Mushrooms were once lumped in with plants, and they stayed there well after science knew better.

But if a fungus is not a plant… is it a closer relative of yours than you might've thought?

With millions of species on Earth, and many that live inside you, it seems important to know about the kingdom of fungi.

Featuring:

• Tom May, senior principal research scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria; and co-author of Planet Fungi 
• Grace Boxshall, PhD student at the University of Melbourne and visiting junior research fellow at the University of New South Wales
• Georgina Hold, Professor of Gut Health at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales
• Dr Sapphire McMullan-Fisher, fungal and plant ecologist at the University of New England

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
• Rebecca McLaren, Producer
• Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people.

Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

As daily updates about the 'mushroom murders' monopolised newsfeeds around the country, the What the Duck?! team started questioning the motives.  Not the human ones — the fungi ones.

Why would a mushroom need a toxin so powerful it takes just a few grams to kill a human?

And where's the warning?  Nature usually throws up alerts for poison, like bright colours or spots, but the death cap is pretty plain.

Why does a mushroom need such a deadly toxin anyway?

Featuring:

• Tom May, senior principal research scientist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria, and co-author of Planet Fungi 
• Grace Boxshall, PhD student at the University of Melbourne and visiting junior research fellow at the University of New South Wales.
• Lindsay Mollison, retired consultant physician in infectious diseases and gastroenterology
• Justin Beardsley, researcher at the University of Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute and physician at Westmead Hospital

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
• Rebecca McLaren, Producer
• Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people.

Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

Have you found yourself wondering why a simple brown mushroom would develop a toxin so strong that just a few grams could kill a human?

What the Duck?! is investigating the motives of toxic fungi and exploring the curious world of puffballs, fly agarics, stinkhorns, and death caps.

Powerful toxins are scary, but there are varieties that could help humans in medical treatment, space exploration, manufacturing, and by consuming plastic waste…

Mushrooms are sending us mixed messages!

What the Duck?! serves mushrooms from October 3rd.

Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

Cuckoo babies hatch in the nests of other bird species then quickly, often brutally, make sure they're the only baby to get fed…

So how does a cuckoo know how to be a cuckoo?

Well… that is a ducking good question.

Featuring:

• Cassandra Taylor, ANU.
• Claire Taylor, Uni of Melbourne.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Joel Werner, Script Editing.

This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2022 and produced (mainly) on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

There are so many sticky things in nature, but what's the nature of their stickiness?

Could slug mucus or frog ooze be used in medical treatments?

Ann puts on her spider-woman gloves to find out.

Featuring:

• Ella Tyler, wife of the late Prof Mike Tyler.
• Prof Andrew Smith, Biology, Ithaca College.
• Prof George Murrell, Director Orthopaedic Research Institute, St George Hospital, NSW.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.

This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2022 and produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.ore the mysteries of nature.

If you ever wanted to be able to stick to walls like Spider-Man, then listen to this!

How do geckos and ants walk easily up walls and across the ceiling?

Is an insect foot sticky in the same way as a reptilian tootsie?

And how does underwater stickiness compare? Just how is that barnacle attached to that boat?

Featuring:

• Rishab Pillai, James Cook University.
• Dr Christofer Clemente, University of the Sunshine Coast.
• Dr Eleanor Velasquez, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) at UQ.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Joel Werner, Script Editing.

This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2022 and produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

This place is so extreme that NASA sends scientists to test equipment for Mars missions. And yet, Australia's salty lakes are full of life.

Featuring:

• Bonnie Teece, Postgraduate Researcher at UNSW
• Angus D'Arcy Lawrie, PhD Student at Murdoch University.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Joel Werner, Script Editing.

This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2022 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

Ann finds out that birds are not really blue. Not even bluebirds. If they're not blue, then what the duck are they?

Featuring:

• Richard McClure, Stems Flower Market, Ballarat.
• Nate Byrne, ABC News Breakfast Meteorologist and science nerd.
• Prof Andrew Lowe, University of Adelaide.
• Dr Kate Umbers, University of Western Sydney.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Joel Werner, Script Editing.

This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2022 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

Listen back to the What the Duck?! special broadcast with Dr Ann Jones and Cassie McCullagh.

After 65,000 votes, Australia has spoken — the rakali has been crowned Australia's most underrated native animal!

Raking in a whopping 20 per cent of the votes cast, the water rat was well out in front.

Here are the results:

1. 1.Rakali
2. 2.Palm cockatoo
3. 3.Giant cuttlefish
4. 4.Dugong
5. 5.Marsupial mole
6. 6.Turtle frog
7. 7.Velvet worm
8. 8.Great desert skink
9. 9.Ghost bat
10. 10.Short-finned eel

You can also read more on the ABC News blog from the countdown:https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-15/wildlife-blog-15-august-2025/105651126

Featuring:

• Professor Euan Ritchie, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Deakin University
• Jacinta Bowler, ABC Science Reporter
• Dr Kirsti Abbott, head of science at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
• Professor Nicki Mitchell, UWA
• Jonathan Webb, ABC Science Editor
• Dr Mark Norman, Chief Scientist Parks Victoria
• Dr Christina N Zdenek, ecologist with People for Wildlife
• Professor Peter Banks, University of Sydney

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
• Rebecca McLaren, Producer
• James Bullen, Producer
• Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer

They live off seagrass, and sound like a teeny bird, but can weigh in at more than 400 kilograms and will cut you with their tusks.

Dugongs (Dugong dugon) were once confused for mermaids.

Yanyuwa people in the Golf of Carpentaria have observed their roles in family groups and identified 16 different types of dugongs.

Cast your vote for Australia's most underrated animal here.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-08-01/science-week-underrated-australian-animal-vote/105582104

Featuring:

• Dr Rachel Groom, Charles Darwin University

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
• Jacinta Bowler, Producer
• Rebecca McLaren, Producer
• Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer
• Petria Ladgrove, Executive Producer

Stream the brand-new series Dr Ann's Secret Lives on ABC iview.