The Best Australian Science Writing 2020

The annual collection—now in its tenth year—celebrating the finest voices in Australian science writing. Can fish feel pain? Does it matter if a dingo is different from a dog? Is there life in a glob of subterranean snot? Science tackles some unexpected questions. At a time when the world is buffeted by the effects of a pandemic, climate change, and accelerating technology, the fruits of scientific labour and enquiry have never been more in demand. Who better to navigate us through these unprecedented days than Australia's best science writers? Now in its tenth year, this much-loved anthology selects the most riveting, poignant, and entertaining science stories and essays from Australian writers, poets, and scientists. In their expert hands such ordinary objects as milk and sticky tape become imbued with new meaning, while the furthest reaches of our universe are made more familiar and comprehensible. With a foreword from Nobel laureate and immunologist Peter C Doherty, this collection brings fresh perspective to the world you thought you knew.

Sara Phillips is an award-winning science writer and editor based in Melbourne, Australia. Currently, she is executive editor for the Asia-Pacific region of Nature Research Custom Media. Previously, she worked at the ABC as an environment reporter and editor, and was the editor of G Magazine, a green lifestyle magazine, and deputy editor of Cosmos magazine.