Catalyst

[TV.Cynic]

Kill or Cure: The Story of Venom

Tuesday 9 March at 8:30pm

Australia is famous for its lethal animals. Alongside sharks and crocodiles, it also has a collection of 66 venomous species – including four of the top ten most deadly animals on the planet.

So why would the ABC’s resident nature nerd, Dr Ann Jones, embark on a dangerous journey coming face-to-face with Funnel Web spiders, Taipans and Irukandji?

The answer is that there’s one astonishing discovery she wants to unravel: scientists have found that elements of the deadly venoms that could kill us can be turned into pharmaceutical drugs that could save us. From protecting the heart and brain, to potentially curing multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

Venom is made up of complex molecules that have evolved over millennia to target specific prey - some target the nervous system, others attack the tissue or circulatory system and because of this, it could offer wide-reaching medical applications.

Ann kicks of her adventure on Fraser Island with the Bugs & Drugs team from the University of Queensland to collect one of the world’s most venomous spiders - the Funnel Web. Its venom contains over 3000 molecules – and surprisingly only one of them is responsible for killing human But another - Hi1a - is showing promise in protecting the brain following a stroke and the heart following a heart attack.

With our myriad of venomous animals, Australian scientists are leading the world in exploring a promising new apothecary of drugs that could revolutionise modern medicine.

[TV.Cynic]

Catalyst - Cancer: A Story of Hope

Tuesday 20 July at 8:30pm

Cancer. It’s a diagnosis that we all dread to hear. But with advances in technology and medicine, more people are living better and longer with their disease. Now, research is focusing on how individuals can maintain a quality of life throughout the treatment process. Catalyst follows patients experiencing this new kind of cancer care - their stories are filled with hope.

[TV.Cynic]

The Truth About Fasting – A Catalyst Special

Tuesday 27 July 8.30pm

Could changing WHEN we eat help make us healthier? Fasting - going a set amount of time with little or no food - isn’t a new idea. It’s one we have been practising for millennia. Recent health trends have reinvigorated fasting for our contemporary lifestyles. Diets, like the 16-8 and 5-2, promise not just weight loss, but the possibility of preventing chronic disease, with early studies showing intriguing results.

But many of these studies are in animal models rather than humans – so how does fasting affect people in the real world? And is it the medical miracle it’s made out to be?

To find out, Catalyst asked dietician Dr Joanna McMillan to design a six-week personalised intermittent fasting programme for five everyday Aussies. Hairdresser Sam and her husband Kevin, a butcher, busy mum of four Renuka, train driver Julie and corporate accountant Vanessa all have underlying metabolic health issues that can potentially be treated with a fasting intervention- from insulin resistance to high levels of triglyceride fats in the blood.

As the participants embark on either the 5:2 or the 16:8 diet and radically change the way they approach eating, Jo carefully tracks their metabolic health, mood, microbiomes and weight.

Dr McMillian is guided by some of Australia’s leading medical experts, including gastroenterologist Dr Ray Boyapati, lifestyle disease specialist Dr Samantha Hocking and fasting pioneer Professor Luigi Fontana.
From “brutal” fasting days to changes in body composition and function. The end of the 6-week experiment reveals some surprising results.

Production credits: Producer & Director: Cassie Charlton; Associate Producer: Peta Yoshinaga; Executive Producer: Penny Palmer; Head of Factual and Culture: Jen Collins.

[TV.Cynic]

The Wildlife Revolution

Tuesday 3 August at 8:30pm

Nature journalist, Dr Ann Jones knows firsthand that Australia is one very lucky country.

Our vast, dramatic, and diverse landscape is home to more than one million species of plants and animals. Many – like our most endangered animal, the mountain pygmy possum - are found nowhere else in the world. But our abundant biodiversity is under increasing pressure from habitat destruction, predation and climate change. With one of the worst extinction records in the world, the speed at which Australia is losing its native species is accelerating.

We are in a race against time to protect what’s left.

To understand the rate of loss, experts use tools to monitor and assess each threat. And right now, there is a revolution taking place, one where emerging technology is helping to safeguard our wildlife in bold new ways.

In this episode of Catalyst, Ann travels across the country to meet the Australian scientists who are using these innovative technologies to work smarter and faster.

