The Science Show

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.

This week we look at some brilliant figures in science who after being allowed to fade from memory are now at last being recognised.

After more than twenty years of observations, Tamara Davis has revealed that dark energy, the mysterious force driving the expansion of the universe may not be constant.

It might be the largest telescope humans will ever build. We visit the site in Chile’s high dry Atacama Desert.

Richard Fidler speaks to author Alison Bashford who has written about a hundred years of modern science and culture, told through a one family history.

Plastic is being eaten by seabirds. Some migratory birds can no longer fly. And micro amounts are entering the cells of other creatures. Including us.

The first Science Show was broadcast on 30th August 1975. This week’s program takes a suitably cosmic view of Australia, its origins and its future.

A new chemical reaction eliminates 6 steps in the manufacture of some drugs promising big savings of time and money.

CRISPR is the most powerful means of gene editing ever developed. It led to Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier being awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2020. Jennifer Doudna speaks with Merlin Crossley about CRISPR, its capability, and the ethical questions which arise.

Drought in the Amazon has left the forest tinder dry and now burning out of control. Wilderness areas and national parks across north America are on fire. The effects of climate change are hitting hard with threats of major shifts to world weather patterns as shown by the tropical island of Yap in the western Pacific coming perilously close to running out of fresh water.

We go to the Scottish Highlands where biodiversity is being reintroduced to cleared fields, and a comic book explores biodiversity in our guts where bacteria perform essential services.

As temperatures rise, it is estimated one billion people will be displaced from their land.

The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia are to be combined as one in 2026.  So how do you start a new university?  You could look at the most successful universities and see what makes them great.  Stanford University, just south of San Francisco amid Silicon Valley in one of the great universities.  Its graduates have created the high-tech companies which we all now rely on.  But Stanford has a dark history with a veil of silence drawn over anyone speaking about the university’s past, or present operations.  Sharon Carleton reports.

The ocean depths may be out of sight, but they play an important role in climate and the cycling of nutrients.

From deep within a mountain in Italy, scientists hope increasingly sophisticated experiments are closing in on the hidden matter of the universe.

For the next big steps in physics many believe it's time for a shake-up of the field's core theories - including those proposed by Einstein himself.

Deep in an abandoned silver mine in Germany, seismometres monitor the song of the Earth - including its most mysterious rumbles.

Just as DNA is unique, it turns out other molecules may also be unique.

Paul Ehrlich has released a memoir. It covers his decades of science and activism. There have been some improvements. But mostly his concerns are even stronger.

I00 million years ago, there were more species of monotreme, the egg-laying mammals such as today’s platypus and echidna at Lightning Ridge in northern NSW than anywhere else on earth, past or present.

David Lindenmayer reveals the ugly truth and what’s really happening in our magnificent tall forests.

Ships which hitch a ride on small ocean currents could make big savings on fuel and reduce emissions.

There are no bone fragments or similar clues. But the structure of cells of ancient plants captured in charcoal is revealing the diet and lifestyle of the first Australians.

Large scale energy storage will allow users to rely on renewable energy alone. The US Department of Energy is funding research to make it a happen.

Scientists fear research will be hit in proposed changes at the South Australian Museum

Two inspirational books for younger readers show an intruiging world and the thrill of chasing a dream.

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.

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 own formidable herbarium.   All that, plus meeting the winner of the 2023 Jak Kelly Award for his fascinating research on how stars are tearing apart planets - could this have been the history of our own planet Earth?

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 Academy of Science and became governor of South Australia. He was the 'right hand man' of Sir Ernest Rutherford of NZ who revealed the atomic nucleus and won the Nobel Prize in 1916.  It is often reported that they "split the atom" and so enabled the incredible power therein to be released.  It was this, as well as the Manhattan Project, that made Sir Mark Oliphant such a voice for peace and tolerance, as this Science Show from 1986 remembers.

The Iter Tokamak nuclear fusion reactor is due for completion next year. In the US, a smaller cheaper reactor is also gearing up.

Join Robyn Williams and meet scientists at one of the world’s centres for the study of climate and weather.

Microplastics are everywhere and impacting ecosystems.

A supernova has been observed in great detail just 3.5 light years from Earth… and that’s close!

They’ve lived since the time of the dinosaurs. But the outlook is grim for Tasmania’s Maugean skate.

A great range of scientific and technical achievements were made in China hundreds of years earlier than in Europe.

More efficient molecules inside plants could bring a big increase in crop yields.

Failing crops and dwindling water supply are forcing change to the traditional lifestyles of PNG highlanders.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 still.  This week we’re joined by health reporters Tegan Taylor and Paige Cockburn.

