The Science Show
-
What the Dickens!
Despite a literary reference that Dickens met Dostoevsky, a few things just don't add up.
-
Frogs increase their chances with big testes
A frog abundant in the swamps around Darwin has the biggest testes of any known vertebrate.
-
Flora responds to changing climate in SW Western...
Flora in WA’s south west is responding to a changing climate.
-
Taxonomic botany drooping
Like some of the plants they study, taxonomic botanists are rare and endangered.
-
Challenges for women seeking change in Pakistan
A patriarchal and traditional society holds back women in northern Pakistan.
-
Arthritis in the age of dinosaurs
Paul Willis describes his discovery of an elasmosaur fossil in a Queensland quarry.
-
Australian federal budget 2013
A long-term outlook evaporates with cuts to universities.
-
SW Western Australia now hotter and dryer
There are numerous observations of birds and other animals changing their range in response to climate changes in SW Western Australia.
-
New materials inspired by nature
Materials scientists are combing the natural world for chemicals trying to determine what allows them to perform as they do.
-
Molluscs at the whim of water currents and temperature
As ocean temperatures rise, the distribution of molluscs will change, as many species will be unable to grow where their food is now found.
-
Creatine may help newborns following birth asphyxia
Experiments are being run to determine whether maternal supplements of creatine are useful in preventing kidney injury following birth asphyxia.
-
One-minute science mysteries and Sleeping with Your Baby
One minute science mysteries for kids and a parent’s guide to cosleeping with babies.
-
Vegetarianism: less grain for cattle, fewer animals...
A response to Mike Archer’s claims regarding animal suffering and vegetarianism.
-
Corrosion on shipwrecks
Understanding corrosion helps in managing shipwrecks.
-
Where and when it all began
PhD candidate Aditya Chopra is searching for the origins of life.
-
Eleven-year-olds relate to Einstein
David Blair has been teaching the ideas of Einstein to eleven-year-olds. And they get it!
-
Why listen to weird ideas?
Margaret Wertheim describes her meetings with guys with way-out theories.
-
The role of protein p53 in cancer
Protein p53 plays a crucial role in a wide range of cancers.
-
A new look at Dr Who
11 actors have played Dr Who. They have something in common.
-
Bats - marvels of engineering reveal their secrets
Bats exhibit amazing aeronautical powers.
-
Octopus genes support theories of past changes in climate
Similar genes in separated populations suggests an historic sea way through Antarctic ice.
-
Mice the big losers with vegetarianism
A vegetarian diet doesn’t mean sentient animals are free of suffering.
-
How Helicobacter pylori interacts with the stomach
Lori turner is studying the chemistry of the ulcer causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori.
-
Eat Fast and Live Longer
The science behind calorie restriction and life expectancy.
-
The physics of Black Caviar
Graham Putt reveals why winning was all Black Caviar knew.
-
Shell grit used to suppress dust and as mulch
Once a waste product, shell grit has been found useful in reducing quarry dust and as mulch.
-
UK removing carbon from the energy equation
British policy is to change the electricity industry so it emits very little carbon.
-
The most important innovation challenge we face
Richard Lester argues for a focusing of innovation for faster change in energy production.
-
Best options for sewerage sludge
Sara Heimersson describes her study of options for sewerage sludge
-
Wild animals of Vietnam: new discoveries, new threats
Peace is more dangerous than the war for wild animals in Vietnam
-
Vietnam’s parachuting frog
Jodi Rowley describes Helen’s Flying Frog which she discovered in Vietnam.
-
Extinct frog brought back to life
Professor Mike Archer tells how it was done using DNA from the gastric brooding frog.
-
Regenerating body parts
Dany Adams is investigating the electrical signals within cells which control cell division and differentiation.
-
Brook trout
Fish are getting used to a high carb diet, rather than one based on by-catch.
-
The sodium battery
As lithium supplies dwindle, sodium shows promise.
-
Batteries for electric cars
The latest batteries can produce a range of up to 150Km.
-
Solar lanterns replace kerosene killers in Africa
Kerosene lamps kill 2 million people each year.
-
Snoring in children
Snoring can pose real threats to health, and more.
