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The Science Show

ABC listen•www.abc.net.au
Science
Natural Sciences
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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Episodes

Lab Notes: Varroa is here but honey bees strike back

Varroa is the parasite responsible for destroying bee colonies all around the world and is regarded as "the greatest biological threat to Australia's honey bee population." The good news is that some honey bees can fight back. And they're being helped by breeders, scientists and artificial insemination on the tiniest scale. Learn more on Lab Notes, the show that brings you the science of new discoveries and current events. Get in touch with us: [email protected]...

Feb 11, 2025•14 min

Lab Notes: Why the Australian sun has a real sting to it

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. Learn more on Lab Notes, the show that brings you the science of new discoveries and current events. Get in touch with us: [email protected]...

Feb 04, 2025•14 min

Lab Notes: More than whale food — krill are climate heroes

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) do much more than fill whales' bellies. These tiny crustaceans also play a huge role in Earth's carbon cycle. They sequester around 40 million tonnes of carbon each year, mostly in their poo — that's the equivalent of taking 35 million cars off the road. Yet there's plenty we don't know about these thumb-sized critters. Now a new study has revealed what they get up to under the Antarctic winter sea ice, and how this behaviour affects carbon calculations. Dive ...

Jan 28, 2025•13 min

Lab Notes: A debunked vaccine theory rears its ugly head — again

Robert F Kennedy Jr is tipped to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services. Over the years, RFK Jr has repeatedly pushed the claim that childhood vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder — a theory that's been well and truly debunked. So where did this idea come from? What's bowel disease got to do with it? And what might the US expect with an anti-vaxxer at the helm of health and human services? Learn more on Lab Notes, the new show that brings you the science of new discoveries and cu...

Jan 21, 2025•13 min

Science Extra: Echoes of a tsunami

Strewn throughout the sands of an island in the Great Barrier Reef, shards of pottery lay for thousands of years before an archaeologist quite literally stumbled across them 20 years ago. As more pieces were lifted from the sand, a question was also raised: Who shaped and fired these clay pots? We also get to the bottom of a strange phenomenon that had the earth ringing like a bell for nine days -- and earthquake scientists abuzz for a year. Solve these mysteries and more with science reporters ...

Jan 14, 2025•50 min

Science Extra: The anatomy of a scam

Do you get texts telling you there’s an unclaimed parcel waiting for you at the post office? Turns out scammers can find out if we’re expecting something in the post and time a scam text to coincide with our online purchases -- and it could all be completely legal. And while 2024 saw advances in artificial intelligence, they didn’t seem to wow us like they did in 2023. Are we simply harder to impress now? Breaking all this down -- and more -- are technology reporters Ange Lavoipierre and James P...

Jan 07, 2025•50 min

Science Show Summer - Merlin meets Dr Crispy

CRISPR is the most powerful means of gene editing ever developed. It led to Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier being awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2020. Jennifer Doudna speaks with Merlin Crossley about CRISPR, its capability, and the ethical questions which arise.

Jan 04, 2025•53 min

Science Extra: March of the cane toads

Up with the sparrows or hanging with the night owls: we humans like to put ourselves into one of two camps. But when it comes to native animals, this idea of either being awake during the day or at night just doesn’t hold up. And while cane toads have already traversed most of northern Australia, there is an ambitious project to stop the pests from infiltrating the Pilbara -- but time is running out to put the plan in motion. We chat all things nature with environment reporter Peter de Kruijff a...

Dec 31, 2024•50 min

Science Extra: Weight of the world

Once considered a problem for high-income countries, being overweight is now on the rise in low- and middle-income parts of the world. At least 2.5 billion adults are now overweight or obese. What’s causing this collective weight gain? And if 2023 was the year of hype about weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, 2024 felt like the year of acceptance. We find out why weight-loss drugs are here to stay. This week we’re joined by health journalist and Radio National presenter Tegan Taylor....

Dec 24, 2024•50 min

Science Extra: More auroras in store?

More than 30 years ago, astronomers came up with the bold idea to build the world’s biggest radio telescopes. One is now taking shape in the Western Australian outback, where scientists and engineers are installing more than 130,000 Christmas-tree-shaped antennas onto the red earth. And those stunning auroras over the past year? There’s a good chance we’ll see more colourful displays in 2025. All that and more with ABC Science digital executive producer Genelle Weule and University of Sydney ast...

Dec 17, 2024•50 min

Dark energy – not necessarily constant

After more than twenty years of observations, Tamara Davis has revealed that dark energy, the mysterious force driving the expansion of the universe may not be constant.

Sep 28, 2024•54 min
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