The Science Show
The Science Show provides Australians with unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, covering topics from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.
Episodes
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 humanit
How bird brains help us understand human brains, and how eugenics had as much hand in the birth control movement as did feminism
We also celebrate mathematician Terence Tao’s King’s birthday honour, and go in search of subatomic particles, 2Km underground.
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 pr
Insects and pain and The Selfish Gene turns 50
If insects feel pain, do they deserve animal rights as apply to mammals?
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 t
Kris sword with an intriguing history, echidnas, tropical forests and Australia’s energy potential
What might be the biggest threat to tropical forests? Climate change? Illegal loggers? Invasive species? None of the above. It’s roads. Bill Laurance explains.
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
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.
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 podcas
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.
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
Sex testing at the Olympics: beware the exceptions
The IOC will test athletes for a sex gene. But as Jenny Graves explains, human genomics is diverse. Some athletes may be genetic exceptions and will need to be handled with care and sensitivity.
Lab Notes: Giant dino discovery fulfils a childhood dream
A new giant dinosaur has been uncovered in Thailand: the largest ever found in South-East Asia.More than 100 million years ago, Nagatitan towered over the Earth — and has now been described by a team of researchers from the UK and Thailand. Jonathan Webb speaks with Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a PhD student at University College London who was part of the team that discovered an
Science and the budget, bird flu closer to Australia and a guide to pollination
Belinda Smith reports on the winners and losers in science following the federal budget brought down this week by treasurer Jim Chalmers.
Lab Notes: Can AI chatbots make you delusional?
Stories of AI chatbot users drifting from our shared reality are increasingly common, often described as cases of AI delusions, delusional spirals, or AI psychosis.New research from Stanford University and the Human Line Project investigates the mechanisms behind these delusions, asking whether AI is making people more delusional or whether these chatbots are simply agreeing with
Celebrating David Attenborough’s 100th birthday and a new way of making vaccines
The much-loved naturalist David Attenborough is 100. And still working!
Lab Notes: What happens if a major ocean current … stops?
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vast current that helps move water and energy right around our planet, from top to bottom. Scientists say it is slowing down — and might stop altogether, with dire consequences for the global climate if it does. So how do major ocean currents work, why is it slowing down, and what will happen if it collapses?You can bing
Australian science under strain
Australia’s research potential is not matched by funding. Belinda Smith speaks to scientists impacted and science minister Tim Ayres responds.
Lab Notes: AI data centres are coming to remote Australia
The Kimberley region is more than 2000 kilometres north of Western Australia's capital city, Perth. The area is both extremely remote and extremely beautiful. So why is it the proposed location for Australia's biggest "AI factory"? Why do we need this massive AI data centre? And are these factories likely to be built in other remote parts of Australia? You can binge more episodes
Response to Australia’s ESO rejection
Despite the many benefits from a multi-country collaboration on a major astronomy project, Australia will not be part of the European Southern Observatory after 2027.
Lab Notes: Aussies loved Artemis II — and they want more
Australians were captivated by the recent Artemis II mission — and they’re hungry for more. New YouGov polling reveals surging national interest in space exploration and its future.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 exp
Getting more from fertiliser, viral DNA's vital role and help from hookworms!
Secretions from hookworms are being used to develop treatments for autoimmune diseases which include food allergies.
Lab Notes: Is measles back?
In 2024, measles claimed an estimated 95,000 lives around the world – despite the fact that we have an effective, affordable vaccine. In Australia, at least 80 cases have been recorded this year. So is measles back?
Australia says no to European Southern Observatory collaboration, applications of quantum mechanics and testing trees’ response to rising carbon dioxide
The biggest science infrastructure requires collaboration. Australia has said no to joining the European Southern Observatory and will not share in the discovery, the experience and many benefits.
Lab Notes: What can we grow on the Moon?
The main aim of NASA's Artemis program is to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon — so what will we eat? And can food be actually be grown there?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 mor
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 L
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 Web
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
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
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 prese
How the US came close to losing half its science funding
Robyn Williams reports from the 2026 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Lab Notes: The surprising history of the backyard sprinkler
Backyard sprinklers have transformed the Aussie urban landscape. But their path to domination of our suburbs was haphazard — and hinged on the inventions of several knockabout tinkerers. Meanwhile with a rapidly drying climate, we may need to re-consider our reliance on this invention.You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan
Stories told by feet
An ancient human may be a new species, and extinct giant kangaroos - could they hop?
Lab Notes: Why buying a star name is nonsense
A quick online search reveals multiple paid services for naming stars as commemorative gifts. You'll be provided with a certificate and a map for finding your star in the sky. But these names are not official and are not used by astronomers — or anyone else, for that matter. So what's going on, and how do stars really get their names? Featuring: Laura Driessen, radio astronome
Ancient humans lived in an Indonesian cave until Homo sapiens arrived
A cave in Sulawesi was home to our ancestors for tens of thousands of years. Archaeologists are piecing together the story.