-
Celebrating the work of William Lawrence Bragg
At age 25, the physicist from Adelaide was the youngest winner of a Nobel Prize. His discovery changed the world.
-
Alzheimer's, depression and suicide risk from concussions
The brains of young sports people who've suffered repeated concussions resemble those of seniors with Alzheimer's disease.
-
The scientist who answered his critics - by winning a...
He found crystals which confounded the experts. Linus Pauling, the most famous chemist of the 20th century said he was crazy. But then Dan Shechtman did the experiments again and showed he was right. In 2011 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry. Now Professor Shechtman, from Technion in Israel, also teaches entrepreneurship – to classes of 600 students. Join him and Professor Edwina Cornish in a forum on bright ideas and business at Monash University in Melbourne.
-
Newton and the Counterfeiter
Thomas Levenson tells the story of the great physicist Isaac Newton's deadly rivalry with the wily counterfeiter, Thomas Chaloner.
-
The role of metals in cells
Metals are vital for a great range of cellular functions.
-
The risks of mercury poisoning from fluorescent lamps
Mercury from fluorescent lamps in landfill risks leaching into the environment and harming plants and animals.
-
Asia Pulp and Paper pledges immediate end to...
Asia’s biggest buyer of logs says deforestation of virgin rainforest will cease. Immediately.
-
Ozharvest reduces waste and hunger
Ozharvest collects unwanted food and distributes it to those in need.
-
Putting the flavour back into tomatoes
Tomatoes have lost their flavour. Harry Klee describes how he’s putting it back.
-
A better start for pre-term babies
Rob Galinsky describes the perils for preterm babies.
-
Gravity waves: the search and the promise
David Blair describes gravity waves, how they are produced, and why physicists are trying hard to detect them.
-
The Chandra X-ray observatory: from success to success
A summary of recent achievements of the Chandra X-ray observatory.
-
Clouds help keep the Earth cool, but not cool enough
Daniel Cziczo is studying the full effects of cirrus clouds.
-
Dingoes: harmful to stock, but free pest control
Dingoes are being considered for their control of lower predators such as cats and foxes.
-
The risks of mercury in dental amalgam
10% of the world’s mercury is in humans. It threatens health and moves to the environment after death.
-
Bacha Posh: Dressing girls as boys in Afghanistan
Milla Khodai describes the practice of Bacha Posh where Afghani families present their daughters as sons.
-
Electricity from bacteria
A current can be captured from bacteria in the presence of iron oxide in anaerobic environments.
-
Partners in the workplace: humans and robots
Industrial robots are being designed to learn from humans.
-
Helping paralysed people walk with robots and nerve...
Robotic devices can help paralysed people walk.
-
Changes to human skin and hair
Nina Jablonski charts the changes in skin colour and hair cover over the history of human evolution.
-
Lead in the environment - still a concern
Despite being removed from petrol, there are still many sources of lead in the environment.
-
US climate and weather extremes
Human land use can usually adapt to weather extremes. Wild populations have less success.
-
Testing the effect of colour on the ability to memorise
Meredith Wolfe describes her experiment testing people’s memory with text of different colour.
-
SLAC: diffract before destroy
SLAC has developed a new niche with its Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray laser.
-
Chimps have high level cognitive abilities and social...
Chimpanzees can outperform humans in some cognitive tasks.
-
Scientific research remains strong in Europe
Despite financial austerity in Europe, big budgets have been achieved for scientific research.
-
An update on the planets
Three planetary scientists present brief updates on the missions underway, and the possibilities for a mission to Jupiter.
-
Vegemite an acquired taste. Now we know when.
It has been shown that a taste for some exotic foods is acquired within the first two years of life.
-
Obama promises more funds for research
President Obama stresses the importance of research, promising continued support.
-
Paul Nurse - Making science work
How we decide what is studied, by whom it is studied, and what is done with the results of scientific research.
-
Mango peels investigated for pharmaceutical components...
Mango peel may contain compounds with useful pharmaceutical properties.
-
Innovation in Australia part 3 of 3 - getting to where...
Innovation through collaboration - Mark Dodgson's recipe for a prosperous future.
-
Carbon nanotubes - investigating bonds for additional...
Kate McDonell describes her work investigating the bonds between carbon nanotubes, and the effects of electron irradiation.
