Science Queeries

Dr Cat and archaeologist Dr Wenjing Yu are digging up the past and brushing off the dust on history. Dr Wenjing has done fieldwork around the world, piecing together the story of our ancestors and their evolution to answer: when and where do we as humans come from? She excavates the fascinating story of the Taung Child skull, the oldest child in the world, and Dr Cat touches on the lessons we’ve learned from the icy archives in Antarctica.

This episode originally aired on 6th May, 2025.

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Dr Cat cell-abrates the World Day of Immunology with Dr Keit Loi, Lecturer in immunology at The University of Melbourne. Together, they’ll infect you with an appreciation of the randomness and chaotic yet impressive coordination of the immune response so that it can help fight infections and cancer. Unless it goes wrong…

This episode originally aired on 29th April, 2025.

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Dr Cat chats to Dr Jamie Robertson AM about the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth. Dr Jamie is filling us in on the root causes of dental inequality – and reminding us that oral health isn’t just about a sparkling smile as it influences our overall health too. Whether you’re grinding through policy or just brushing up on the facts, remember: access to dental care should never be like pulling teeth. Here’s hoping for a fairer, healthier future.

This episode originally aired on 22nd April, 2025.

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Dr Cat and Amber Craig splashy deep dive into water — where it goes, who gets it, and what happens when there’s way too much… or not nearly enough. From drenched cities to parched paddocks, they wade through the ripple effects of floods, droughts, and the under-appreciated world of sewerage systems.

This episode originally aired on 15th April, 2025.

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It’s an episode lichen you’ve never heard before! Dr Cat and science educator Finn McHenry literally queer-ied lichens – those curious little lifeforms that are part fungus, part algae, and 100% symbiotic slay. They ask some big questions about how science sees nature, and how queerness helps us see it differently.

This episode originally aired on 8th April, 2025.

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On April Fools’ Day, Dr Cat talks to science communicator/comedian/entertainer Owen Collins. They dive into the trickiest side of science: the legendary pranks that fooled the world, the real scientific facts that sound like total nonsense, and shenanigans that you can try out yourself. They experiment with the fine line between fact and fiction, and teach us that curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism go hand in hand.

This episode originally aired on 1st April, 2025… yes, really.

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This episode is trending – it’s about data trends and biases. Dr Cat chats to the wonderful Tamzyn of JOY Breakfast, Big Bi+ Questions, and Geeks Out about how bias sneaks into data and they decode its real-world impact. From Tamzyn’s binary code tattoo to where to buy the best BBQ chicken, there’s data everywhere we look. But are things always as they seem?

This episode originally aired 25th March, 2025.

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Dr Cat has a stellar conversation with superstar astrophysicist Dr Shanika Galaudage. They ripple through spacetime and chat about black holes and neutron stars, which Dr Shanika studies at the Observatoire Côte d’Azur (Nice Observatory).

This episode originally aired 18th March, 2025.

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Dr Cat chats about agriculture with Ainslie Macdonald. They plow through the impact of greenhouse emissions in agriculture, and explored how methane suppression and cell agriculture could be rare… medium… well done solutions for the future. With researchers like Ainslie on the case, we just might farm a better future—without the hefty carbon footprint.

This episode originally aired 11th March, 2025.

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Two immunologists walk onto a boat – to take them to Antarctica. Dr Cat and A/Prof Helen McGuire. Helen is a lecturer in immunology at the University of Sydney and researches the role our immune system plays across chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. They have a cool conversation about the immune system, their adventures in the Antarctic Peninsula, and how the cold environment can impact humans.

Originally aired 4th March, 2025.

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