Dr Madlen Ziege studied biology in Potsdam, Berlin, and Australia. For her doctorate at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, she studied the communicational behaviour of wild rabbits in urban and rural areas. She works as a behavioural biologist at the University of Potsdam and inspires people of all ages for scientific research with her science slams. Tanya is an actor and voiceover artist. Most recently, she performed in the national tour of Grace Under Pressure. Her other recent credits include ABC’s Harrow, 9Go’s Metrosexual, and the short films Occupation, thriller Smother and A Picture of Other People, which enjoyed a successful festival run. Awards include Best Actress at the Sanctuary Film Festival, Best Film and Audience Choice Award at the Brisbane Backyard Film Festival, Best Film at QEST Short Film Festival (BIFF) and various other category awards.
'It's always amazing how talkative nature is - very enlightening and entertaining!' -- Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees 'In accessible language [Ziege] reports on fascinatingly clever chemical communication among bacteria; tells how wild rabbits coordinate and how badgers warn their enemies ... Mushrooms set traps, fish lie, and fox and fir tree say goodnight. Illuminating brain food.' -- OOE News 'Communication between animals and plants takes on a whole new dimension.' -- Mittagzmagazin 'Tanya Schneider's lilting Australian accent adds liveliness to this captivating look at how living beings send and receive information with other beings, what impedes or facilitates the communication, and why this is important for us to understand. Schneider's delight as she describes plants, animals, and their interactions is intricate and engaging. The enlightening data will leave listeners in awe of how much is yet to be learned and discovered in our vast environment.' -- AudioFile