Particle Word for Word

The future of energy isn’t flashy, it’s elemental.

In this episode, host Morgan Knoxlee introduces three Particle 101s written by Emily Evans and read by Cat Williams, diving into the natural forces that have powered human life for thousands of years: sun, sea, and sky.

From ancient windmills to WA’s biggest solar farms, and waves off Albany with the potential to power entire towns, these aren’t just climate solutions, they’re modern takes on ancient ideas.

Simple. Powerful. And right above our heads.

For more stories like this, visit particle.scitech.org.au.

These warty little invaders are marching west and scientists in WA are fighting back with a surprisingly simple strategy: cutting off their water supply. In this episode, host Morgan Knoxlee introduces a story written by Cat Williams and read by Evan Thyer, diving into a bold new approach to one of Australia’s most toxic pests.

It’s smart, it’s low-tech, and it might just work.

Listen in to hear how Traditional Owners, researchers, and landholders are teaming up to dry out the toad trail, one waterhole at a time.

For more stories like this, visit particle.scitech.org.au.

What if the best classroom didn’t have walls at all?

In this episode of Particle Word for Word, we head to Turtle Camp a hands-on conservation program blending science, culture, and connection to Country. Written and read by Cat Williams, this story explores how kids in the Pilbra are learning to track turtles, monitor nests, and care for their environment in ways rooted in thousands of years of knowledge.

It’s not just about turtles. It’s about identity. Pride. And showing the next generation that they already belong.

For more science stories like this, visit particle.scitech.org.au.

In this episode of Particle Word for Word, we dive headfirst into the fascinating, futuristic and sometimes fraught world of de-extinction.

What happens when you splice a woolly mammoth gene into a lab mouse? What if extinction wasn’t the end of the story, but just... an intermission? Join us as we explore the sharp, speculative science behind resurrecting long lost species from genetic puzzles to ecological ethics.

Based on the article Of Woolly Mice and Mammoths by Jackson Ryan and read by Alyshia Gatani, this episode doesn’t just ask can we bring the mammoth back it asks, should we?

A curious, compelling listen for anyone who’s ever wondered where the line is between conservation and creation.

For more, visit particle.scitech.org.au.

Written and read by Cody Robinson

In this episode, Cody Robinson takes us to Garden Island, a restricted naval base off Western Australia’s coast, where one of the state’s northernmost little penguin colonies is quietly fighting for survival. Away from the crowds of Penguin Island, Cody joins marine biologist Dr Belinda Cannell on a survey mission, scrambling over rocks, peering into burrows, and piecing together a story of resilience and risk. Through empty nests, microchipped birds, and surprise new arrivals, we learn how these tiny penguins reveal deeper truths about climate change, coastal development, and the fragile balance of ocean ecosystems.

For more science stories, visit particle.scitech.org.au

Written and read by Tom Gurn

Deep beneath Western Australia's Nullarbor Plain, scientists are uncovering a hidden world of rare cave-dwelling spiders. In this episode, Tom Gurn takes us underground to explore the eerie silence, delicate ecosystems, and the surprising discoveries that come with searching for life in total darkness. These blind, pale arachnids may be tiny, but they raise big questions about conservation, extinction, and what it means to protect species most of us will never see.

For more science stories, visit particle.scitech.org.au

Giant wombats. Marsupial lions. Thunderbirds. Australia’s ancient landscapes were once home to massive megafauna creatures as strange as they were enormous. But around 40,000 years ago, they vanished.

In this episode, we explore the mystery behind their extinction. Was it climate change? Human hunting? Or something more complex? With new fossil evidence and evolving scientific theories, we dig into the clues that could finally solve one of Australia’s oldest cold cases — and what it might mean for the species at risk today.

Written and read by Cat Williams

For more science stories like this, visit particle.scitech.org.au.

The achievements of women scientists are non-existent in the Australian high school curriculum.

Near the HMAS Stirling naval base, Dr. Belinda Cannell, a conservation ecologist from The University of Western Australia, is dedicated to protecting little penguins on Garden Island. Known as ‘the penguin lady,’ she surveys nesting sites fortnightly, recording data to monitor the penguin population and inform conservation efforts.

They don’t move, don’t make noise, and don’t have brains but sea sponges might just help cure cancer. In this episode, we dive into the hidden world of marine sponges and the incredible promise they hold for modern medicine. With research happening right here in Western Australia, scientists are uncovering powerful chemical compounds inside these ancient ocean dwellers, some already used in cancer treatments, others just waiting to be explored.

This is a story about discovery, time, and the overlooked power of life beneath the waves.

Written by Owen Cumming and read by Michael Gatt

For more science stories like this, visit particle.scitech.org.au.