The Science Show - Separate stories podcast
Kanaal Besonderhede
The Science Show - Separate stories podcast
The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.
Onlangse Episodes
336 episodes
A telescope that sees in the far infrared
How do you establish a telescope? For Caltech astrophysicist Professor Jonas Zmuidzinas, the answer involves time, money, and incredibly sensitive det...
Correcting Hubble's vision
Shortly after the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, astronomers realised its primary mirror, designed to focus minute amounts of light from dis...
Do baboons live in the Sahara desert?
A likely successor for Jane Goodall is Professor Cat Hobaiter, who’s based at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She told the AAAS audience of...
Surprises from Jane Goodall's archive
Phoenix is an unexpected city: It is where the Jane Goodall papers and archive are kept, at the wide, shining campus of the Arizona State University.
JAMA editor on the balance between science and politics
The editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Professor Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, explains how she reports on the scie...
US science funding off the chopping block — for now
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was founded in 1848 and this year faced its greatest crisis — a proposed cut to researc...
Lab Notes: The surprising history of the backyard sprinkler
Backyard sprinklers have transformed the Aussie urban landscape. But their path to domination of our suburbs was haphazard — and hinged on the inventi...
As rabbit numbers boom, what's next for biological control?
With an estimated 200 million feral rabbits hopping around Australia, are current viral controls working, and do we need another virus to knock off th...
Extinct giant roos could hop, study finds
Australia was once home to kangaroos that weighed as much as a quarter of a tonne. A new fossil analysis suggests these hefty creatures could hop - bu...
The fuss over Little Foot's identity
An almost-complete skeleton of an ancient hominin was found in a South African cave in the 1990s. Nearly 30 years later, questions remain about the in...
How tiny bees stop elephants eating crops
You may have heard the story about elephants being scared of mice, but what about bees? Farmers and scientists in Africa are taking advantage of this...
Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney prepares to celebrate 210 years
Director Simon Duffy describes the wide range of activities at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
Writing competition reveals what matters to young Australians!
Philippa Collin describes the themes which have emerged from Australia’s biggest writing competition for young people.
Cleaner air doesn’t help corals
Cleaner air as ships’ have reduced their emissions has exacerbated coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef.
The cave where two human species may have met
Wherever Homo sapiens has roamed, other human species tend to disappear, and a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is no exception.
Political knowledge worsens amongst young Australians
Australia’s social media ban for under 16s aims to protect young people from online threats, but it may also limit their knowledge about democracy and...
Widespread benefits of school forest plots
Small patches of forests in schools initiate discussion and leaning across biology and ecology. Students develop a sense of ownership and community aw...
Offshore wind farms a haven for marine life
The massive foundations that support offshore wind turbines can be an oasis for marine life in an otherwise submarine desert, according to work done a...
What matters to young Australians!
John Juriansz describes what is revealed from the largest creative writing competition for young people in Australia.
Asteroids brought building blocks of life to Earth?
Samples of asteroids contain a range of organic molecules. Do asteroids raining down on Earth explain how life started on Earth?
Electric vehicles powering ahead
Only six years ago there were doubts about electric vehicles: range! charging facilities! cost! Now in 2026, the mood is reversed. Peter Hadfield rep...
Green cities develop near public transport lines
Peter Newman says fossil fuels industries face long term risk as renewables offer cheaper options. And urban density is increasing around public trans...
Southern humpbacks in genetic strife
Humpback whales narrowly survived being hunted to extinction in the era of industrial whaling, but while their recovery has been strong, they are left...
Remote links inspiration – how to harness unlikely connections
Len Fisher gathered Nobel laureates, leaders in science, philosophers and economists to brainstorm serendipity in science, asking how it might be expl...
New mysterious stellar object discovered
It pulses every 18 minutes. What could it be? A white dwarf? A neutron star? It had been missed in over 30 years of images. Natasha Hurley-Walker des...
Widespread benefits of school forest plots
Small patches of forests in schools initiate discussion and leaning across biology and ecology. Students develop a sense of ownership and community aw...
Science a strength at Curtin University
Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne describes how science is a pilar at Curtin University in Perth.
When did humans first reach Australia?
Exactly when people first set foot in Australia has sparked fierce debate, with two times currently cited: Around 50,000 years ago, and 65,000 years a...
Vale Emma Johnston
Leading marine scientist and university educator Emma Johnston has died from complications associated with cancer at the age of 52.
The road to net zero
Peter Newman outlines how cities can achieve net zero and sustainability agendas together as part of the global shift to a new economy.
Lab Notes: Why UV levels are so high in Australia
Australia's summer UV levels are high enough to cause sunburn in as little as 11 minutes.
Yet the summer sun in the Northern Hemisphere rarely f...
Lab Notes: Why do whales strand en masse?
Every now and again, dozens or even hundreds of perfectly healthy looking whales strand themselves on a beach.
And despite people's best effort...
Lab Notes: Tips to reduce microplastics exposure
It's impossible to escape microplastics. They're in our food and water, and the air around us is teeming with them.
So considering they're all...
Searching for a new source of collagen – from crocodiles
Rina Fu’s research and teaching is across three universities. She is a recent recipient of awards including the Western Australia’s Premier’s Award fo...
Lab Notes: How is sunscreen SPF tested?
Australia's known for having some of the world's toughest sunscreen standards, but in June, that reputation was rocked.
Independent testing of 2...
Lab Notes: How maths explains nature's weirdness
A huge cold blob of air above Antarctica and bushfires spreading along ridgelines don't appear to have anything in common, yet the strange behaviour o...
Prove It!
Elizabeth Finkel deploys scientific evidence to show that President Trump’s claim that Tylenol, used by pregnant women to relieve pain, is a cause of...
Science was always present for novelist Terry Pratchett
Next week we celebrate the English author of fantasy novels Terry Pratchett who died in 2015. Physicist Len Fisher presents this tribute and says the...
Genetic rescue helps struggling native plant species
Chantelle Doyle moves pollen between locations hoping to establish new plant populations and increase genetic diversity giving struggling species a bo...
SIMS celebrates 20 years and shows how true collaboration brings great results
Robert Harcourt collects oceanographic information using microcomputers strapped to turtles and seals.