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Thunderstorm asthma; DIY frog saunas; striptease meets 'dirty' science; psychedelics; Milky Way collision course?

National Science Week Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 August 2025

Great radio talent behind National Science Week stories up for grabs around Australia

• Are you at risk of thunderstorm asthma? Find out with allergy sufferer, aerobiologist and Superstar of STEM Dr Kira Hughes (Melbourne-based talent)
• Striptease meets ‘dirty’ science. Find out why Dubbo girl and ANU researcher Dr Karina Judd channels alter-ego, Roxie, for an adults-only exploration of earth sciences. (Canberra-based talent)
• When will the Milky Way crash into Andromeda? Al fresco dinner party conversation with astrophysicist Dr Ruby Wright in Western Australia’s outback gold rush towns (Perth-based talent)
• What does DNA sound like? 80s pop drummer (ex The Hummingbirds) turned molecular biologist Dr Mark Temple reveals all at the Opera House (Sydney-based talent)
• Sharks in Ballarat. Talk to palaeontologist Prof John Long about his megalodon tooth, sharks fossilised during mating and other secrets behind the ocean’s top predators (Adelaide-based talent)
• Psychedelics, flicker light therapy, hypnosis, meditation. Dr Vince Polito, a scientist working at the edge of consciousness, invites the public to try mind-altering tools (Sydney-based talent)  
• Can nature help with concentration, ADHD and autism? Psychologist Prof Katherine Johnson has the answers (Melbourne-based talent)
• Classrooms in croc-filled billabongs using baited underwater cameras. Darcy Roeger, from Arafura Swamp Rangers Corporation, wants remote Northern Territory schools to understand lesser-known ecosystems (Ramingining-based talent, north-east Arnhem Land)
• Science of better sex, death over drinks, slime mould. Beaker Street Festival founder Dr Margo Adler believes boundary-pushing conversations can change the world (Hobart-based talent) 
• Whale song, snot and other mysteries. Wildlife biologist Dr Vanessa Pirotta decodes the ocean giants’ migratory habits in an adults-only night at Queensland Museum (Sydney-based talent) 
• Crochet, cocktails and maths. Meet crafty mathematician Dr Julia Collins, armed with a PhD in 4-dimensional knot theory (Perth-based talent)
• Spoilage yeast, automated tractors, screw caps. Singer-songwriter Max Savage uncorks 70 years of Australian Wine Research Institute findings in song (Adelaide-based talent)
• DIY frog saunas and spa treatments. Dr Jarrod Sopniewski is a conservation biologist employing surprising tactics to help frog populations fight the deadly chytrid fungus (Canberra-based talent)
• Who to call if you find a dinosaur bone in your back yard? Palaeontologist, archaeologist and female fossil hunter Sally Hurst is your go-to (Sydney-based talent)
• Help scientists find where our wild things are. Australia is big! CSIRO wants volunteers to find and photograph our flora and fauna.

These are just a few of the interesting topics being discussed during this year’s National Science Week (August 9 to 17). More on these highlights below, and others at www.scienceinpublic.com.au/science-week.

Scientists, experts and event organisers are available for interview. Read on for information or call:

• Tanya Ha, [email protected] or 0404 083 863 
• Shelley Thomas, [email protected] or 0416 377 444

Media centre here. Images for media here.

Deadly pollen: are you at risk of thunderstorm asthma? – Beechworth, VIC

Thunderstorm asthma, a condition triggered by high levels of pollen during a storm, can cause severe asthma attacks, even in people who have never had asthma. People who get hay fever might be at risk.

Allergy sufferer, scientist and Superstar of STEM Dr Kira Hughes is bringing asthma education to regional Victoria – a place where high grass pollen levels make it vitally important.

While thunderstorm asthma events are rare, around 40 per cent of all worldwide events happened in Australia and have resulted in hospitalisations and even deaths. 

Kira will share why Australia is a hotspot and innovative solutions in development in a free presentation at Beechworth Library. 

Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/thunderstorm-asthma/beechworth/

Media enquiries: Martyn Pearce, [email protected] or 0432 606 828.