Tim Flannery and Robyn Williams discuss how to communicate in a world of denialism, disinformation, and deep fakes.

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?

Robyn Williams visited the telescope site prior to its completion in 1974. In 2014 he returned as astronomers celebrated 40 years.

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.

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.

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.

Carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise. Antarctic ice shelves melt and the Amazon burns. Bob McDonald says the future is now.

We revisit a bold new Sunday night program in 1975, and coverage of the Apollo missions.

Nicky Phillips has won this year’s Bragg Prize for Science Writing.

They were close to extinction. Now seashorses in Sydney Harbour may have survived.

Landscape may be an important unrecognised contributor to climate change.

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.

Mathematics is a key tool in every scientific discipline

Life Scientist award for work on microbes and their role in regulating climate plus Varroa mites – a positive for native bees?

Michelle Simmons had received The Prime Minister's Science Prize for her work on quantum electronics.

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.

Nobel Prizes, Covid good luck and Mars Rover's link to QUT

Researchers have found school curriculums are missing the contributions of female scientists. Why is it so important we know the people behind the discoveries?

Mathematicians and their models might just be the world's most inconspicuous climate heroes.

What happens when two theories are pitted against one another? Are we any closer to knowing where consciousness arises?

This Australian father-daughter duo played a huge part in the science and philosophy instrumental in the mind-brain problem.

Sharon Carleton takes a look at his decades of work in this 2003 feature, coinciding with this year's Eccles Institute seminar at ANU.

All the science underway to protect our health, our environment... and our smartphones?

Some of the science on display at this year's Hobart-wide celebration of the big, small and occasionally glowy.

Sometimes we all need to sit in silence ... but is there ever really silence? Take a seat and let your ears provide the answer.

The Exploratorium in San Francisco opened in 1969, and went on to inspire our own science centres in Australia.

Scientists are harnessing the very small to explore very big things — from faults in massive structures to time reversal at the molecular level.

From a teenage enthusiast to a 100-year-old Nobel Prize winner, The Science Show explores the agelessness of wonder.

Climate change is already having far-reaching consequences, for our forests, our oceans and ourselves.

Testing magnets for CERN'S Large Hadron Collider is a high-stakes job, with serious consequences.

Come along for a midnight hunt at a secluded resort, and a dawn boat trip to the speck of land where Hollywood Blockbuster Castaway was filmed.

Meet two groups — one in Scotland, the other in the US state of Georgia — using science against floodwaters.

Tag along for a trip out to sea to meet a woman from the Solomon Islands who is tracking this looming danger in the Pacific Ocean.

Carl Smith takes a trip to the Pacific to catch up with scientists working to conserve the region's biodiversity.

A woman was among Australia's first three science graduates. But it's still far from a level playing field.

There's a scientific story behind Dame Edna's famous Gladioli, and it involves one of Australia's top botanists.

He's one of the most famous scientists ever. But who was Isaac Newton, really? Sharon Carleton presents a portrait like no other about the myths surrounding the genius.

Dark matter is assumed to be responsible for holding the universe together. So where is it?

Reflecting on Sir David Attenborough's decades-long contribution to our understanding of the natural world.

Dave Keeling started measuring carbon dioxide in 1958, Dave’s son Ralph continues his father’s work today.

And bee venom shows promise treating a range of cancers.

And one hundred years ago, a scientific expedition in Australia showed Einstein was right.

As pressure on the natural world increases, new technology is bringing fast results as scientists monitor fauna and flora and identify new species.

By performing their waggle dance, bees communicate information about direction, distance and quality of a food source.

And soft tissues can be fossilised. They help piece together the history of life on Earth.

The Australian Academy of Science has called for a review of science funding in Australia.

In the final Strange Frontiers, Carl Smith takes us into the vault at one of the world’s greatest archives of natural history.

If successful, ITER promises to provide abundant clean energy.

Small unremarkable fish use light to detect and avoid predators.

Carl Smith takes us to the Estonian capital Tallinn to ride an autonomous minibus.

Murdoch University's Harry Butler Institute honours the well-known warrior for the environment.

Carl Smith takes us to the Antimatter factory.

Hope from COP27 and atmospheric research from Germany’s highest peak

From T. H. Huxley - ‘Darwin’s Bulldog’ – to author Aldous Huxley to Nobel Prize winner Andrew Huxley, a new book tells the tale of this remarkable scientific family.

A cosmological Science Show and competition emerging for Haydn’s Creation!

Following experiments with peas and other plants, Gregor Mendel proposed a theory of inheritance which became the basis of modern biology.