That's What I Call Science!

What happens when animals spend thousands of years adapting to life in complete darkness?

This week on That's What I Call Science, Dr Olly Dove and Dr Hannah Moore are joined by Josh Greenhill, a recent Honours graduate from the University of Tasmania and a Young Tassie Scientist.

As part of our special Young Tassie Scientists mini-series, Josh takes us into the fascinating world of Tasmania's cave ecosystems and introduces us to one of the state's most unusual creatures: the Tasmanian mountain shrimp, or Anaspides. We explore how these ancient animals have adapted to life underground, what makes cave ecosystems so unique, and whether specialised cave species may be particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Along the way, Josh shares stories from his fieldwork adventures in Tasmania's caves and discusses his passion for understanding the weird and wonderful adaptations found throughout the natural world.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Co-Host: Dr Hannah Moore

Production: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)

What happens when a black hole launches a jet travelling close to the speed of light? And how can scientists study events happening millions of light years away?

This week we are joined by Sophie Young, a PhD candidate in astrophysics at the University of Tasmania and a Young Tassie Scientist. This episode is part of our special Young Tassie Scientists mini-series, highlighting emerging researchers who are sharing their passion for science with students and communities across Tasmania. 

Sophie works in computational astrophysics, using powerful supercomputers to create virtual galaxies and simulate the behaviour of black hole jets. We explore what black holes really are, how these extraordinary jets influence the evolution of galaxies, and why simulations are such an important tool for understanding the Universe.

Along the way, Sophie shares her journey into science, her passion for coding and problem solving, and her experiences inspiring students through the Young Tassie Scientists program.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Co-Host: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)

Production: Dr Simin Salarpour (@SalarpourSimin)

Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

Have we got an explosive episode for you today, listeners! 

If you live in Hobart, you may have seen a man walking around with a briefcase full of enough gadgets and wotsits to make an international spy envious. And that man is Sam Verne, today’s guest.

Sam is a cosmologist who studies how light changes colour when it passes through moving galaxies. He is also a scicomm enthusiast who shares his love of physics, crystals, and lightning frequently with the public. In today’s episode, he tells Tegan and Olly about his work and a few of the gizmos kept in his briefcase. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove).
Co-Host: Tegan Clark. 
Production: Richard Siu (Insta: @richard.siu.photography).
Media & Promotion: Georgia Stewart (@ggstew25)

We sit down with Thomas Verne, a Masters researcher at the Tasmanian Institute for Agriculture, to talk about his work developing probiotics that protect potatoes from disease. We also dig into his path from drought science to plant microbiology, and what it's like being part of the Young Tassie Scientists program. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Co-Host: Tegan Clark

Production: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)

Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

We kick off our Young Tassie Scientists series with marine ecologist Paula Ruiz, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania. 

Paula shares her journey from Colombia to Australia and the experiences that inspired her passion for ocean conservation. We explore her research into reef recovery along Australia's east coast, investigating how marine heatwaves, sea urchin grazing, and algal turf communities influence the loss and potential recovery of kelp forests. 

Paula discusses the importance of science communication, inspiring the next generation of scientists, and why healthy marine ecosystems are essential for our future.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Co-Host: Tegan Clark

Production: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)

Media & Promotion: Zi Yi Kho. 

Dr Margaux Didion-Gency grew up playing in the forest, building tree houses and as an adult she hangs out in forests, shrublands and very hot climate chambers to study how plants respond to climate change. 

Recording in the middle of a heatwave in Europe, in this very topical episode we hear about Margaux’s research into what happens when plants get too hot. 

Listen to learn about Margaux’s exciting new research into how leaf shape influences plant heat tolerance and how this changes when heat and drought are combined. Margaux takes us on a journey from the  conception of a hypothesis, through the design and execution of an experiment and interpretation of the results. 

Join us for fascinating stories of how plants adapt to heat, bookended by Marguax’s journey through science and her dreams for the future. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Kate Johnson (@kateplantphys.bsky.social)

Production: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)

Media & Promotion: Georgia Stewart (Insta: plutoisstillcool)

During her final week in the UK, Olly had the pleasure of visiting The National Museum of Computing in Bletchley. There, she chatted with four volunteers about what visitors can see at the museum, as well as their own experiences in computing and electrical engineering.

The museum houses computer models from the very early days of computing, including those far larger than Olly herself!

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Production: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)

A long, long time ago in a university far away, TWICS host Olly studied Zoology alongside adventurer Kate Lacey. Kate’s career would take her across the world to places like the Amazon, South Africa, and beyond. 

On her recent trip to the UK, Olly caught up with Kate to hear about her career in ecology, including Kate’s involvement with the recent reintroduction of pine martens to southwest England. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week!

Host: Dr Olly Dove (Insta: ols_dove)

Production: Dr Simin Salarpour

Media & Promotion: Zi Yi Kho. 

How much can a tree tell us about the climate? Quite a lot, it turns out.

This week, we chat with Dr Kathryn Allen from the University of Tasmania, one of Australia’s few dendroclimatologists, about how she uses tree rings to reconstruct past climates and environmental change.

Kathryn shares her unconventional pathway into science and how she built a career in climate research. Along the way, we explore how tree rings record rainfall, temperature and drought, what these natural archives can reveal about past climate variability, and why this research is so important for understanding our changing world. She also shares a few memorable fieldwork stories from her adventures collecting samples in the field.

From climate science to tree-ring detective work, this episode offers a fascinating look at the hidden stories written in wood.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host: Dr Hannah Moore

Production: Dr Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles)

Copper is all around us, from the wires in our homes to the technologies powering the transition to renewable energy. But where does it actually come from, and how do we find it?

In this episode, Dr Hannah Moore is joined by geologist Dr Yamila Cajal to explore the fascinating science behind copper. From her early career in mining and exploration in Chile to her current research at UTAS, Yamila shares what it’s really like to work as a geologist and how scientists uncover valuable resources hidden deep beneath our feet.

Together, they dive into how copper forms, why it’s considered a critical mineral, and the important role geology plays in building a more sustainable future.

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volunteering every week! 

Host:  Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)

Production: Dr Hannah Moore (@volcanohannah)

Media & Promotion: Emma Hamasaki (@EmmaHamasaki)