The Science Show
290 episodes — Page 1 of 6
The debate over who should be in the genus Homo, and the trailblazing botanical illustrators, Harriet and Helena Scott
Lab Notes: The 'Hail Mary' effort to rescue a telescope
How nematodes love smelly feet, plants that trap insects, Australians at CERN and vale Peter Raven
Lab Notes: How do flowers know when to bloom?
Dark Matter search from inner Melbourne, Gelion update, Bach and maths and vale Bill Oddie
Lab Notes: In an era of AI hacking, how safe is the census?
Looking inside cells, and how seals hear so well underwater
Lab Notes: What will we see in a 10-year movie of the universe?
Pioneers past and present, and fiddling with life brings a heavy caution
Lab Notes: How do we predict the snow season?
Fossil graveyards an archive of past climate and ecology
Lab Notes: What's it like to be in a clinical trial?
Monitoring Antarctic glaciers and the science of gluten-free baking
Lab Notes: Is AI taking over mathematics?
As bird flu arrives in Australia, an endangered species is being quarantined
Lab Notes: Is space junk destroying the ozone layer?
How bird brains help us understand human brains, and how eugenics had as much hand in the birth control movement as did feminism
Lab Notes: The bird flu risk for Aussie wildlife
Insects and pain and The Selfish Gene turns 50
Lab Notes: What happens when a whale dies?
Kris sword with an intriguing history, echidnas, tropical forests and Australia’s energy potential
Lab Notes: Tallest tree in East Asia
The First Inventors
Lab Notes: Plants can hear you
AI tools in ocean research and a tribute to Dame Bridget Ogilvie
Lab Notes: Lead may be hiding in your clothing
Sex testing at the Olympics: beware the exceptions
Lab Notes: Giant dino discovery fulfils a childhood dream
Science and the budget, bird flu closer to Australia and a guide to pollination
Lab Notes: Can AI chatbots make you delusional?
Celebrating David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and a new way of making vaccines
Lab Notes: What happens if a major ocean current … stops?
Australian science under strain
Lab Notes: AI data centres are coming to remote Australia
Response to Australia’s ESO rejection
Lab Notes: Aussies loved Artemis II — and they want more
Getting more from fertiliser, viral DNA's vital role and help from hookworms!
Lab Notes: Is measles back?
Australia says no to European Southern Observatory collaboration, applications of quantum mechanics and testing trees’ response to rising carbon dioxide
Lab Notes: What can we grow on the Moon?
Australian and New Zealand research presented at Falling Walls Berlin
Carl Smith reports from Falling Walls 2025 and speaks to presenters from Australia and New Zealand who were there sharing their research with the world.
Lab Notes: Can we replace lab animals?
Humans have done experiments on animals for thousands of years — but animal testing has always been controversial because of the concerns for animal welfare. Recently, there have been more and more efforts to find alternatives to lab animals.So how is this quest going? What's on the horizon – and will we ever get rid of lab animals completely? 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 much more.Get in touch with us: [email protected]:Darren Saunders, New South Wales deputy chief scientist and engineerThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar people.
Saving Australia’s R&D, robot for cleaning up oil, and quantum physics with Paul Davies
Paul Davies explains some of the weirdness that is quantum physics
Lab Notes: NASA's mission to the Moon
It's more than 50 years since humans went anywhere near the Moon — but that's about to change. After a series of delays, NASA's Artemis II mission is set to launch in early April. So what's the aim of the mission, where exactly are the astronauts headed, and why is it happening now?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 much more.Get in touch with us: [email protected]: Jacinta Bowler, ABC science reporterExtra information:NASA delays Artemis II mission to the Moon, a day after flagging March launchFormer NASA engineer warns about heat shield on Artemis II moon missionThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar people.
Possums thought to be extinct found in Papua, early Indigenous ingenuity, and how we adjust to ultra-processed food
Two ancient Australian possums, thought to be extinct, are now known to survive in Indonesian Papua
Lab Notes: Super-K flu is here … but it's not our biggest problem
A fast-moving strain of influenza known as "Super-K" is circulating in Australia and has been driving up flu numbers around the world. Virologists are constantly tracking strains like this as they come and go. Professor Kirsty Short, shares her anxiety about the flu season ahead, as well as a surprising recent win — and a call to arms about vaccination.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 much more.Get in touch with us: [email protected]:Kirsty Short, virologist at University of QueenslandMore information:Australia's 2026 influenza vaccine rollout and the Super-K strainThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar people.
New idea for the origin of language
Conventional explanations for how humans became ‘the language animal’ focus on our need to cooperate to hunt, fight or make tools. Now, evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman suggests a new idea for origin of language: the need to share childcare.
Lab Notes: Slip! Slop! Slap! SUCCESS!
Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world — but there's some good news for Aussie kids. The presence of moles is a strong predictor of melanoma and researchers in Queensland have found that the number of moles found on children's bodies has halved in recent decades.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 much more.Get in touch with us: [email protected]: Nick Martin, human geneticist at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteExtra information:Halving of Australian children's naevus counts during 1992-2016 and change in sun behaviourHopes for lower melanoma risk as study finds number of moles on children's bodies halved in 25 yearsThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar people.
Astronomy and toxicology converge at Caltech
When raised lead levels were noticed in Los Angeles last year, a chemist — who usually examines asteroids — quickly saw that the fires that ravaged the region in January 2025 were to blame.
Lab Notes: Why air traffic won’t return to normal for months
Major international airports in the Middle East have been closed this week due to the war with Iran, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded. So, what happens after a major airspace closure?How do pilots know where they should fly? And how long will it take to get things back to normal?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 much more.Get in touch with us: [email protected]: Amy Briggs, science reporter Extra information: Air travel may be disrupted by the Iran war for months. This is whyThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.