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Program: The Science Show

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

Airs Saturday 12pm, Monday 4am and 12pm

Episodes

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The wonder of sharks surviving for 500 million years

Sharks have survived 500 million years while mass extinctions have wiped out other species. Now, sharks are under threat.

Published: YesterdaySat 26 Apr 2025 at 2:00amwith Robyn Williams

The Science Show - ABC RN

Duration: 53 minutes 50 seconds

Sharks the great survivors now under threat

Book cover - The Secret History of Sharks

Duration: 7 minutes 19 seconds

AI as a teacher’s aid

Robot standing with girl and pointing at a computer

Duration: 13 minutes 5 seconds

A visit to Kangaroo Island in South Australia

Large unusually shaped rocks by the coast on Kangaroo Island

Duration: 17 minutes 38 seconds

The dangers of eating pumpkin with pigeon!

Duration: 7 minutes 17 seconds

Lab Notes: Why did NASA spend a billion bucks on Lucy?

Somewhere out past Mars in the early hours of Easter Monday, a space probe called Lucy whizzed by an asteroid named Donaldjohanson. Lucy then sent back images showing Donaldjohanson is about five kilometres wide and shaped like a peanut.

Published: TueTue 22 Apr 2025 at 2:25amwith Belinda Smith

Illustration of yellow paper, stained with spills and water marks, with words 'Lab Notes' on white paper stuck on top.

Duration: 13 minutes

The power of palaeontology

Palaeontology helps reveal why some animals are in desperate need of help while others thrive.

Published: 19 Apr 2025Sat 19 Apr 2025 at 2:00amwith Robyn Williams

The Science Show - ABC RN

Duration: 52 minutes 38 seconds

Lab Notes: Why sprinting sensation Gout Gout is so fast

Gout Gout is fast becoming the face of Australian athletics, regularly clocking blisteringly quick times over 100- and 200-metre sprints. And he's only 17. Many think the best is yet to come.

Published: 15 Apr 2025Tue 15 Apr 2025 at 2:35amwith Belinda Smith

Illustration of yellow paper, stained with spills and water marks, with words 'Lab Notes' on white paper stuck on top.

Duration: 12 minutes 49 seconds

New findings show how genetic mutations drive autoimmunity.

A protein in the immune system, DECTIN-1 - primarily responsible for defending the body against fungal infections, has been found to control the severity of autoimmune diseases such as irritable bowel disease (IBS), type 1 diabetes, eczema, and…

Published: 12 Apr 2025Sat 12 Apr 2025 at 2:00amwith Robyn Williams

The Science Show - ABC RN

Duration: 54 minutes 5 seconds

Lab Notes: How to decommission a nuclear power plant

We've been hearing a lot about a certain proposal to get nuclear power up and running in Australia, but little's been said about what happens when plants reach the end of their life.

Published: 8 Apr 2025Tue 8 Apr 2025 at 2:50amwith Belinda Smith

Illustration of yellow paper, stained with spills and water marks, with words 'Lab Notes' on white paper stuck on top.

Duration: 13 minutes 47 seconds

A new approach for democracy, tracing ancient dead stars and does the soil have a biome?

Soils are too often neglected but caring for them brings many benefits for plant nutrition, human health and a boost for the farm economy.

Published: 5 Apr 2025Sat 5 Apr 2025 at 1:00amwith Robyn Williams

The Science Show - ABC RN

Duration: 54 minutes 7 seconds

Lab Notes: Should we be putting pig parts in people?

Hearts, kidneys and now livers — over the past couple of years, surgeons have taken all these from gene-edited pigs and put them in people.

Published: 1 Apr 2025Tue 1 Apr 2025 at 1:30amwith Belinda Smith

Illustration of yellow paper, stained with spills and water marks, with words 'Lab Notes' on white paper stuck on top.

Duration: 13 minutes 27 seconds

Net zero carbon emissions – a review of progress

Nick Rowley reviews out progress towards net zero carbon emissions, Jared Diamond proposes mining the sea floor, and California’s legacy of Albert Einstein.

Published: 29 Mar 2025Sat 29 Mar 2025 at 1:00amwith Robyn Williams

The Science Show - ABC RN

Duration: 53 minutes 17 seconds

Lab Notes: Why have Saturn's rings 'vanished'?

As far as planets go, they don't get much more iconic than Saturn. A huge golden ball encircled by gigantic rings. But those distinctive rings — the very things that give Saturn its pizzazz — have seemingly disappeared.

Published: 25 Mar 2025Tue 25 Mar 2025 at 1:30amwith Belinda Smith

Illustration of yellow paper, stained with spills and water marks, with words 'Lab Notes' on white paper stuck on top.

Duration: 11 minutes 48 seconds

Strange Frontiers

Strange Frontiers 01 | From a German peak, powerful lasers are fired into the night sky

Strange Frontiers is a ten-part series taking you to remarkable, hard-to-reach, and off-limits places where scientists work.

Hannes Vogelmann stands amongst the German alps

Duration: 21 minutes 22 seconds

Published: 22 Nov 2024Fri 22 Nov 2024 at 7:43amby Carl Smith

Strange Frontiers 02 | The factory where one of the most expensive and elusive materials is made

Come see how scientists are making antimatter on this episode of Strange Frontiers.

Duration: 23 minutes 47 seconds

Published: 22 Nov 2024Fri 22 Nov 2024 at 7:48amby Carl Smith

Strange Frontiers 03 | How a scientist fell in love with a fossil

The tale of a distant human cousin, Homo heidelbergensis, and the woman charged with keeping one jaw bone safe.

Kristina Eck looks lovingly at the jawbone of Homo heidelbergensis

Duration: 28 minutes 15 seconds

Published: 22 Nov 2024Fri 22 Nov 2024 at 7:50amby Carl Smith

Strange Frontiers 04 | Autonomous minibus ready for passengers

Engineers hope the driverless minibuses will soon be zooming around the snowy capital of Estonia.

Mari-Ly Klaats stands in front of an autonomous minibus

Duration: 21 minutes 18 seconds

Published: 22 Nov 2024Fri 22 Nov 2024 at 7:51amby Carl Smith

The physics of music

The physics of music - part 1

The Science Show presents the first of a three-part series on how physics and music were closely linked in their early development. The series was first heard in 1994 and is presented by physicist from Sydney University the late Ian Johnston.

Duration: 53 minutes 52 seconds

Published: 24 Oct 2022Mon 24 Oct 2022 at 6:39am

The physics of music - part 2

New thinking in the Renaissance led to a new understanding of physics and with it, a new musical scale and new instruments. Physics and music bloomed.

Duration: 53 minutes 21 seconds

Published: 6 Mar 2023Mon 6 Mar 2023 at 8:58pm

The physics of music - part 3

We continue Ian Johnston’s story of the parallel developments of physics and music. Some combinations of notes we find pleasing. Others less so. How is this explained by physics?

Duration: 52 minutes 52 seconds

Published: 6 Mar 2023Mon 6 Mar 2023 at 8:58pm

The physics of music - part 4

We continue our series of programs about the connections between physics and music presented by the late Ian Johnston from The University of Sydney.

Duration: 54 minutes 5 seconds

Published: 24 Oct 2022Mon 24 Oct 2022 at 6:26am

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