It Starts With...

Alcohol has been socially lubricating, intoxicating and relaxing humans for thousands of years. But the chemistry behind alcohol and the biological effects it has on the human body are still being understood. Join David Bolderman and science journalist Ellen Phiddian in this episode of the It Starts With… podcast as they take a sip from the chalice of knowledge to get to the gurgling heart of what...

About 70% of Australia’s dinosaur holotype fossils were not discovered by palaeontologists. They were found by members of the public with a keen eye. It begs the question: what should you do if you stumble on a fossil or ancient artefact? In this podcast, David Bolderman speaks with archaeologist and palaeontologist Sally Hurst who is founder of the “Found A Fossil” project which provides all the...

Soil health has big implications for farms and land management. In this podcast episode, David Bolderman talks with soil scientists Lisa Lobry de Bruyn and Oliver Knox about communication between science and key stakeholders in agriculture and land use. They discuss how soil health depends not just on the microorganisms within them, but also on how people understand soil and make decisions about i...

Dark energy . Physicists believe it makes up 70% of the universe, but we don’t know what it is or how it works. Yet this mysterious force is responsible for pushing everything in our universe apart. This elusive phenomenon has had cosmologists scratching their heads for decades. What if it could be interpreted through music? In this episode, David Boldeman is joined by Nobel Prize-winning astrophy...

Batteries are one of the most important technologies in the modern world. They are also one of the least understood. Science journalist Ellen Phiddian joins David Boldeman to discuss how batteries actually work, why they are so important and what is coming next. To read more about batteries visit ConnectSci News or sign up to our free monthly newsletter about the latest energy discoveries. It Star...

Catherine Marciniak and Stephen Axford have spent more than a decade travelling through forests in Australia and around the world, documenting fungi through photography and time-lapse, and along the way they've helped uncover species new to science. Their work featured on David Attenborough's Planet Earth 2 and they have produced their own book and documentary . Catherine and Stephen capture some...

In part 2 of our chat about Australia’s freshwater turtles we discuss the 1 Million Turtles project and how you can play a part in saving turtles. David Boldeman is joined by Deb Bower , James Van Dyke , Michael Thompson and Ricky Spencer , who are part of the team behind 1 Million Turtles. Part 1, ‘Remarkable’ freshwater turtles face quiet decline , is available now. Deb, James, Mike and Ricky co...

Australia’s freshwater turtles are some of the country’s most fascinating and under-appreciated animals. They can live for decades, survive incredible injuries, help clean river systems and in some cases even breathe underwater through specialised adaptations. But despite how remarkable they are, turtle populations across Australia are quietly declining and most people do not even realise it is ha...

Our guest Dr Elizabeth Clarke explains how biomechanics is helping researchers and surgeons better understand movement, arthritis, ACL injuries and long-term joint deterioration. The episode also explores how robotics, surgical technology and AI-assisted systems are increasingly being integrated into modern orthopaedic procedures. She also discusses current research that investigates whether kanga...

Welcome to It Starts With...  a weekly podcast series where we uncover the people behind the stories from fossils to AI, and the microscopic to the galactic.   Our host David Boldeman is joined by AI expert Jon Whittle to unpack one of the biggest and most misunderstood ideas shaping our lives today: artificial intelligence. Jon has spent more than 30 years working in AI including NASA,...