Einstein A Go-Go

Dr Shane is joined by co-hosts Drs Scarlett and Laura. In science news water on Mars, detection of other planets and obesity.

Joann Cattlin PhD Candidate from RMIT University talks about the societal impact of scientific research; Dr Ching Yi Wu from Melbourne University talks about Fun-IVCM (Functional In Vivo Confocal Microscopy); and Dr Scarlett talks about what it means to be a modern human.

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This week’s episode is a Superstars of STEM special edition, with resident Superstar of STEM Dr Susi inviting three of her fellow Superstars to talk about their science on air. Dr Shane is joined in the studio by regular co-hosts Chris KP and Dr Susi, recruiting all listeners for CSIRO’s latest citizen science project - the “Chart Your Fart” app.

The guests are Dr Sophie Andrews, a Senior Research Fellow and Lead of the Healthy Brain Ageing Research Program in the Thompson Institute at the University of the Sunshine Coast, talking about how lifestyle (like exercise, diet and sleep quality) can impact brain and cognitive health and reduce risk for dementia. The second guest is Dr Charlotte Birkmanis, Shark researcher at a Marine Foundation and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Max Planck Centre in Queensland talking all things sharks, why we need them for a healthy ocean and her children’s book ‘Little Shark Lulu Goes To Sleep’. She was followed by Dr Laura Driessen from the Sydney Institute for Astrophysics (SIfA) at the University of Sydney, talking about Radio Astronomy and how she uses data from Australian Radio Telescopes to look at radio stars.

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Dr Shane is in the studio with Dr Linden, sharing science news about the hunt for new prime numbers via citizen science, and recent research combining images from the Hubble and Webb telescopes to show what the nearby star Vega really looks like.

This week's guests include Dr Kim Way from the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University, speaking about pragmatic exercise training and new tests to identify and manage cardiovascular disease; PhD candidate Mr Daniel De Maria, from Biomedical Engineering within the STEM College at RMIT, talks about his pioneering research exploring biomaterials for dental implants. Lastly, Associate Professor Suzie Reichman from the School of BioSciences at University of Melbourne shares her ecotoxicology research focusing on biodegradable glitter made from cellulose nanocrystals.

Dr. Shane, Dr. Lauren, and Dr. Scarlett are joined by:

Associate Profesor Erinna Lee from La Trobe University, who delves into her research on anti-cancer drugs and the regulation of intestinal homeostasis, with implications for colitis and IBD; Dr. Lynn Nazareth from CSIRO shares her innovative work on nasal viruses and the development of complex 3D ex-vivo cell culture models to combat them; Dr. Rachel Kirby from Monash University discusses her exciting efforts in recovering and studying meteorites from the Desert Fireball Network and Australia’s dense collection areas, shedding light on planetary formation and evolution.

In our weekly science news segment, we explore intriguing topics such as the discovery of a the smallest dinosaur eggs and insights from a mental health study based on 70,000 brain scans.

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Dr Shane, Chris KP and Dr Suzi are joined by two distinguished guests, Dr. Laura Chapman and Dr. Sara Webb.

Dr. Laura Chapman is a practising clinician focused on providing inclusive care for women, trans men, and non-binary individuals. Specialising in obstetrics, gynaecology, and mental health, Laura is committed to destigmatising overlooked symptoms and advocating for whole-person care. As a pioneer in GP-led management of pelvic pain, she integrates various health providers to address complex conditions. Her work emphasises prevention, autonomy, and trauma-informed care. Laura is also an international speaker and mentor, offering training for healthcare professionals in sustainable, compassionate care practices.

Dr. Sara Webb, researcher at Swinburne University, leads the Swinburne Youth Space Innovation Challenge. Specialising in astronomy, she uses AI to study rapid, mysterious cosmic bursts and is building a research group to analyse real-time optical data from the Vera Rubin Observatory. Her work also extends to space debris detection. Beyond astronomy, Sara is involved in multidisciplinary projects, including AI applications in medical imaging. Passionate about the universe, her upcoming book offers a fun crash course on cosmic threats, exploring scenarios such as asteroid impacts, the Milky Way's collision with Andromeda, and even the possibility of the universe being a simulation.

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The scheduled launch to Jupiter’s moon Europa has been delayed by a hurricane, so this week, Dr Shane, Dr Scarlett and Dr Ray take a breath and talk stellar disc components, gravity wave elements, and carnivore diet tracking through DNA.

Dr Matthew Snelson from the Hypertension Research Laboratory (Monash University) shares his work on gut permeability (the how and whys your intestines can leak internally), and PhD candidate Dominika Fuhs (Monash University) discusses her work devising mathematical models to treat bacterial superbugs with optimised dosing regimens.

Plus, Hollywood star and cancer support advocate Stephanie Czajkowski talks breast cancer awareness, professional baldness, and her podcast ChemoSkinny: The Podcast we Hope You Never Have To Listen To.

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Dr Shane is joined by EAGG regulars Dr Scarlett and Dr Ailie, as well as 2 very special guests.

Katie Belt : Pet and Family Advocate – The lost dog’s home, shares an update regarding the Lost dogs home, providing insight to current challenges, and also promotes the current push for feedback from all pet-owners via an active survey.

Dr Georgina Stephens : Clinical anatomy education and health professions Monash University, unpacks the relationship between students and donors as part of fields of research, and sheds light on the 'Anatomical Mythbusters' video series.

Dr Scarlett discusses a recent conference she attended focussed on Behavioural ecology, and answers questions on the subject.

The team then finish with some science news, with topics ranging from Mountain Isostasy to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission.

Dr Shane, Dr Lauren, Dr Suzie, and Dr Grazie are joined by Dr Emma Macdonald-Laurs, who is a paediatric neurologist and epileptologist from the Royal Children's Hospital and clinician-scientist fellow at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute to discuss her PhD from the University of Melbourne which explored imaging, treatment and network features of focal cortical dysplasia a major cause of epilepsy in children. She is particularly interested in surgically-remediable epilepsies, neuroimaging and artificial intelligence. 

The team also spoke to Monika Zabinskas, Life Sciences Manager of the Carnivores & Reptile team Healesville Sanctuary. Monika studied Zoology at university, and has worked for Zoos Victoria for 15 years. Monika has a strong focus on endangered species and is particularly interested in protecting Tasmanian Devils into the future. She also manages the stud book for the species tracking breeding between animals.

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For this Radiothon special, Dr Shane is joined by special guests from the Radiotherapy and Radio Marinara shows: Kent Goldsworthy aka Panel Beater and Bron Burton. Bron shares findings from her PhD studies on intertidal limpets and how they can represent the impact of human activities upon intertidal ecology. In the studio are also Scarlett and Chris KP with some science news about why we actually yawn, and how it's related to ice-cream brain freeze. Serving Up a Sonic Soup!

With his co-hosts away, Dr Shane is joined in the studio by four guests talking all things science.

This week’s guests are Dr Rahul Khanna, Program Director for Mental Health State-wide Trauma Service at Phoenix Australia, talking about the world’s first jurisdiction-wide trauma service aiming to transform the way mental health services understand and respond to trauma, Dr Marissa Parrott, Senior Conservation Biologist at Zoos Victoria, casting a spotlight on the endangered Bogong Moth in Australia, Dr Dee Nines, Earthquake Geologist at the Seismology Research Centre talking all things earthquakes, and Rita Saxena, a PhD student at MCRI and the University of Melbourne, speaking about their recently published method of generating haematopoietic stem cells using induced pluripotent stem cells.

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