The Science Briefing

Giant wombats and seven metre long lizards - not the stuff of nightmares, but real creatures that roamed Australia some 50,000 years ago.

They're called megafauna and the majority of these big animals and mammals went extinct, although we're not sure exactly why. 

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin about the biggest and weirdest creatures that once walked the Earth, why they were so big and the theories around what wiped them out.

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Most dentists say you should brush your teeth twice a day, so if you think about it, it's one of the most regular things we put in our mouths. 

But how much do you know about the chemicals in your toothpaste?

Cosmos Magazine journalist and resident chemistry expert Ellen Phiddian runs us through what's in your toothpaste and the tablets some claim can replace brushing altogether.

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James Bond has had hundreds of zany gadgets over the years - but how many of them are actually real?

Some completely defy the laws of physics but quite a few that seem like fantasy are actually legit.

Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius separates fact from fiction when it comes to  gadgets and weaponry in the James Bond universe.

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You might remember the chaos about a hole in the ozone layer back in the 1980s and 90s. 

The protective layer above the Earth protecting us from harmful UV radiation that was being stripped away? 

Well, now the hole is on its way to a full recovery! But humans have a knack for screwing things up and the ozone layer is no exception. 

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Ellen Phiddian about how we overcame this environmental hurdle and the latest threat that could catapult us right back to where we started. 

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They love street food scraps, they’re often a bit mangled looking but they’re also incredibly smart? 

Research on pigeon intelligence has picked up serious speed these last few years that has found these birds have some serious brains. 

Not only can they solve incredibly complex mathematics but in some cases they can even identify deadly tumors.  

Dr Sophie Calabretto gets a pigeon intelligence blow-by-blow from Cosmos Magazine journalist Petra Stock.

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The science around medicinal cannabis for the most part remains incomplete. 

And for the conditions that it does help treat, it's often incredibly difficult to access.

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Imma Perfetto about the science behind medicinal cannabis, the conditions it's typically prescribed for and what the future looks like for Australia's medicinal cannabis industry.

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Apocalyptic melting glaciers, Jupiter and Saturn in a moon battle and whales resorting to violence - here are the science stories from February you might have missed. 

Featuring Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin.

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There are HEAPS of other forensic methods we haven’t been able to cover in this series. 

And unfortunately, a whole bunch of them are nowhere near as reliable as you might think.  

At times, they can be flat out inaccurate. 

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler about the unreliable forensic methods, how some have sent the wrong people to jail and even sentenced innocent people to death.

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DNA identification is one of the most powerful tools in forensic science. 

it can pinpoint who was at a crime scene and even uncover who was behind the crime. 

But how does it work?

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius about the power of DNA in forensics and how profiling has cracked open cold cases more than 50 years old.

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Blood – it's a pretty standard part of a crime scene.  

But what can bloodstains splattered across a room actually tell us about a crime? 

And how granular can that detail get? Down to the very weapon that was used? 

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Ellen Phiddian about bloodstain pattern analysis and reconstructing gruesome events only using little red droplets.

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