From revealing surprising behaviours in our native bat species and identifying ways to rejuvenate our ocean kelp forests; to road-testing Australia’s new weapons in the fight against the illegal animal trade. Emerging technology hopes to be our insurance policy against losing our most endangered animals forever…

Could this be the wildlife revolution we’ve all been waiting for?

Production credits: Producer/ Director: Robbie Bridgman; Assoc. Producer: Jessica Cook; Series
Producer: Elle Gibbons; Executive Producer: Penny Palmer; Head of Factual and Culture: Jen Collins.

[TV.Cynic]

Catalyst - Series Return

From Tuesday 1 February 8.30pm

The Secret Lives of Our Urban Birds

https://twitter.com/ABCscience/status/1486066348836933634?s=20

Nature journalist and self-confessed bird-nerd, Ann Jones, heads out on an urban safari through Melbourne, uncovering the secret lives of the city’s feathery friends.

Presenter of ABC Radio National’s new show What The Duck?! and self-confessed bird-nerd, Ann Jones, heads out on an urban safari through Melbourne, uncovering the secret lives of the city’s feathery friends. From deadly raptors and warring Magpies to promiscuous Willy Wagtails – Ann uncovers a world filled with drama and intrigue.

With over 130 bird species calling Melbourne home, you can expect the usual suspects, like the warbling Magpies, who have adapted well with their strong social bonds and curiosity making them successful city dwellers. But as Ann learns, there’s a lot more than meets the eye… you just need to stop, watch and look a while. If you’re lucky you may even spot the more surprising city slickers - one of the rarest birds in Australia – the Orange-Bellied Parrot.

To catch a glimpse of our cutest avian neighbours, Ann heads to the bayside suburb of St Kilda where a colony of Little Penguins has taken up residence. Why have they left their offshore islands for a man-made breakwater so close to the city? And they’re not the only ones with an enviable address – a pair of nesting Peregrine falcons have traded clifftops for a Collins St skyscraper to raise their chicks.

While some thrive, others barely survive. For the Powerful Owl, city life is more of a necessity than a choice as increasing urbanisation destroys their habitat. To successfully nest and breed, Powerful Owls need hollows of old growth trees – hollows that can take up to 300 years to develop. But a solution may be at hand - Melbourne University is trialling 3D printed nests in the hope that we can replace what has been lost.

Production credit: Producer: Robbie Bridgman. Director: Bruce Permezel. Researcher: Chelsea Mose. Executive Producer: Penny Palmer. Head of Specialist: Jennifer Collins.

[TV.Cynic]

The Big Brew Challenge: A Catalyst Special

Tuesday 8 February 8.30pm

Celebrate the science of beer with chef Paul West, as three teams of budding brewmasters take on the challenge to make their best homebrew. Do they have what it takes to impress our panel of international judges?

Celebrate the science of beer with chef Paul West, as three teams of budding brewmasters take on the challenge to make their best homebrew. But do they have what it takes to impress our panel of international judges?

Guided by one of Australia’s best-known brewers, Samara Fuss, craft beer enthusiasts Rosemary and Ashley (Team Pale), father and son duo Doug and Euan (Team Sour), and mates Pete and Paul (Team Stout) will compete over 3 weeks for their beer to be crowned champion of the Big Brew Challenge.

Joining our teams as they navigate the complex world of modern brewing is presenter Paul West who gets a lesson in the science of beer. From the basics to the revolutionary, he speaks to the scientists harnessing the power of yeast to ferment natural products to create biofuels. Travelling to Wiradjuri country, the Riverina area of New South Wales, Paul learns why malt is so important to the brewing process and discovers a brewery that is reducing its carbon footprint using microalgae.

Finally, food and drink journalist Mike Bennie and writer and broadcaster ‘Beer Diva’ Kirrily Waldorn, taste test our team’s final brews. They’re impressed with all of them – but there can only be one winner…

Production credits: Producer Director: David Symonds. Associate Producer: Rebecca Hill. Executive Producer: Penny Palmer. Manager, Documentaries: Stephen Oliver.

[TV.Cynic]

Australia’s Favourite Tree

Tuesday 16 August 8.30pm

Dr Ann Jones & Paul West travel across Australia to investigate the extraordinary lives of Australia’s oldest, largest & most unusual trees with a mission to find a candidate to crown Australia’s Favourite Tree!

Australia is home to over seven thousand species of native trees - they’re old, incredibly diverse and endlessly fascinating.

