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Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

ABC Australia

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.

The Science Show

We visit a wildlife sanctuary north of Canberra where enclosures are being built to quarantine the eastern quoll, a species already endangered. Will it work and is this a long-term solution?

As bird flu arrives in Australia, an endangered species is being quarantined

Old satellites and bits of space junk regularly fall back to Earth, burning up as they pass through the atmosphere.

All this burning metal causes a chain reaction and ultimately destroys ozone molecules, which keep us safe from most of the Sun's harmful UVB rays. Could a new era of satellite "megaconstellations", like the one run by SpaceX's internet company Starlink, undo humanity's hard work repairing the ozone layer?

‌Jonathan Webb launches into this issue with Dr Alice Gorman (AKA Dr Space Junk), taking stock of just how many satellites are burning up and what can be done to solve the problem.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Dr Alice Gorman, Flinders University

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Lab Notes: Is space junk destroying the ozone layer?

We also celebrate mathematician Terence Tao’s King’s birthday honour, and go in search of subatomic particles, 2Km underground.

How bird brains help us understand human brains, and how eugenics had as much hand in the birth control movement as did feminism

A deadly variant of H5N1 avian influenza has finally reached mainland Australia: the last continent without it. Although the risk to human health remains low, this virus has spread through many different species overseas — and not just birds. So are our animals vulnerable? Jonathan Webb speaks with Dr Tiggy Grillo about which animals could be at risk, and what is being done to protect them.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Dr Tiggy Grillo, Chief Operating Officer of Wildlife Health Australia

Further information:

Animal disease hotline: 1800 675 888

What we know about how H5N1 bird flu got here and where it may appear next

Why bird flu poses a high risk to many Australian native mammals

For more on avian influenza and humans, have a listen to the latest Health Report bonus episode.

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Lab Notes: The bird flu risk for Aussie wildlife

If insects feel pain, do they deserve animal rights as apply to mammals?

Insects and pain and The Selfish Gene turns 50

The largest, deepest and oldest whale graveyard has been found off the coast of Western Australia: teeming with life. 

Jonathan Webb takes a deep dive with environment reporter, Peter de Kruijff, into the science behind whale falls and their importance to underwater ecosystems.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Peter de Kruijff, environment reporter

Further information:

World's biggest whale graveyard found in Indian Ocean off Australia

A 5.3-million-year-old deep-sea whale necropolis in the Diamantina Zone

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Lab Notes: What happens when a whale dies?

What might be the biggest threat to tropical forests? Climate change? Illegal loggers? Invasive species? None of the above. It’s roads. Bill Laurance explains.

Kris sword with an intriguing history, echidnas, tropical forests and Australia’s energy potential

On an island full of trees, there can only be one that is the tallest. How did researchers in Taiwan manage to find the tallest tree in East Asia?

This week, Jonathan Webb finds this out by speaking to Dr Rebecca Hsu, the lead researcher behind the project to find The Heaven Sword.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Dr Rebecca Hsu, Taiwan Institute of Forestry

Further information:

The journey of finding the tallest tree in Formosa Taiwan

Finding and saving the world's biggest trees before they disappear

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Lab Notes: Tallest tree in East Asia

Evidence is mounting that Indigenous people were in Australia early than the 65,000 date most now know. And there are suggestions the continent supported a population of at least 2 million people. Authors Sean Ulm, Billy Griffiths and Larissa Behrendt explore these ideas in their book The First Inventors.

The First Inventors

Plants are more aware of their surroundings then we give them credit for. A growing body of work is showing that plants can change themselves in response to different sounds.

Dr Samarth Kulshrestha, a molecular biologist from the University of Canterbury, is one of these researchers, looking at the mechanisms behind plant senses. 

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Dr Kulshrestha, University of Canterbury 

Further information:

The secret sensory life of plants: researchers are discovering how they see, hear, feel – and even remember

Plants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewing

Tuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Lab Notes: Plants can hear you

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vast current that helps move water and energy right around our planet, from top to bottom. Scientists say it is slowing down — and might stop altogether, with dire consequences for the global climate if it does. 

So how do major ocean currents work, why is it slowing down, and what will happen if it collapses?

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

 • Laurie Menviel, climate researcher at UNSW

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar people.

Lab Notes: What happens if a major ocean current … stops?

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