Science Queeries

This episode is all about twisted spaces and tangled ideas.

If the bit of ground under your feet looks flat, how is the Earth round? And what shape is the entire universe? Is it a curved sphere like the Earth … or something much stranger?

Mathematician Dr Arunima Ray studies the shape of things (aka geometric topology) at The University of Melbourne. From a possibly doughnut-shaped universe to knots that reveal their secrets in four dimensions, she draws them all on her office chalkboard.

We zoom out as far as human imagination can go and ask what shape the universe might really be, then get tied up in knot theory – why loops of “string” can turn into deep mathematical mysteries.

Originally aired 27 October, 2026.

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On Melbourne Cup Day, we are reining in the hype of the horse racing and letting maths take the lead.

Betting on every horse seems like a “can’t lose” kind of thing…but it is. We’ll canter through the calculations, gallop through how the odds really work, and explore the maths & psychology that betting organisations exploit to show why the house always wins.

We don’t want to be backing foal’s gold.

Dr Cat is using the Spring Racing Carnival as a springboard to chat about probability and to empower you to make informed decisions. This goes way beyond betting to better understanding medical statistics (e.g. disease risk or prognosis), climate projections, and more.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach out to the Gambler’s Helpline for free and confidential support 24/7. You can find details at joy.org.au/support.

Originally aired Tuesday 3rd November, 2026.

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This Halloween we’re skipping vampires and zombies and going straight to real monsters: plants that eat animals.

From Venus flytraps that double‑check their dinner before snapping shut, to Australian sticky sundews and giant pitcher plants quietly running insect horror shows, botanist Dr Alastair Robinson takes us deep into the Little Shop of real Horrors.

Dr Alastair is Manager Biodiversity Services at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and is an expert in carnivorous plants. He knows how how they lure, trap and digest their prey…sometimes in a pretty macabre but cool way.

We’ll find out what actually counts as a carnivorous plant, why Australia is a global hotspot for green predators, and why the scariest thing of all might be the way we’re draining and bulldozing the habitats they need to survive.

Settle in while we leaf normal houseplants behind and go for the spooktacular ones!

Originally aired 20th October, 2026.

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We’re talking trash. Quite literally.

Listening to this episode is by no means a waste of time. In fact, you’ll learn how we can deal with waste.

It’s a takeover. Dr Cat sits back from the microphones this week to let three science communication students take the reins. From “forever chemicals” and plastics that seem to never degrade, to mountains of green gunk, they’ve been digging into how science helps us clean up our mess.

Catriona Dyer, Alida Pilson, and Sam Clement-Remy talk about PFAS putting the “ew” in sewage, credit card amount of microplastics we consume each week (by weight), and the green waste that’s literally being wasted. More importantly, they talk about how to solve these problems with science.

Originally aired 13th October, 2026.

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Sharks are fin-credible creatures. They have survived for over 450 million years – but they’re now facing unprecedented challenges.

Sharks are essential to ocean ecosystems. They’re apex in every sense: apex predators, apex indicators of ocean health, apex examples of why we need to act now.

Adrienne Gooden is a marine ecologist at Southern Cross University who tracks the movements and behaviour of sharks as climate change reshapes their world.

Young white sharks travel thousands of kilometres every year, navigating a narrowing corridor of suitable habitat. But as oceans warm, that corridor is being squeezed. One day, they may have nowhere left to go.

We’ll explore the currents of change reshaping the world of sharks; why understanding their migration matters for conservation, and what happens when climate change turns up the heat on species that can’t regulate their body temperature.

Let’s dive into this conversation!

Originally aired 6th October, 2026.

The post Sharks in hot water appeared first on Science Queeries.

Branch into the world of high‑stakes horticulture. There’s no room to waste space – literally.

Laura Steel is a post-doctoral researcher with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plants for Space at La Trobe University. She is a plant scientist who has helped cannabis tell time and know when to flower, fine-tuned taro’s diet in nutrient-poor soil, and is now tweaking tomatoes to be compact, zero‑waste food and medicine for life in space.

It’s all about making plants work smarter and sculpting plant architecture so every root, stem and leaf earns its keep. Whether they’re helping feed communities on fragile soils or extreme places on Earth, or future astronauts on long missions, these plants could help feed the world…and beyond.

Settle in while we leaf Earth’s comfort zone behind and see how far we can grow!

Originally aired 29th September, 2026.

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Pain is something we all feel – but for young people with cerebral palsy, it’s a daily reality that remains poorly understood. In fact, some don’t even register “pain”, because it’s simply the norm.

Aayushi Khillan is a medical student and PhD researcher who’s mapping out chronic pain in cerebral palsy. She is building tools at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute to help understand people’s experiences of pain so that clinicians can better manage and treat it.

Her research reveals that what we measure in tests doesn’t always match what people feel and report. It’s a reminder that pain is multidimensional, personal, and complex. Listening to young people’s experiences is just as important as the scientific data.

Beyond her research, Aayushi founded the award-winning Body Buddies – adorable, educational organ plushies that make learning about your body fun and friendly. Understanding your body isn’t just about science – it’s about empowerment.

Originally aired 15th September, 2026.

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The universe is spinning with mysteries – and we’re tuning in to hear them.

Pulsars are neutron stars so dense that a teaspoon of their material would weigh as much as Mt Everest. They spin hundreds of times per second, emitting beams of radio waves like cosmic lighthouses sweeping across space.

Dr Cat chats to astrophysicist Rami Mandow about detecting their radio waves, on radio. Rami studies these incredible stars at Macquarie University. He investigates how pulsars pulse and why they’re crucial for understanding physics

But you don’t need a professional telescope to explore the cosmos. Anyone can look up and contribute to our understanding of the universe through amateur astronomy and astrophotography – and Rami will share how.

Pulsars aren’t just cosmic objects. They’re reminders that the universe is vast, beautiful, and full of mysteries waiting to be solved.

Originally aired 8th September, 2026.

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Australia is the land of lizards and snakes – with over 1,000 species. But they’re in trouble.

Here’s a cold (blooded) hard truth*: reptiles can’t regulate their body temperature, which makes them incredibly vulnerable to climate change.

Dr Jane Melville is Senior Curator, Terrestrial Vertebrates at Museums Victoria and Acting Director of the Museums Victoria Research Institute. She’s a herpetologist who studies how past climate change shaped reptile communities – and what that tells us about the future.

She’ll give us a sense of the scale of the problem as we slither into the impacts of climate change on species distribution, the rediscovery of a long-lost lizard, and the urgent need for conservation strategies. Because when we understand how reptiles responded to past climate change, we can better predict and protect them in the future.

*We technically don’t use the term “cold-blooded” anymore as it’s scientifically misleading/inaccurate, but the pun was too good!

Originally aired 25th August, 2026.

The post Scales of climate change: the hiss-story and future of reptiles appeared first on Science Queeries.

Over 2,330 native Victorian plant seeds and fungal spores are frozen in time. They are quietly waiting as time capsules that sprout hope for our future landscapes.

We’re digging into the world of plants with Alastair Robinson, Manager of Biodiversity Services at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.

He manages the Victorian Conservation Seedbank – Victoria’s “backup hard drive” for seeds and spores from some of the state’s most threatened species. He and his team figure out how to keep seeds and spores sleeping safely, and how to wake them up again. Their work helps damaged ecosystems bounce back after catastrophic bushfires, and ensures that Victorian plants don’t disappear on us.

Celebrate National Science Week by getting right down to the roots of biodiversity and planting some knowledge in your head. Let your curiosity grow!

Originally aired 18th August, 2026.

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