In this 2-part Catalyst special, Ann Jones and Paul West travel across Australia to meet scientists and First Nations peoples to investigate the clever and complex lives of some of our most iconic trees. But this is no ordinary tree hunt! Ann and Paul are embarking on a mission to find a candidate from each State and Territory, and crown one of them “Australia’s Favourite Tree”.

From high up in the tree-top canopy of Tasmania’s Huon Pine, one of the oldest living organisms on Earth, to Strangler Figs with 40-metre girths that thrive in our North Queensland rainforests, Ann and Paul uncover the role trees play in their environment, learn of their historical importance, and celebrate the incredible resilience of trees through climate change and deforestation.

After the tales of eight remarkable trees across Australia’s vast and varied landscape, a panel of expert judges will digest the facts and the stories, and at the end of the series they will crown… Australia’s Favourite Tree!

[TV.Cynic]

Promo

ABC Science

[foxyrover]

Is that Catalyst though?

[TV.Cynic]

@foxyrover

Is that Catalyst though?

Yes -see:

@TV.Cynic

In this 2-part Catalyst special,

[foxyrover]

Sorry - ad didn’t brand it as such.

[TV.Cynic]

Take me to the river

The contest is over, the dust has settled and one magnificent tree stands above the rest.

It twists and turns as it gathers water from deep underground, reaches for the sky and sends generous branches in improbable directions.

For Indigenous Australians this tree has been a hardware and a pharmacy for millennia. Its fresh wood is a famously vibrant red, and the same chemicals make its smoke a natural antibiotic.

You may have dangled beneath one of these trees on a tyre swing, or hitched a boat to its trunk. Even in the absence of any visible moisture, you’ve probably seen it lighting up the country’s hidden waterways in cool, shady green.

That’s right: Australia’s favourite native tree is the river red gum, Eucalyptus camaldulensis .

More than a quarter of a million votes were cast in our National Science Week poll. Thanks to all of you who voted, got in touch, and enjoyed some of our stories about Australia’s amazing native trees across the web, TV and radio.

Our land has such a wealth of amazing flora that voting and choosing between them, I found, was a delightful form of torture. But there could only be one winner! And the mighty river red gum triumphed over a top 10 dominated by eucalypts, claiming more than 18 per cent of the votes in the final round.

Rounding out the top 5 were the snow gum, the ghost gum, the Moreton Bay fig and the mountain ash. (That’s right, the world’s tallest flowering plant came fifth! How amazing are Australia’s trees?)

What became of the wattle? Suffice to say, being the nation’s floral emblem doesn’t count for much when you’re staring down six iconic gum trees in a popularity contest.

You can read about the rest of the placings and catch up [on all the countdown gossip from today’s live blog](https://click.mail-list.abc.net.au/?

Also see

River red gum crowned Australia's favourite native tree, leaving Moreton Bay...

[TV.Cynic]

Keep On Dancing: A Catalyst Special

Tuesday 4 October 8.30pm Episode 1 of 2

Can dance can be a shortcut to better health? Myf Warhurst hosts a unique experiment where a group of over 65’s attempt to slow the effects of aging through dance training culminating in a special performance.

In this two-part Catalyst special, nine older Australians take part in a twelve-week experiment exploring the power of dance for people over the age of 65. Hosted by Myf Warhurst, the programmes explore the emerging science that says dancing can improve fitness, balance, memory, mood and cognition. In short, it might slow the effects of aging.

Most of our volunteers have no dance experience, so leading them through this experiment is one of Australia’s most accomplished choreographers – Kelley Abbey (Dancing with the Stars, Happy Feet). Her task is to prepare them for a one-of-a-kind, accomplished performance to friends and family at the end of the 12 weeks.

Our dancers are living with many of the health conditions we face as we age – Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, cancer, peripheral neuropathy and poor balance that leads to falls. Monitoring their progress through physical and cognitive tests is biomechanical scientist Dr Rachel Ward from UNSW.

Will the twelve weeks of dance have beneficial results for the volunteers including 67-year-old Rod who lives with neuropathy (nerve damage) in his legs and 75-year-old Shirley, who lives with Alzheimer’s disease? And will dance improve both physical and cognitive health of the nine older Australians as they prepare for their performance?