Kira Hughes is available for media interviews.

 

Striptease meets ‘dirty’ science – Dubbo, NSW

Canberra-based researcher Dr Karina Judd returns to her hometown Dubbo for a smart, sexy, adults-only exploration of geological and earth sciences. 

By day, Dr Judd researches science-engineering-social science collaboration for sustainable futures at the Australian National University. 

By night, she moonlights as ‘Roxie’ in her one-woman cabaret Rock Hard! The Geological Cabaret. 

What to expect? Cocktail hour geology with sultry songs, smouldering dance, sharp wit and a shimmer of burlesque. No safety glasses required. 

Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/rock-hard-the-geological-cabaret/dubbo

Media enquiries: Dr Karina Judd, [email protected] or 0448 318 748.

Dr Judd, who wrote and produced Rock Hard! The Geological Cabaret, is available for media interviews. She studied environmental geology at UNSW Sydney, specialising in soil and mineral chemistry before completing Honours in geology showcasing soil chemistry techniques as a useful tool in identifying past tsunami. And she is a seasoned performer of cabaret, burlesque and dance. 

 

 

What does DNA sound like? – Sydney, NSW

Join 80s pop drummer-turned-molecular biology scientist, Dr Mark Temple, for a live performance at the Opera House. 

The Hummingbirds ex-drummer, now based at Western Sydney University, shares a novel perspective on genetic information, including music created from eucalyptus and myrtle rust DNA. 

Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/synthetic-compositions-music-made-from-artificial-dna-sequences/sydney

Media enquiries: Dr Mark Temple, [email protected] or 0412 600 712

Dr Temple is available for media interviews. Before completing his PhD in molecular biology, he was a professional musician/drummer in Australian indie-rock group, The Hummingbirds. In 2020, he created Coronacode Music. The composition substitutes regions of the coronavirus genome with computer-generated musical notes. And, in 2017, he published a study in BMC Bioinformatics on how audio can be used to distinguish a gene sequence from repetitive DNA: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-017-1632-x

Live visuals of DNA sequences will be projected in sync with the music.

 

Why sharks have been around for 500 million years? – Ballarat, VIC

A 30-foot shark with a saw blade of jagged teeth protruding from its lower jaws. Sharks fossilised during mating. And new insights into the megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived, measuring 66 feet.

Flinders University palaeontologist Professor John Long reveals how sharks have outlasted multiple mass extinction events to remain at the top of the ocean’s food chain. The author of The Secret History of Sharks: The Rise of the Ocean’s Most Fearsome Predators will also showcase ancient fossils, including a megalodon tooth.

Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-secret-history-of-sharks/ballarat-central

Media enquiries:  Professor John Long, [email protected] or 0408 148 660.

 

When will the Milky Way crash into Andromeda? – Yalgoo, Cue and Mount Magnet, WA

Astrophysicist Dr Ruby Wright will reveal the fate of our galaxy over dinner party conversation under the stars in Western Australia’s outback gold rush towns.

Guests can also join a guided tour of the Milky Way, the Moon, Mars, and deep space objects like the Jewel Box Cluster – all magnified with the help of International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) telescopes.

Multiple dates and locations.

Media enquiries: Charlene D’Monte, [email protected] or 0468 579 311.

 

Alter your consciousness – Marrickville, NSW

Can psychedelics, flicker light therapy, hypnosis, meditation and other ancient and modern mind-altering tools improve mental health and cognition?

Find out when researchers from Macquarie University’s Altered States Lab present ‘Science at the Edge of Consciousness’, inviting the public to experience and compare some consciousness altering technologies.

Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-at-the-edge-of-consciousness/marrickville/

Media enquiries: Vince Polito, [email protected] or 0420 758 577.

Macquarie University communications team, [email protected] or 0435 294 123.  

Dr Vince Polito, who leads the Altered States Lab, is available for media interviews.

 can discuss environmental DNA applications and citizen science engagement. Emma can speak about accessible science education and fungal DNA analysis.

 

Can nature help us concentrate? - North Fitzroy, VIC

Melbourne researchers say looking to nature can improve your attention span. 

