In this final episode for Season 2, Stacey and Clinton journey from the darkness of space to the deepest parts of the sea to untangle the science of cloud computing. Launching with a tale that connects Genghis Khan, the International Space Station, and Steve Jobs, it's not just about servers in the sky; it's a deep dive into Sputnik, submarine cables, and the surprising energy required to stream your favorite shows. From the garden hoses on the ocean floor and power consumption of AI to finding the coolest places on Earth to house our data and to how the cloud is accelerating science endeavours around the world. It’s a mission like no other to answer WTF is the cloud.

Curriculum Links:

Science as a Human endeavour: Technological advancements in computing and internet infrastructure, ethical considerations of energy consumption and environmental impact of data centres, the role of international collaboration in large-scale science projects.

Physics: Electromagnetic waves and their use in data transfer, the principles of light transmission through fibre optic cables, energy transfers and transformations in computing systems, and the relationship between electricity, resistance, and heat generation.

Technology: How data is stored and protected, the basics of binary code and electromagnetic memory, and future technologies such as liquid cooling, quantum computing, and DNA data storage.

Space technology: The history of space exploration and its influence on the development of internet and cloud computing, and the use of cloud computing in modern space research and data analysis.

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It’s all about good humour and not a drop of bad blood as Stacey and Clinton pour out the science of the red and white cells pumping through our bodies. They pass on the Cheerios and head straight into a heart pumping oxygenated orchestra of transportation, regulation, communication and protection. From how blood moves through our veins, arteries, and capillaries, the process of plasma leakage, tissue fluid exchange, and the effects of the scent of blood. Plus what happens when you hack your blood and the evolutionary adaptations of blood for peak performance in some populations. Leave the buff coat at home and channel your inner Buffy instead for all things crimson, yellow, black and blue.

Curriculum Links:

Biology: Body systems (circulatory system's role in transporting oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and waste products), cells (components and functions) and genetics and evolution (evolutionary adaptations related to blood, such as the adaptations of Sherpas living at high altitudes).

Chemistry: Components of blood including plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets. 

Health and Physical Education: Performance enhancement and doping in sport including the physiological effects and potential risks of blood doping and other blood-related performance-enhancing substances.

Ethics: Ethical considerations of blood doping and genetic manipulation including the ethical issues surrounding the use of blood manipulation techniques in sports and potential future applications of genetic manipulation related to blood.

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Stacey brings in a special guest to dive into the human side of science. Ali isn’t just living with Huntington’s, he grew up in a Huntington’s family, watching the disease echo through generations. Ali shares the moment a DNA test turned 'maybe' into certainty and the tight-rope walk between hope and honesty when a partner asks, “Do we try for kids?”.  It’s human, nuanced, and a powerful insight into scientific ethics: autonomy, privacy, reproductive choice, and the right to not know. Because science isn’t just Petri dishes, it’s people, futures, and the fork-in-the-road decisions that keep your mind racing at night.

Curriculum Links:

Biology: Genetics and heredity including DNA structure and function, inheritance (transmission of genetic information), genetic variation and diversity (mutations, epigenetics) and developmental biology including embryonic development (cellular differentiation, role of genes).

Physics: Technological applications of physics in genetic research (e.g., imaging techniques) and principles of measurement and data analysis in biological contexts.

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Talk about twisted deoxyribose family drama! The story of Lydia Fairchild and her mysteriously non-DNA related children gives Stacey cause for a double take on some unique science. The chimera chaos leads the team to wander the streets of DNA snips and ancestral alleles that makes us unique. From coding and non-coding DNA to epigenetics, nuclear tides and cloning. Plus, the influence of Sonic the Hedgehog on our own human uniqueness and tracing ancestry through the Viking Finger.

Curriculum Links

Biology: Genetics and heredity including DNA structure and function (chemical basis of heredity), inheritance (transmission of genetic information) and genetic variation and diversity (mutations, epigenetics). Developmental biology including embryonic development (cellular differentiation, role of genes), stem cells (biological potential) and chimerism and conjoined twins (biological anomalies).

