Sophie is a year 12 student who loves kelp. And why wouldn’t she? A kelp forest called the Great Southern Reef is home to thousands of species of whales, sharks, turtles, okra, seals, and crustaceans.

But can kelp help us as well as all these animals? Sophie dives into the slimy substance to find out.

Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters.

These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.