University of Melbourne Psychology Professor Katherine Johnson discusses related findings about staying focussed. 

Her research in the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience involves children and adults with developmental disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-science-of-attention-how-nature-can-help/north-fitzroy

Media enquiries: Katherine Johnson, [email protected] or 0406 780 657.

Professor Katherine Johnson is available for media interviews. 

 

Schoolchildren explore croc-filled billabongs with baited underwater cameras – Ramingining, NT

For the first time, school children from the Northern Territory’s remote Ramingining community will observe interactions between aquatic life in freshwater billabongs. 

The ‘Fin-tastic’ initiative, led by the Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Corporation, turns the tide on lesser-known ecosystems within Indigenous communities due to presence of Baru (crocodiles), making them off-limits for swimming. Students will use baited remote underwater cameras to identify Guya (fish) and learn about species traits, movement and cultural significance. 

Multiple sessions from Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/fin-tastic-science-solving-the-mysteries-of-the-underwater-world/winnellie/

Media enquiries: Darcy Roeger, [email protected] or 0474 012 062.

Darcy Roeger, from Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Corporation, and Justin Gaykamangu, from Ramingining School, are available for media interviews.

 

Science of better sex, death over drinks, and anything glows – Hobart

Beaker Street Festival is back. Pull up a seat where microscopes sit on bar tables, scientists take centre stage and boundary-pushing conversations – from death to pleasure – could change the world. 

Centred around Hobart’s Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and nearby venues, the week-long festival features talks and workshops; interactive science/art installations; photography exhibitions; live music and performance; and Tassie food and drink.

Festival Founder/Creative Director Dr Margo Adler says: “This year, we’re reclaiming the parts of ourselves that feel most at risk of being lost in this age of distraction — our wonder, our pleasure, our attention spans, our connection to nature and to each other.”

Highlights include:

• Come Again? An Evening of Sex and Science: sultry scientists and pleasure experts provide insights into the science of better sex, complete with ‘a giant clitoris puppet and peer-reviewed innuendo’.
• No One’s Getting Out of Here Alive: a surprisingly uplifting evening with some of Australia's most buoyant death and dying experts, Tasmanian Aboriginal knowledge holders, and special guests.
• Human Love Quest: Your chemical romance! Live onstage dating show.
• Beyond the Stars: Seeing the Sky Through Aboriginal Eyes: astrophysicist and Wiradjuri woman Dr Kirsten Banks unpacks Western and Aboriginal constellations to reveal knowledge in the night sky.
• Slime Mould Forest Walk with slime mould expert Sarah Lloyd.
• Taste of Country - ningina palawa kipli piyura kitina-ta: immersive bush tucker experience with Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) guide Kitana Mansell.
• Seismic Dance Party: real glacial data is converted into a full-body audio visual rave, complete with haptic suits that let both deaf and hearing audiences feel Antarctica’s tectonic pulse.

Multiple dates and locations.

Media enquiries: Matt Fraser, [email protected] or 0401 326 007.

 

Why do whales sing and breach when they migrate? – Brisbane

What challenges do whales face during their annual migration from Antarctica to Australia? Does whale song and the act of breaching aid navigation? And what can we learn from whale snot and poo.

Ask wildlife biologist and author Dr Vanessa Pirotta at an adults-only ‘Science Night’ at Queensland Museum’s SparkLab.   

Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-night-whales-with-dr-vanessa-pirotta/south-brisbane/

Media enquiries: Christine Robertson, [email protected] or 0417 741 710 and Kylie Hay, [email protected] or 0434 565 852. 

Dr Vanessa Pirotta is available for media interviews. She is one of Australia’s most renowned wildlife scientists. Her research uses innovative technologies for wildlife conservation, working collaboratively across marine/terrestrial environments and merging cutting edge tech to access animals in unique ways (think whale snot drones and AI to detect illegal wildlife trafficking).

 

Crochet: where maths meets craft, with cocktails - Joondalup

Create your own hyperbolic geometry shape with yarn at Birra Bar at Edith Cowan University and learn the pattern from ECU mathematician Dr Julia Collins, while sipping on a specialty cocktail.

