. Alva Curtsdotter is a theoretical ecologist...
09.15.2019
Ep 84. Barns, broilers and big things with Natalie Morgan
SPECIAL GUEST: Natalie Morgan (UNE) Support In Situ Science on Patreon Chicken is big business and the science behind poultry nutrition is an incredibly precise mix of chemistry and biology. As the market for poultry continues to increase worldwide there is ongoing...
09.01.2019
Ep 83. Life Vs Science 2019
Live from the Django Bar Support In Situ Science on Patreon In Situ Science returned to the Django Bar to celebrate National Science Week and the Sydney Science Festival. This year we we’re joined by Cameron Webb (USyd and NSW Health), Katherina...
08.19.2019
Ep 82. Emu farming, pregnancy tips and Bill Nye the Science Guy with Andrew Katsis
SPECIAL GUEST: Andrew Katsis (Deakin) Support In Situ Science on Patreon A single tweet can make all the difference, or at least it did for Andrew Katsis, who decided to get involved in the #billmeetsciencetwitter trend. Little did he know that his...
08.03.2019
Ep 81. Harry potter, taxonomy and academic publishing with Tom Saunders
SPECIAL GUEST: Tom Saunders (U of Auckland) Support In Situ Science on Patreon Tom Saunders experienced a burst of scientific fame after naming a newfound species of wasp Lusius malfoyi, after the beloved and maligned Harry Potter character Lucius Malfoy. Naming new...
07.21.2019
Ep 80. Deception, maths and parental expectations with Amy Martin
SPECIAL GUEST: Amy Martin (UoA) Support In Situ Science on Patreon Amy Martin is a researcher at the University of Auckland that studies the incredible private lives of orchids that trick male wasps into mating with them. By depriving these wasp populations...
07.07.2019
Ep 79. Meteorites, volcanoes and Armageddon with Tim Chapman
SPECIAL GUEST: Tim Chapman (UNE) Support In Situ Science on Patreon This episode sees our first ever geologist on the podcast. Tim Chapman is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of New England. He studies the high energy geological reactions, such...
06.23.2019
Ep 78. Lizard fights and crafternoons with Fonti Kar
SPECIAL GUEST: Fonti Kar (UNSW) Support In Situ Science on Patreon Fonti Kar is a behavioural ecologist from the University of New South Wales. She studies the life history of skinks and how the conditions they are born in can affect their...
06.09.2019
Ep 77. Craft beers, trilobites and Lagerstätten with John Paterson
SPECIAL GUEST: John Paterson (UNE) John Paterson is a professor of paleontology and earth sciences at the University of New England. He studies the evolution of life during the Cambrian explosion. Some of his recent research has shown that during this...
05.26.2019
Ep 76. Spinifex, fires and Aboriginal languages with Boyd Wright
SPECIAL GUEST: Boyd Wright (UNE) Boyd Wright is an arid zone ecologist from the University of New England that studies the life history of the sturdy plants that make their homes in Australia’s dry deserts. Boyd has spent many years working...
05.12.2019
Ep 75. Small shelly fossils and paleo tattoos with Marissa Betts
SPECIAL GUEST: Marissa Betts (UNE) Palaeontology isn’t just about Dinosaurs! Marissa Betts is a researcher at the University of New England that studies the evolution of miniscule animals that existed during the Cambrian explosion. During this era animals evolved hard shelled...
04.28.2019
Ep 74. Cotton, moths and kleptoparasites with Mary Whitehouse
SPECIAL GUEST: Mary Whitehouse (CSIRO) Farmers have learned that the widespread use of pesticides is a dangerous strategy as it can lead to the evolution of highly pesticide resistant crop pests. Land managers are moving towards ‘Integrated Pest Management’ techniques that...
04.14.2019
Ep 73. Poetry, Poop and Peron’s Tree Frog with the Dudleys
SPECIAL GUESTS: Alexander and Jane Dudley (Faunaverse) Alexander and Jane Dudley are passionate defenders of the natural world. They have written two poetry books showcasing Australia’s unique animal life. Alexander travels all across Australia as a wildlife surveyor. His passion for...
03.31.2019
Ep 72. Honey bees, slime moulds and velvet worms with Tanya Latty
SPECIAL GUEST: Tanya Latty (USyd) Urban beekeeping is all the rage but its not the only thing you can do to help pollinators. Tanya Latty from the University of Sydney says being a lazy gardener may be the best thing you...
03.16.2019
Ep 71. Science Meets Design Live at the Django Bar
LIVE FROM THE SYDNEY DESIGN FESTIVAL Can science explain what makes good design? Are designers and scientists really that different? Or are they both just explorers searching for truth in different ways? We celebrated the intersections of Science and Design at the...
03.04.2019
Ep 70. Coeliac disease and carnivorous plants with Richard Charlesworth
SPECIAL GUEST: Richard Charlesworth (UNE) Is gluten actually bad for you? Is all the hype surrounding gluten free diets justified? According to Dr Richard Charlesworth, its complicated. People's responses to gluten can range from severe coeliac disease, through to a whole...
02.16.2019
Ep 69. Horseshoe crabs and hot pink theses with Russell Bicknell