Lab Notes: Skincare, pregnancy and a minefield of mixed messages
Retinoids are big business for reducing wrinkles and treating acne — but there's conflicting advice on their safety for pregnant women.Should manufacturers of these skincare products be providing warnings? Or are the risks not that great?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 f
Social media ban impacts political knowledge of young Australians
Australia’s social media ban aims to protect young people from online threats, but it may also restrict their access to discussion of democracy and political systems.
Lab Notes: Can we tap the brakes on energy-hungry AI?
AI seems to be absolutely everywhere at the moment. While we're still waiting for the productivity revolution — or the jobs apocalypse — the energy costs of AI are already staggering.So how should we think about those environmental impacts of AI? And what can we learn from previous turns of the great technological wheel?You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with sc
Humpbacks threat, green cities and EVs, and origins of life
How did life begin? It may not have been on Earth, with asteroids carrying a range of organic molecules
Lab Notes: What's behind the rising tree death rates?
Fire, insects and disease all pose a threat to Australia's forests but scientists are now seeing a rise in natural tree deaths right across the country. New research links this background mortality to higher average temperatures.So what do these higher temperatures mean for our forests and the future of Australia's ecosystems? You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast
Mysterious stellar object discovered
Natasha Hurley-Walker considers what might explain a mysterious stellar object which shines every 18 minutes.
Lab Notes: The oldest rock art in the world…that we know of
A faint orange hand stencil on the wall of a cave in Indonesia just became the oldest art known to science. The art, made by splattering ochre over a hand, had been painted over by subsequent generations and was only preserved because moisture combined with the limestone of the cave to form a protective layer on top. The finding strengthens the picture that humans migrated via
Kiruna: The city that moved to make way for a mine
In the Swedish city of Kiruna, an entire community is being relocated to accommodate the expansion of the world's largest underground iron ore mine.
Lab Notes: Why UV levels are so high in Australia
Australia's summer UV levels are high enough to cause sunburn in as little as 11 minutes.Yet the summer sun in the Northern Hemisphere rarely feels that full on.So why does our sunlight have that extra "bite"?Spoiler: it's not the hole in the ozone layer.You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app
A portrait of Dame Miriam Rothschild
She became an expert on fleas and despite no formal education received honorary doctorates from both Oxford and Cambridge was elected a fellow of The Royal Society.
Lab Notes: The Treaty of the Metre: how the metre came to be
The next time you pick up a bag of spuds from the supermarket or fill up the car with petrol, you can thank the Treaty of the Metre for the metric system that underpins daily life. The treaty was signed exactly 150 years ago, when delegates from 17 countries gathered in Paris to establish a new and standardised way of measuring the world around us. But the metre's inception preda
Mary Somerville — Brilliant polymath, scientific genius
She could only read and write from age 10. She reared children and had a first unsupportive husband. But Mary Somerville was able to correct the work of Isaac Newton, help discover Neptune, and write a science book which became a university text.
Lab Notes: Why do whales strand en masse?
Every now and again, dozens or even hundreds of perfectly healthy looking whales strand themselves on a beach. And despite people's best efforts, many — if not all of them — will die. So why do whales strand themselves, and why do they seem to do it at the same locations? This episode was first broadcast in August 2025. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with sc
Celebrating 50 years of The Science Show
Norman Swan, Fiona Stanley and Lorin Clarke describe their involvement with Robyn Williams and The Science Show with MC Richard Glover at a party celebrating 50 years of broadcasting.
Lab Notes: Tips to reduce microplastics exposure
It's impossible to escape microplastics. They're in our food and water, and the air around us is teeming with them. So considering they're all around us, how can we minimise our exposure to tiny plastic fragments without resorting to living in a cave? This episode was first broadcast in August 2025. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and
Émilie du Châtelet - portrait of a leader of the Enlightenment
She battled rigidities of 18th century Europe. But with writer and philosopher Voltaire, Émilie du Châtelet led the Enlightenment.
Lab Notes: How is sunscreen SPF tested?
Australia's known for having some of the world's toughest sunscreen standards, but in June, that reputation was rocked.Independent testing of 20 sunscreens found 16 did not meet their advertised SPF50 rating, including three children's sunscreens and three sold by the Cancer Council.So how are sunscreens tested, and what can we learn from these recent SPF revelations?This episode
Author Terry Pratchett’s links to science and Adelaide
Retiring Vice Chancellor of the University of South Australia David Lloyd awarded Pratchett two honorary degrees. In exchange, the author honoured the university with a special scholarship – to be offered every year forever. This week David Lloyd explains his enthusiasms for the Discworld author in front of a packed audience at the Hawke Centre in Adelaide.
Lab Notes: How maths explains nature's weirdness
A huge cold blob of air above Antarctica and bushfires spreading along ridgelines don't appear to have anything in common, yet the strange behaviour of these natural phenomena — and many others — can be understood and explained by mathematics. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith on the ABC Listen app (Australia)
Evidence shows no link between pain relief drugs and autism
In her book Prove It! Elizabeth Finkel presents the evidence showing no link between pain relief drugs and autism
Lab Notes: Are bioplastics the future of packaging?
