Science Queeries

Ovarian cancer is a disease that’s often invisible, often deadly, and often overlooked. Over 1900 estimated new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed last year, and women diagnosed have been stuck with limited options…but that may be changing.

Cancer is cunning. It hides and our immune cells can’t find it to fight back.

This week, we’re cell-ebrating breakthrough research into immunotherapy for ovarian cancer. Dr Amy Wilson supports scientists across Australia turn their scientific discoveries into real-world impact as the Senior Research Advisor at the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. She is working out ways to help a person’s own immune system destroy cancer.

And that’s a standing ovary-ation moment!

Originally aired 19th May, 2026.

The post Ovary-coming obstacles for ovarian cancer treatment appeared first on Science Queeries.

Soil is often overlooked – we walk on it, we grow food in it, but we rarely think about what’s actually in it. Yet soil is one of the most important ecosystems on Earth. And it’s under siege.

From traditional pollutants like heavy metals and petroleum compounds to emerging threats like PFAS and microplastics, our soils are becoming increasingly contaminated. But how do we know how bad it is? How do we assess the risk to human health?

Enter tardigrades – nearly indestructible microscopic creatures that can survive extreme temperatures, radiation, and even space. These tiny titans are helping scientists understand soil health and contamination in ways we never could before.

This week, we’re digging deep into soil ecotoxicology with Erin Koster from The University of Melbourne. We’ll learn how contaminants affect soil organisms and ecosystems, and how they move through the food chain into plants, animals, and ultimately into us.

Because healthy soil isn’t just about plants – it’s about all of us. And when we understand what’s beneath the surface, we can make better choices for our future.

Originally aired 12th May, 2026.

The post Digging up Dirt on Soil Ecotoxicology appeared first on Science Queeries.

Fungi aren’t all bad. They’ve given us penicillin – one of the most important medicines ever discovered.

Climate change is introducing fungal diseases where they previously didn’t exist. And as farmers use more fungicides to combat these threats, fungi develop resistance – creating a vicious cycle of increasing pesticide use, environmental pollution, and diminishing effectiveness.

Dr Donovan Garcia-Ceron is on the case. He works at Victorian Strawberry Industry Certification Authority Research to ensure that we can all have good strawberry fields forever.

He discusses why traditional fungicides are losing effectiveness, and how RNA-based fungicides can “silence” fungal infections – essentially telling fungi to turn off the genes they need to cause infection. Next generation fungicides could revolutionise sustainable agriculture.

Originally aired 5th May, 2026.

The post Mould Matters & Future Fungicides appeared first on Science Queeries.

Every day, we encounter tens of thousands of microbes. Our antibodies are our anti-buddies, protecting us from infection.

The Day of Immunology is the perfect day to immune cell-ebrate this biology that keeps us alive. We also celebrate a literally life-saving change to blood donation eligibility rules. Gay and bisexual men, trans people, and other previously excluded communities can now donate blood.

This week, we’re exploring blood types, blood donation, and the incredible B cells that make antibodies. We’ll talk about why you can’t receive just any blood type, and how vaccines train your B cells to protect you.

B cell immunologist Dr Liam Kealy from Monash University is here to help us understand the microscopic heroes that circulate through our bodies, protecting us every single day. So let’s circulate some knowledge about immunity!

Originally aired 28th April, 2026.

The post B Positive: Immune Cell-ebrating Immunity appeared first on Science Queeries.

What do clitoral erections, lesbian co‑lactation and bimbo branding have in common? Dr Naomi Koh Belic.

Bedazzled with hot‑pink and glam, Dr Naomi Koh Belic is rewriting what science education looks like.

In this episode, the biracial, bisexual, bimbo biologist joins Dr Cat to unpack the inspiration behind her Bimbo Biology series. Along the way, Dr Naomi explains why visibility matters and how she balances playfulness with scientific rigour.

We get into the history of clitoral science (including the fact that we used cows to understand the clitoris – totally the same as humans…right?), and the biology behind lactation without pregnancy for families of all types.

Ever felt like your body was too queer or too complicated for the textbook? This is your reminder that every “weird” part of our bodies is a feature worth loving and putting in the spotlight.

Originally aired 21st April, 2026.

The post Clits, Tits and Science Bits appeared first on Science Queeries.

For so long, contraception has been a woman’s burden. The pill. The IUD. The implant. The patch. While condoms and vasectomies exist for people who produce sperm, the responsibility for preventing pregnancy has overwhelmingly fallen on those with ovaries.

But what if that changed?

