Dozens of Science Week stories around Northern Territory
- How the birds got their colours
- Be a Top End biosecurity expert for the day
- Deep space and time exploration in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre
- Territorians’ ticket to the International Space Station
- Vote for Australia’s most underrated animals
More on these highlights below.
National Science Week in the Northern Territory is coordinated by Inspired NT. Visit their website: inspirednt.net.
National Science Week in The Territory: highlights
How the birds got their colours – Darwin
Dreamtime through circus and dance
Yugambeh Elder Luther Cora and Arc Circus tell the Dreamtime story of ‘How the Birds Got Their Colours’.
This Indigenous-led outdoor performance forms part of the Darwin Festival in partnership with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Wednesday 13 August – Sunday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/how-the-birds-got-their-colours/the-gardens
Media enquiries: Alison Copley, Alison.Copley@magnt.net.au or 0438 111 343.
Be a Top End biosecurity expert for the day – Katherine and Berrimah
School students will meet scientists on the frontline protecting Australia from exotic pests and diseases arriving from all directions, threatening agricultural and livestock industries.
The Northern Territory is a biosecurity buffer for the rest of Australia, and home to booming primary production industries from cattle to cotton, mangoes and honeybees. Below events are open to schools.
Wednesday 13 August –explore the Northern Territory Government’s Katherine Research Station. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-spectacle-and-ag-adventures-at-katherine-research-station/lansdowne/
Friday 15 August –confront mysterious pathogens and race to find the antidote in ‘Survivor: Northern Territory Biosecurity Quest – Zom-Bee Apocalypse’ at the Berrimah Farm Science Precinct. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/survivor-northern-territory-biosecurity-quest-zom-bee-apocalypse-2/berrimah/
Media enquiries: Anne Lobo, media.daf@nt.gov.au or 0447 131 167.
Deep space and time exploration in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre – Alice Springs
Discover how Central Australia provides insights into the history of life on Earth.
Explore our abundance of fossil sites, from the precursors of multi-cellular life (which lived billions of years before dinosaurs) to the world’s largest bird.
See how Australia’s Red Centre has changed through deep time and learn about our more recent geological past by exploring the 12 craters created just 4,700 years ago by the Henbury Meteor!
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory hosts a series of events with experts including astrophysicist Dr Sara Webb; ecologist Dr Steve Morton; and the museum’s Dr Kirsti Abbott (Head of Science) and Dr Adam Yates (Senior Curator, Earth Sciences).
Plus, a palaeo-musical show by touring Aussie girl-geek band, The Ammonites.
Media enquiries: Alison Copley, Alison.Copley@magnt.net.au or 0438 111 343.
Territorians’ ticket to the International Space Station – Darwin, NT
Young space enthusiasts can go on a spacewalk and witness how astronauts eat, sleep and work on the International Space Station thanks to a free VR experience at Charles Darwin University’s Radicle Centre.
Opened in March 2025, CDU Radicle Centre is the first and only science centre north of Brisbane. Its reach extends to mobile workshops and exhibits with a fully-equipped science vehicle to provide resources and activities to remote schools.
Sunday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/vr-explorer-explore-the-space-with-mission-iss/darwin-city
Media enquiries: Carla Eisemberg, Carla.Eisemberg@cdu.edu.au or 0401 737 884.
CDU Radicle Centre for Science and Technology Engagement Director Dr Carla Eisemberg is available for media interviews.
What is Australia’s most underrated animal? – online
Do weird and wonderful Aussie creatures get the attention they deserve? For Science Week 2025, ABC Science wants Australians to cast their vote for Australia’s most underrated animal.
“Not the usual cuddly crowd-pleasers, but the ugly, the annoying and the lesser-known critters, who are often over-looked, under-conserved and… underrated,” says ABC Science producer Kylie Andrews, who leads the broadcaster’s Science Week project.
Australia’s underrated animals activities take place across social media platforms, ABC news digital and Radio National.
Friday 1 August – Friday 14 August: Updates and information on how to vote will be posted to www.abc.net.au/underrated-animals