Psychedelics; beer science; The Clitoral Chronicles; Aussie flower power - Science in Public
Dozens of Science Week stories aroundTassie: More on these highlights below. National Science Week in Tasmania is coordinated by Inspiring Tasmania. Visit their website: inspiringtas. org. au . For general National Science Week media enquiries, contact scienceweek@scienceinpublic. com. au . Psychedelics reshaping mental health care – Hobart How medical mushrooms, LSD, MDMA and other once-taboo substances are reshaping mental. . .
Dozens of Science Week stories aroundTassie:Psychedelics reshaping mental health careScientist puts sex-ed on stage in The Clitoral Chronicles – Ulverstone & HobartExperimenting with beerBlack holes and robots: where sci-fi meets sci-factPedal as you watch: bikes to power the big screenThe sound of cosmic collisions – a musical exploration of space-time – Tassie astrophysicist on national tourFlower power: what is Australia’s most amazing wildflower?More on these highlights below. National Science Week in Tasmania is coordinated by Inspiring Tasmania. Visit their website:inspiringtas. org. au. For general National Science Week media enquiries, contactscienceweek@scienceinpublic. com. au. Psychedelics reshaping mental health care – HobartHow medical mushrooms, LSD, MDMA and other once-taboo substances are reshaping mental health care. Psychedelic plants and fungi have long been used in traditional medicine. Substances like LSD and MDMA were later scientifically studied as potential treatments for conditions from addiction to anxiety. Then came the War on Drugs, bringing most psychedelic research to a halt for decades. Now, psychedelics are having a second act. In 2023, Australia became the first country to approve the clinical use of MDMA and psilocybin at a national level for specific mental health conditions. Dr Paul Liknaitzky─ head of Monash University’s Clinical Psychedelics Lab ─ has played a central role in establishing the field of clinical psychedelic research in Australia and has led several world-first studies and psychedelic trials. He will speak at Tasmania’s Beaker Street Festival – along with a participant in a recent psychedelics trial – to discuss emerging findings, future directions, and the lived experience of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Saturday 15 August. Event details:www. scienceweek. net. au/event/psychedelics-revisited/hobartMedia enquiries: Matt Fraser,matt@moxee. auor 0401 326 007. Paul Liknaitzky is available for media interviews. Scientist puts sex-ed on stage in The Clitoral Chronicles – Ulverstone & HobartThe Clitoral Chronicles lifts the hood on the most misunderstood organ in biology: the clitoris!The clitoris has been overlooked, under-appreciated and literally written out of history for centuries, but now Dr Tiana Pirtle, who has a PhD in reproductive ecology and physiology, is putting it centre-stage. She is joined by props and performers wearing sparkly clitoris and penis costumes. Blending comedy, physical theatre, outrageous anatomical costumes and wild true stories from the animal kingdom, the show flips outdated ideas about sex, gender and science on their head — and puts female and LGBTQIA+ perspectives centre stage. Dr Pirtle’s previous show ‘Vaginal Vignettes’ shared the stories of the multi-chambered vaginas and temporary passages, elongated clitorises, pseudo-penises, vaginas that can sort sperm, and armoured vaginal openings that put female animals in the driver’s seat of reproduction and evolution. Read aUTas articleabout her work. Hear her on the Science Vs episode ‘When vaginas attack!’. Ulverstone: Tuesday 11 August. Event details:www. scienceweek. net. au/event/the-clitoral-chronicles-3/ulverstone/Hobart: Friday 21 August and Saturday 22 August. Event details:www. scienceweek. net. au/event/the-clitoral-chronicles-4/hobart/Media enquiries: Tiana Pirtle,Tiana. Pirtle@utas. edu. auor 0456 826 322. Experimenting with beer – Hobart1 recipe. 4 beers. Four Tasmanian brewers serve up an identical recipe for beer, resulting in vastly different sensory traits. ExBEERimental Science showcases how small variations in brewing techniques impact our experience of downing a cold one. Hear about the science and taste the difference with beer-loving scientists Kelsey Picard and Matthew Fielding. Audience members can join the live event in Hobart at Shambles Brewery. Friday 15 August. Event details:www. scienceweek. net. au/event/exbeerimental-science-3/north-hobart/More information aboutwww. beerablescience. com. Media enquiries: Matthew Fielding,beerablescience@gmail. comor 0417 167 618. Black holes and robots: where sci-fi meets sci-fact – HobartFrom black holes inInterstellarto a robot cleaning up a deserted Earth inWall-E, science fiction has long inspired real research. ‘That’s What I Call Science’ brings science and art together at From Fact to Fiction, screening a science fiction film followed by a panel of STEM experts. The panel will unpack the science behind the film and connect it to their own research taking place in Lutruwita/Tasmania. Sunday 16 August. Event details:www. scienceweek. net. au/event/from-fact-to-fiction-2/hobartMedia enquiries: Olly Dove, nowsciencetas@gmail. comPedal as you watch: bikes to power the big screen – New TownMoviegoers in New Town will pedal two bikes to generate the electricity powering the projector at Pedal Powered Cinema, screening children’s films followed by (rated M), the true story of a boy in Malawi who invents an unconventional way to save his village from famine. Energy expert Mike Fewings will explain how the bike-powered system of batteries and inverters works, prompting discussion about generating personal power and other ways to help the environment. Pedal-powered smoothies and pizza will be on offer between screenings. Saturday 22 August. Event details:www. scienceweek. net. au/event/pedal-powered-cinema/new-townMedia enquiries: Maree Bakker, Maree. Bakker@nre. tas. gov. au or 0476 906 800Maree Bakker, Australian Association for Environmental Education (Tasmania), and energy expert Mike Fewings are available for interview. Photo opportunities: a test-run of the tech in early August, and a photo/video opportunity of a young person pedalling to charge the battery just before the event. The sound of cosmic collisions – a musical exploration of space-time – Tassie astrophysicist on national tourThe most violent events in the universe create elements such as gold, platimum and the iodine in human blood. Dr Karelle Siellezis listening to the aftermath of these massive kilonova through electromagnetic radiation ad gamma-ray bursts. She will explore the ‘sound’ of cosmic collisions, and what these signal reveal about the universe, during public talks across the country as part of the 2026 Marie Curie lecture series. Karelle is an astrophysicist and lecturer at the University of Tasmania. She contributed to the first detection of a gamma-ray burst and gravitational waves from the same cosmic event, recognised with the 2017 Breakthrough Prize. She is also an award-winning science communicator who integrates art, sound, and storytelling into her work. Multiple dates and locations, with some events livestreamed. Media enquiries: Dr Karen Livesey and Dr Karen Siu (Marie Curie Tour Co-ordinators),wip@aip. org. au, 0478 260 533. What do you think is Australia’s most amazing wildflower? – onlineABC Science wants Australians to discover our hidden “flower power”, the kind you find in botanical gardens rather than hippie communes. With the help of experts, ABC Science has selected ten flowering plants from across the country. Not just another banksia or waratah, but blooms from the unsung understory that also do something unbelievable. These ten wildflowers are more than just a pretty face; each one hides a surprising superpower. The public will decide which is the most amazing. Voting to decide Australia’s most amazing wildflower will start just before National Science Week in August, with the winning bloom announced on Friday August 21 in a live broadcast on Radio National. Wednesday 5 August – Friday 21 August. To find out more and vote, go towww. abc. net. au/wildflowers. For interviews with Dr Ann Jones, contact Rob Caulley, ABC Publicity,Caulley. Rob@abc. net. au.