🌞 Introducing an all-inclusive theatre company

Good morning!

For those in NSW, VIC, SA, TAS and the ACT, I hope you enjoyed your extra hour of sleep. What a way to start the week!

🥃 New tool to combat drink spiking

Researchers have developed a new stir stick that detects drink spiking in seconds. Spikeless, created by researchers from the University of British Columbia, is capable of detecting drink-spiking drugs like GHB and ketamine within 30 seconds.

If you’re not familiar with drink-spiking, it’s when drugs are covertly added to a person’s drink, often with the intent to cause harm or commit assault.

This affordable and accessible solution is “more discreet than existing alternatives and doesn’t contaminate the drink,” according to one of the UBC researchers. Possible interventions in the past have included cups, coasters, straws and nail polish.

UBC researchers have said they hope venues will adopt Spikeless, shifting the onus from individuals to venues and allowing the tool to be available across bars, pubs and restaurants.

🎵 Feel good song of the week

🦁 New cub born at Werribee

Werribee Open Range Zoo has welcomed the birth of a “small but mighty” lion cub. The cub was born last weekend and is the first time in the Zoo’s 41-year history that a single-cub has been born. According to the Zoo, “no siblings, no rivalry - just a single little cub, already proving that greatness starts with the power of one”.

Both mum and cub are doing “extremely” well and developing their bond, with the two set to spend more than a month privately bonding.

I’ll keep you updated when the little cub is named in a few weeks!

Message from Up

Why save alone when you can save together? 

We know saving can be tough, especially when you’re doing it solo. But with 2Up, saving becomes a shared experience! Whether you're saving for a holiday, a big purchase, or just for the future, 2Up lets you team up with a friend, family member, or even a partner to save together. 

It's easy, fun, and you’ll both reach your savings goals faster - because two heads are better than one. Plus, with automatic contributions and real-time tracking, you’ll stay motivated every step of the way.

Make saving a team effort and join Up with code TDA20 for $20 instantly!

🫀 World’s smallest pacemaker

Medical engineers from Northwestern University have developed the world’s smallest pacemaker.

A pacemaker is a small, battery-powered device implanted in the chest to help regulate a slow or irregular heartbeat by sending electrical pulses to the heart. Typically, pacemakers are the size of a matchbox, and are implanted via surgery.

Now, researchers have designed a small, wireless device that is biocompatible and could bypass the need for surgical extraction. The pacemaker is 1.8mm x 3.5mm x 1mm (read: small) and is paired with a wearable device that mounts onto a patient’s chest to control pacing.

According to one of the lead researchers, the team’s “major motivation was children” because “about 1% of children are born with congenital heart defects”. They claim this new device could offer a “potentially safer alternative” to the more traditional pacemakers.

Definitely one to keep an eye on!

🍄‍🟫 Intergalactic mushrooms

It’s a big newsletter for innovation, with news that an Australian organisation will lead the first attempt to grow mushrooms in space.

The Fram2 mission is expected to launch on a SpaceX craft next month. The four-day journey will be the first human spaceflight over Earth’s polar regions. Its crew, which includes Australian Eric Philips, will attempt to grow oyster mushrooms in microgravity.

The experiment, coined “Mission MushVroom” will be led by FOODiQ Global, an Australian-based company. In a statement, Fram2 said it will be the first study of its kind. It called oyster mushrooms “the perfect space crop, helping astronauts meet their nutritional needs on long-duration space missions like those to Mars, while closing the loop in plant agriculture and helping to minimize inputs and waste.”

⭐️ Community news: Stars and the Moon

This week, I received a message from a loyal TDA good news listener, Tyla. She wanted to tell me about Stars and the Moon (STaM), Melbourne’s only all-abilities theatre company dedicated to high-quality, inclusive performances. Stars and the Moon has just announced its 2025 production: Shrek the Musical! This story of acceptance, adventure, and laughter will come to life on stage, featuring the group’s unique castmate model, where performers of all abilities work together to share roles and support one another.

Founded in 2021, STaM was born out of a shared love of musical theatre between founder Eitan Meyerowitz and his cousin Zac Chester, an actor who lives with down syndrome. In building the theatre company, Meyerowitz sought to create a space wherein performers of all abilities could share the spotlight and create moving, accessible theatre.

The company’s castmate model—pairing two or more performers in each role to support one another (at least one of whom identifies as neurodivergent and/or living with disability/disabled)—ensures that artists of all abilities can shine together, fostering a theatrical experience unlike any other.

This year, more than 120 passionate performers auditioned for Shrek the Musical, making it Stars and the Moon’s biggest casting process yet. The final cast brings together both returning and new performers, each bringing their own unique energy and talent to the stage.

While auditions have now closed, there are still many ways to get involved with Stars and the Moon. The company offers a range of inclusive theatre opportunities, including theatre workshops, showcases and performances, design and stagecraft workshops, and offerings in front-of-house and backstage roles.

Can’t wait to hear more about the show when it comes to the stage in August!

If you’ve woken up this morning thinking and it's earlier than you thought, that’s because daylight saving has officially ended!

It’s one of two times during the year that clocks change - but why does it actually exist? And how did it start?

Today we are going to explain why we actually have daylight saving - and answer the questions you’ve probably thought about, but never known the answers to.

This episode is sponsored by Koala, who care about making sure you are getting a good night’s sleep, but they have had no editorial influence over the content we are sharing in today’s podcast.

TDA asks