Step into the supermarket and there's plastic around just about everything, even mangoes — and not all that packaging will be properly disposed of.So with around 20 million tonnes of plastic polluting the environment each year, not to mention the potential health effects of microplastics, is there a better, more environmentally friendly alternative?You can binge more episodes of
3 young high achievers in science, and Sydney hosts space conference
The International Astronautical Congress held in Sydney showed how space science is vital to our modern world.
Lab Notes: Why aurora season isn't over yet
Astrophotographers have had another great month, with the aurora australis lighting up night skies as far north as southern Queensland.And while you might've heard that the best of this bunch of auroras is behind us, don't put your camera away just yet. There's good reason to think the southern lights will illuminate the sky well into 2026.It all depends on what the Sun shoots in
Rare earth minerals – we’ll need geologists to find them
University departments of geology and geophysics are getting smaller or closing. So how will we find new mineral deposits?
Lab Notes: How are long-range weather forecasts made?
It looks like most of Australia is in for a warmer-than-usual summer this year.That's according to the Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast, which was released in October.So — without a crystal ball — how do meteorologists make weather predictions so far out, how accurate are they, and how is climate change affecting them?You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcas
Bragg winners for science writing, more from the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science and water droplets used for geoengineering
In just 75 years the Earth’s average temperature is predicted to be close to 3 degrees above pre-industrial levels. We are in the fast lane to a different world, one that will not be friendly to the current range of plants and animals, including humans. The race is on to cool our overheating planet.
Lab Notes: How breastfeeding can protect against cancer
Thanks in part to 18th-century nuns, we now know that having children and breastfeeding reduces a mum's risk of developing breast cancer for years, even until her kid is well into primary school.Now Australian scientists have discovered how breastfeeding specifically enlists the immune system to protect against an aggressive and hard-to-treat type of breast cancer.You can binge m
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science and a dilemma over the appropriate use of artefacts from a Roman shipwreck
Robyn Williams reports from the 2025 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science ceremony in Parliament House Canberra.
Lab Notes: How your brain chooses your next snack
It's mid-afternoon and time for a treat! Do you choose a healthy piece of fruit, or do you head straight for the chocolate? It turns out that well before we consciously decide what we're going to eat, our brain has already weighed up our choices — and in a fraction of a second. Now a new study shows which food attributes are processed by our brain faster than others, and how this
The history of life on Earth may be very different to what we think
We’ve built a picture of the evolution of biodiversity based on a few accessible fossils. But the real story may be very different.
Lab Notes: Times we thought we found aliens
We have a mysterious visitor to our little patch of the cosmos this week: A comet called 3I/ATLAS. This icy, rocky ball is only the third interstellar object we've discovered zooming past our Sun. There are scientists who think the comet may be alien technology sent from another solar system to invade Earth, but space agencies poured cold water on this idea. So how will we know i
Paint additive boosts plant growth in greenhouses
An additive in paint converts ultraviolet light into red light allowing plants to grow more producing higher yields, a boon for greenhouse agriculture.
Lab Notes: The extinct ape-like human relative that made tools
Around 1.5 million years ago, in what's now Kenya, a human-like figure walked across the savannah. He was probably quite short by our standards, no taller than Danny DeVito. But unlike Danny DeVito, this ancient figure was not human. He was a long-extinct relative of ours called Paranthropus boisei. And now his fossilised hand bones are giving us never-before-seen insights into h
Teenagers encounter their challenges
Jonathan Porritt’ recent book, Love, Anger and Betrayal charts the lives of young British climate campaigners. Meanwhile in Australia under-16s are about to be banned from using social media.
Lab Notes: How solar eclipses trick birds into singing
Few astronomical wonders are as spectacular as a total solar eclipse, when the Moon fully covers the Sun, plunging us into daytime darkness. If we're lucky, we can see this epic phenomenon as it happens — through special glasses, of course. But our preoccupation with looking at the sky means we may not notice what's happening to the animals around us. When it comes to birds, many
2025 Nobel Prizes plus more from the British Science Festival
Richard Robson from the University of Melbourne has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, the nation’s first Chemistry Nobel in 50 years.
Lab Notes: How humpback whales bounced back
This has been a bumper year for whale-watching on Australia's east coast, with thousands of humpbacks spotted cruising along their annual migration route. This population was almost wiped out by whalers last century but has bounced back — and then some. A new estimate suggests there are now more of these humpbacks than in pre-whaling times. So why are the eastern Australian hump
Reports from The British Science Festival in Liverpool England
The BA, as it was known, established in 1831, was set up to advance science in the interest of the people, old and young, professional and lay. So, how well is it doing now amid international turmoil.
Lab Notes: Why CO2 peaks at this time of year
For decades, climate scientists have been tracking a curious phenomenon. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are steadily increasing overall but they also rise and fall in an annual rhythm — like the planet is breathing.Each spring, in the southern hemisphere, carbon dioxide levels start to plateau or maybe even drop slightly before shooting up again after summer.So what's dr
Climate change and pollution effects seen on Palau
Iconic jellyfish in saltwater lakes are disappearing.
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