Chemistry: DNA Structure and function including chemical components of DNA (bases, sugar, phosphate), chemical bonds holding DNA together and basic principles of molecular structure and function.

Forensic science (Applied Biology/Chemistry): DNA profiling including chemical analysis of STRs for identification and application of biological principles to legal contexts.

Biotechnology (Applied Biology/Chemistry): Ancestry testing and genetic engineering and cloning technologies.

Ethics: Ethics of cloning (societal and moral considerations of a biological technology) and implications of genetic testing (social, psychological, and ethical impacts of biological information).

Science as a Human Endeavour: Scientific naming and discovery (historical and cultural context of biological terms).

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The ancient Egyptians, Sistine Chapel, Van Gogh’ s Starry night and Dr Frankenstein have some eye-opening chemistry in common, and it all has to do with colour. Starting from lapis skies and cerulean waves, Stacey and Clinton shine a light on how and why we see colour, the visible light spectrum, additive and subtractive colour and changes to colour underwater. The science of colour is never black and white, from Monet's ultraviolet vision, colour blind male monkeys, to pigments, peacocks and pyrotechnics, it’s the full science spectrum of biology, chemistry and physics all in one.

Curriculum Links

Chemistry: Chemical reactions, elements, compounds, and properties of substances including exploring the chemical composition of pigments like Prussian blue and the reactions involved in their synthesis or investigating the combustion process and the flame test's role in identifying elements.

Physics: Light, the electromagnetic spectrum, and energy transfer. Including analysing the wavelengths of light and their relationship to color perception and understanding how light behaves in different mediums (e.g., water) and how this affects colour.

Biology: Human and animal vision, genetics, and evolution.For example, examining the structure of the eye and how it perceives colour and discussing the genetic basis of colour vision and how it has evolved in different species.

History of Science: Scientific discoveries and methods including tracing the history of pigment discovery and the development of synthetic colours and investigating the evolution of theories about light and colour, from Newton to modern understanding.

Earth and Space Science: Sunlight and light's properties in different environments. Exploring how sunlight interacts with the atmosphere and affects the colours we see and understanding how light behaves underwater and the implications for marine life and colour perception.

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Scrolling Instagram triggers a deep dive into the world of the Greenland shark, and has Stacey and Clinton exploring the massive world of animal sizes, aging, and even cancer. From the largest animal on Earth, to elephants with super-powered tumour-suppressing genes, they dive into Peto's Paradox and question why bigger isn't always more cancerous. Get ready for mind-bending concepts like hyper tumours and learn why some animals get smaller while others grow larger over evolutionary time. Plus, the perils of getting "shark drunk". It's a wild ride through biology, evolution, and just a dash of intoxicating elasmobranchs.

Curriculum Links

Classification and Characteristics of Living Things: The Greenland shark as the oldest living vertebrate, exploration of animal sizes, aging processes, and varying reproductive strategies, analysis of genetic differences (elephants with multiple copies of tumour-suppressing genes, Greenland shark's duplicated genome) and their impact on survival.

Ecology and Ecosystems: Consideration of environmental factors affecting animal size (Bergmann's rule, insular dwarfism), how changes in atmospheric conditions (oxygen levels) have influenced the size of insects over time, and the relationship between metabolic rate and cancer prevention in Greenland sharks.

Cell Biology and Genetics: Cell division, mutations, and cancer as uncontrolled cell growth, apoptosis and its role in preventing cancer, Peto's Paradox and why larger organisms don't necessarily have higher cancer rates.

Physics: Thermal physics, energy transfers, efficiency, and thermodynamic principles (related to metabolic rates and environmental adaptations).

Earth Science: How the atmosphere has changed over time and its impact on what can survive (insect size).

Mathematics: Application of scale factors, volume, surface area, and relationships to real-world biological concepts.

