We are very excited to host Zoe Kean as she discusses her new book, Why Are We Like This? with ABC health and science reporter, Tegan Taylor and scientist and communications specialist, Naomi Koh Belic.

6:30pm arrivals for 7pm start

Tickets: $10 per person (plus booking fee and GST), which is redeemable on the night towards any book purchase.

The $10 portion of your ticket fee is redeemable on the night towards any book purchase. See staff on the night.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
What can snorkelling at Shark Bay teach us about humanity? Will the secrets of our sex lives be uncovered by stick insects? What do whale societies reveal about kindness? And why did we evolve to spend a third of our life asleep?

Some questions have nipped at humanity’s heels for as long as we’ve been…well, humans. In Why Are We Like This? science journalist Zoe Kean takes us behind the scenes of the evolutionary paradoxes that make up life on this planet. Exploring with scientists, from freezing in Tasmanian sleet to a laboratory of sleeping sharks in North Queensland, we see how these evolutionary mysteries might just uncover the secrets of a better life for humans and the creatures we share the planet with.

The ancient ancestors of life on Earth faced the same challenges we do, so let’s learn a lesson or two about how they dealt with them.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Zoe Kean lives in lutruwita/Tasmania, an island at the bottom of the world. An award-winning science writer with a focus on evolution, ecology, and the environment, she has published in The Guardian, the ABC online, The Best Australian Science Writing 2022, 2023, and 2024, Cosmos magazine and with the BBC. Zoe honed her writing and radio skills with the best at the ABC Science Unit as the Darren Osborne Regional Science Cadet (2019). Her love for science cannot be contained to the page. Zoe also gives talks, makes science TikTok videos and regularly appears on live radio.

Tegan Taylor is a multi-award-winning health and science reporter for the ABC. She hosts shows including Radio National’s Health Report, Quick Smart and What’s That Rash? She’s received a Walkley Award, the Eureka Prize for Science Journalism and her work has appeared in the Best of Australian Science Writing. When she’s not warbling into a microphone she can be found hiking with her dogs, rock climbing or nerding out to podcasts.

Naomi Koh Belic is a communications specialist dedicated to making science accessible to all. She has been featured as an expert biologist on the Discovery Channel and hosted a series with ABC. Her live presentations include appearances at the Sydney Science Festival, FameLab, Amplify Ignite, and Pint of Science.