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The Science Show

ABC Australia

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.

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  • 34 episodes
  • a few times a week
  • Avg 32 min
  • English

Episodes 34

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  • Tuesday · 12 min

    Lab Notes: The AI maths wars

    AI is getting so good at maths that it is now tackling, and apparently solving, some of the hardest mathematical problems that exist. But as huge companies like OpenAI and Anthropic race to outdo each other, human mathematicians are getting caught in the crossfire... and their field is changing forever.  Jonathan Webb speaks to ABC AI Technology Reporter Cam Wilson about the furore over the Navier-Stokes equations and the million-dollar Millennium Prize.   Featuring: Cam Wilson, AI Reporter a

  • September 9 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: Where could bird flu go next?

    It's been three months since the first case of bird flu was found on the Australian continent. Many cases have been found in birds since then, along with other mammals. So where has it spread? And what can we expect to see as spring and summer arrive? Jonathan Webb speaks with Peter de Kruijff, who's been following bird flu since the very beginning. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll fi

  • September 2 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: Why are we ticklish?

    Most people know the feeling of ticklishness, whether it's the tickle attacks that bring about uncontrollable laughter or the feather-like touch from something brushing against your skin. But why do we feel ticklish? Can we stop it? And why did we — and all our ape cousins — evolve this sensation? Jonathan Webb speaks to Dr Anina Rich to explore the science of this everyday experience. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the

  • August 26 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: The redback sex-death somersault

    These little spiders that live in the dark corner of your garage have a pretty crazy sex life. Researchers have known for a while that male redback spiders get eaten during sex — but not only that, they somersault themselves right onto the fangs of the female. Considering the ultimate aim of this process is to create more spiders , this seems pretty counterintuitive. So it begs the question: why do they do it? Jonathan Webb and Ellen Phiddian get caught up in the science of this act, discussin

  • August 19 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: The 'Hail Mary' effort to rescue a telescope

    Right now, a high-stakes mission is underway to save NASA's Swift telescope before it falls back to Earth. There's just one problem… the rescue satellite has run into some issues. So who rescues the rescuer? Jonathan Webb and Dr Sara Webb launch into this issue to see what scientists are doing to get this satellite back on track, and whether it can save Swift in time. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Au

  • August 12 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: How do flowers know when to bloom?

    The last days of winter are here and already you may be seeing flowers blooming around you. Why is that? How do flowers know when to bloom, and is it always around springtime? Jonathan Webb digs into these questions with Dr Greg Moore to try and uncover the mechanisms behind flowering plants. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space explor

  • August 5 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: In an era of AI hacking, how safe is the census?

    It's census time, which means lots of us are about to submit personal information via the Internet. Whether it's the ABS or your favourite online shop — how safe is our data in an era when AI models have shown they can hack companies without even being asked to? Jonathan Webb opens a back door to this new normal of cybersecurity with Professor Toby Murray. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). Yo

  • July 31 · 54 min

    Looking inside cells, and how seals hear so well underwater

    * Fluorescent sensors bring cell contents to life * Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers * Animal senses that work as well in water as on land * Mushroom Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Fungal Lives * Descend two kilometres underground to the cleanest lab on Earth

  • July 29 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: What will we see in a 10-year movie of the universe?

    The longest survey of our southern skies — The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) — has just begun from the Vera Rubin Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert. Over the next 10 years, the largest digital camera on Earth will look at the same patches of sky time and again, aiming to record exploding stars, new asteroids, and maybe find what's behind dark energy. Jonathan Webb gets sucked into grand cosmic questions with Dr Anais Möller, as they discuss how astronomers are getting a head s

  • July 22 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: How do we predict the snow season?

    This year has been one of the worst starts to the snow season since records began. And it's a trend that researchers say will only continue in the years to come.  But what's causing this change? What's the outlook for the rest of this ski season, and should we all just be booking a holiday to Japan?  Jonathan Webb goes off-piste with climate reporter Romy Stephens about what this all means.  You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb o

  • July 15 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: What's it like to be in a clinical trial?

    Before any new therapy or medicine is placed on the shelves of a pharmacy, it needs to be tested in humans first. What does that process look like? And who are the people testing these new drugs? Jonathan Webb goes behind the curtain of clinical trials with health reporter Lauren Roberts to take a look at what happens in Australia. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on ani

Showing 1–20 of 34 episodes