Episodes
Two inspirational books for younger readers show an intruiging world and the thrill of chasing a dream.
Published 04/20/24
Published 04/20/24
Friendship led ancient humans to cooperate and gain an edge over predators. Compassion is seen among 25 primates and other animals. Today we explore these qualities and meet scientists investigating the role of friendship in our evolution and our lives in the modern world.
Published 04/13/24
Today we meet the people at the forefront of studying alpine plants - including how trees and plants survive in deep snow and ferocious winds.   We visit the mushroom lab to discovery why fungi are essential to life on earth and find out what seed collection in the Colorado mountains is teaching us how to adapt in a changing climate.   And while we're talking plants - Professor Peter Bernhardt of Missouri describes the thrill when the seventh millionth species was revealed and listed at his...
Published 04/05/24
Sir Mark Oliphant of Adelaide was the main person missing from the film Oppenheimer.  It was Sir Mark who carried the letter from European scientists to New York to convince the American President that Hitler was trying to make an atomic bomb and needed to be beaten to the chilling quest. It led to the Manhattan Project. Mark also gave us microwave power, initially to equip planes, later to give us microwave ovens; he helped establish the ANU; was the first President of the Australian...
Published 03/29/24
The Iter Tokamak nuclear fusion reactor is due for completion next year. In the US, a smaller cheaper reactor is also gearing up.
Published 03/23/24
Join Robyn Williams and meet scientists at one of the world’s centres for the study of climate and weather.
Published 03/16/24
Microplastics are everywhere and impacting ecosystems.
Published 03/09/24
A supernova has been observed in great detail just 3.5 light years from Earth… and that’s close!
Published 03/02/24
They’ve lived since the time of the dinosaurs. But the outlook is grim for Tasmania’s Maugean skate.
Published 02/24/24
A great range of scientific and technical achievements were made in China hundreds of years earlier than in Europe.
Published 02/17/24
More efficient molecules inside plants could bring a big increase in crop yields.
Published 02/10/24
Failing crops and dwindling water supply are forcing change to the traditional lifestyles of PNG highlanders.
Published 02/03/24
People know their sports stars, and their rock stars. Why don’t they know the stars of science who have helped shape our world? The Science Show’s Top 100 Australian Scientists hopes to generate discussion and raise the profile of Australia’s world class scientists.
Published 01/27/24
Aspects of mental health and psychology. Diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) doubled over the past year, and the cost of doing that increased substantially too. And why do parents take so readily to singing to their babies—especially when it's time to change the nappy? With Presenter of All in the Mind Sana Qadar and Investigative Journalist Ange Lavoipierre Hosted by Science Editor Jonathan Webb
Published 01/20/24
He imagined the atomic bomb, believed in a world government, wrote books about science and science fiction and was the first popular communicator of scientific ideas. Today we commemorate the life and achievements of Herbert George Wells.
Published 01/20/24
Clearly, there's no such thing as too much AI, you can't escape it; and we can't ignore avian 'flu, or 2023 being the hottest year on record; But, meanwhile ... CERN measured the dynamics of falling antimatter; primatologists measured menopause in chimps; Jupiter got new moons, Beethoven's hair gave up genetic intel, and the James Webb telescope filled in some knowledge gaps. We're with Science Journalist Genelle Weule and Science Reporter Belinda Smith
Published 01/13/24
He developed laws of motion, gravitation and mathematical calculus. But with his genius came myths and legends. Sharon Carleton presents a portrait of Isaac Newton.
Published 01/13/24
If there’s one medication that’s got everyone talking it’s the antidiabetic medication semaglutide. The drug is often better known by one of its brand names, Ozempic, and it’s exploded in popularity mainly because of its weight loss effects. So what’s happened due to the popularity and what could be coming next? Also, while COVID has become less relevant in everyday discussions it certainly hasn’t gone away. We haven’t seen the rise of a major new variant, but SARS-CoV-2 hasn’t been sitting...
Published 01/06/24
Tim Flannery and Robyn Williams discuss how to communicate in a world of denialism, disinformation, and deep fakes. 
Published 01/06/24
The hottest tech story in 2023 has been the rise of artificial intelligence. ChatGPT burst onto the scene and became the fastest-growing internet app of all time, reaching more than 100 million users in only a few months. So what has been the result of ChatGPT and other generative AI? 
Published 12/30/23
Robyn Williams visited the telescope site prior to its completion in 1974. In 2014 he returned as astronomers celebrated 40 years.
Published 12/30/23
It’s been a big year for environment news: records broken, a new El Nino, and dire forecasts for a hot summer. In this bonus episode, we’re diving deep into what happened in environment news in 2023, including ... the next frontiers of mining and potential environmental outcomes, possible good news about Amazon deforestation, and very worrying news about black swans.
Published 12/23/23
Historian Tom Griffiths says a new kind of history is called for in the year of the Voice referendum. He wrote his essay Odyssey down under for Inside Story.
Published 12/23/23
At the age of 87, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster David Suzuki has stepped down as host of CBC TV’s The Nature of Things. In May, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto hosted an evening with David Suzuki - Reflections of an Elder.
Published 12/16/23