-
Innovation in Australia Part 2 of 3 - recent times
Arthur Bishop the innovator, John Button the minister and CSIRO.
-
Habits of perception - the implications of virtual...
Virtual environments may reveal much about our behaviour.
-
Innovation in Australia part 1 of 3 - early beginnings
Despite a colonial dependence on imported technology, Australia may have produced one of history's greatest inventors.
-
A portrait of philosopher Karl Popper
Alan Saunders produced this portrait of philosopher Karl Popper, regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of science in the 20th century.
-
New tunings for stringed instruments
Andrew Filmer is experimenting with new tunings for stringed instruments.
-
Radiolab - Guts
The ins and out of our guts.
-
Cleaning up environments contaminated with uranium
Daniel Boland is investigating the use of iron oxides, particularly goethite, to clean up uranium in contaminated environments.
-
Radiolab - Colours
Our world is saturated in colour, from soft hues to violent stains. How does something so intangible pack such a visceral punch? To what extent is colour a physical thing in the physical world, and to what extent is it created in our minds?
-
Drawing and modelling an extinct species
Lorraeme Shume describes her work producing an illustrated anatomical atlas of the skeleton of the thylacine Nimbacinus dicksoni.
-
Radiolab - Animal Minds
Stories of cross-species communication.
-
How we know what’s next
Tim Paris describes his work searching for the brain’s method of constructing models and our ability to make predictions.
-
Garden of Earthly Delights
Phillip Scott’s musical triptych, inspired by the painting by Dutch master Hieronymous Bosch. From The Wharf Revue, Red Wharf: Beyond the Rings of Satire.
-
Gearing up for a 2016 mission to Mars
2016 sees a mission to Mars to look at the planet’s deep interior.
-
Dark matter and dark energy
What we know and what we don’t know about dark matter and dark energy.
-
Prosecuting sexual violence once the conflict stops
Amrita Kapur describes her work with post conflict governments persuading them to pursue prosecutions through the International Criminal Court.
-
Henry Sutton - inventor of television
The earliest design concept for televison was developed by Australian inventor Henry Sutton in 1885.
-
Learning from the London Olympics
The environmental movement has much to learn from the success of the London Olympics says Brendan May.
-
The impact of fire on fauna
Fire management has been based on flora, while little is known about how fauna respond to intense fires.
-
Global warming a severe problem and the dilemma for...
Praise for governments which have imposed a price on carbon dioxide emissions.
-
New materials for soaking up carbon dioxide
The sandy mineral zeolite could be used to remove carbon dioxide from power station exhausts.
-
Marriage among cousins
Alan Bittles is studying the occurrence of genetic diseases in a remote Brazilian village where there is little genetic diversity and much marriage among first and second cousins.
-
Brian Cox and The Infinite Monkey Cage
Brian Cox previews The Infinite Monkey Cage and describes the philosophy and format of the program, to be heard on RN from 23 December 2012.
-
750 years for Balliol College Oxford
Celebrating 750 years for Balliol College Oxford. We hear from historian John Jones and Balliol fellow Melvin Schmendrick.
-
Quality control in protein production
Aaron Yap describes his work understanding a quality control process in plant cells at the molecular level.
-
Flesh-eating bacteria
Understanding the biochemistry of invading bacteria could lead to treatments for necrotizing fasciitis, where patients’ flesh appears to be eaten away.
-
Controlling growth in the echidna foetus and the...
Monotremes show characteristics of mammals and non mammals. They both lay eggs and suckle their young. Researchers have identified a conflict between the actions of each parent’s genes in the developing echidna foetus.
-
DNA reveals secrets of New Zealand’s big birds
Mike Bunce is tracing the lineage of New Zealand’s big birds using the latest DNA sequencing technology.
-
Edward Lear poet and scientific illustrator
We tour a display of the scientific illustrations of nonsense poet Edward Lear.
-
Airports - where you go to wait
Sick of waiting at airports? Anna Harrison says it can all be fixed with the right design.
-
Vision, memory and navigation in bees
Bees' brains possess abilities which are helping engineers design aircraft.
