The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.
Latest episodes
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55 min
Collaboration between life forms and how bees protect their hives from disease
Plus a call for accuracy in dinosaur displays.
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11 min
Lab Notes: What's in store for wildlife this summer?
Over the past few years, our environment seems to have experienced multiple extreme events in quick succession.With a summer fuelled by what may be the strongest and wettest El Niñ…
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55 min
72 per cent of UK trees threatened by changing climate, plus the simple spud’s complex genetics
And palm oil producers in South-East Asia have changed their ways, considering the environment more than they did. Brendan May is turning his attention now to nickel mines in tropi…
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11 min
Lab Notes: When astronomers make mistakes
In March 2018, a South African astronomer looking into the distant universe "discovered" a bright red spot in the sky that hadn't been there previously; it felt like an exciting po…
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55 min
Nobel Prizes, kitchen fumes and a biography of Francis Crick
* 2026 Nobel prizes in science* Air fryer vs deep fryer: Which produces more indoor air pollution?* First major biography of Francis Crick
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11 min
Lab Notes: When is it time to throw in the towel?
If you reach for the old tea towel in the cupboard, this episode is for you. It's time to talk textiles: why older towels seem to be better at drying, and when it may be time to th…
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55 min
Paul Nurse and assessing the health of Australian trees
And genetics reveals further details of a great friendship story – humans and dogs.
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11 min
Lab Notes: Why you shouldn't leave your phone charging
Your phone battery doesn't like being fully charged or discharged. This is why it's sometimes advised that to extend its life, you shouldn't charge your phone beyond 80 per cent, o…
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55 min
Deep sea nodules, ideas in ecology, and three brilliant scientists not always on the money
Millions, perhaps billions of sharks teeth lie on the ocean floor. Valuable mineral deposits collect on their fossilised remains. Now they are viewed as a resource and if exploited…
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11 min
Lab Notes: Have we found dark matter?
Deep in an old gold mine in South Dakota, scientists witnessed a flash of energy in a giant pool of xenon. Some in the astronomical community are pretty excited, saying this is our…
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55 min
The big cats that stalked early humans and why ancient concrete outlasts the modern stuff
Plus the tree bark which hosts a whole world of methane-absorbing microbes.
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13 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 Anthropi…
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55 min
AI boost for people with dyslexia and how algorithms shape what we read
And botanists intervene to save a plant that may have become sterile
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11 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…
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55 min
As fire ravages the Northern Hemisphere, is Australia ready for a record-breaking El Niño? And why optimists l…
The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.
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11 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 you…
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55 min
A moon beyond our Solar System, dust storms on Mars and questioning of reality
Dust storms on Mars make the biggest on Earth seem like a gentle breeze. Chelsea Huang describes the Martian conditions which produce humungous dust storms that cover the entire pl…
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11 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 — b…
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55 min
The debate over who should be in the genus Homo, and the trailblazing botanical illustrators, Harriet and Hele…
Plus hope for corals, and the story of a museum thief who liked butterflies.
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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. S…