Lost in Science

For International Women's Day, we bring you the stories of three incredible women: Maria Sibylla Merian, whose science and illustrations gave us an understanding of the lifecycle of insects; Lise Meitner, one of the physicists who first acheived nuclear fission, but missed out on the Nobel Prize; and Margaret Wu, one of many women whose calculations made great contributions to science, but didn't...

This week Stu talks about other lost explorers on planets in our solar system, Claire finds out if a spoon in your champagne bottle keeps the bubbles inside, and Chris finds out if gravity could help propel spacecraft to other stars

This week, Chris exhausts everyone with a heap of listener questions about fundamental physics, Stu tells us about an ambitious plan to turn South Australia's Yorke Peninsula into a wildlife sanctuary, and Claire speaks to comedian Alanta Colley about the Transitions Film Festival and its stories of sustainability and improving the world. Find out more at https://www.transitionsfilmfestival.com/

Claire tells us about research at RMIT University into making bricks out of biosolids, aka treated sewage; Chris looks at how science is used or not used in managing water flows in the Murray-Darling Basin; and Stu brings us another element, the bizarre, unique gallium that melts in your hands.

Stu celebrates the International Year of the Periodic Table, Chris talks to Dr. Mark Edmonds about his research into topological switching which will relax some of the boundaries to computing, and Claire finds out what a sustainable and healthy diet will really look like in the future. 

In the last of our 2019 summer series of tales from the Laborastory, stem cell researcher Megan Munsie tells the story of cloning pioneer Sir John Gurdon, and comedian Jess Moir talks about anthropologist Ruth Benedict.

This week our tales from the Laborastory feature comedian Alanta Colley with the story of everyone's favourite primatologist, Jane Goodall, as well as Lost in Science's own Chris Lassig talking about experimental particle physicist Chien-Shiung Wu.

This week our tales from the Laborastory feature comedian and game designer Ben McKenzie talking about Australian computer scientist Veronika Megler, creator of a revolutionary interactive adventure game in 1982; and reproductive scientist Kiri Beilby telling the story of English biologist Christopher Polge, pioneer of freezing sperm for artificial insemination.

It's the Lost in Science summer series, featuring tales from the Laborastory! This week, dietitian and molecular biologist Matt Snelson tells the story of Henrik Dam, who discovered vitamin K; and ecologist and science communicator Lynette Plenderleith tells the story of herpetologist Grace Olive Wiley.

May your science be merry and bright

Claire find out that some humans have mitochondria from their father as well as their mother, Stu Listens to the music of the planets, and Chris finds out the science behind the sensation of having an answer on the tip of your tongue

This week, Chris digs into the controversy over the claim of babies born with genes edited by a rogue scientist using CRISPR technology; and Stu answers the question of why the side of the Moon facing us has so many craters with the Earth in the way.

This week we look to the skies for mutating space bacteria, delve in the deep with mysterious local sea creatures, and wonder what it's like to wonder when you're a brain in a jar. 

Claire tells us how the tiny crustaceans that are Antarctic krill may be more resistant to ocean acidification than thought; Stu explains the change to the definition of the kilogram that has just been agreed; and Chris shares the revelation of how wombats produce cubical faeces.

This week, Claire speaks to ecologist Erinn Richmond from Monash University about pharmaceutical drugs entering our waterways and the effect they may have on the environment; Stu tells us about the interstellar object ʻOumuamua and the chance that it's aliens; and Chris shares the startling discovery that gut bacteria may be living in our brains.

Stu talks about a potential way to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide in minerals that doesn't take the usual thousands of years, and Claire talks to Vicki Hallett about her work in acoustic ecology. 

Our annual Lost in Science Fiction episode takes us back to the 70s for Soylent Green, Back to the 60s for 2001 a Space Odyssey, and back to the incorrectly identified Jurassic period for some more Jurassic World science. 

This week, Chris reads yet another of Stephen Hawkings final papers, this one on the black hole information paradox; Claire speaks to Amelia Formby, who is planning a micro-light plane journey in honour of migratory shorebirds; and Stu tells us about astronomer Cecilia Payne, who worked out what stars are made of but didn't get enough credit for it.

Stu talks about Donna Strickland, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physics, and the third female winner of that prize in history. Claire talks to Chris Gerbing about the upcoming Environmental film festival, and Chris examines the governments latest greenhouse gas emissions figures and finds they are way off target. 

This week on the show Claire checks in with the biggest lizards in the world, The Komodo Dragon and gives the low down on the weird and wonderful dragon science. And with the recent landmark USA ruling over the possible link between the herbicide RoundUp, also known as glyphosate, and cancer, Stu looks more closely at the recently published research claiming glyphosate has a negative impact on hon...

This week, Chris tells the stories of two great but under-appreciated women of science: Émilie du Châtelet, who brought Newton's work to Europe, and Mary Somerville, 19th century polymath and technically the world's first scientist. And Stu finds out how ivory poaching is putting selection pressure on African elephants causing them to evolve to be smaller in size and tuskless.

Claire looks into new research abotu probiotics which tests their claims of health benefits, while Chris and Stu take a trip to the 28th 1st annual Ig Nobel prizes to find out who are their favourite winners from this year.