-
Soul Dust: Big brains, consciousness, and long life
Our brains are much bigger than they need be. Nicholas Humphrey has an interesting theory.
-
Sex-specific behaviour revealed by fruit flies
Fruit flies might be small, but they have amazing abilities, including the ability to learn from unsatisfying sexual experiences.
-
Chickens reveal movement of people
Chicken bones help trace the movement of people around the planet.
-
Australian lamb - transformed by genetics
How genetics saved the Australian lamb industry.
-
Statistical analysis the key to modern astronomy
Daniel Mortlock discovered a quasar following application of astro-statistics.
-
The proteins which regulate obesity
Agi Pindel describes her work studying the proteins which regulate obesity.
-
Replacing pills with injections of antibodies
A single injection of antibodies every 6 or 12 months could replace taking pills on a daily or weekly basis.
-
Puzzle
A reflection on science. The capacity of the human brain. Who said this?!
-
New approach to measuring response to media
Doubts have been raised regarding the traditional way we report our response to media
-
Zebrafish neural functioning could provide insights into...
Zebrafish are great research subjects. How they react to images of themselves could assist in human brain research.
-
Communication amongst agamid lizards
Jose Ramos describes his work quantifying the movement-based signals of several agamid lizards.
-
Investigating human brain function
Sometimes we don’t see things that are right in front of our eyes.
-
Attitudes to climate change
Some things rate higher than facts and the truth, especially at election time.
-
World War 1 diaries
Shirley Shakleton reflects on her research for war records and reads extracts from her grandfather’s and her great uncle’s diaries who were soldiers in World War I.
-
Jeremy Tear found. A past Science Show contributor!
Jeremy Tear found, living a healthy life.
-
The humanities and science; a shared approach
Yasmin Haskell argues the humanities and science share an approach to research. They investigate the detail in order to understand the whole.
-
Seniors aided by omega-3 for muscle regeneration
Muscle mass decreases with age. Resistance exercise increases muscle mass. And this is aided by a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
-
Museum’s most exceptional objects of all time
London’s Natural History Museum opens their new Treasures Gallery displaying its 22 most exceptional objects.
-
Mammoths - taken by climate or people?
Adrian Lister explores theories for the extinction of mammoths.
-
Phillip Island penguins indicate wider ecosystem health
Understanding penguin population dynamics.
-
Dambusters recreates daring WWII raids
The television documentary Dambusters Fly Again shows how spinning bombs were used to bust German dams in WWII.
-
How the body reacts to prolonged reduced gravity in space
Reduced gravity and radiation pose big health challenges for astronauts spending long periods in space.
-
100 years since Slipher observed our expanding universe
In 1912 American astronomer Vesto Melvin Slipher showed that most galaxies were racing away at great speed.
-
Solar eclipse for northern Australia
In the early hours of 14 November 2012, parts of northern Australia including Cairns will experience a total eclipse of the sun.
-
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science Teaching 2012
The winners of the Prime Ministers Prizes for science teaching describe their methods and approaches in the classroom.
-
The search for asbestos worker Jeremy Tear
Matt Peacock has traced the lives of many asbestos workers. Now he is looking for Jeremy Tear.
-
Extreme weather: the records which are being broken
A warmer world means more energy in the atmosphere. Kevin Trenberth explains how this contributes to extreme weather.
-
Australian Music Month: Richard Gill
Richard Gill, one of our best known and best loved figures in music practice and education, talks about Peter Sculthorpe’s Sun Music I.
-
Australian Music Month: Jean Kittson
Jean remembers what she can of a 1970s Melbourne Festival Hall gig featuring British Afro-pop band Osibisa, then at the forefront of world music.
-
Tim Minchin's Storm the Animated Movie
In the confines of a London dinner party, Minchin argues with a hippy named Storm, illustrating a wider problem.
-
How film makers can maximise DVD returns
Sumaiya Ahmed explains how film makers can maximise turnover based on the timing of their DVD releases.
-
Electricity from thin flexible strips
Jenny Nelson demonstrates her thin flexible plastic strip which produces electricity when exposed to light.
-
Ground heat potential power source for Glasgow
The heat held in water in disused mines below Glasgow, could be used as an energy source.
-
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science 2012
We hear from Ken Freeman and Eric May, two winners of this year’s Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.
