Self Improvement Wednesday

Fungi can help trees communicate with each other. Dr Brett Summerell, Chief Botanist at the Institute of Botanical Science explains how this fascinating symbiotic relationship works.

The suit can be tracked back to 1666. Fashion Historian Dr Lydia Edwards with the history and evolution of the suit in Self Improvement Wednesday

This week your teacher is Ben Britton, Director of the Wild Cat Conservation Centre. He joined Richard in studio with two royal pythons.

A quick glance around the world or through history will reveal that no matter what we happen to believe is morally right and wrong, there is at least one person or culture that believes differently, and holds their belief with as much conviction as we do.

When we think about the Greek myths we think of beasts like multi-headed dogs or giant eagles, but what about insects?

This week, you'll learn how and when to do an ‘acknowledgement of Country’, with a particular focus on the Sydney area. Your teacher is Jakelin Troy, a Ngarigu woman from the Snowy Mountains of South Eastern Australia and Director of Indigenous Research at the University of Sydney.

Green spaces in cities are vital for our wellbeing, but did you know that here in Sydney we have access to some of the best parks in the world? Elizabeth Mossop, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Technology, Sydney teaches us all about it for Self Improvement.

Take a listen to this week's interesting lesson with Liz Ann Macgregor from the MCA on the art of Yinka Shonibare, a British-Nigerian artist, renowned for his works that investigate race, class, globalisation and cultural identity.

Do you ever wonder why your local road or place here in Sydney is called what it is? You might be surprised to learn it's gone through several different names over the years - and that's even before you consider what it's called by traditional owners. This week's lesson from Grace Karskens, Professor of History in the School of Humanities and Languages at the University of New South Wales.

They can hold their breath for two hours, they can dive up to one hundred metres and they are venomous. Learn all about sea snakes with this week's lesson from Dr Vanessa Pirotta from the Marine Predator Research Group at Macquarie University.