Great Moments In Science

The Greatest Moment in Science

Dr Karl was first heard on the wireless in 1981 when he convinced Triple J that a talk about the space shuttle would be good listening because he had applied to be a NASA astronaut. The shuttle did (eventually) launch ...

Insects fly to the light

The ancient Romans thought that insects were attracted to bright light, and then there's the well-known phrase, "drawn like a moth to a flame", so it seems like people over many years have spotted insects coming into the lights, at ...

Sniffing out disease with Dr Karl

The power of smell can't be understated — our noses don't just sniff out tasty treats, they can also alert us to danger. In this episode of Great Moments in Science, Dr Karl tells the story of a super-sniffer who ...

The physics of dunking biscuits

Humans have been dunking biscuits for as long as biscuits have existed. But why do we do it? Why are soggy biscuits so darn good? In this archive episode of Great Moments in Science, Dr Karl submerges himself into the ...

I do not like green eggs and ham... or potatoes?

Green potatoes — would you like them here or there? Would you like them anywhere? Well as Dr Karl taught us last week, potatoes contain a potentially deadly chemical, and a green tinge is its greatest tell. In this archive ...

Of Mice and Milk

What you eat or drink just after you finish pumping iron is crucial to laying down muscle. Dr Karl weighs up the best way to bulk up, in this archive episode of Great Moments in Science from 2011.

A slip of the tongue

There are plenty of reasons why a person might poke their tongue out. Sometimes it can be a rude or cute gesture. Maori warriors do it as a sign of defiance, and Tibetans do it as a greeting. But many ...

Athlete deaths—and COVID vaccines

Athletes are not just fit, they also attract a lot of media attention, especially if stories are put around that COVID vaccines are a cause of death in this group. In late 2021 such claims were being made - and ...

Why hangovers happen, Part 2

Continuing the story about the effects of alcohol we arrive at the “drunchies”—short for the “drunken munchies”. They’re what occur after a bout of too much drinking. You become very hungry and much your way through any fast food within ...

How to snap spaghetti: Pt 2

For some snapping spaghetti is sacrilege — but for others it’s science.

Trees have senses too

How do trees face an incoming threat if they can't move, see, or hear?

Dark matter

About 95 per cent of the mass in the universe seems to be missing — what's going on!?

The number of humans ever born

An interesting demographics exercise is to add up the number of humans who've existed. This is different from how many people are in a population—which in late November 2022, is about 8 billion. But using data going back as far ...

Why we wear masks—and the N95 is a good one, Part 1

Nowadays we're pretty familiar with wearing a face mask to reduce infection rates, and that some masks are better than others.But understanding why the N95 mask is a really good mask one came as a surprise. Host: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki ...

Gamma ray bursters, Part 2

The further adventures of some of the most powerful events in our Universe: Gamma Ray Bursts. The biggest one recorded was in October 2022, in a galaxy far, far away. What would have happened if it had exploded inside our ...

Lifts and their new-fangled destination despatching

The invention of the elevator made city-living possible. It made possible a rapid mixing of cultures and concepts, efficient use of energy—and ultimately, increased economic output. And now there's a further improvement called 'destination despatching'.

Testes taste test

In 2013 the academic journal published an article called, “Taste perception: from the tongue to the testis”. It looked at some of the distinct taste sensations that we register in the Gustatory Cortex - the taste centre of our brain ...

Why did Tonga's huge volcanic eruption affect Australia's surf?

It wasn't the first, second or even third issue to come up in the wake of this year's huge undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga. But the eruption, and the ensuing tsunamis, did have a far-reaching impact on the kingdom's neighbours ...

Doubling down — taking a second look at the mystery of doppelgängers

Dr Karl explains how artificial intelligence detects and distinguishes between look-alikes.

Can a coin falling from a great height be lethal?

There's a precise science behind the impact of small, falling objects. Some can be deadly. Others don't pack much of a punch.

Earth is accelerating, Pt 2

Part 2 of the explanation about the accelerating spin of the Earth - which is against the trend of the last one-and-a-half billion years.

Electric battery = car + house

Electricity supply is shifting to renewables, so batteries are important. It might even be cheaper to power your house with the battery from your electric car, rather than batteries specifically designed for houses.

The number of humans between dawn and dusk

What happens when you get winded?

Have you ever been winded? You suddenly lose the ability to do something you've done 15 times each minute of your life. It's one part anatomy, one part physiology, and one part don't panic.

Measles erases immune system memory

Measles is a nasty infection that you don't want to get. It can cause death and, what's more, it can also erase your immune system's memory. Only relatively recently scientists have measured this directly - by concentrating on antibodies – ...