Julia is co-founder of Maths Craft Australia and has a PhD in 4-dimensional knot theory from the University of Edinburgh. She shares the maths that underpins crochet in a workshop-cocktail party. 

You will need to have mastered the basic crochet stitch to take part in this workshop. It is not for absolute beginners, and you can BYO yarn and hooks if you like.

Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/crochet-and-cocktails-2/joondalup/

Media enquiries: Cass Rowles, [email protected] or 08 6304 2467.

Julia Collins is available for media interviews.

 

Songs from the grapevine – Adelaide

Spoilage yeast, automated tractors, screw caps, smoke taint and volatile organic compounds all presented in song.

The Australian Wine Research Institute will uncork its ‘best of’ scientific findings spanning seven decades in ‘Songs from the Grapevine’ in collaboration with singer-songwriter Max Savage.      

Thursday 7 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/songs-from-the-grapevine/adelaide/

Media enquiries: Max McHenry, [email protected] 0415 922 253.

For a sneak preview of the show, watch/listen to Autonomous Tractors. 

 

Frog saunas and spa treatments fight deadly fungus – Turner

Canberra scientists are employing surprising tactics to help frog populations fight the deadly chytrid fungus.

Join a DIY frog sauna workshop and twilight wetlands walk with ACT FrogWatch program’s Anke Maria Hoefer and meet University of Canberra amphibian researchers using frog saunas, spa treatments and trace metals such as copper and zinc.

Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-and-out-of-the-pub-frogs-fungus-and-funky-metals/turner/

Media enquiries: Anke Maria Hoefer, [email protected] or 0429 066 046.

University of Canberra researchers involved in the project:

Jarrod Sopniewski - postdoctoral research fellow, Centre for Conservation Ecology and Genomics, is installing frog saunas and spas around suburban wetlands in preparation for reintroduction of the locally extinct Green and Golden Bell Frog species.

Milad Esmaeilbeigi - PhD researcher, Centre for Applied Water Science, who is investigating the interactions of metals in water and chytrid fungus. 

 

What happens if you find a dinosaur bone in your back yard? – Ryde

Find out what to do if you dig up a fossil or First Nations artefact from palaeontologist and archaeologist Sally Hurst, who launched ‘Found a Fossil Project’. 

She talks about life as a female fossil hunter and invites audience questions when Ryde Library hosts ‘Dinosaurs after Dark’. 

Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/dinosaurs-after-dark-with-palaeontologist-sally-hurst-ryde-library/ryde/

Media enquiries: Sally Hurst, [email protected] or 0400 906 823.

Sally Hurst is available for media interviews. The event forms part of the ‘Digging up Ryde’ series, also featuring Jurassic VR experiences, fun fossil digs, volcanoes, and encounters with live lizards, frogs and crocodiles. 

 

Help wanted to find where our wild things are – national 

Australia’s science agency is recruiting a citizen science army to help find and photograph species found nowhere else on Earth. 

There are 15 million species in CSIRO’s collections. But with such a vast country, scientists need help finding where and how widely these species are spread.

‘CSIRO Wild Watch’ marks the first national science experiment aimed at supersizing research data in the Atlas of Living Australia.

The agency wants schools, families and community groups to sign-up, head outdoors and snap photos of flora and fauna. They’re particularly looking for sightings of shark and ray eggs, yellow/orange lichen, snails, wattle, and Australian flowering heaths (Epacris).

Saturday 9 August – Sunday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/csiro-wild-watch/

Available for interviews:

• Kate Maiden, CSIRO National Science Experiment lead
• Ruth Carr, CSIRO Director of Education and Outreach
• Other scientists

Media enquiries: SJ Stevenson, [email protected] or 0432 067 655.

 

About National Science Week

National Science Week is Australia’s annual opportunity to meet scientists, discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its cultural and economic impact on society – from art to astrophysics, chemistry to climate change, and forensics to future food.

First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year about 3 million people participated in more than 2,000 events and activities.

The festival is proudly supported by the Australian Government, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, and the ABC.

In 2025 it runs from Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.