Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Fred Watson at The Newtown Festival

Dr Karl and Fred Watson, two titans of Australian science, join forces to discuss their latest books about the weird and wonderful world - or universe - of science: Dr Karl's Random Road Trip through Science, and Cosmic Chronicles: A User's Guide to the Universe. 

They will be in-conversation with Bianca Nogrady in this unmissable event, the first afternoon session at our Newtown Festival Writers' Space, located in the Newtown Church Hall adjacent to the festival grounds. 

Their books will be available for purchase and signing on the day!

RSVPs preferred. We will welcome donations on the door in support of the Newtown Festival's fundraising for the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. 

About Dr Karl's Random Road Trip Through Sicence

Australia’s most popular science writer and national treasure, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM, returns with Dr Karl’s Random Road Trip Through Science. This new-look, large-format, full-colour book is packed with scintillating stories as well as funny and clever illustrations – and, wait for it, full augmented reality functionality! 

Dr Karl continues his admirable if ambitious 30+ year mission to track down all the awesome stories in and of the universe! Why do wombats poo cubes? Do fish drink water? What nearly destroyed humanity on Halloween 2015? Find out whether cannibalism is nutritious, how birds fly when they’re asleep and the Big Question – why does spaghetti always break into three parts? (You can try this at home.)

Whether you’re ten or sixty-ten, strap in and get ready for a random ride through the universe. Who knows where you’ll end up?

About Cosmic Chronicles: A User's Guide to the Universe

In Cosmic Chronicles, Fred Watson – Australia’s Astronomer-at-Large and bestselling author – explores the hottest topics in space science and astronomy. Are we alone in the universe? Where did the moon come from? How do we know what stars are made of? Could there really be a future in asteroid mining? 

Watson presents the most up-to-date knowledge on everything from light echoing around the cosmos, the mechanics of black holes and how to navigate the hidden delights of nightfall, to the most profound questions facing humankind. With mind-bending stories from the frontiers of science, Cosmic Chronicles is an expert’s view of what we know and how we know it.

About Dr Karl

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM just loves science to pieces, and has been spreading the word in print, on TV and radio and online for more than thirty years. The author of 45 books, Dr Karl is a lifetime student with degrees in physics and mathematics, biomedical engineering, medicine and surgery. He has worked as a physicist, labourer, roadie for bands, car mechanic, filmmaker, biomedical engineer, taxi driver, TV weatherman, and medical doctor at the Children's Hospital in Sydney. 

Since 1995, he has been the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at the University of Sydney. Every week Dr Karl does eight-or-so radio Q&A science shows on ABC radio, triple j and the BBC. He also does two free science Q&A sessions every Wednesday afternoon with schools around the world (they’re via the internet. Check out drkarl.com to book your school’s session).

About Fred Watson 

Fred Watson is Australia’s Astronomer-at-Large, based in the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. Recognised internationally for helping to pioneer the use of fibre optics in astronomy, Fred is best known today for his radio and TV broadcasts and award-winning books including Star-Craving Mad: Tales from a Travelling Astronomer. Fred holds adjunct professorships in six Australian universities and has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fredwatson).

About Bianca Nogrady

Bianca Nogrady is a freelance science journalist, author and  broadcaster, who is yet to meet a piece of research she doesn't find fascinating. In more than a decade of freelance reporting, she has written for The Guardian, Nature, MIT Technology Review, Undark, and the ABC and BBC, on everything from artificial intelligence in drug development to the problem of brumbies in the Snowy Mountains.