The first casual running shoes were invented in the 1970s, and within 50 years, some of them are so good that they're banned for competitions. But our feet didn't evolve to wear shoes. Millenia of improvements left humans with unique, brilliantly adapted structures for movement. A big brain and fast feet took us to the top of the ancient food chain. Now, we wear shoes every day, and for myriad activities. People like Professor Glenn Lichtwark from QUT are trying to discover how we manage our movement, with or without shoes.

Eucalyptus trees define the Australian landscape. However, what sustained First Nations Australians for millennia mystified and frightened European colonisers. Now, Eucalypts are grown around the world, often causing immense damage to the local economy, environment and culture. One of the world's most respected botanists, Professor Stephen Hopper from the University of Western Australia, explains what modern science can tell us about these trees, and how ancient knowledge can help protect them.

What does our brain do when we dream? Can we tell if someone is dreaming just by scanning their brainwaves? What do we mean by conscious? Does ADHD make the brain act like it's dreaming during the day? How many people are actually aware during hospital operations?

Just some of the deep and challenging questions that people like Professor Nao Tsuchiya from Monash University are trying to answer, using science, philosophy, psychology and maths.

1. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is dealing with the greatest threat to his nation since the Spanish Armada. But somehow, he makes it known that he wishes Australia to send him some live platypuses. Incredible, but true. This is a bonus addition to our most recent episode, "Where Are We At With Platypuses?".

Lots of people don't believe the platypus is a real creature. Bill like a duck, tail like a beaver, body like an otter and venom like a cobra. It's like someone hit the "Randomise" button in the character creation section. They are real, but with their numbers declining in many areas, who knows for how long? Dr Tahneal Hawke from UNSW and Taronga Conservation Society joins us to talk all things ornithorhynchus.

Apps like Google or Microsoft Translate claim to have removed the language barrier. But few people would trust an app to interpret their complex medical history, or relay critical information in a court case. Human translators and interpreters have formed critical links between civilisations and thinkers for millennia. Professor Marc Orlando from Macquarie University tells us where things can still get lost in translation.

The global fashion industry contributes to modern slavery, environmental destruction, and unrealistic body images. But there are solutions. People like Professor Alice Payne from RMIT are working towards a sustainable, responsible and circular process that allows those of us who wear clothes to make the best choices for ourselves and the planet.

Watch a movie from the 50s or 60s about the future, and apparently, we should be all wearing silver jumpsuits around now, or coloured PVC. Most of us aren't, but what we are wearing is shaped by a myriad external influences, be they cultural, social, demographic, economic, political, or more.

Dr Madeleine Seys from Adelaide University explains what role colonisation played on fashion in Australia, and why active-wear was already a thing 200 years ago.