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Stacey’s friend has posed an unusual question: Why don’t Flake chocolate bars melt? Turns out, dark, milk, or amorphous solid, there is some decadent science behind the every day chocolate bar. From the 6 crystal structures, the art of tempering, and why some chocolate achieves that perfect snap while others crumble. Then it’s back to Year 7 science for Clinton with a recap on the states of matter and a sweet link between the ‘food of the Gods’ and Carl Linnaeus, the physician who formalised scientific taxonomy. Stacey unwraps the chemicals behind a chocolate high, why too much of a good thing sends your dog to the vet, and the role of the Maillard reaction. Plus the team breaks into the biology of the Theobroma cocoa plant, cauliflory, pollinating midges and why chocolate is eaten in space.

Curriculum Links

States of Matter: Solids, liquids, and gases, particularly in relation to chocolate's melting and the concept of amorphous solids like glass. 

Physical and Chemical Changes: Melting, tempering, and roasting are explored as examples of physical and chemical changes, including the Maillard reaction. 

Mixtures and Pure Substances: Chocolate as a mixture, and the components like cocoa butter, solids, and sugar. 

Melting Temperatures and Properties: The melting points of different chocolate types and the effect of crystal structures. 

Enzymes: The role of enzymes in theobromine metabolism in humans and dogs.

Classification: Carl Linnaeus and the binomial nomenclature system. 

Plant Biology: The Theobroma cacao plant, its growth, pollination by midges, and cauliflory. 

Ecosystems and Pollination: The role of midges in the cacao ecosystem and pollination. 

Chemicals and Their Effects: Theobromine, caffeine, tryptophan, and other chemicals in chocolate and their effects on the body. 

Earth and Space: The use of chocolate as space food. 

CRISPR: Gene editing techniques in cacao plants.

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A near miss with a tiger snake on Clinton's morning run sparks a deep dive into the world of nature’s chemical weaponry. First used for defence and hunting millions of years ago, these substances are now unlocking new medical breakthroughs. Clinton and Stacey explore the science behind venoms, poisons, and toxins, from the neurotoxins of tiger snakes to the lethal dose (LD50) of poison dart frogs. From the role of horses in antivenom production, to the surprising medicinal uses of cone snail venom, this episode unravels the fascinating science of these powerful substances and why Australia is home to so many venomous creatures.

Curriculum Links

Classification and Characteristics of Living Things: Discussion of venomous and poisonous animals, their unique adaptations, and classification (snakes, frogs, jellyfish, etc.).

Ecology and Ecosystems: Exploration of Australia's unique environment and how it has led to a high concentration of venomous species, predator-prey relationships, ecological niches, and evolutionary pressures.

Biology and Physiology: Examination of venoms, poisons, and toxins, their effects on the body (neurotoxins, procoagulants, myotoxins, cytotoxins), and the physiological responses to them (paralysis, hemorrhaging, cardiac arrest).

Toxicology: Understanding of lethal doses (LD50), the differences between venomous and poisonous, and the effects of various toxins.

Chemistry: Discussion of chemical compounds in venoms and poisons, and how they interact with biological systems.

Medical Science and Pharmacology: Exploration of antivenom production, the use of venoms in drug development (painkillers, Botox), and the medicinal uses of natural toxins.

Evolution: Discussion of how venoms and poisons have evolved as adaptations for defence and predation.

Science as a Human Endeavour: Discussion of antivenoms, venom milking, and the biomedical use of toxins (e.g. Botox, painkillers), and responses to toxins and the role of homeostasis and respiration, like diaphragm paralysis and venom effects.

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What's the one thing Ant is most excited about for his upcoming trip to Japan? Taking the shinkansen, or Japanese bullet train, from Tokyo to Osaka. First launched in 1964 and travelling today at 320 km/h, it's a feat of modern science. Ant and Stacey take a whistle stop tour of the science of biomimicry, examining how nature has influenced the bullet train and other modern technologies. From kingfishers and owls, to sharkskin and photosynthesis - biomimicry is all around us if you know where to look.

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It's summer holidays in Australia, which for some means jumping on a plane and heading overseas. Depending on the destination, that next beachside cocktail might be best avoided. Prompted by recent media stories of holiday makers being poisoned by methanol, Stacey distils the chemistry of alcohol and shakes lose the science behind a fatal beverage. Plus why is beer safe, our bodily response to methanol poisoning and how it's treated.

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