Lost in Science

This week we go from fossils to fossil fuels, as Chris looks into the misclassification of the Dimetrodon and wonders why they didn't get bigger via giant spiders, and Stu drills down into the realities of Australia's oil reserves, and why our supply isn't what some people think it is.

This week, Chris checks out a study showing carbon dioxide levels in human blood rising with greenhouse gas emissions, and contemplates the health effects; and Linden unearths a Taiwanese study that crafted artificial dinosaur eggs to determine whether the oviraptor Heyuannia sat on their nest to incubate them.

This week on Lost in Science, Claire chats with veterinary parasitologist Professor Shokoofeh Shamsi about the recent spate of shark encounters and why we still don’t fully understand animal behaviour in these moments. From parasites to changing ocean environments, it turns out there’s a whole ecosystem of missing pieces—and a growing call for deeper research to help us make sense of it all.Meanwhile, Linden takes us back tens of thousands of years to explore groundbreaking discoveries of the oldest known rock art in Sulawesi, Indonesia. What does this ancient artwork reveal about the human journey, cultural development, and the deep histories connected to First Nations Australians?

Stu looks into the scientific origin of a famous album cover and how it reveals the legacy of a pioneering female astrophysicist, and Chris looks into the strange story of a tiny insect bite that can lead to anaphylaxis of a carnivorous kind.

For our International Women's Day Special, Linden and Claire talk statistics around how to Balance the Scales for women in STEM in Australia. We also hear from women in STEM from across Australia about what International Women's Day means to them.

This week, Linden talks to atmospheric chemist Rob Ryan about the effect on coral of changes in the air over the Great Barrier Reef; and Stu updates us on some recent findings on parasites, including a self-experiment from a researcher’s encounter with a sand flea (Tunga penetrans).

This week on Lost in Science, Claire dives headfirst into the evolutionary echidna-and-egg conundrum: which came first — the placental mammal or the mammalian egg of our humble monotreme cousins? Then Stu explores fascinating new research into how artificial intelligence might help bring people back from conspiracy theories — not by arguing louder, but by engaging directly with the evidence that convinced them in the first place. Can AI help untangle deeply held beliefs?

How can skiiers and ice skaters go so fast? It turns out, we're still not sure! And what ingredients are needed to see the northern or southern lights? Find out with Chris and Linden on this week's episode of Lost in Science. Additional show notes:To receive alerts from the Bureau of Meteorology's Space Weather Service, head to their Space Weather Service mailing list page.

Welcome back the team for a new year, and Stu talks to Professor Tim Stinear from the Doherty institute and Director of the WHO collaborative centre on Buruli ulcer about a project tracking the prevalence of the ulcer using environmental surveillance to assess presence and provenance of the bacteria.

Continuing our January tradition of playing highlights from the past year, Chris responds to media reports of possible over-diagnosis and over-medication of ADHD by looking at the data and current research and best practice; meanwhile Claire gets her teeth into a new, large longitudinal study that showed water fluoridation did not harm cognition or IQ.