Explore every episode of the podcast The Science Show

Your phone battery doesn't like being fully charged or discharged. This is why it's sometimes advised that to extend its life, you shouldn't charge your phone beyond 80 per cent, or let it drop below 20 per cent.

But what's actually happening inside a lithium-ion battery to cause this effect, and what does it mean for battery engineering — and the life of the battery in your phone, or your electric car?

Jonathan Webb powers through the chemistry of batteries with Professor Neeraj Sharma.

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:

• Professor Neeraj Sharma, University of New South Wales

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

Millions, perhaps billions of sharks teeth lie on the ocean floor. Valuable mineral deposits collect on their fossilised remains. Now they are viewed as a resource and if exploited devastation will come to an little known ecosystem.

Deep in an old gold mine in South Dakota, scientists witnessed a flash of energy in a giant pool of xenon. Some in the astronomical community are pretty excited, saying this is our best hint yet at what dark matter is. How do we know, why does it matter — and what happens next?

Jonathan Webb shines a light on dark matter with Dr Theresa Fruth, who was involved in the potential discovery.

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 Theresa Fruth, University of Sydney

Further information:

'Exciting hint' of dark matter spotted by LUX-ZEPLIN detector, physicists report

Search for dark matter particle interactions in an extended nuclear recoil energy window with the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment

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

Plus the tree bark which hosts a whole world of methane-absorbing microbes.

AI is getting so good at maths that it is now tackling, and apparently solving, some of the hardest mathematical problems that exist. But as huge companies like OpenAI and Anthropic race to outdo each other, human mathematicians are getting caught in the crossfire... and their field is changing forever. 

Jonathan Webb speaks to ABC AI Technology Reporter Cam Wilson about the furore over the Navier-Stokes equations and the million-dollar Millennium Prize.

Featuring:

• Cam Wilson, AI Reporter at ABC.
• Professor Tristan Buckmaster, Mathematician at New York University.

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

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

And botanists intervene to save a plant that may have become sterile

It's been three months since the first case of bird flu was found on the Australian continent.

Many cases have been found in birds since then, along with other mammals. So where has it spread? And what can we expect to see as spring and summer arrive?

Jonathan Webb speaks with Peter de Kruijff, who's been following bird flu since the very beginning.

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

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

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

Most people know the feeling of ticklishness, whether it's the tickle attacks that bring about uncontrollable laughter or the feather-like touch from something brushing against your skin.

But why do we feel ticklish? Can we stop it? And why did we — and all our ape cousins — evolve this sensation?

Jonathan Webb speaks to Dr Anina Rich to explore the science of this everyday experience.

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 Anina Rich, Macquarie University

Further information:

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

Dust storms on Mars make the biggest on Earth seem like a gentle breeze. Chelsea Huang describes the Martian conditions which produce humungous dust storms that cover the entire planet. 

These little spiders that live in the dark corner of your garage have a pretty crazy sex life. Researchers have known for a while that male redback spiders get eaten during sex — but not only that, they somersault themselves right onto the fangs of the female.

Considering the ultimate aim of this process is to create more spiders , this seems pretty counterintuitive. So it begs the question: why do they do it?

Jonathan Webb and Ellen Phiddian get caught up in the science of this act, discussing what researchers have uncovered in the genes of the redback spider and its relatives.

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:

• Ellen Phiddian, science reporter

Further information:

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

Plus hope for corals, and the story of a museum thief who liked butterflies.

Right now, a high-stakes mission is underway to save NASA's Swift telescope before it falls back to Earth.

There's just one problem… the rescue satellite has run into some issues. So who rescues the rescuer?

Jonathan Webb and Dr Sara Webb launch into this issue to see what scientists are doing to get this satellite back on track, and whether it can save Swift in time.

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.

Editor's note: the day after this episode was published, Australian time, NASA announced that its plan to boost the Swift Observatory was being abandoned because of ongoing issues controlling the pointing of the LINK spacecraft. It will still test out "rendesvous and proximity operations" which might provide useful results for similar missions in the future, but will not attempt to grab and lift the telescope as planned.

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

Featuring:

• Dr Sara Webb, Swinburne University of Technology

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

* The attraction of smelly feet * Plants that trap insects* Pollen grains reveal Australia's first flowering plants* Vale botanist Peter Raven* Australians smashing it at CERN

The last days of winter are here and already you may be seeing flowers blooming around you. Why is that? How do flowers know when to bloom, and is it always around springtime?

Jonathan Webb digs into these questions with Dr Greg Moore to try and uncover the mechanisms behind flowering plants.

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 Greg Moore, The University of Melbourne

Further information:

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

* Mathematics as the basis of western musical harmony and how J. S. Bach loved numbers* Victoria's first dark matter detector fires up* Hurdles for new battery technology* Vale Bill Oddie

It's census time, which means lots of us are about to submit personal information via the Internet.

Whether it's the ABS or your favourite online shop — how safe is our data in an era when AI models have shown they can hack companies without even being asked to?

Jonathan Webb opens a back door to this new normal of cybersecurity with Professor Toby Murray.