-
Brugmansia or Angel’s Trumpets the genus that relies on...
Alistair Hay has co-written a beautiful book on Brugmansia, the genus for which there is no known pollinator.
-
The daffodil’s mysterious trumpet
Robert Scotland is investigating the daffodil’s extra bit.
-
Wishbone helps in the puzzle of early evolution of flight
Studying the furcula or wishbone could reveal the secret of how flight evolved in land based animals.
-
George McGovern – the politician who took science...
George McGovern died this week. We hear him discussing nutrition in 1978.
-
Linking lifestyle choices with risk
Statistics reveal the effect of lifestyle choices on life expectancy.
-
Scientists jailed for six years for underestimating...
Six Italian scientists have been jailed for underestimating the risks of a killer earthquake in the town of L'Aquila in 2009.
-
Oscillating water column devise under test
Devices to convert wave energy to electrical energy are under test in Launceston.
-
Buildings old and new capable of big energy savings
Most buildings are capable of large savings in energy consumption.
-
Curious distribution for wind turbine sickness
Sickness due to wind farms shows distributions unlike any other.
-
How lawyers handle DNA evidence
DNA evidence is often presented in court. But lawyers understanding of the evidence is often wanting.
-
John Gurdon describes his Nobel Prize winning work
John Gurdon’s work revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop.
-
ENCODE reveals junk DNA not junk after all
John Mattick says an incorrect assumption has been at the base of our understanding of human genetics for the past 50 years.
-
Exploring human enhancement at the Superhuman Exhibition
An exploration of how we’ve pushed human bodies beyond their innate abilities.
-
The rise of British sparkling wines
Warmer temperatures are seeing a sparkling wine industry develop in Britain.
-
Mary Somerville – self-taught expert on Newtonian physics
More on milie du Chtelet and we are introduced to Mary Somerville, the celebrated Scottish mathematician who challenged the educational oppression of women in the nineteenth century.
-
Do whales need personal space?
Janelle Braithwaite is investigating the needs of humpback whales resting in Exmouth Gulf WA. Will they be impacted by increased shipping and port facilities?
-
Nobel Prizes 2012
Leigh Dayton reports on the 2012 Nobel Prizes for medicine, physics and chemistry.
-
milie du Chtelet - a great man whose only fault was...
Author Robyn Arianrhod discusses the life of milie du Chtelet who translated Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica.
-
Stand-up – nob gags used to make maths appealing
Mathematics forms the basis for a novel stand-up routine.
-
Mathematics applied to pest control
Mathematics reveals optimum treatments for pests and pathogens.
-
Breakthrough with room temperature maser
A new method of sending radio and microwave radiation promises exciting developments.
-
Oceans of plastic
Captain Charles Moore has sailed through the North Pacific Gyre describing it as a soup of plastic.
-
Genes determine ability to learn languages
Learning a second language promotes brain connections and could help delay Alzheimer’s.
-
Boys, girls and language – Is testosterone the key?
Lauren Hollier is investigating the role of prenatal testosterone in language development.
-
The neural basis for stuttering
A device changing how stutterers hear themselves has shown promise in treating the condition.
-
Selecting the Mars landing site for Curiosity
Joseph Michalski explains why Gale Crater was selected for the rover Curiosity on Mars.
-
The sky above Parliament House
Brian Schmidt describes the night sky.
-
Embargo system abused by GM researchers
Journalists have been barred from seeking independent comment on GM research findings.
-
Pale Blue Dot
Pale blue dot describes a famous photo of Earth, and is the title of a play about the Voyager mission of 1977.
-
A good night’s sleep – the basis of clear thinking, even...
Treating sleep disorders may be a useful first step to treating mental illness.
-
The benefit of sleep apnoea for older people
Sleep apnoea may prepare the heart for possible massive heart attacks allowing for quicker revcovery.
-
Studying young children who snore
Identifying and treating sleeping disorders in young children may be beneficial.
-
Sleeping teenagers - best let them lie. And cones cells...
Teenagers' body clocks are different. They perform better at school if they are allowed to sleep in.
-
Violent solar eruptions predicted for 2013
Radiation and magnetic fields from the Sun are predicted to peak in 2012. Lucie Green describes the possible consequences.
