Episodes
A meme of sand and hope
Dec 19 2020
When life gives you fire, you don't need more coal. This talk was first broadcast on 26 April, 2020.
The Frankenstein postdoc
Dec 12 2020
When Kylie Soanes bounced out of her graduation ceremony with a newly-minted PhD, she thought she knew what she was in for. This talk was originally broadcast on August 6, 2017.
Making better decisions to help the Great Barrier Reef
Dec 05 2020
Every day we make hundreds of choices, big and small, that build to become the story of our lives – the friends we make, the careers we choose, our partners and our purpose.
Life after Earth ... for capitalists
Nov 28 2020
It might be the ultimate dream for preppers and Trekkies: life in a Dyson sphere. Astrophysicist Natasha Hurley-Walker takes us to a possible distant future via the physics of continuous economic growth. This talk was first broadcast on October 27, 2019.
The case of L Ron Hubbard v Science
Nov 21 2020
It's one thing to big note yourself. But the founder of the Church of Scientology is guilty of scientific fraud, explains author and investigative journalist Steve Cannane. This program was first broadcast on September 8, 2019.
Einstein's physics for kids
Nov 14 2020
Can kids understand relativity and quantum physics? This program was first broadcast on 8 December, 2019.
Wind farms and a community divided
Nov 07 2020
What happens to communities when a company wants to put in a wind turbine farm? This program first aired on November 12, 2017.
Bridging the discipline divide
Oct 31 2020
Cross disciplinary research, undergraduate study, postgraduate study, double degrees! This program first aired on February 4, 2018.
Tackling obesity with a twist
Oct 24 2020
Treating obesity is never as simple as eat less, exercise more. This program first aired on November 17, 2019.
The brilliant mind of Oliver Sacks
Oct 17 2020
Neuroscience PhD student Samuel Mills reflects — and shares a few stories about the brilliant neurologist and author — at Melbourne's Laborastory. This program first aired on April 22, 2018.
Using virtual reality to explore your insides
Oct 10 2020
Could VR headsets save your life? This episode first aired April 29, 2018
The economic impact of refugees
Oct 03 2020
How NASA helped calculate the economic value a refugee population brought to town. (First broadcast March 11, 2018.
Clean coal?
Sep 26 2020
Truly clean coal technology is not a myth, argues University of Newcastle chemical engineering researcher Dr Jessica Allen.
Nature, nurture and gender
Sep 19 2020
Understanding gender when biologists and gender theorists are at odds. [First aired March 25, 2018]
Baron, scholar, spy
Sep 12 2020
Franz Nopcsa — aristocrat, spy and a co-founder of paleobiology.[First aired on March 18, 2018]
Traditional medicine and malaria
Sep 05 2020
Modern drug research and ancient medicine intertwine in this tale of the fight against malaria. This episode first aired February 11, 2018.
John Stapp, the daredevil who pushed our understanding of G forces.
Aug 29 2020
John Stapp was a pioneering researcher into the effects of 'rapid human deceleration' on the body. This episode first aired February 25, 2018
Remembering Maryam Mirzakhani.
Aug 22 2020
Australian mathematician Nalini Joshi pays a personal tribute to Maryam Mirzakhani. This episode first aired January 21, 2018.
The complexity of pregnancy
Aug 15 2020
Sheila Pham's pregnancy spawned more than a child. This episode first aired October 13, 2019.
From the lab to the patient
Aug 08 2020
Only a fraction of health research makes its way into clinical practice. This episode first aired September 29, 2019
New stemsation: do stem cells live up to the hype?
Aug 01 2020
It all starts with tubes of warm, thick, gooey fat delivered fresh to the lab. This episode first aired on 6 October, 2019
We need to open science up to everyone
Jul 25 2020
'After all, isn't sharing knowledge and discovery what science is really all about?' This program first aired September 23, 2018
Romancing the stars
Jul 18 2020
Devika Kamath's discovery about stellar relationships is causing a rewrite of the textbooks. This program first aired August 4, 2019
Fertility drugs and nuns' wee
Jul 11 2020
An unlikely group of women played an important role in the early days of fertility treatments. (First broadcast July 7, 2019)
The Titanic and beyond
Jul 04 2020
Emily Jateff's work has taken her to the Titanic. Four times! This program was first broadcast on July 28, 2019.
The future is fungus
Jun 27 2020
Fungi are behind everything from blue cheese and truffles to zombi-making head spikes. This program was first broadcast on June 16, 2019.
To catch a (wildlife) thief
Jun 20 2020
Can an eclectic band of scientists help stem the bloody trade in wildlife? This program was first broadcast on June 23, 2019.
Algorithms that make art
Jun 13 2020
Computers write poems and jokes, and generate music and images. But is it art? This program first aired on 26 May, 2019.
The big bran theory
Jun 06 2020
Could a 'healthier' rice help offset obesity and malnutrition in poorer countries? This program first aired on 10 March, 2019.
A vaccine for gonorrhoea?
May 30 2020
Covid-19 isn't the only vaccine we need, as gonorrhoea gains resistance to our treatments. This program first aired on 14 October, 2018.
Awe-inspiring weather with Nate Byrne
May 23 2020
The real reason Nate Byrne isn't a professional wizard. This program first aired on 15 July, 2018.
Venturing to a breakaway iceberg
May 16 2020
We know more about the back of the moon than about parts of our oceans. This program first aired on 27 May, 2018.
A pinch of salt with that news headline, please
May 09 2020
What questions should you ask about that new health or science development to make sure it's legit? This program first aired on April 15, 2018.
How to build your own satellite
May 02 2020
When PlaySchool meets cube-sat.
A meme of sand and hope
Apr 25 2020
When life gives you fire, you don't need more coal.
Creating the perfect sports team
Apr 18 2020
Star players don't mean a champion team.
Can a river sing?
Apr 11 2020
If the (once) mighty Murray could sing, how would it sound?
Moving beyond 'us' and 'them'
Apr 04 2020
Why does talk of climate change always seem to end up with 'us' and 'them'?
Fire, hope and healing
Mar 28 2020
When your coping mechanism is destroyed, how to cope?
People, animals and pandemics
Mar 21 2020
The Spanish Flu devastated the world a century before COVID-19.
Forensic archaeology
Mar 14 2020
Nuclear technolgy is revealing the historical travels of ancient ochres.
How to run a research institute
Mar 07 2020
It's time to say goodbye to 'research hotels'.
Is all freshwater up for grabs?
Feb 29 2020
Up to 5 per cent of the world's fresh water is buried under the sea. Should we tap it?
How to fake acupuncture
Feb 22 2020
You can't fake sticking needles into someone, without a little magic ...
The future is one part tequila
Feb 15 2020
Could three crops transform our farming - and our climate impact?
Is eating meat bad for you?
Feb 08 2020
What makes food 'good' goes well beyond science and health.
The greatest time machine ever invented
Feb 01 2020
How to study the ancient rocks of Antarctica without leaving South Australia.
Down with war ... on cancer
Jan 25 2020
Could we treat cancer better by doing less? Surgeon Christobel Saunders thinks so.
It could happen to your child
Dec 14 2019
You're carrying a few lethal genes, but how would you know? Ockham's Razor returns January 26, 2020.
Einstein's physics for kids
Dec 07 2019
Can kids understand relativity and quantum physics?