Environment Archives - Science Queeries

A Bee-nomenal Theorem

catriona.nguyen-robertson — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 06:16:55 +0000

Around one third of the food on your plate is there thanks to the hard work of bees. We’re buzzing with excitement to chat about bees! Thanks to Clancy Lester, aka the Bee Man of “Bees and Blossoms”, for bee-ing on the show this week.

Dr Cat chats with ecologist Clancy about his research with the Yolŋu people and their deep connection to bees, honey, and Country – and how these tiny pollinators are crucial for conservation of Australian ecosystem. From Arnhem Land to backyard bee hotels, we’re diving into the world of Australia’s incredible native bees. Plus, we explore how bees do arithmetic (yes, really!) and how building a simple bee hotel can help protect biodiversity.

Originally aired 21st October, 2025.

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Sussing out Sustainability

catriona.nguyen-robertson — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 05:53:49 +0000

What do you think of when you think “renewable energy”? What is one change we can make to drastically reduce our individual impact on the planet? What should we be planting in our gardens if we’re rooting for the planet?

It’s a takeover! Dr Cat sits back from the microphones this week to let three science communication students take the reins.

Dominique Bezzina, Daniel Nørkjær Badenskov, and Erin Koster turn up the geothermal heat, raise the steaks on sustainability, and dig deep into permaculture. From the ground beneath our feet to the food on our plates, they cover the whole ecosystem, thinking about how we can all be a bit more sustainable.

Originally aired 7th October, 2025.

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This week’s guest makes a splash

vaughan.mccarthy — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 07:21:59 +0000

Want to be dam well-informed about floods and dams? How do we protect our homes and communities from disastrous floods? Why do insurance companies seem to know more about whether your house is at risk than you do?

Water engineer Erin Hughes helps us wade through the world of floods and dams. Erin is a Senior Surface Water Engineer at Hydrology and Risk Consulting. She has led many projects around Australia and the world to help predict floods and assess dam safety. Growing up in the Torres Strait, Erin was surrounded by water and saw first-hand the impact engineering could have on local communities when trying to manage water challenges. Her chat with Dr Cat will give you plenty to soak up!

Originally aired 9th September, 2025.

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Take me to a Fungi Town

vaughan.mccarthy — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:45:48 +0000

No detail is spored in this episode with a really fun-gal. When we think of infectious diseases, we often think of bacterial infections like pneumonia and tuberculosis, or viral ones like flu and COVID. Fungi often don’t come to mind – yet collectively, fungal infections surpass any other infectious disease on the global death toll.

There’s still mush-room for discovery to develop new treatments to tackle ever-adapting fungi that never stop moulding to suit their changing environment. Dr Cat chats to Dr Jane Usher at the University of Exeter, who investigates fungi that can infect us to ensure that they can’t.

This episode originally aired 26th August, 2025.

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An unbeetleble episode

vaughan.mccarthy — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 09:00:20 +0000

Bugs are more than just “creepy-crawlies” – they can be quite beetleful. Dr Cat chats to bugging entomologist Charlie Disher.

What niche pockets of beetle species exist in the sky islands of the Australian Alpine mountains? How did empty beer stubbies once pose a threat to the golden Jewel beetles (spoiler: they were super sexy stimuli)? What can we learn from insects to better understand the natural world? Dr Cat and Charlie dig through leaf litter, scale the Aussie Alps, and discover just how speci-tacular beetles can be!

Originally aired 19th August, 2025.

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National Science Week

vaughan.mccarthy — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 18:53:37 +0000

Happy National Science Week! We’re celebrating the wild, weird, and wonderful side of Australian wildlife this Science Week with a national vote for Australia’s Most Underrated Native Animal.

Dr Cat chats to her friend and colleague, A/Prof Jen Martin. An ecologist-turned-science communicator at The University of Melbourne, Jen is the perfect person to introduce you to ten Aussie animal underdogs.

From the eel-lectrifying short-finned eel to the ink-redible giant cuttlefish, the dugong that’s truly sea-riously charming, and the mole-vellous marsupial mole – this week’s episode will give you a lot of animals to skink your teeth into. These quirky critters aren’t just hiding in the shadows – they’re bat-tling for your love.

This episode originally aired 12th August, 2025.

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A lot of hot air

vaughan.mccarthy — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 04:09:44 +0000

Looking for a breath of fresh… science? Dr Rob Ryan, atmospheric chemist in the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at The University of Melbourne, clears the air. He and Dr Cat discuss how the effects of air pollution can ripple all the way from humans to reefs. So how can we protect ourselves and keep our reefs coral-ful?