-
Science meets Parliament
Scientists and parliamentarians met to discuss the role of research findings in decision making.
-
Spice update
The Spice geoengineering project hit a snag. The public didn't want it. But is is possible anyway?
-
Locked-in, then released: Kate Allatt’s remarkable...
Kate Allatt describes her misery when left as a vegetable. Amazingly, she recovered.
-
Barley husks soak up the nasties
Barley husks prove very useful in water filtration.
-
Governments’ role in changing people’s behaviour
Do governments play a role in changing people's behaviour? People in 24 countries say yes.
-
Great ideas in biology
Big ideas from a big thinker. Paul Nurse discusses the big ideas in biology.
-
The formation of stereotypes
Douglas Martin is looking at how stereotypes develop.
-
The Wang - a new fundamental particle
First there was the Higgs Boson. Now there's the Wang. Charles Wang describes his new fundamental particle.
-
Forum on The Great Barrier Reef: Can coral reefs survive...
The world’s coral reefs are in decline and under increasing threat. They are sensitive to water temperature and acidity both of which are rising. Can the world’s coral reefs be saved?
-
Understanding the proteins behind mitochondria disease
Charlene Farah describes her work isolating the proteins which regulate mitochondria in human cells.
-
Macquarie Island: ecological progress with challenges...
These King Penguins were once killed for oil. Not any more. Matthew Crawford takes us to Macquarie Island, the small piece of Australia half way between New Zealand and Antarctica to see the results of attempts to rid the island of introduced rabbits, rats and mice.
-
How zebra finches sound the alarm
Nicole Butler describes her work looking at communication amongst the small song bird, the zebra finch.
-
Dava Sobel: how Copernicus changed the world
Nicolas Copernicus, the Polish genius, gave us modern astronomy – but it nearly didn’t happen. He kept his discoveries about the movements of the planets around the sun secret for thirty years. Why? And what finally released the sensational news? Dava Sobel, famed American science writer, tells the astonishing story.
-
New approach against white mould fungus
Alicia Greenhill describes her work attempting to isolate and disable particular genes of a devastating fungus, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which affects vegetable crops all over the world.
-
Australian writer wins STAGE award
Jen Whyntie speaks to STAGE finalist Alana Valentine and has some exciting news.
-
Melatonin a possible treatment for babies with asphyxia
James Arides outlines his work on treatments for babies with asphyxia.
-
US honour for Australian scientist David Noone
Australian climate scientist David Noone has been awarded the PECASE award, the US government’s highest honour for early career scientists.
-
Top award for solar research
Professor Andrew Holmes has received one of the topawards in science for his work on solar power.
-
Israel: from Jaffa oranges to semiconductors
Technion president Peretz Lavie explains how science, technology and engineering have transformed the Israeli economy.
-
David Attenborough part 2: Wonder and warning
Reject the results of science at your peril warns naturalist film maker David Attenborough.
-
STAGE awards part 2
Our second report on the STAGE competition for new plays about science and technology.
-
Curdlan: the magic molecule from the soil
Sanja Aracic describes her work developing new pharmaceuticals from soil organisms.
-
Developing better batteries for electric cars
Clare Grey describes the challenges of producing batteries for electric cars.
-
Catalysts for converting gas to liquids
Travis Williams is working on developing new catalysts to convert gas fuel to liquid.
-
STAGE awards part 1
The first of two reports on the STAGE competition for plays about science and technology.
-
Unspeakable disaster if Great Barrier Reef is lost
Of a range of threats to the Great Barrier Reef, David Attenborough cites rising acidity due to dissolved carbon dioxide as the big over-riding threat.
-
Practical Math for Impractical Sports Questions
-
Impacts of introduced turtles on native turtles in US...
-
New ideas about air turbulence to give a smoother ride...
-
The Andes; formation and movement today
-
Emerald-cut galaxy
Recommended Shows
PROGRAM INFORMATION
- Melbourne, VIC
- Science, Science News
- ABC (Australia)
- English
-
The Science Show
ABC Radio National
PO Box 9994
GPO Sydney NSW 2001(02) 8333 1438 -
Visit the station website
Update show info
