PODCAST · society
Australian Highlights
by Rachel Rayner
The Australian Highlights series is the place where we find the innovative people and ideas which are not – yet! – common knowledge. Hosted by Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, this series takes the form of regular podcast episodes and online articles where we explore the captivating stories behind Australia's groundbreaking creative moments. With a focus on game-changing women and Indigenous trailblazers, this collection of interviews, explainers and articles shines a light on the ingenuity and diversity that propel Australia forward. We’ll hear from people themselves doing amazing work; industry leaders that have been inspired by innovators from our past; and those who are enabling people to step forward and be spotlighted themselves. It's a lot of fun, as we've got comedians hearing these amazing stories for the first time! There will bonus episodes of snippets and stories that didn't make it into the full interviews and there will be regular
Episodes
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Catch up
This catch up on our recent flash of episodes has Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, and confidante Kirsty Kapp checking in with their health and wondering if they'll live long enough to see a permanent human presence on the Moon. Head to each individual episode for more information on our…
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Lyn Harwood, native foods
Lyn Harwood literally watches the grass grow. Lyn, along with partner Bruce Pascoe, is bringing back connection to our Country through lived experience and ancient agriculture. She is building widespread recognition for Australian native foods: the grains, grasses and more that were grown and...
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Bonus: The creativity of comedy
Extracted from our conversation on Innovation vs Invention (Ep 26), Mandy Scotney expands on the innovative world of the comedian, the fountains of funny, and where the politics comes in. Follow Mandy and find out what she’s up to next Credits Producer: Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer Guests:...
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Innovation or Invention
Innovation is a loaded term, a buzzword. When this is a podcast on innovation, what do we mean? Are we using the term correctly? Where does invention sit in all of this? Jonathan Englert and Mandy Scotney from Episode 6, Culture Shocks, are back to unravel the conundrum of language and...
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LIVE: Space food
What snack would you like on a trip to Mars? Professor Jenny Mortimer is a space horticulturalist, who is looking at the best nutritious solutions for astronauts hurtling through the solar system. She has already sent food into space, all to test whether it would survive a trip to Mars. Will it...
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LIVE: Brains and Biostats
We’re all about the good life – but we’re not heading to a wellness retreat in Byron Bay. We’re measuring our quality of life using cold, hard stats, and looking at our brains with a portable scanner. No ice baths required! Champagne encouraged. See images discussed in the episode and more on the...
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Catch up
Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer and confidante, Kirsty Kapp, catch up on a flash of five episodes. They consider the statistical definition of deadly, argue about the failures of communicating acid rain, poke at Rachel's hatred of Paul Gauguin, and get excited about ancient trade routes. Head to...
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Indigenous Innovation
Innovation in Australia has been happening for tens of thousands of years. Professor Lynette Russell is the co-author of Innovation: Knowledge and Ingenuity, which is part of the First Knowledges series. In conversation with comedian Luke Morris and host Rachel Rayner, we explore the rich history...
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Ethel Anderson, art patron
Not all innovations are gears and coding. Some are a cultural awareness and, always, an ability to use what you have to improve the situation. Between the Wars, Ethel Anderson was bringing visibility to a new art movement that was being overlooked by those in charge of the nation's galleries and...
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LIVE: Heather Bray, science communicator
What does it mean to communicate and, more specifically, what does it mean to communicate science? And then, how can we learn to be better science communicators? Who is helping us understand the big science topics, and what did they do to get there? A niche field of research and career pathway is...
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Bonus: More spiders
Nearly all of us have a close-encounter story or two. With spiders, that is. In our previous episode, we spoke to arachnologist Caitlin Creak about her work with funnel web spiders. What also came about were our personal interactions with the creatures that live in and around our homes. Collected...
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Caitlin Creak, arachnologist
How much do we know about the world’s deadliest spider, which lives only in Australia’s largest city? Turns out, not much! The Sydney funnel web, Atrax Robustus, has a venom only toxic to primates. While their venom has been studied in depth, resulting in an antivenom, little is known about their...
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Catch up
Why do we not know this? Why is this not in the mainstream? This is a catch up that generates more questions than answers. As we unfold insights from each episode in our latest flash, there are a few tangential revelations: Rachel drops a koala-related bombshell; Kirsty learns about Australia’s...
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Bonus: Capturing creative ideas
A great discussion on writing practice came out of our science poetry episode with poet Tricia Dearborn and comedian Jeeves Verma. While it did not make the final episode, the discussion has been saved here in a special bonus episode, perfect for those of us wanting practical insight for writing...
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Tricia Dearborn, poet
Can science really be the perfect inspiration for poetry? Tricia is one of many poets around the world embedding science into their writing. The award-winning writer and editor lives in a world where there is no divide between the artistic and the scientific. She has a Bachelor of Science in...
