The Science Briefing

When a body is discovered in an unusual place, how do we determine when that person died?

Can we narrow the window down to minutes and seconds? 

And why is time of death important in the world of forensics? 

In Part 1 of our forensic science series, Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler about determining time of death, decomposing bodies and what clues these gruesome details can unlock.

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News of Asteroid 2023 BU floating past planet Earth in January was a fleeting story in the global news cycle.

On top of that, we typically don't find out about asteroids floating super close to Earth until a few days before.

That could explain why more us didn't hear about a big space object coming this close.

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler about how we discovery asteroids, how big 2023 US is and whether or not it poses any threat.

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It might sound a bit random, but the cricket bat – yes, literally the bat you swing in the game – is under threat because of climate change.  

This could mean big changes for the sport that well over a million Australians are registered to play and the millions more watch as fans.  

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius about the ways to save the cricket bat and how more of your favourite sports might be feeling the heat.

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There's so much new scientific research coming out it's hard to keep track let alone cover it all on The Science Briefing.

So here are a few stories from last month we didn't get to talk about but think are well worth mentioning.

Dr Sophie Calabretto chats to Cosmos Magazine journalist Imma Perfetto about a text writing algorithm taking the world by storm, lasers being shot at lightning and booger bubbles from echidna noses. 

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It might sound a bit weird, but cryptocurrencies – digital currencies that don’t have a physical form like notes or coins – have a carbon footprint.

This is because crypto requires a huge number of computers and energy to power its existence.  

And Bitcoin is the biggest energy sucker. 

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Petra Stock about how the world’s most famous cryptocurrency could be spewing out huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

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You know when you’re watching tennis on the TV and one of the players calls a challenge, saying ‘hey! That shot was in!' 

Then, an animation plays on your screen of a little virtual ball bouncing across a 3D court.  

If you’ve ever wondered how they spit out this replay so fast, it’s thanks to an incredibly precise technology called Hawk-eye. 

But how does this tech work exactly? And just how accurate is it? 

Dr Sophie Calabretto chats to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius to find out and how Hawk-eye is even more sophisticated at this years Australian Open.

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2022 was a tough year for many reasons and covid was still a big part of that. 

Last year - three years into the pandemic - covid was responsible for around 12,000 deaths.

Now the government is saying to truly reach the other side of the pandemic we must focus on immunity – meaning more vaccines and already having the virus will protect us.  

But is this the case?

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Ellen Phiddian to find out.

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Sitting down for dinner isn't so easy when you're floating around a spacecraft. 

Not only is dining quite different in space but the food options for astronauts are much more limited. 

Meals mostly come in tins, vacuum packs or protein pastes in squidgy tubes - but these can get boring fast, so researchers are brainstorming other options to keep astronauts and their tummies happy.

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin about space food and how long until we can start growing food in space.

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We often think of penguins as waddling and tobogganing across the ice in Antarctica, but there are also colonies scattered across the south coast of Australia. 

Some of these colonies are doing super well and despite all odds their population numbers are thriving and growing.

But other colonies are really struggling, some on the brink of collapse. 

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius about why some little penguin colonies are performing better than others and what needs to change to help the species as a whole.

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If last year was mammoth for space research and exploration, 2023 is gearing up to be even bigger.

We've got planet rovers, trips to icy moons, crisper images of far away galaxies and stars - and that's just to name a few.

Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler about their five top space stories for 2023 and asks you to make a note in your diary about the next rare hybrid eclipse!

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