Scientists have discovered a giant dinosaur-era trapdoor spider fossil in Australia. Caroline Knight, Lindsay Sant, and Lino Saubolle discuss the find’s evolutionary history which offers insights into ancient ecosystems, and the important environmental role of spiders in controlling pests.

The post The Giant Trapdoor Spider That Time Forgot! appeared first on StarQuest Media.

The octopus is a fascinating, intelligent creature and Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss recent discoveries that some octopi will team up with, coax, and even punch fish as they work together to locate and capture prey, suggesting that octopuses may have a complex, social intelligence previously unrecognized in cephalopod behavior.

The post Pugilist Octopi Shepherds appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Are there vast oceans of water underground on Mars? Caroline Knight and Lindsay Sant discuss recent data from NASA's InSight lander that indicate the water might be there and what it could mean for the future of space exploration and life on Mars.

The post Mars’ Hidden Oceans appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Nuclear fusion shows great promise as a nearly unlimited power source. Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss the unexpected connection between fusion and mayonnaise, which scientists are using to model instabilities in inertial confinement fusion.

The post Nuclear Fusion Mayonnaise appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Ancient Egyptian scribes suffered from osteoarthritis, a condition still common today. Caroline Knight and Lindsay Sant discuss how the daily rigors of the scribes mirror modern office worker's health challenges and how study of the scribes can help people today.

The post Egyptian Scribes and Osteoarthritis appeared first on StarQuest Media.

This tiny fork fern has the largest known genome of any organism. Caroline Knight tells Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle about its discovery and the biological implications of large genomes, such as slower growth and reduced efficiency.

The post Tiny Fern, Big DNA appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Go is one of the most difficult strategy board games to master for humans and AI alike. Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss a documentary about Google's DeepMind's 2016 match against human Go master and its significance for how it could tackle real-world challenges.

The post AlphaGo vs. the Champions appeared first on StarQuest Media.

StarQuest CEO Dom Bettinelli has a special message for all listeners and supporters of StarQuest's shows.

The post A Special Message from StarQuest appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Researchers have discovered a new prehistoric giant goose-like bird in South Australia, and Caroline Knight and Lindsay Sant discuss the unique creature, its environment, and the other mega-fauna it would have co-existed with. Plus more on observing ants and SpaceX's Starship launch!

The post Australia’s Prehistoric Giga-Goose appeared first on StarQuest Media.

What would you be willing to do for science? Lindsay Sant and Lino Saubolle discuss a researcher who stepped on deadly snakes 40,000 times to better predict snake bites on behalf of the 5 million people bitten by snakes annually.

The post Stepping into Danger: The Scientist Who Danced with Deadly Snakes to Save Lives appeared first on StarQuest Media.