logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
22m 30s

Should you kill insects?

ABC listen
About this episode
There are about 10 quintillion insects in the world. Yes, that's a real number. And it's a lot! They're very small and very different from us humans. We might not stop to think about it before we poison a cockroach, squish an ant with our shoe, or kill a mosquito, but is it ethical to kill an insect? Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: ... Show More
Up next
Oct 1
Should you have to pass a test to have kids?
We test for everything: to get a licence, to move to the next grade, to prove you're ready to use a pen. But when it comes to becoming a biological parent, there's no test to pass. Should there be? Would a parenting test be a good idea?Brains Trust — Gibbs Street Public School, P ... Show More
22m 30s
Sep 30
Is it wrong to think bad thoughts about people?
We all have thoughts about other people that we’d never say aloud. But do our private thoughts say something about the kind of people we are? Or is it only our actions that count? Brains Trust - Gibbs Street Public School, Perth: Layla, Avjot, Johanna, Imogen, Sampada, Claudia.Li ... Show More
20m 6s
Sep 30
Graffiti or Gallery? When does graffiti become street art?
Ever walked past a spray-painted wall and thought, "That's actually really cool and beautiful!" But is it art or just stylish vandalism? Molly and Carl grab some spray cans and dive into the messy, colourful world of graffiti to ask: when does a rebellious scribble become art, an ... Show More
23 m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
What's cool about cockroaches?
That’s a question a lot of people have, honestly. But a kid named Rosie was bold enough to ask us to investigate why. So, in the latest episode, we dig in on why cockroaches get such a bad rap and why you might want to reconsider if you’re not a fan.Only two percent of the world’ ... Show More
29m 36s
May 2016
Chiggers: The Phantom Menace
Chiggers are tiny little mites capable of making your life miserable. Worse than mosquitoes? Maybe. But they aren't insects - mites are actually part of the arachnid family and behave a little like ticks. Learn all about these nearly invisible pests in today's episode. Learn more ... Show More
33 m
Jun 2024
Should We Eradicate Mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are common flying insect that inhabit all continents except Antarctica. There are over 3500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but only somewhere between 6 and 9.3% bite humans and are disease vectors. That said, mosquitos are the deadliest animal on the planet, thanks t ... Show More
1h 11m
Aug 2021
How should we treat insects?
Insect farming, we’re told by its proponents, is the next big thing in edible protein production, and it may just save the environment. But an insect “farm” is more like a manufacturing plant, where tiny organisms are frozen, boiled, baked, crushed or shredded alive in their bill ... Show More
28m 27s
Jun 2018
Killing Insects for Conservation
Prof Adam Hart stirred a hornet’s nest of controversy by asking the public to kill wasps for science. He explores why scientists kill insects to save them from extinction.The work of the entomologist often involves the killing of insects in large numbers. This happens in the sear ... Show More
26m 54s
Jul 2022
Why do crickets chirp?
How are crickets so loud? Why do they chirp at night? How are they different from grasshoppers? We’re talking crickets today with Karim Vahed, a cricket and katydid expert and entomologist (bug scientist) at the University of Derby in the United Kingdom. Professor Vahed also take ... Show More
26m 43s
Mar 2022
Insect Invasion
More people are scared of bugs than they are afraid of becoming the victim of crimes, or even dying. These people suffer from entomophobia, the fear of insects. And when you think about crawlers that are small enough to burrow into the crevices of your skin, winged bugs that can ... Show More
38m 24s
Jul 16
I comme Insectes
10 minutes pour devenir incollable sur les insectes !Quel insecte bourdonne ? Que fabriquent les abeilles ? Quel insecte ressemble à une petite branche d’arbre ?Des questions ludiques | des chiffres surprenants | des vrais-faux rigolos.Embarquez avec nous sur les réseaux sociaux ... Show More
11m 6s