This episode originally aired 24th June, 2025.

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You’ll be hooked on this episode

vaughan.mccarthy — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 02:10:30 +0000

We’re casting a net to reel in some knowledge. Dr Cat dives deep into the tangled world of ghost nets with marine conservation ecologist, Jess Leck. She is the GhostNets Australia Program Coordinator for OceanEarth Foundation, working with communities across Northern Australia, Asia and the Pacific to address fishing debris in our oceans at their source. Their work shows us that when communities come together, we really can turn the tide.

This episode originally aired on 17th June, 2025.

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Science, Sass and Song: The Radiothon Riff-Off

catriona.nguyen-robertson — Tue, 20 May 2025 09:26:18 +0000

For a fabulously nerdy Radiothon special, Dr Cat goes full STEAM ahead with a science-packed extravaganza. She tests her history buff brother Sasha Kober’s knowledge of scientific discoveries and historical episodes of Science Queeries. She fields questions in an Ask Me Anything, runs a quiz showdown between her brother and Little Jase from Big Bi+ Questions, and belts out some science karaoke. It’s brains, banter, and belting for a brilliant cause: supporting JOY.

This episode originally aired on 13th May, 2025.

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Water’ll we do?

vaughan.mccarthy — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:29:22 +0000

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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I lichen like that!

vaughan.mccarthy — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 03:26:07 +0000

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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A meating of minds

vaughan.mccarthy — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:54:39 +0000

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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Science is colden

vaughan.mccarthy — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 08:08:31 +0000

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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Breaking the ice on a polarising land

vaughan.mccarthy — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 23:29:39 +0000

Dr Cat is joined by two incredibly cool ecologists who she had the pleasure of travelling around Argentina and Antarctica with: Georgia Watson and Jess Leck. Georgia is the Project Coordinator at iAccelerate, where she empowers women with backgrounds in STEM to become entrepreneurs. Jess is a marine ecologist who works with the OceanEarth Foundation, working with communities to increase their capacity to build and contribute to sustainable ecosystems and communities. The three reunite after returning to Australia and have a pretty chill conversation about their un-brr-lievable Antarctic adventure, featuring orca, the two flowering plants of Antarctica, and icebergs.

This episode originally aired 25th February, 2025.

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Lest we frog-et

vaughan.mccarthy — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 04:24:34 +0000

Dr Cat has a ribbiting conversation with Clarisse Sawyer about a pandemic that is decimating the amphibian world: chytrid fungus. Synthetic biology could be the solution – and she is researching ways to use alpacas to al-pack-a punch in the fight against this fungal infection. They also discuss how gene drives (a way of spreading manipulated versions of genes through an animal population) can tackle public health and other conservation challenges…and who should have a say in the use and control of this technology.

This episode originally aired 7th January, 2025.

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More science coming a-choo.

vaughan.mccarthy — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 06:10:57 +0000

It’s allergy season. Dr Cat and Kira Hughes clear the air about what causes those sneezes, wheezes, and itchy reactions. A researcher at the NeuroAllergy Research Laboratory at Deakin University, Kira breezes through the science behind hay fever and thunderstorm asthma. Pollen may turn you into a sneeze machine, thunderstorm asthma may catch you off guard, or mosquitoes may turn your blood into their personal snack…these may bug you, but Dr Cat and Kira will help put a spring in your step as you go about spring.

This episode originally aired 12th November, 2024.

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The coral of the story

vaughan.mccarthy — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 01:37:56 +0000

Dr Cat is joined by Aida Zjakić for a very hot topic: climate change. They discuss how Earth’s climate shifts over millions of years, what’s driving climate change now, and what these changes mean for coral reefs. These vibrant, complex ecosystems that help keep our oceans and planet healthy are facing some tide-turning challenges. Coral might be tough, but they’re in hot water as temperatures rise. It’s sea-riously important to discuss, because climate change is a shore thing if we don’t act!

This episode originally aired 29th October, 2024.

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Voltaic you there

vaughan.mccarthy — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 06:16:01 +0000

Dr Cat and Dr Mohammad Taha conduct a conversation about different materials for more sustainable buildings. Did you know that around 60% of energy used in buildings is used to control the temperature? Or that over three-quarters of Melbourne city’s energy demand could be supplied by solar if we were smarter about the placement and design of solar panels? Strap in for some pulsing, high energy discussion. It’s a gas… but not the greenhouse-type.

Dr Mohammad Taha is a multidisciplinary researcher at the University of Melbourne, bridging materials science, sustainability, and electronic engineering.

This episode originally aired 24th September, 2024.

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