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:

• Professor Toby Murray, The University of Melbourne

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

* Fluorescent sensors bring cell contents to life* Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers* Animal senses that work as well in water as on land* Mushroom Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Fungal Lives* Descend two kilometres underground to the cleanest lab on Earth

The longest survey of our southern skies — The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) — has just begun from the Vera Rubin Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert.

Over the next 10 years, the largest digital camera on Earth will look at the same patches of sky time and again, aiming to record exploding stars, new asteroids, and maybe find what's behind dark energy.

Jonathan Webb gets sucked into grand cosmic questions with Dr Anais Möller, as they discuss how astronomers are getting a head start on their research from the survey.

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 Anais Möller, Senior Research Fellow Swinburne University

Further information:

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

* Celebrating Charles Todd, father of the overland telegraph* Diverse background ideal for leader in pioneering science* Mirror life risks catastrophe* Future Right Now reveals concerns of young people* Botany courses becoming an endangered species

This year has been one of the worst starts to the snow season since records began. And it's a trend that researchers say will only continue in the years to come. 

But what's causing this change? What's the outlook for the rest of this ski season, and should we all just be booking a holiday to Japan? 

Jonathan Webb goes off-piste with climate reporter Romy Stephens about what this all means. 

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:

• Romy Stephens, climate reporter

Further information:

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

* Gillard tribute to Ogilvie* The future of sleep* Fossil graveyards an archive of climate and ecology* How bacteria behave in the body* White possums in peril

Before any new therapy or medicine is placed on the shelves of a pharmacy, it needs to be tested in humans first.

What does that process look like? And who are the people testing these new drugs?

Jonathan Webb goes behind the curtain of clinical trials with health reporter Lauren Roberts to take a look at what happens in Australia.

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:

• Lauren Roberts, health reporter

Further information:

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

A team from Caltech is using ultrasound to reveal processes at work one kilometre under Antarctic ice. 

AI chatbots are helping to crack long-standing mathematical problems, including some of the famous Paul Erdős conjectures that have remained unsolved for nearly 80 years. It's not just researchers finding these solutions, either: it's also amateur mathematicians armed with off-the-shelf ChatGPT.Jonathan Webb wheels out the chalkboard with Dr Melissa Lee to discuss how AI is shaping the field of mathematics, and if anyone can be a mathematician these days.

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 Melissa Lee, Senior Lecturer Monash University

Further information:

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

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?

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.

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

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

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.

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

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:

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

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.

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:

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

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.

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:

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

AI offers instant translations between human languages. So will we one day communicate with whales? And while we marvel at the possibilities, the challenge today is preventing collisions between sea creatures and ships, or whales and turtles becoming tangled in nets.

Ever wondered how your sweater became bright orange, or how your leather shoes were made? Chances are, at some point in the process, hazardous chemicals like lead or azo dyes were used. 

Jonathan Webb speaks to Ellen Phiddian, science reporter with Radio National, about whether these chemicals are dangerous to us, and if we should be worried about 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:

• Ellen Phiddian, science reporter

Further information:

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

The IOC will test athletes for a sex gene. But as Jenny Graves explains, human genomics is diverse. Some athletes may be genetic exceptions and will need to be handled with care and sensitivity.

A new giant dinosaur has been uncovered in Thailand: the largest ever found in South-East Asia.

More than 100 million years ago, Nagatitan towered over the Earth — and has now been described by a team of researchers from the UK and Thailand.  

Jonathan Webb speaks with Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a PhD student at University College London who was part of the team that discovered and named this prehistoric behemoth.

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:

• Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, PhD student University College London

Further information:

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

Belinda Smith reports on the winners and losers in science following the federal budget brought down this week by treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Stories of AI chatbot users drifting from our shared reality are increasingly common, often described as cases of AI delusions, delusional spirals, or AI psychosis.

New research from Stanford University and the Human Line Project investigates the mechanisms behind these delusions, asking whether AI is making people more delusional or whether these chatbots are simply agreeing with delusional thinking.

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:

• James Purtill, technology reporter

Further information:

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

The much-loved naturalist David Attenborough is 100. And still working!

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.

Australia’s research potential is not matched by funding. Belinda Smith speaks to scientists impacted and science minister Tim Ayres responds.

The Kimberley region is more than 2000 kilometres north of Western Australia's capital city, Perth. The area is both extremely remote and extremely beautiful. So why is it the proposed location for Australia's biggest "AI factory"? Why do we need this massive AI data centre? And are these factories likely to be built in other remote parts of Australia? 

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:

• Jess Baker, ABC rural reporter

More information:

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

Despite the many benefits from a multi-country collaboration on a major astronomy project, Australia will not be part of the European Southern Observatory after 2027.

Australians were captivated by the recent Artemis II mission — and they’re hungry for more. New YouGov polling reveals surging national interest in space exploration and its future.

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:

• Brooke Schlesinger, associate director at YouGov Australia

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

Secretions from hookworms are being used to develop treatments for autoimmune diseases which include food allergies.

In 2024, measles claimed an estimated 95,000 lives around the world – despite the fact that we have an effective, affordable vaccine. In Australia, at least 80 cases have been recorded this year. So is measles back?

The biggest science infrastructure requires collaboration. Australia has said no to joining the European Southern Observatory and will not share in the discovery, the experience and many benefits.