Lost in Science

This week, Claire talks to Tim O’Hara from Museums Victoria about his voyages on the RV Investigator, examining deep-sea creatures and mapping underwater landscapes, in the lead-up to his talk on Wednesday 16 August for National Science Week; and Chris takes a look at the theory that the unexpectedly bright galaxies in the early universe seen by the JWST may instead be “dark stars”, enormous objec...

We've just finished the hottest month on record on earth, and melting permafrost and ice may release organisms that have not been active for millenia into the modern world. What does that mean for our ecosystems? Claire finds out on this week's show. Also Chris plugs into some super controversy surrounding claims of a new superconductor, which itself may well change the modern world... if it turns...

This week, Claire draws our attention to road kill, and the ingenious methods being developed to protect wildlife, including Australia’s gliders; while Stu freaks us out with tales of the omnipresent nematodes or roundworms, especially those that prey on insects, and use static electricity to attack them.

This week on the show we are looking into the risks of artificial intelligence and artificial sweetener. Stu looks at the new research into aspartame, the artificial sweetener which has been classified as possibly carcinogenic and what does this really mean? Also on the show Chris takes a good hard look at artificial intelligence and some of the risks, both real and imagined that exist now and int...

Chris (along with the rest of us) surfs waves of gravity so long they take a galaxy sized detector to measure, and Claire talks discovering endangered dragons with Jo Sumners from Museum Victoria

This week, Claire explains why certain things, like fats and oils, leftover paint, flushable wipes and bamboo nappy liners, and cat poo, should not go down the drain or sewer, even if it's very tempting; and Stu commemorates World UFO Day by telling us how despite people still reporting unidentified phenomena, the idea of aliens visiting Earth is still very improbable.

This week on the show Stu speaks to Dr Ellie Paine about her research showing that growing seaweed in the open ocean to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere could be thwarted by a lack of iron. Also on the show this week Chris revisits the origin of Covid-19 and some new information that further rebukes the lab leak theory.

This week on the show Chris reflects on why the universe seems so perfectly designed to support life as we know it, and asks is it actually that great? And Stu looks into the recent decision of one of the world's most populated countries to remove some basic tenets of science from national school curriculums. 

This week on the show Claire speaks to Dr Kylie Cairns all about dingoes, and her groundbreaking research using new genetic tools that has changed the way we understand the lineage of dingoes and in particular whether dingoes hybridised with feral dogs, or in fact are they a lot more pure dingo than we thought. Also on the show Chris talks to Dr Ellie Sansom from the Desert Fireball Network about...

This week on the show Chris talks gene therapy and deep dives into some of the new developments and researchers which highlight the challenges of gene therapy Also on the show, when you think of smart birds, do you think of seagulls? Stu talks about new research suggesting these pesky chip eating birds are smarter than you think.

This week Stu looks at some recent discoveries in our spatial backyard around the solar system, and Chris looks into new research that points to a cleaning chemical as a possible cause of Parkinsons disease

Claire talks about the deadly fungus Amanita phalloides, the Death Cap which kills more people than any other foraged fungus every year, and how an antidote might help bring that number down. Stu is back on the AI train, looking at some positives from medical research that may save time and give people more time by saving lives.

This week, Stu explains how nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert the essential element into ammonia for biological use, and how new research transfers this ability to photosynthetic organisms; and Chris looks at scientific experiments into near-death experiences, including a recent study showing spikes in brain activity when the heart stops beating. Parnia et al. 2014 “AWARE—AWAreness during REsuscita...

Chris talks to Julie McInnes about the work of the Macquarie Island foundation in restoring and protecting the ecosystem of an Australian Antacrctic island, and Stu looks into the use of human tissue in computing technology. 

This week we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in ICT with an interview with Linda McIver about gender representation and the worrying aspects of machine learning including the potential for implicit bias. Also on the show Chris takes us down to the local park and applies the scientific method to the humble playground swing! Can you apply physics to make you go higher?

Milk glorious milk... all mammals share one common trait, they all start their lives on a liquid diet, made possible by the wonder of the mammary gland. Claire has a look into the diversity of this gland that unites more than 6000 species of animal including humans. And Stu has a look at the scientific method and offers some questions to ask about claims that might sound sciencey, but really are n...

This week, Stu looks into research about how to prevent or pull people away from beliefs in conspiracy theories; and Chris reports on a recent study that detected sounds emitted by plants under stress.

This week on the show Claire speaks to Aaron Eger from the Kelp Forest Alliance about these incredible underwater habitats, the threats they are under, the research being done and how we can all help be part of the solution. Find out more info and how to help: www.greatsouthernreef.comAlso on the show, everyone's favourite topic, Dinosaurs! Stu looks at some new research into dinosaur anatomy that...

This week on the show Chris delves into the weird and wonderful world of crystals and the science behind quasicrystals and time crystals. Also on the show Stu talks about new research that uncovers some of what we did not understand how cells double and then divide.

This week Chris touches on the ongoing search for an origin of covid-19, but also jumps back into the science of the multiverse, or at least one version of the hypothesis suggested by quantum mechanics. And Stu looks back into the history of IVF in human reproduction, and takes a look forward to possible future technologies in the field. 

This week, Stu gives us the buzz on research into why mosquitoes bite some people more than others, so that hopefully one day something can be done about it; and Chris digs into recent claims of the discovery of superconductors that work at room temperature, and why many physicists are sceptical about it.

For this special epidode for International Women's Day we speak to geologist Dr Ashleigh Hood about her fascinating research that has taken her around the globe asking huge existential questions and figuring out how life evolved on this planet. Also on the show Catriona shares the stories of less recognised women in science.

We're all diet conscious on this week's show, as Claire delves into the relative environmental credentials of various animal proteins to find out if feathers, fur or fins are doing the best by the earth as a protein source. And Chris looks at a health issue which has affected him personally and will affect many people in their lives, the risk of cardiovascular disease. How is it measured, what is...

This week, Stu talks about a fossil discovery that overturns the existing theory of which species was the original vertebrate to evolve; and Chris looks into the sensational notion that supermassive black holes may be harbouring the dark energy that drives the accelerating expansion of the universe.

This week on the show we hear about the science of weather balloons, (or are they spy balloons?) and why they are so important to developing robust weather forecasting. Also on the show Stu takes a look at some of the ground breaking science that happened over the month of January.