Luke Baz at The University of Melbourne is working on a non-hormonal contraceptive that targets sperm. He is trying to block the specific proteins – molecular “on switches” – that sperm need to fertilise an egg. It’s about precision. It’s about reversibility. And it’s about finally shifting the load.

This week, we’re swimming in the science of sperm, the biology of fertilisation, and the cutting-edge research that could revolutionise reproductive autonomy. The future of birth control could be more equitable than ever before. And it starts with understanding sperm.

Originally aired 14th April, 2026.

The post Sperm-ission Impossible: Male Contraceptives appeared first on Science Queeries.

Pathogens are everywhere. They’re invisible to our eyes, but they’re not invincible.

This week, we’re diving deep into three very different infections: Talaromyces marneffei – a fungus that’s thriving in South-East Asia and emerging as a serious threat, tuberculosis – a bacterial infection that’s been coughing up trouble for centuries, and shingles – a viral infection that lies dormant in your nerves for years, waiting to reactivate when your immune system is down.

Alyssa Sinaga Lacsina and Aanika Bray (L-R) make their research and radio debuts as Amgen Scholars who worked in labs at The University of Melbourne over the summer. They chat with Dr Cat about the infectious diseases that they’re tackling.

When we understand the pathogens that cause disease, we can spread awareness and create prevention strategies.

Knowledge is contagious in the best way.

Originally aired 7th April, 2026.

The post Infection Inspection appeared first on Science Queeries.

Seventy percent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the Great Southern Reef. Yet many of us have never heard of it.

This reef is home to species found nowhere else on Earth. It’s a place where cuttlefish perform spectacular mating displays, where giant spider crabs gather in their tens of thousands, and where nature’s mysteries are waiting to be uncovered.

Every winter, giant spider crabs gather in massive aggregations to moult. But the timing and location of these gatherings change every year. They’re unpredictable, and we barely understand them.

That’s where citizen science comes in. Dr Elodie Camprasse leads the Spider Crab Watch project – a groundbreaking initiative that turns everyday people into marine researchers with their crab-servations. Volunteers are helping scientists crack the code on these crabs.

This week, we’re diving deep into the Great Southern Reef – exploring what makes it so special and how citizen science is reef-orming our understanding of this incredible ecosystem.

Originally aired 24th March, 2026.

The post Reef-ormation Through Crab-servation appeared first on Science Queeries.

In this well-seasoned conversation, we’re after a recipe for change.

Food racism isn’t just about ingredients. It’s about whose knowledge counts as science, whose culture gets celebrated, and whose gets criminalised. Myths around the harms of MSG, the flavour enhancer, is a perfect case study. While it is found naturally in ingredients used around the world, these myths are specifically attached to Asian cuisine. That’s not science. That’s racism, baked into our beliefs.

But food racism is just one symptom of a much bigger problem: systemic barriers that keep minority communities invisible and excluded.

Dr Cat chats with Anastasia Le, a transgender woman who works to support inclusion for LGBTQIA+, migrant, and disability communities. She is launching a groundbreaking campaign on Trans Day of Visibility: “Count the Gaps: The Gaps Aren’t Empty”, because change starts with seeing what we’ve been missing.

Dig into how food racism shows up in our science and our culture. Tuck into what it’s like to navigate STEM workplaces as a transgender person, as a migrant, as someone from a minority community. Unpack the power of making visible the people and communities that institutions have been ignoring.

Originally aired 31st March, 2026.

The post Baked In: how racism shows up in food & STEM appeared first on Science Queeries.

Around 1.7% of babies born in Australia have innate variations in sex characteristics. That’s roughly one in 60 babies.

For decades…and to this day, intersex people have been treated as medical problems that need solving. Doctors make decisions about their bodies – often surgical decisions – before they are old enough to consent.

Variations in sex characteristics exist on a spectrum, just like height or any other trait. Yet intersex people face unnecessary surgeries, secrecy, shame, and a medical system that treated their bodies as “other”. The World Health Organisation still lists innate variations of sex characteristics as medical conditions. But being intersex isn’t a pathology. It’s a natural variation.

On Science Queeries, we’re talking about depathologisation; about recognising intersex as a natural part of human diversity, not a disease. Our guest is Paul Byrne-Moroney from The I in Us, the only show for intersex people by intersex people. He’s here to help us understand what it means to be intersex and why depathologisation matters.

Last month, Victoria passed legislation that protects intersex children from unnecessary, irreversible medical procedures. It’s a landmark moment. And it’s time we all understood why.

Originally aired 3rd March, 2026.

The post Innately You: Depathologising Being Intersex appeared first on Science Queeries.