SPECIAL GUEST: Russell Bicknell (UNE) Horseshoe crabs, firstly, are not crabs, nor do they make effective horseshoes. They are a unique animal more closely related to spiders and scorpions than crustaceans. They are highly valued due to the coagulant properties of...
02.03.2019
Ep 68. Steampunk, crazy ants and early childhood with Kirsti Abbott
SPECIAL GUEST: Kirsti Abbott (UNE) Have you ever wanted to visit a Steampunk themed scientific learning space aimed at all ages in a regional university. We’ll guess what!? The Boilerhouse Discovery Space is currently under construction at the University of New...
01.21.2019
Ep 67. Sharks, magnets and paternity leave with Vincent Raoult
SPECIAL GUEST: Vincent Raoult (UoN) Sharks are cool! Thats about all there is to it. Gone are the days of viewing sharks as bloodthirsty killers, we're now all on board with the fact that they are an incredibly diverse group of...
01.05.2019
Ep 66. Lizard Brains, Sir David and Winnie the Dog with Martin Whiting
SPECIAL GUEST: Martin Whiting (MQ) Martin Whiting is a true natural historian. He has spent his life studying reptiles across the world as far as Australia, Asia and Africa. In an interview with In Situ Science we delve into the secret...
12.23.2018
Ep 65. Livestock, genetics, and science ninjas with Sonja Dominik
SPECIAL GUEST: Sonja Dominik (CSIRO) In this special Christmas episode we chat to Sonja Dominik from the CSIRO who has just been named one of Australia’s ‘Superstars of STEM’; a nationwide initiative focussed on increasing the visibility of women in STEM...
12.08.2018
Ep 64. Powerlifting, resistance training and microbiomes with Mandy Hagstrom
SPECIAL GUEST: Mandy Hagstrom (UNE) Lift heavy, but not too heavy. Don't eat too much, unless you need to eat a lot. Cardio is great, until it isn't. Sports science is a relatively new field of science and there is lots...
11.26.2018
Ep 63. Marine biology, coral reefs and tiny fishes with Chris Goatley
SPECIAL GUEST: Chris Goatley (UNE) What do animals do? It may sound like a very simple question but for many biologists it can be very hard to answer. For marine biologist Chris Goatley studying small, elusive cryptobenthic fish, understanding what they...
11.11.2018
Ep 62. Machine learning and digital bricklayers with Will Billingsley
SPECIAL GUEST: Will Billingsley (UNE) With computer technology processing rapidly, and the proliferation of the internet into all aspects of our lives and businesses, you can't blame people for feeling a little bit out of control. With technologies such as 'machine...
10.30.2018
Ep 61. Wetlands, waterbirds and food webs with Lindsey Frost
SPECIAL GUEST: Lindsey Frost (UNE) Wetlands aren't always wet. Sounds strange but in an arid country like Australia, wetlands may be dry for decades at a time until water arrives via rain and flooding events. These unique habitats provide crucial resources...
10.14.2018
Ep 60. Green cities, mole crickets, and impostor syndrome with Dieter Hochuli
SPECIAL GUEST: Dieter Hochuli (USyd) “A society grows great when men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” - Greek proverb Dieter Hochuli is an invertebrate biologist and urban ecologist from the University of Sydney that studies how nature...
09.30.2018
Ep 59. Stem cells, scicomm and fatty tubes with Naomi Koh Belic
SPECIAL GUEST: Naomi Koh Belic (UTS) The potential for using stem cells in medical treatments is really only just being explored. Despite this there are already unsubstantiated claims being shared and predatory cosmetic stem cell treatments on the market. Naomi Koh...
09.16.2018
Ep 58. Droughts, drones and data with David Lamb
SPECIAL GUEST: David Lamb (UNE) Living and working in a regional town is having your cake and eating it too! David Lamb is a distinguished professor at the University of New England and Chief Scientist of the Food Agility CRC. He...
09.02.2018
Ep 57. Medical foot-soldiers and shiny bugs with Scott Fabricant
SPECIAL GUEST: Scott Fabricant (Rutgers Medical School) Boffins, tinkerers, deep-thinkers, these are terms people often use to describe the stereotypical scientist, sitting away in the lab slowly piecing together facts and data. And for a lot of scientists this is true,...
08.19.2018
Ep 56. Life Vs Science 2018
LIVE AT THE CAMELOT LOUNGE!!! Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a scientist? Do they really wear lab coats? Are they really all timid nerds, like in the movies? All these questions and more were answered at In...
08.06.2018
Ep 55. Searching for the 'lost' Desert Rat Kangaroo with Karl Vernes
SPECIAL GUEST: Karl Vernes (UNE) The Desert Rat Kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris), or ‘oolaculnta’ was last seen by scientist Hedley Herbert Finlayson in the 1930’s. Since then there have been a number of accounts which suggest that this rare and elusive creature...
08.06.2018
Ep 55. Searching for the ‘lost’ Desert Rat Kangaroo with Karl Vernes
SPECIAL GUEST: Karl Vernes (UNE) The Desert Rat Kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris), or ‘oolaculnta’ was last seen by scientist Hedley Herbert Finlayson in the 1930’s. Since then there have been a number of accounts which suggest that this rare and elusive creature...