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LIVE: Natasha Hurley-Walker, astronomer
This is the recording of our launch event for the Australian Highlight series, which took place at SciTech’s Chevron Theatre on 8 Feb, 2025 in front of a live audience. See Natasha's radio sky image. Did you know Australia leads the world in the field of radio astronomy, and is the home to some…
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Veena Sahajwalla, material engineer
What if we saw rubbish as a valuable resource? Scientia Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an inventor, engineer and leading expert in the field of recycling science. She is the founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMART) at the University of NSW. Making…
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Corey Tutt, Deadly Science founder
The power of positive role models cannot be understated. No one knows this best than Associate Professor Corey Tutt OAM, founder of Deadly Science. The results of his work are obvious. As he says: "Young Indigenous kids in Australia, you know, they used to say they wanted to be a deadly…
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Catch up
Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer and confidante, Kirsty Kapp, catch up on a flash of five episodes. They consider tall poppies, argue about what moths eat, apologise to Perth, and avoid a deep dive into AI. Head to each individual episode for more information on each. Transcript Credits Producer:...
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Vanessa Moss, astronomer
Can you build your own collaborator? And what goes on behind the scenes of our big, complex, scientific infrastructure? Astronomer Dr Vanessa Moss is Head of Science Operations for CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope. Situated in a remote location, the telescope was always planned to be controlled...
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The Scott sisters, scientific illustrators
Dr Vanessa Finney, Head of World Cultures, Archives and Research Library at the Australian Museum introduces us to the Scott sisters, possibly Australia’s first professional female illustrators. Their scientific paintings of life-sized moths and butterflies must have been produced with…
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Kat Ross, Include Her founder
Astronomer Dr Kat Ross has been frustrated many times by the ‘lone male genius’ myth in science. Pervasive narratives that ‘women don’t do science’ are not accurate, and Kat is on a mission to prove it. Kat is a proud bisexual, agender person who loves pink and is the founder of IncludeHer, an...
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Bonus: The Bueller Method
In our previous episode, we spoke to Mandy Scotney and Jonathan Englert about innovation in Australia and particular types of innovators and what inspired them. During that talk, we actually spoke a little bit about Jonathan's journalistic approach to interviewing these people and finding their...
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Culture Shocks
Where does Australia’s culture of innovation come from, if it exists at all? Dr Jonathan Englert unravels the conundrum, fresh from his PhD looking into Australian innovation, where he interviewed various inventors and explored his relationship to Australian culture. We uncover the stories of...
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Catch up
Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer and confidante, Kirsty Kapp, catch up on the first four episodes of the series. Rachel is thankful she can explain a bit of quantum physics, and Kirsty is excited about recognising Traditional Knowledge, and horrified at the lack of women in arts leadership in...
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Bonus: Radio astronomy
There were so many great astronomy discussions in Jeeves Verma and my conversation with Naomi McClure-Griffiths (Episode 3), that did not make the final cut. This bonus episode is a collect of fun facts on radio astronomy for anyone who wants to know a bit more about astronomy research happening...
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Naomi McClure-Griffiths, astronomer
How do we know what our galaxy looks like if we are stuck inside it? In this episode we're talking about something that happened at a time when we were dancing to Spiderbait’s Black Betty and crooning to Britney Spears’ Every Time: it was a time when humanity learnt more about our home in the...
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Mik Jade, Indigital founder
Founder and innovator Mik Jade has taken huge risks on her mission to use the best technologies to protect and share Indigenous Knowledge. A Cabrogal woman of the Dharug-speaking nation, she leads with a community-first approach, building towards a better together world and using technology in...
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The McDonagh Sisters, silent film producers
Did you know Australia is credited with producing the first-ever feature film? This was during the silent movie era, when Australia had its own thriving industry, filed with glamourous stars and passionate studios. In 1926, Australia’s first all-female production company released their romantic,...
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Trailer
The Australian Highlights series is launching 8 Feb 2025. The process of innovation, the collecting of ideas, and the cultural leaps that allow the new to flourish, can be fascinating. Particularly in the Australian context: a country at once proud of its ingenuity but full of insecurities; with...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Australian Highlights series is the place where we find the innovative people and ideas which are not – yet! – common knowledge.
Hosted by Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, this series takes the form of regular podcast episodes and online articles where we explore the captivating stories behind Australia's groundbreaking creative moments. With a focus on game-changing women and Indigenous trailblazers, this collection of interviews, explainers and articles shines a light on the ingenuity and diversity that propel Australia forward.
We’ll hear from people themselves doing amazing work; industry leaders that have been inspired by innovators from our past; and those who are enabling people to step forward and be spotlighted themselves. It's a lot of fun, as we've got comedians hearing these amazing stories for the first time!
There will bonus episodes of snippets and stories that didn't make it into the full interviews and there will be regular
HOSTED BY
Rachel Rayner
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Australian Highlights have?
Australian Highlights currently has 30 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Australian Highlights about?
The Australian Highlights series is the place where we find the innovative people and ideas which are not – yet! – common knowledge. Hosted by Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, this series takes the form of regular podcast episodes and online articles where we explore the captivating stories behind...
How often does Australian Highlights release new episodes?
Australian Highlights has 30 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Australian Highlights?
You can listen to Australian Highlights on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Australian Highlights?
Australian Highlights is created and hosted by Rachel Rayner.
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