Issue 9: Entwined

28 October 2025

This issue takes a moment to revel in the science that surrounds us.

Come walk the tangled paths less followed, who knows what you may come across!

Editorial

Unravelling the Threads: From the Editors-in-Chief & Cover Illustrator

by Ingrid Sefton, Aisyah Mohammad Sulhanuddin & Anabelle Dewi Saraswati

A word from the Editors-in-Chief, and fascinating insights into this issue's cover.

Knot theory

Knot Theory and Its Applications. Why Knot?

by Ryan Rud

Untangle the knot theory with Ryan to reveal the role of this mathematical marvel in our everyday life.

Hugging

Entwined: A Hug Story

by Elise Volpato

Embrace the physiology, psychology and cultural complexities of hugs, as Elise opens us up to their undeniable benefits.

Geological time periods

Enter . . . the Anthropocene?

by Rita Fortune

Rita digs into questions of how and where we can draw a line in the sand, in attempts to disentangle a new geological time period.

Cosmic matter

The Cosmos in Our Palms: A Reflection of Our Cosmic Origins

by Mishen De Silva

Gain a new appreciation with Mishen of how the beauty and mystery of the cosmos is not just among us, but within us.

Humans of UniMelb

Rewilding Our Cities with Dr Kylie Soanes

by Ciara Dahl

Uncover life behind and between the concrete jungle, as Ciara talks all things urban ecology with Dr Kylie Soanes.

Brain connectome

Conferring with Consciousness

by Ingrid Sefton

Me, myself and my brain - Ingrid traverses the neural paths that comprise the conscious experience.

Journey of food

The Life of Matcha

by Kara Miwa-Dale

Delicately grown, globally consumed: Kara evaluates the intersection of matcha's deep-rooted social importance with physical health and current trends.

Gunpowder

Ancient Asian Alchemy: Big Booms

by Isaac Tian

Aiming for immortality, landing at gunpowder? Isaac explores how a quest for life is fundamentally entangled in the alchemy of gunpowder.

Classical biology

Eyeballs, a Knife, and No Fear of God

by Jess Walton

Travel back in time with Jess to meet the early anatomists who helped pioneer the arduous and neverending human quest to seek answers from deep within ourselves. Literally speaking, that is.

Axolotls

Axolotl: The Little God of the Lake

by Danny He

Dive into the history, habitat, and hardhsips of your favourite frilly friends. Axolotls are so much more than a cute face, and time may be running out to save them.

Camouflage

Living Pixels

by KJ Srivastava

Uncovering the science behind camouflaging creatures that have no eyes makes this trick no less magical, as KJ reveals.

Pacific Island futures

Human-Cetacean Relations

by Andrew Irvin

Taking us to Tonga, Andrew tells a tale of a musician swimming between the worlds of communication, marine science and a future for Pacific Islands.

Philosophy of science

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone

by Julia Lockerd

Join Julia to debate the importance of epistemic and social relationships in the development of modern science.

Issue 9: Entwined

Editorial

Unravelling the Threads: From the Editors-in-Chief & Cover Illustrator

by Ingrid Sefton, Aisyah Mohammad Sulhanuddin & Anabelle Dewi Saraswati

A word from the Editors-in-Chief, and fascinating insights into this issue's cover.

Knot theory

Knot Theory and Its Applications. Why Knot?

by Ryan Rud

Untangle the knot theory with Ryan to reveal the role of this mathematical marvel in our everyday life.

Hugging

Entwined: A Hug Story

by Elise Volpato

Embrace the physiology, psychology and cultural complexities of hugs, as Elise opens us up to their undeniable benefits.

Geological time periods

Enter . . . the Anthropocene?

by Rita Fortune

Rita digs into questions of how and where we can draw a line in the sand, in attempts to disentangle a new geological time period.

Cosmic matter

The Cosmos in Our Palms: A Reflection of Our Cosmic Origins

by Mishen De Silva

Gain a new appreciation with Mishen of how the beauty and mystery of the cosmos is not just among us, but within us.

Humans of UniMelb

Rewilding Our Cities with Dr Kylie Soanes

by Ciara Dahl

Uncover life behind and between the concrete jungle, as Ciara talks all things urban ecology with Dr Kylie Soanes.

Brain connectome

Conferring with Consciousness

by Ingrid Sefton

Me, myself and my brain - Ingrid traverses the neural paths that comprise the conscious experience.

Journey of food

The Life of Matcha

by Kara Miwa-Dale

Delicately grown, globally consumed: Kara evaluates the intersection of matcha's deep-rooted social importance with physical health and current trends.

Gunpowder

Ancient Asian Alchemy: Big Booms

by Isaac Tian

Aiming for immortality, landing at gunpowder? Isaac explores how a quest for life is fundamentally entangled in the alchemy of gunpowder.

Classical biology

Eyeballs, a Knife, and No Fear of God

by Jess Walton

Travel back in time with Jess to meet the early anatomists who helped pioneer the arduous and neverending human quest to seek answers from deep within ourselves. Literally speaking, that is.

Axolotls

Axolotl: The Little God of the Lake

by Danny He

Dive into the history, habitat, and hardhsips of your favourite frilly friends. Axolotls are so much more than a cute face, and time may be running out to save them.

Camouflage

Living Pixels

by KJ Srivastava

Uncovering the science behind camouflaging creatures that have no eyes makes this trick no less magical, as KJ reveals.

Pacific Island futures

Human-Cetacean Relations

by Andrew Irvin

Taking us to Tonga, Andrew tells a tale of a musician swimming between the worlds of communication, marine science and a future for Pacific Islands.

Philosophy of science

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone

by Julia Lockerd

Join Julia to debate the importance of epistemic and social relationships in the development of modern science.

Perceptions of time

Time Perception – The Chaos Binding Your World Together

by Furqan Mohsin

Spend a moment with Furqan considering how our perception of time strings us together, yet fundamentally pulls us apart.