Production credit: An ABC production. Producer Director: David Symonds, Associate Producer: Oliver Graham, Rebecca Hill, Executive Producer: Penny Palmer, A/ Head of Factual and Culture: Richard Huddleston.

[TV.Cynic]

Tom Gleeson’s Secrets of the Australian Museum

Tuesday 18 October 8.30pm

He’s one of Australia’s most loved comedians, but Tom Gleeson is also a physics and maths graduate with a curiosity for all things science. Join him as he goes behind-the-scenes to discover the Secrets of The Australian Museum.

The Australian Museum is home to over 22 million specimens yet less than five percent have ever been seen by the public. Until now.

In this special Catalyst episode, physics and maths graduate (and Gold Logie winner) Tom Gleeson takes cameras behind the scenes of the world-renowned institution as the team count down for a blockbuster exhibit three years in the making – ‘Sharks’.

Tom speaks to numerous specialists, including the museum’s Director & CEO, Cultural Curator, Collections Manager, Director of Research, taxidermists, conservators, artists and model makers, amongst others.

Tom takes us on an exclusive look at the culmination of three years hard work, drawing skills from every corner of the museum to bring the ‘Sharks’ exhibit to life.

Production credit: An ABC Production. Producer Director: Duane Hatherly. Associate Producer: Melanie Sauer. Executive Producer: Penny Palmer. Acting Head of Factual and Culture: Richard Huddleston.

[TV.Cynic]

The Secret Lives Of Our Urban Birds

Part 1 Tuesday 11 April 9.00pm

Nature journalist Ann Jones travels through Sydney to discover the secret lives of the city’s feathery friends. From clever-cockies to ‘bin-chickens’ – Ann uncovers just how interconnected we are with our city’s birds.
In this Catalyst episode, nature journalist and self-confessed bird-nerd, Ann Jones, heads out on an urban safari through Sydney to uncover the secret lives of the city’s feathery friends.

From Sulphur-crested Cockatoos that have started a suburban war with their clever bin-opening techniques, and Silver Gulls causing trouble at the Opera House, to the majestic but much maligned White Ibis (aka the Bin Chicken) - Ann discovers just how interconnected we are with our city’s remarkable birds. She even manages to spot a tiny Ibis chick, nesting way above one of the busiest parts of Sydney.

Ann discovers that in the fight against development, birds can sometimes win out. She travels up the Parramatta River to a waterbird refuge at Sydney Olympic Park, cleverly reclaimed from a former industrial site. Here, over a quarter of all bird species found in Australia have been recorded.

Conservation can also start with familiarity. Something Ann discovers when she meets an artist whose striking street-murals serve as a way for people to better connect with the birds around them.
But how do we manage birds that have adapted too well to our urban environment? Ann heads to historic Me Mel, or Goat Island, in Sydney Harbour to see how researchers are managing the pesky Silver Gulls who roost on this island.

Production credit: Producer/Director: Bruce Permezel, Associate Producer: Dominique Pile, Series Producer: Elle Gibbons, Executive Producer: Penny Palmer, Acting Head of Factual and Culture: Richard Huddleston

[TV.Cynic]

The Truth About Menopause (Catalyst)

Tuesday 2 May 9.00pm

Myf Warhurst is on the cusp of a big change: the change and she wants to know what’s in store.

Approximately half of the population will go through menopause… and if you’re the partner or child; colleague or friend of a middle-aged woman, chances are you’re going to be impacted by it.

So why is one of the biggest health events in a woman’s life still not talked about or understood?

In this Catalyst episode Myf asks the questions we all need to know the answers to: What is menopause, what are the symptoms and what can she do about it?

Guided by Ali and Cameron Daddo, Myf learns there is a broad range of menopausal experience for women, and their partners.

Wondering if the sleeplessness and anxiety she’s felt recently is down to getting older – or something more – Myf meets with a specialist GP who confirms her suspicions, she’s peri-menopausal and on track for some major hormonal upheaval.

Wanting to know what’s going on inside her body and what to expect, Myf meets with experts for a Hormones 101 lesson and to discover the impact of menopause on her body and brain. There’s a growing, lucrative market for menopausal treatments for women like Myf, including natural, herbal treatments. Myf discovers the truth behind the marketing and considers her other options – the much-maligned hormone replacement therapy. A 2002 study infamously alarmed women, connecting HRT and breast cancer but what is the risk today - and can the benefits outweigh it?

