Lost in Science

This week Chris remembers the life and work of American theoretical physicist Steven Weinberg who passed away recently. Famous among physicists but little known among the general public, he was widely regarded as the one of the greatest physicists of his time. Claire looks into another little known area of science, that of indigenous weeds. In a country the size of Australia, it's not unusual to f...

This week it's the COVID-testing episode, as Claire speakes to materials chemist Nicholas Kirkwood, whose lab normally researches better solar panels, but retooled in the pandemic to make magnetic nanoparticles for PCR tests; and with hayfever season on the way, Stu explains why you still need to get tested if you show any symptoms.

It's an invertebrate double creature feature! Chris brings us a creepy tale of giant centipedes that stalk and eat birds on Philip Island (not the Victorian Philip Island). And Stu chats about a very domestic spider we are all pretty familiar with, the Daddy Long Legs and the fascinating new research investigating the genes that give them their long legs. 

It's Science week It's science week It's science week.. It's National Science week, and Claire brings us a roundup of the events that most interested her form around the country, many of them accessible from your own computer, (check the website scienceweek.net.au for further details) and Chris reports on the contents of the latest IPCC report on the impacts of climate change and what is (and isn'...

Claire speaks to biologist Christopher O'Bryan about calculating the carbon emissions that feral pigs cause by disturbing the soil; and Stu explains why not to appeal to the authority of scientists stepping outside their domain of expertise, using the example of computer scientist Stephanie Seneff writing about glyphosate.

This week on the show Stu speaks to Gideon Meyerowitz Katz to revisit the use of Ivermectin to treat covid-19 and the dodgy scientific studies that skewed the data supporting it's recommended use. Also on the show, as a lot of the country is either in lockdown or coming out of lockdown we get the facts from Chris on new research looking at the health impact of lockdowns compared to the impact of t...

Part 2 of Claire's Dung Beetle interview, and Chris talks to Krystal Kostaglou from Deakin University about her research into Southern Masked Lapwings and their strange pre-hatching behaviour. 

In our all-BS episode, Claire presents part one of her two-part interview with Valerie Caron from the CSIRO about her research on dung beetles, including the native beetles that feed on marsupial poo and the search for beetles from overseas to tackle the dung of introduced species. And Chris gives a rundown on the legal case of physicist Peter Ridd, who was dismissed from James Cook University for...

This week on the show Stu talks us through the tech billionaires who, not unlike comic book supervillians, are trying as hard as they can to beat each other to space. Also on the show Claire speaks to PhD researcher Ebony Ciarrocci about her research investigating reproductive biology in the fat tailed dunnart, and her plan to figure out a way to develop IVF for marsupials.

Chris de-livers a story about a new CRISPR technique which may hold the key to gene therapies for adults with genetic conditions, and Stu has the gall to bring in a story about lumps and bumps on plants, (aka galls) and what causes them. 

Claire explains how sheets of gossamer webs blanketing Gippsland are due to spiders flying away from the floods; and Stu tells us about how research into lifespan equality in humans and other primates shows that longevity may not be able to be extended, or ageing avoided.

Chris travels back in time to a 2013 paper about traveling back in time and discovers an issue with replication of results and publishing of science journal articles which he attempts to correct. Stu looks at an old vaccine that is offering new hope for auto immune treatment in a variety of conditions which started out as the solution to a major global killer. 

Claire discusses the ongoing mouse plague and the ecological risk of some of the harmful rodenticides being considered with ornithologist Maggie Watson from Charles Sturt University, who also suggests some safer options. And Stu speaks to Tom Thumb about his book and blog "Science for Hippies", which reaches out to people who may be sceptical of science – read more at https://scienceforhippies.com...

Everyone remembers record players, in fact they are making a massive comeback. But what about quadrophonic record players? This week on Lost in Science Stu takes a trip back in time to explain the science behind what used to be cutting edge technology, how does it work, and why it never took off. Also on the show Chris investigates the science to tackle a question on the mind of many young parents...

This week on Lost in Science Chris looks into sex genes in mammals and finds out how some species can live with different arrangements of parental genes, and Claire dives deep into the behaviour of Zebra Fish to find out why they are one of the most studied species in the world, and how in many ways they are similar to humans. 

This week on the show Lost in Science's resident paleontologist Adele Pentland stops by to talk about a pterosaur bone fossil that was later discovered to be into something different, changing what we know about Australian dinosaurs. And Stu answers the very current question of whether it is worth trying to correct people when they say things that aren't true on the internet. Whether you want to d...

This week on Lost in Science Stu talks to Michael Braby about endangered butterflies and how they can represent whole ecosystems in need of protection and how you can help protect them by signing up here, and Chris talks about how both toads and phones can possibly protect people from earthquakes. 

News on a different vaccine this week as Stu talks about some of the most recent breakthroughs in the malaria vaccine, and how it is related to the COVID vaccine. Also on the show Chris updates us on what NASA's em drive, which was previously heralded as a potential innovation in space travel despite the fact it  defied the laws of physics. 

It's all a bit Elon Musk this week, as Claire examines reports of his Neuralink company using brain implants to enable a monkey to play the computer game Pong with its mind (watch the video at https://youtu.be/rsCul1sp4hQ); and Stu looks at the impact of the Starlink satellite network, and how it's contributing to concerns of increasing space junk in low Earth orbit.

This week Claire speaks to Luke Jeffrey about his fascinating new research looking into trees that emit methane and the microbes in their bark that can eat the greenhouse! Also on the show Chris gives us the low down on what a muon is, and why it's measurements are making such huge physics news right now. Could this be big news that changes the way we understand particle physics?

This week Chris looks into the reports of blood clotting issues associated with one of the covid-19 vaccines to try and figure out if the large scale of the vaccine program is to blame for the appearance of the responses, and Stu has a quick look at the UN's International Year of Fruit and Vegetables and how science can play a role in getting people their apple a day, and convincing them to try th...

This week Claire talks to Melbourne Museum's own Spider-Man about a newly discovered peacock Spider that looks like a cartoon fish. Chris explains how the moon helped solve a problem with international global shipping caused by a no float boat. 

This week on the show Stu explains the actual research behind the headlines claiming that "scientists have cloned a human embryo" and why it isn't exactly what it seems. And Chris takes us into space to reveal the mystery behind our strangest pancake comet-like interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua!

Guess who's back? Back again! Chris is back, tell a friend... Yes Chris returns to the team this week with a story of ancient gender equality based on some interesting new finds which are prompting reinterpretation of gender roles in ancient societies. And Stu takes a trip to Ascension island in the mid Atlantic to look at an island-wide experiment that has been running for 160 years. 

This week on the show we celebrate International Women's Day in 2021 with all women talking all science. Our guests on the show include Adele Pentland, who tells us the story of one of Australia's greatest palaeontologists Mary Wade and her work which spanned the ages. Also on the show Claire speaks with Manisha Bhardwaj about her current research as a field ecologist in Sweden and what happens wh...