PODCAST

Science Queeries

JOY 94.9 - Rainbow Community Podcasts for our LGBTI, LGBTIQA+, LGBTQIA+, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGB, Gay, Lesbian, Trans, Intersex, Queer Communities

Delve into the world of science with Cat

science how to

All Episodes

45:04

Baked In: how racism shows up in food & STEM

Science Queeries ·

2026/03/31

In this well-seasoned conversation, we’re after a recipe for change.Food racism isn’t just about ingredients. It’s about whose knowledge counts as science, whose culture gets celebrated, and whose gets criminalised. Myths around the harms of MSG, the flavour enhancer, is a perfect case study. While it is found naturally in ingredients used around the world, these myths are specifically attached to Asian cuisine. That’s not science. That’s racism, baked into our

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43:36

Innately You: Depathologising Being Intersex

Science Queeries ·

2026/03/27

Around 1.7% of babies born in Australia have innate variations in sex characteristics. That’s roughly one in 60 babies.For decades…and to this day, intersex people have been treated as medical problems that need solving. Doctors make decisions about their bodies – often surgical decisions – before they are old enough to consent. Variations in sex characteristics exist on a spectrum, just like height or any other trait. Yet intersex people face unnecessary surgeries, secrecy, shame, and

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38:33

One Planet, Three Crises

Science Queeries ·

2026/03/25

We are facing a triple planetary crisis. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution aren’t separate problems – they’re interconnected threats that are unravelling our world. This week, we’re exploring how these three crises collide through the lens of three seemingly different stories: frogs fighting for survival against chytrid fungus, sea ice melting in response to a warming planet, and air pollution suffocating ecosystems and human health alike. Nina Ross and Dylan Scott

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38:50

Skull and Crossbones: Brains, Bones & Teeth

Science Queeries ·

2026/03/17

Let’s get into the marrow of bone structure and its link to osteoporosis, learn about some un-nerve-ing mutations that can spark brain tumours and epilepsy, and crown our conversation with cutting-edge dental solutions that are changing lives.Caitlyn Tan, Nuthara Manuwelge, and Majella Warpenius (L-R) make their research and radio debuts as undergraduate students from around Australia and New Zealand. Over the summer, they worked in labs at The University of Melbourne as Amgen Scholars, and

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41:44

Toad-ally Thirsty: Going Out with a Bang

Science Queeries ·

2026/03/04

When frogs face a life-threatening disease, you’d expect them to hunker down and focus on survival. But nature sometimes has other plans.A deadly disease caused by a chytrid fungus has decimated 500+ amphibian species. Over 90 are already extinct because of it. The green and golden bell frog has an interesting response to it… Conservation biologist Venice Chan studies frog reproductive biology in response to chytrid fungus at the University of Melbourne. We’re chatting about the

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40:55

Good Moon Rising: The Science of Lunar New Year

Science Queeries ·

2026/02/24

Chúc mừng năm mới! 恭喜发财! 새해 복 많이 받으세요! Happy New Year!Lunar New Year is celebrated by millions of people around the world. The celebration isn’t just cultural — it’s also astronomical. It’s tied to the night sky and is shaped by observations of celestial objects that stretch thousands of years. Explore the science behind Lunar New Year. Find out how the Moon became one of humanity’s oldest timekeepers. We meet the zodiac animals, unpacking why there are twelve of them and what Jupiter might have

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46:20

Sea-ing Change in Sydney Harbour

Science Queeries ·

2026/02/15

Sydney Harbour is one of the most iconic waterways in the world — but beneath the postcard views lies a complex ecological story of sea-rious degradation, recovery, and renewal.In this episode of Science Queeries, we honour the late Professor Emma Johnston — marine ecologist, champion for equity in science, and a true tide-turner. She laid the scientific foundations for understanding and restoring Sydney Harbour’s ecosystems. Building on that legacy, Dr Cat chats to Dr Paco Martinez Baena

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44:33

Slay the Binary: Inside the Animal Queendom

Science Queeries ·

2026/02/09

Biological sex in nature is far from simple – and the animal queendom proves it. From fish that change sex, to intersex whales, to species that reproduce without males at all, this episode dives into the wonderfully non-binary reality of animal anatomy and reproduction. Some animals are born one sex and become another. Some respond to temperature, social structures, or hormones. Others simply opt out of sex altogether. Dr Cat is joined by Zoe Walder from Museums Victoria to explore how sex, anatomy

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44:40

Waddle We Know About Penguins?

