Two incidents of falling space junk have been recorded in the last two months – one on a farm in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains and another just metres from villages in South East Asia.  

While chances you’ll be hit by falling space junk were thought to be astronomically low - new estimates say the risks are much higher and they’re only getting worse.  

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius about the odds you, or someone you know, will be hit by falling space junk and who is responsible for the damage caused.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia got one step closer to passing its first ever bill on climate change this August, with an emissions reduction target of 43% by 2030 front and centre. 

But, while politicians and experts discuss how we’ll meet this target, a controversial Australian coal mine continues to pump huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere.  

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler about just how potent methane is as a greenhouse gas and the concerns major coal companies could be underreporting their emissions and holding us back from reaching this target.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rabies is one of the most lethal viral infections on the planet and when symptoms start presenting it’s unfortunately too late.  

Australia is rabies free with only 2 confirmed human deaths from the virus, both from last century. But for many countries across Asia and Africa it's still a very real and deadly threat.  

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Imma Perfetto about the defences we have against rabies and a critical new finding that could boost protection for those with daily exposure to the virus.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, the Murray-Darling Basin was back in the headlines.

A new report was released stressing the basin is unlikely to meet a major environmental target for South Australia.

It has reignited concerns about water extraction in the basin and how we need to balance farming with the hundreds of species that call the basin home.

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius about the critical findings in this report, why this target is crucial and how just out of reach these targets really are.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our planet is drowning in plastic. It’s in our oceans, overflowing in landfill and even making its way into our bodies in the form of microplastics.  

To address the plastic crisis, some scientists are getting creative in the lab. One research group has identified a species that will happily eat plastic and break it down – they’re calling them superworms. 

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Ellen Phiddian about the species that will happily munch on a plastic snack and exactly how this will help address our global plastic problem. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world was dazzled by the first images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released in July – giving us a stunning and deeper look into our universe than we’ve ever had before.  

But these images are only the beginning; data is pouring out of the telescope and could potentially answer some of our biggest questions about the origins of the universe. 

In the first episode of The Science Briefing, host Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin about what these first images tell us and how the race is on to make the next major space discovery. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Science Briefing is a brand new podcast about the science of everything and your 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. Drops August 4. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.