Huh? Science Explained

The Science Briefing is a brand new podcast about the science of everything and your new go-to podcast for your snapshot of science news. Hosted by Dr Sophie Calabretto and featuring journalists from Cosmos Magazine, The Science Briefing brings you the latest research in technology, health, climate, physics, artificial intelligence, space and much more. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Download the LiSNTR app and search The Science Briefing to listen for free.

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Strap yourselves in: Today we will be looking at how Einstein’s most famous theory and equation lead to accelerating objects gaining mass. Or do they? Plus, luminous cows - trust us on that one.

Evrim Yazgin is a Cosmos journalist with an MSc in Physics from the University of Melbourne. His love of science fiction has spurred an interest in all things flux capacitor to quantum-time-antimatter-inverters.

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We’ve all been given the advice to avoid mixing alcohol and antibiotics, though whether it’s been heeded is another story. Let’s distil the science behind how alcohol and antibiotics interact in the body.

Imma Perfetto is a journalist at Cosmos Magazine and has an honours degree in Science Communication.

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This episode looks at some of the mysteries of the number pi – approximated as 22 divided by 7 (22/7 or 22 July is celebrated as Pi Approximation Day), or roughly 3.14. What is pi, what makes it so special, and why does it turn up in some unexpected places?

Matilda is a science journalist at the Royal Institution of Australia’s Cosmos Magazine with a background in bioethics and microbiology.

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You drink it, you wash in it – but what exactly is in tapwater, and why does it taste different in different places? Plus why you should NEVER drink pure water

Ellen Phiddian worked in science outreach before deciding to become, in her grandmother's words, "one of those whizz-bang science journalists". With a background in chemistry, she's particularly interested in renewable energy, catalysts, and deciphering the ingredients on food packages. Her favourite podcasts are Wardrobe Crisis, Friends at the Table, and just about any audiodrama.

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The delightful field of Oreology studies the fluid physics of the creme inside Oreo cookies – how it deforms, flows, and ultimately fractures, leading to separation of the cookie into two pieces.

Imma Perfetto is a journalist at Cosmos Magazine and has an honours degree in Science Communication. 

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How many basketballs can you fit in the Sun? And how do we understand really really big numbers?

Today we will be calculating the true size of the giant ball of gas in the centre of our Solar System in an exercise in numbers and orders of magnitude.

Evrim Yazgin is a Cosmos journalist with an MSc in Physics from the University of Melbourne. His love of science fiction has spurred an interest in all things flux capacitor to quantum-time-antimatter-inverters.

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Are you a fan or foe of popping candy? Do you enjoy the way it tingles and crackles, or does it put you off?

Whether or not you’ll have the lolly again, it’s hard to deny the feeling the first time popping candy hits your tongue. How many other foods cause such a racket when they get to your mouth?

So, how does this novelty lolly work, and is it bad for us? Well, it’s pretty much entirely sugar – so make your own judgement about whether you want to have it for dinner. But scientifically, popping candy is explosively exciting.

Ellen Phiddian worked in science outreach before deciding to become, in her grandmother's words, "one of those whizz-bang science journalists". With a background in chemistry, she's particularly interested in renewable energy, catalysts, and deciphering the ingredients on food packages. Her favourite podcasts are Wardrobe Crisis, Friends at the Table, and just about any audiodrama.

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If you’re living in southern Australia, you’re probably in no doubt that winter is coming. Temperatures are dropping, the days are getting shorter, and our minds are increasingly occupied with thoughts of hot chocolates, wood fires and blankets. Or maybe that’s just us.

We’re heading towards the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year – on the 21st of June 2022. The summer solstice in December is feeling pretty far away. But have you ever wondered exactly what a solstice is and why it happens?

Matilda is a science writer at the Royal Institution of Australia’s Cosmos Magazine with a background in bioethics and microbiology.

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In today's episode, we look at the recently launched telescope, and its pioneering gaze back into the birth of our universe.

Amalyah Hart is a science journalist at the Royal Institution’s Cosmos Magazine. She has a degree in archaeology and anthropology and a masters in journalism.  

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