Science Queeries ·

2026/01/28

Penguins may live at the bottom of the world, but they’ve risen to the very top of our hearts.For Penguin Awareness Day, Dr Cat and archeologist Dr Wenjing Yu are sliding onto the Antarctic ice to celebrate these iconic birds. Having voyaged to Antartica as part of Homeward Bound, a leadership program for women and non-binary people in STEM, they encountered thousands of penguins in the wild. They chat about the penguins they met, what makes penguins such extreme overachievers, and why life in the

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43:50

Paws for Thought: Are Dogs Happy?

Science Queeries ·

2026/01/17

We spend over $20 billion a year on our dogs in Australia — but are our dogs actually happy, or just very well accessorised?This week on Science Queeries, Dr Cat is sniffing out the science of dog happiness with interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Melbourne, Dr Mia Cobb. While animal welfare science has focused on preventing negative experiences, she is finally asking the tail-wagging question: are working dogs and pet dogs having positive experiences? From behaviour and body language

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42:31

Past Weather, Future Problems

Science Queeries ·

2026/01/14

What if the key to Australia’s climate future is hidden in its past? When we talk about climate change, we often picture satellites, supercomputers, and graphs stretching into the future. But this week on Science Queeries, we’re turning back the clock, digging into dusty data, early thermometers and rain gauges, handwritten weather diaries, and historical records to understand what’s coming next. Dr Cat is joined by a climate scientist, Ruchit Kulkarni who’s part historian, part statistician, and

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42:31

Past Weather, Future Problems

Science Queeries ·

2026/01/07

The key to Australia’s climate future may be hidden in its past.When we talk about climate change, we often picture satellites, weather maps, and graphs stretching into the future. But this week on Science Queeries, we’re turning back the clock instead. We will dig into dusty data, early thermometers and rain gauges, handwritten weather diaries, and historical records to understand what’s coming next. Dr Cat is joined by a climate scientist, Ruchit Kulkarni, who’s part historian, part statistician,

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34:30

Culture Shock

Science Queeries ·

2025/12/11

This week, we cell-ebrate how far biomedical science has come. We start with the basics: why scientists grow cells in labs, how they do it, and why sometimes a cell line is better than borrowing cells from a real human. Then, we sit with the story of Henrietta Lacks and the immortal HeLa cells that were taken from her cancer (without consent) that revolutionised medicine. We tackle the massive ethical reckoning they demand. To finish, a leap into the future with organoids and 3D bioprinting, where

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38:25

T-cell-ebrating Progress: HIV, Immunity & Hope

Science Queeries ·

2025/12/05

HIV targets the very immune cells meant to protect us. But science – and community – keep fighting back. This World AIDS Day, Dr Cat and Dr Jen Juno chat about how HIV infects CD4 T cells and can lead to AIDS, and how ART and PrEP have transformed lives, empowering HIV+ people to thrive, to build relationships, to have sex and families without fear, and to know they are not a risk to the people they love. But there is still no cure for HIV. Dr Jen is an immunologist who explores the role of T cells

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32:43

Stuffed With Science

Science Queeries ·

2025/11/29

Before you check out at the Black Friday sales… check this Science Queeries episode out.Why do we fall into a festive food coma after a big Christmas or Thanksgiving feast? Is it the turkey, the carbs, or just the emotional aftermath of spending too many hours with relatives? Dr Cat is serving up a full Thanksgiving science spread. We’re carving into the psychology that makes Black Friday deals so irresistible. We’re turkey-ing (talking?) about whether your holiday roast really makes you sleepy and

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49:28

Cloudy With a Chance of Bias

Science Queeries ·

2025/11/21

Ever wondered how much of you is floating around in the cloud? We dive into the world of big data: who gets counted, who gets mis-categorised, and who gets left... LEARN MORE The post Cloudy With a Chance of Bias appeared first on Science Queeries.

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42:24

Mind the gap: from science capital to “gendered” brains

Science Queeries ·

2025/11/16

We’re getting very meta: communicating about science communication. Why do some people have more of a “head start” when it comes to pursuing STEM? Shanii Phillips teaches us how to... LEARN MORE The post Mind the gap: from science capital to “gendered” brains appeared first on Science Queeries.

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34:50

Spooktacular Science

Science Queeries ·

2025/10/29

Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters! For Halloween, the Ghost Buster is Dr Cat. She talks about the history of Halloween and Día de los Muertos, sheds some light on... LEARN MORE The post Spooktacular Science appeared first on Science Queeries.

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48:27

A Bee-nomenal Theorem

Science Queeries ·

2025/10/26

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,... LEARN MORE The post A Bee-nomenal Theorem appeared first on Science Queeries.

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46:53

First Rule of Bite Club: Buzz Off Malaria

Science Queeries ·

2025/10/20

How does the immune system bite back against malaria? Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The parasites travel to the... LEARN MORE The post First Rule of Bite Club: Buzz Off Malaria appeared first on Science Queeries.

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