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-...

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 r...

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 change...

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 vo...

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 incre...

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 r...

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 h...

What is a hydrogeologist, why is groundwater important, and how can mine sites both contribute to and impact our hidden water sources? In this episode, Dr Elise Tuuri is joined by the recently conferred Dr Birte Moser, a hydrogeologist at Flinders University's National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training and the One Basin Cooperative Research Centre. Birte takes us into the hidden world of groundwater, from the surprising hydraulic evolution of pit lakes after mine closure, to bankin...

Welcome back to another episode in sunny Oxford! While Olly was in the UK, she visited St John’s College at the University of Oxford. There, she sat down with the College President, Professor Lady Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome, to hear about Sue’s career in forensic anthropology and what it is like working as a scientist when your data can be used in the courtroom. Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod Thank you to the whole TWICS team for the incredible behind-the-scenes volun...

This week, Dr Jane Younger returns to the TWICS mic to tell Olly about her recent adventures down south to Antarctica. Unfortunately, the trip involved seeing staggering rates of avian influenza, affecting multiple species of seabirds as well as seals. Jane talked Olly through her experiences, as well as the science conducted to help understand what’s happening. A bonus fact about the episode: despite the episode being about the most southern continent in the world, Jane and Olly recorded the...