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

Episodes 40

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  • 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

  • July 8 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: Is AI taking over mathematics?

    AI chatbots are helping to crack long-standing mathematical problems, including some of the famous Paul Erdős conjectures that have remained unsolved for nearly 80 years. It's not just researchers finding these solutions, either: it's also amateur mathematicians armed with off-the-shelf ChatGPT. Jonathan Webb wheels out the chalkboard with Dr Melissa Lee to discuss how AI is shaping the field of mathematics, and if anyone can be a mathematician these days. You can binge more episodes of the La

  • July 1 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: Is space junk destroying the ozone layer?

    Old satellites and bits of space junk regularly fall back to Earth, burning up as they pass through the atmosphere. All this burning metal causes a chain reaction and ultimately destroys ozone molecules, which keep us safe from most of the Sun's harmful UVB rays. Could a new era of satellite "megaconstellations", like the one run by SpaceX's internet company Starlink, undo humanity's hard work repairing the ozone layer? ‌Jonathan Webb launches into this issue with Dr Alice Gorman (AKA Dr Space

  • June 24 · 13 min

    Lab Notes: The bird flu risk for Aussie wildlife

    A deadly variant of H5N1 avian influenza has finally reached mainland Australia: the last continent without it.  Although the risk to human health remains low, this virus has spread through many different species overseas — and not just birds. So are our animals vulnerable?  Jonathan Webb speaks with Dr Tiggy Grillo about which animals could be at risk, and what is being done to protect them. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb

  • June 17 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: What happens when a whale dies?

    The largest, deepest and oldest whale graveyard has been found off the coast of Western Australia: teeming with life.  Jonathan Webb takes a deep dive with environment reporter, Peter de Kruijff, into the science behind whale falls and their importance to underwater ecosystems. 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 exploration and so mu

  • June 11 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: Tallest tree in East Asia

    On an island full of trees, there can only be one that is the tallest. How did researchers in Taiwan manage to find the tallest tree in East Asia? This week, Jonathan Webb finds this out by speaking to Dr Rebecca Hsu, the lead researcher behind the project to find The Heaven Sword. 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 exploration and s

  • June 5 · 54 min

    The First Inventors

    Evidence is mounting that Indigenous people were in Australia early than the 65,000 date most now know. And there are suggestions the continent supported a population of at least 2 million people. Authors Sean Ulm, Billy Griffiths and Larissa Behrendt explore these ideas in their book The First Inventors.

  • June 3 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: Plants can hear you

    Plants are more aware of their surroundings then we give them credit for. A growing body of work is showing that plants can change themselves in response to different sounds. Dr Samarth Kulshrestha, a molecular biologist from the University of Canterbury, is one of these researchers, looking at the mechanisms behind plant senses.  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 anima

  • May 29 · 53 min

    AI tools in ocean research and a tribute to Dame Bridget Ogilvie

    AI offers instant translations between human languages. So will we one day communicate with whales? And while we marvel at the possibilities, the challenge today is preventing collisions between sea creatures and ships, or whales and turtles becoming tangled in nets.

  • May 28 · 10 min

    Lab Notes: Lead may be hiding in your clothing

    Ever wondered how your sweater became bright orange, or how your leather shoes were made? Chances are, at some point in the process, hazardous chemicals like lead or azo dyes were used.  Jonathan Webb speaks to Ellen Phiddian, science reporter with Radio National, about whether these chemicals are dangerous to us, and if we should be worried about them.  You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'l

Showing 21–40 of 40 episodes