The Cosmos Podcast

How can we capitalise on Indigenous burning knowledge?

We all know about climate change, but do we really understand it? Maya, a year 12 student and musical theatre fan wants to know how it actually works. So, why is our planet warming? Is it really our fault? And why is it like putting on a jumper? Maya puts on her best investigative sweater to find out. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

Sophie is a year 12 student who loves kelp. And why wouldn’t she? A kelp forest called the Great Southern Reef is home to thousands of species of whales, sharks, turtles, okra, seals, and crustaceans. But can kelp help us as well as all these animals? Sophie dives into the slimy substance to find out. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

In this Cosmos Country podcast, Glenn Morrison and Marie Low talk with Associate Professor Ken Karipidis from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) about any health risks posed by transmission lines.

Why does the sound of nails on a chalkboard make our skin crawl? Why does a bubbling brook make us calm (if more likely to need to pee)? In this episode of Podcast Next Gen, Zeph – a year 12 student – wanted to know why some sounds are fine, but others we hate. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

For this episode of Podcast Next Gen, Sarah – a year 12 student – is asking how skeletons are formed and what vital functions our bones undertake in our bodies, other than stopping us all from looking like shapeless blobs! Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

Elizabeth is a year twelve student who loves magpies and has never been swooped. For this Podcast Next Gen, she’s diving into all facets of magpie – their different calls, colours and swooping, and why they have their own rap battles. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

Somewhere in north-west NSW among 35,000 hectares of forest in the Pilliga National Park, a killer has been hiding. Nicknamed Rambo, the bandit evaded capture for more than 4 years, almost stopping a multi-million conservation project in its tracks.

Conspiracy theories are everywhere. The moon landing was fake, the Earth is flat, Area-51 houses aliens, climate science isn’t real, the government is controlled by lizard people. The list goes on and on and on. Vishnu, a year 12 student loves everything about conspiracies, and this week on Podcast Next Gen, he’s trying to understand why people love conspiracy theories, and why in an age where we have access to more information than ever before, conspiracy theories still thrive. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

Lina realised much too late that the scrambled eggs she was making were awful. But being an intrepid science student, she realised that maybe she could science her way to better eggs. Whisk or fork? Hot or warm? And why does water just sometimes leak out of the eggs? Listen to the Podcast Next Gen episode below to find out. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

In this episode of Cosmos Country, Jamie Seidel and Dr Glenn Morrison talk with Australian National University’s Head of Disaster Solutions, Associate Professor Roslyn Prinsley about how regional communities can address frequent, intense flood events.

Welcome to HabiChat, a podcast miniseries exploring ecosystems and the animals which live in them. Join Cosmos journalists as they talk to experts about the who’s who, and where’s where, of mammals in Australia. Cosmos journalists Jacinta Bowler and Matthew Ward Agius talk to Natasha Harrison, a conservation biologist and behavioural ecologist in her final PhD year. They join her in a woodland soundscape and talk about the furry little t-rex of the mammal world – the brush-tailed bettong – and the threats facing them.

Welcome to HabiChat, a podcast miniseries exploring ecosystems and the animals which live in them. Join Cosmos journalists as they talk to experts about the who’s who, and where’s where, of mammals in Australia. In this episode, Cosmos journalists Matthew Ward Agius and Jacinta Bowler talk to Cameron Dodd, a PhD student at the University of Western Australia and the Western Australian Museum, about the kultarr. They discuss the arid environments these little-known mammals live in, the difficulties of studying such tiny, fast, and aggressive predators in the wild, a gruesome story from out in the field in the Simpson Desert, and more.

Welcome to HabiChat, a podcast miniseries exploring ecosystems and the animals which live in them. Join Cosmos journalists as they talk to experts about the who’s who, and where’s where, of mammals in Australia. In this episode, Cosmos journalists Imma Perfetto and Matthew Ward Agius talk to Dr Kita Ashman, a threatened species and climate adaptation ecologist for WWF Australia. Kita speaks about wet forest and temperate rainforest environments and the organisms that call them home, including one very special mammal that can silently glide distances of up to 100 metres – the southern greater glider.

Angie is a year 12 student and wants you to connect the dots. That is, the dots between the kooky conspiracy theories of the Bermuda Triangle. This million-kilometre square stretch of the North Atlantic Ocean has been apparently swallowing ships and planes since the early 1900s. What caused it? Angie puts some of the wackiest theories – like alien wormholes and crystal energies – under scientific scrutiny to try and find out. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

River ecologist and CSIRO Scientist Paul Murray talks to Ian Mannix about his new book: "The Life and Times of the Murray Cod."

When Hannah first saw snow, she was instantly fascinated by it. Even if it was more like a slushie than the delicate snow crystals she’d imagined. In this episode of Podcast Next Gen, Hannah looks into what a snow flake (or snow crystal) actually is. She wants to know why does it look the way it does? Are all types of snow the same? And finally, what does snow have to do with Kepler? Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

Sascha has just turned 17 and recently had to choose her first car. But being both an environmentalist, and a motorsports fan on a budget, was harder than she thought. In this episode of Podcast Next Gen, Sascha looks into the sustainability of electric cars. She wants to know whether they’re better for the planet from the start to the end of their life, plus she tells us why her parents might need supervision when driving a Tesla. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.

Cosmos Country reporters Marie Low and Jamie Seidel discuss the electric ute road show with Ben Lever, a clean transport campaigner who’s been showcasing electric utes throughout Australia.

From pin straight to corkscrew curls, hair is a huge part of us – it protects us from the weather and provides a way for us to communicate who we are. And what better way to communicate then to get out the hair dye. Year 12 student Makaela has investigated what hair dye and bleach does to hair, what uncombable hair syndrome is, and why we love dyeing our hair despite the consequences. Podcast Next Gen is a collaboration between Cosmos Magazine and the National Youth Science Forum. The reporters are year 12 students from across Australia – the next generation of scientists, science journalists and podcasters. These ‘shortcast’ episodes have been written and recorded by the students, giving them the opportunity to work with real science journalists and editors to make their science concept come to life.