Finally, Myf meets with her good friend, Rhonda Burchmore, who is post-menopause, to give her a peak at life on the other side.

Production credit: Producer/Director: Sophie Wiesner. Associate Producer: Alice Goodman. Series Producer: Elle Gibbons. Executive Producer: Penny Palmer. Manager, Documentaries: Stephen Oliver.

[JohnsonTV]

@TV.Cynic

Nature journalist Ann Jones travels through Sydney to discover the secret lives of the city’s feathery friends. From clever-cockies to ‘bin-chickens’ – Ann uncovers just how interconnected we are with our city’s birds.

This is series 2 of The Secret Lives of Our Urban Birds. Series 1 was filmed in Melbourne and aired in February 2022.

[JohnsonTV]

Keep On Dancing won gold in the Documentary: Health/Medical Information category at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards 2023.

[TV.Cynic]

The Soundtrack of Australia

Tuesday 15 August 8.30pm Ep 1 of 2

Australia is a stunning country but we seldom tune in our ears to how it sounds. Over two episodes, explore how it’s made, what messages it carries and how humans are harnessing its power.

In 1977, planet Earth sent a Golden Record of its sounds into space with NASA’s Voyager probes. This ‘cosmic’ calling card inspired ABC Radio’s nature journalist Dr Ann Jones to create her own version of a golden record of Australian sounds.

Australia is a stunning country, but we seldom tune in our ears to how it sounds. Over two episodes, Dr Jones explores how it’s made, what messages it carries and how humans are harnessing its power.

The search begins with the iconic sound of an Australian summer: the cicada. Dr Nathan Emery shows how this tiny creature can produce sounds above 100dB, the equivalent to standing next to a jack hammer.

Dr Jones doesn’t just want to collect sounds, she wants to understand how they are made. Inside an acoustic shed, Aussie beatboxer Tom Thum helps to demonstrate resonance and frequency. Combining his vocal gymnastics with cymatics allows us to visualise the physics of sound.

Dr Jones’ search for authentic sounds of Australia leads her to Didgeridoo maker Kristian Benton to dissect the sonic signature of this unique instrument. Separating out the different frequencies of soundwaves reveals its “timbre”, the quality that gives the didgeridoo its unmistakable sound.

In the Victorian wetlands of Dunghala, Ann explores how sound can reveal hidden worlds. Through the science of eco-acoustics, we’ve gained fresh insight into one of our most endangered and mysterious species of birds, the Australasian Bittern.

In Victoria’s Sherbrooke Forest, Dr Jones is lucky enough to witnesses a rare event of sound in the making, as a male Lyrebird teaches a youngster their song.

This episode ends by looking at the ways humans harness sound. From chanting at the footy to sound techniques used by First Nation’s people in Songlines, that helps Dr Jones to boost her memory.

Production credit: ABC

[TV.Cynic]

Episode 2 of 2

Tuesday 22 August 8.30pm

Australia is a stunning country, but we seldom listen to how it sounds. Dr Ann Jones is on an audio odyssey gathering iconic recordings of Australia. In part two, Ann examines the sounds we can’t hear and those that break the rules.

In 1977, we sent a Golden Record of the sounds of Earth into space with NASA’s Voyager probes. This cosmic calling card inspired ABC Radio’s nature journalist Dr Ann Jones to create her own version of a golden record of Australian sounds.

In the second episode, Ann continues her acoustic odyssey with the sounds we can’t hear.

Joining a research ship off Perth, Ann hunts for the Pygmy Blue Whale, an animal that makes one of the lowest sounds on earth.

Ann’s curiosity about sound takes her to one of the quietest natural places on the planet. In remote Northern Territory, on Warramunga land, Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić shows Ann a monitoring station designed to detect any infrasound radiating out from a nuclear blast.

At a Sydney clinic, Ann gets an extraordinary glimpse of a couple’s yet to be born baby through the use of ultrasound, sound at a frequency higher than humans can hear.

Sound allows some living things to make sense of their world. In busy Sydney Harbour, Dr Leroy Gonsalves shows Ann a bat species carving out an extraordinary evolutionary niche.

To explore the sounds that break all the rules, Ann joins champion whip-cracker Georgia Pitman to uncover what makes the iconic whip-cracking sound. Georgia’s skills are put to the test as they reveal a fleeting shockwave.

Production Credit: Catalyst, ABC