What's In Situ Science about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

In Situ Science episodes:

Ep 98. Bird feeding and book publishing with Darryl Jones

Ep 97. Mozzie bites and urban sprawl with Cameron Webb

Ep 96. Ugly animals and scientific illustration with Sami Bayly

Ep 95. COVID-19, mental health and therapals with Pod Therapy

In Situ Science UPDATE

Flashback episode with Dr Charlotte Mills

Flashback episode with Dr Dieter Hochuli

FLASHBACK EPISODE with Dr Heather Hendrickson

FLASHBACK EPISODE with Dr Karl

Ep 94. Painkillers, opioids and addiction with Adam Hamlin

Ep 93. Cannabis, legalisation and pill testing with Samuel Banister

Ep 92. Bird brains, documentaries and serial killers with Lucy Farrow

Ep 91. Forensics, photography and the CSI effect with Glenn Porter

Ep 90. Beards, phobias and implicit biases with Belinda Craig

Ep 89. Tiny gardeners and environmental educators with Matthew McKenzie

Ep 88. Video games, dentistry and ageing basketballers with Michael Kasumovic

Ep 87. Communication, education and science speed dating with Isabelle Kingsley

Ep 86. Science puns and stand-up comedy with Benji Kessler

Ep 85. Theory vs reality, and dancing in the middle with Alva Curtsdotter

Ep 84. Barns, broilers and big things with Natalie Morgan

Ep 83. Life Vs Science 2019

Ep 82. Emu farming, pregnancy tips and Bill Nye the Science Guy with Andrew Katsis

Ep 81. Harry potter, taxonomy and academic publishing with Tom Saunders

Ep 80. Deception, maths and parental expectations with Amy Martin

Ep 79. Meteorites, volcanoes and Armageddon with Tim Chapman

Ep 78. Lizard fights and crafternoons with Fonti Kar

Ep 77. Craft beers, trilobites and Lagerstätten with John Paterson

Ep 76. Spinifex, fires and Aboriginal languages with Boyd Wright

Ep 75. Small shelly fossils and paleo tattoos with Marissa Betts

Ep 74. Cotton, moths and kleptoparasites with Mary Whitehouse

Ep 73. Poetry, Poop and Peron’s Tree Frog with the Dudleys

Ep 72. Honey bees, slime moulds and velvet worms with Tanya Latty

Ep 71. Science Meets Design Live at the Django Bar

Ep 70. Coeliac disease and carnivorous plants with Richard Charlesworth

Ep 69. Horseshoe crabs and hot pink theses with Russell Bicknell

Ep 68. Steampunk, crazy ants and early childhood with Kirsti Abbott

Ep 67. Sharks, magnets and paternity leave with Vincent Raoult

Ep 66. Lizard Brains, Sir David and Winnie the Dog with Martin Whiting

Ep 65. Livestock, genetics, and science ninjas with Sonja Dominik

Ep 64. Powerlifting, resistance training and microbiomes with Mandy Hagstrom

Ep 63. Marine biology, coral reefs and tiny fishes with Chris Goatley

Ep 62. Machine learning and digital bricklayers with Will Billingsley

Ep 61. Wetlands, waterbirds and food webs with Lindsey Frost

Ep 60. Green cities, mole crickets, and impostor syndrome with Dieter Hochuli

Ep 59. Stem cells, scicomm and fatty tubes with Naomi Koh Belic

Ep 58. Droughts, drones and data with David Lamb

Ep 57. Medical foot-soldiers and shiny bugs with Scott Fabricant

Ep 56. Life Vs Science 2018

Ep 55. Searching for the 'lost' Desert Rat Kangaroo with Karl Vernes

Ep 55. Searching for the ‘lost’ Desert Rat Kangaroo with Karl Vernes