Lost in Science

Flossing teeth: we all do it—or think we should do it—but is it scientific? Numerous scientific studies say flossing your teeth won't prevent tooth decay, and mouthwash may be just as good or better. Asexual organisms (that got your attention) are subject to the Meselson effect, in which genes on separate chromosomes evolve separately. And this could eventually cause Trypanosoma brucei gambiense—t...

Maybe you have heard the buzz about a new planet in our solar system? This week Chris gets the scoop from Astronomer Dr Jonti Horner from the University of Southern Queensland about whether it exists, and importantly what will it be called. Exciting news on the fight against bacteria with British researchers publishing research looking at a new antibiotic developed from proteins isolated from huma...

Announcements of Spiders from Mars may have had Bowie fans pricking up their ears, but the spring time Martian phenomenon happens every Martian year, and has been photogrpahed by the Mars recconnaissance orbiter. The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, but actually that's not entirely accurate as you can hear here. The sun is the most important star to all life on earth, but do you know what colour...

Our summer series comes to an end, with a final classic tale from the science storytelling event, the Laborastory. Museum conservator Dani Measday tells us all about the pioneer palaeontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, whose bitter, competitive rivalry led to the Great Dinosaur Rush, aka "Bone Wars", of the 19th century. And for something different, we preview an extract fro...

Summer continues, with our feature classic tales from the science storytelling event, the Laborastory. Pathologist and Doctor Blake's medical advisor Clare Hampson tells the story of Scottish anatomist and surgeon Robert Knox, and his connection to the notorious body-snatching murders of Burke and Hare. And actor, comedian, rogue nerd and ginger Ben Mckenzie talks about inventor and Hollywood actr...

This summer (2016!) we're featuring classic tales from the science storytelling event, the Laborastory. Astrophysicist Katie Mack tells us what it was like to encounter the famous Stephen Hawking, but she also reveals her true science hero: her grandfather, Captain Sam Houston. Then, Lost in Science's own Chris Lassig speaks at the Laborastory's annual Halloween special of science villains, with t...

This summer we're featuring classic tales from the science storytelling event, the Laborastory. First up, science communicator Cobi Smith tells the story of American biologist Rachel Carson, whose writings about DDT—including the book Silent Spring—made her a villain to some and a hero to many. And then, mathematician Daniel Horsley explains how Georg Cantor's ideas about infinity, although eventu...

This year, why not have a rational festive season and celebrate the great science people and theories born in December? Like every physicist's favourites, Maxwell's equations, first presented 8 Dec 1864 (but published 1865—150 years ago!).Or Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer (for a computer that hadn't even been built yet), born 10 Dec 1814.How about James Prescott Joule, master...

This week scientists have found that when it comes to taste, our tongues aren't as important as we thought. A new study published in Nature shows that although our tongues can detect certain chemicals it is atually our brains that percieve the flavour. Have you ever wondered why do birds fly in a V formation? And when it comes to flying in a flock, how do they pick a leader? Surely not by democrat...

This week: the recent discovery on a Chinese intensive pig farm of bacteria resistant to a last-resort antibiotic; Swedish scientists who've grown roses with embedded organic electronic circuits; and we talk to ecologist Inka Veltheim, who's using taxidermied brolgas to lure and track live ones.http://www.ozcranes.net/research/inka.htmlhttp://www.liu.se/forskning/forskningsnyheter/1.660308?l=enhtt...

Why do people talk about Mars so much, when Venus is way closer to Earth in both distance and size? Possibly because it's a hell planet that would destroy all life. In other astronomy news, you ought to know the story of Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), discoverer of comets and the first woman to be paid for her work in science. And brewer Jon Seltin tells us about the strange and complex bacterial...

This week we look at confronting health science, controversial paelontology and confusing physiology. You may have heard of the World Health Organisation's landmark study which puts processed meats such as bacon, sausage and ham alongside tobacco and asbestos as a class 1 cancer causing substance. But what what does this classification really mean for lovers of small goods and what other scientifi...

Widespread reports of cheese addiction are misinterpreting a psychology study regarding addiction-like behaviour related to foods with high fat and sugar concentrations. Common knowledge of sibling birth order affecting personality are based on old ideas from early psychological theories, now discredited by new research. Chris talks to the author of a new book Resurrection Science about the ethica...

Celebrate Halloween the Lost in Science way with our annual Lost in Science Fiction episode! SPECULATE on the science of the Force and whether, being a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, we could actually watch Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens if we had a powerful enough telescope. PICK APART the feasibility of memory erasure as seen in Michel Gondry's romance/sci-fi/comedy/drama Ete...

The Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to three researchers for groundbreaking work on parasitic diseases of the developing world. The winner of Engineer of the year, Dr. Nicky Eshtiaghi, discusses her work investigating new ways to use human waste generated by growing citiesAnd we ponder why silver is only ever second prize when it's so useful.

Extremophiles are the toughest organisms on the planet, able to thrive in extremes of hot, cold, acid, alkaline, pressure and even deep underground inside rocks. The champion is the deceptively cute tardigrade or waterbear, which can even survive the vacuum of space (if you missed it, go listen to Mal Webb's Waterbear song).Possibly even more extreme are supermassive black holes, which are expecte...

We talk to Dr. Juan Nunez-Iglesias about how teaching a supercomputer how to see is helping us figure out how we see. We discuss the history and implications of finding liquid water on Mars. We find out how a "Terminator" poison injecting robot is leading the way in Star wars on the Great Barrier reef.

If you see a shooting star, don't just make a wish, report it! You can record your sightings using the Fireballs in the Sky citizen science app and help Curtin University's Desert Fireball Network figure out where they came from—and possibly where they landed. Find out more at fireballsinthesky.com.au. It's also the time of year when science's greatest prizes, the Ig Nobel Prizes, are awarded to r...

Amelia Johnston from Latrobe University talks to us about Cachexia, a wasting disease commonly associated with cancer which often puts an end to treatment, and how their new research has shown it may be possible to reverse it. We learn about the discover of thousands of bones of a previously unknown human ancestor, Homo naledi, in a cave in South Africa, and how it they cast doubts about existing...

Songbirds in the city, such as the Great Tit (Parus major), are learning to sing their mating calls at a higher pitch to cut through the urban clamour. But while this may help them be heard, the different tune may hamper their mating success. Sugar is today's popular dietary villain, but does it make sense to demonise a single nutrient? Dr Alan Barclay from the Dietitians Association of Australia...

The cane toad, Bufo marinus, is arguably the most hated pest in Australia (although some argue for the Common Myna), but how did it get here? Find out how it was introduced as a misguided attempt at a biological control, and why that went horribly wrong. To balance them out with some more attractive animals—or at least, animals trying to be attractive—we take a look at some bizarre courtship displ...