The Science Show

By ABC listen

Natural Sciences

What's The Science Show about?

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.

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LAST EPISODE

A battle between consciousn...

09.16.2023

What happens when two theories are pitted against one another? Are we any closer to knowing where consciousness arises?

The Science Show episodes:

09.16.2023 A battle between consciousness theories, and harnessing resources from thin air What happens when two theories are pitted against one another? Are we any closer to knowing where consciousness arises?
09.09.2023 Sir John Eccles and the invaluable work of his daughter Rose This Australian father-daughter duo played a huge part in the science and philosophy instrumental in the mind-brain problem.
09.02.2023 Sir John Eccles, one of the big brains in neuroscience Sharon Carleton takes a look at his decades of work in this 2003 feature, coinciding with this year's Eccles Institute seminar at ANU.
08.26.2023 Cyber hygiene, deep sea parasites and what weeds can teach us about cancer All the science underway to protect our health, our environment... and our smartphones?
08.19.2023 Big ideas at Beaker Street Festival Some of the science on display at this year's Hobart-wide celebration of the big, small and occasionally glowy.
08.12.2023 What can we learn from five minutes of silence? Sometimes we all need to sit in silence ... but is there ever really silence? Take a seat and let your ears provide the answer.
08.05.2023 The Oppenheimer who influenced our modern science centres The Exploratorium in San Francisco opened in 1969, and went on to inspire our own science centres in Australia.
07.29.2023 Pioneering particles, time-travelling molecules and outer space poets Scientists are harnessing the very small to explore very big things — from faults in massive structures to time reversal at the molecular level.
07.22.2023 There's no age limit to science From a teenage enthusiast to a 100-year-old Nobel Prize winner, The Science Show explores the agelessness of wonder.
07.15.2023 Protecting habitats and the creatures that dwell within Climate change is already having far-reaching consequences, for our forests, our oceans and ourselves.
07.08.2023 Torres Strait VR, taming CERN's magnets and Fiji's fight against varroa mite Testing magnets for CERN'S Large Hadron Collider is a high-stakes job, with serious consequences.
07.01.2023 Where science can lead: An isolated island, the slimy forest floor, and centre stage for stand-up Come along for a midnight hunt at a secluded resort, and a dawn boat trip to the speck of land where Hollywood Blockbuster Castaway was filmed.
06.24.2023 Communities team up with scientists to tackle flooding Meet two groups — one in Scotland, the other in the US state of Georgia — using science against floodwaters.
06.17.2023 Helping marine life thrive — from Fiji to Goondiwindi Tag along for a trip out to sea to meet a woman from the Solomon Islands who is tracking this looming danger in the Pacific Ocean.
06.10.2023 Come inside the vault preserving Pacific plants for future generations Carl Smith takes a trip to the Pacific to catch up with scientists working to conserve the region's biodiversity.
06.03.2023 The surprising past — and promising future of women in science A woman was among Australia's first three science graduates. But it's still far from a level playing field.
05.27.2023 The botanist behind Dame Edna's favourite flower, and the virtuous side of weeds There's a scientific story behind Dame Edna's famous Gladioli, and it involves one of Australia's top botanists.
05.20.2023 Nearer the Gods: The enduring legacy of Isaac Newton He's one of the most famous scientists ever. But who was Isaac Newton, really? Sharon Carleton presents a portrait like no other about the myths surrounding the genius.
05.13.2023 Unravelling the mysterious workings of the epigenome — and the universe Dark matter is assumed to be responsible for holding the universe together. So where is it?
05.06.2023 Celebrating David Attenborough on his 97th birthday Reflecting on Sir David Attenborough's decades-long contribution to our understanding of the natural world.
04.29.2023 A lab for seas and winds, measuring carbon dioxide and monitoring animal ecology Dave Keeling started measuring carbon dioxide in 1958, Dave’s son Ralph continues his father’s work today.
04.22.2023 Astronomers watch as black hole pulls dust cloud apart And bee venom shows promise treating a range of cancers.
04.15.2023 Beaming energy to Earth from space And one hundred years ago, a scientific expedition in Australia showed Einstein was right.
04.08.2023 Technology helps scientists discover new species As pressure on the natural world increases, new technology is bringing fast results as scientists monitor fauna and flora and identify new species.
04.01.2023 Bees communicate intricate information with their dance and Moon mission to map water By performing their waggle dance, bees communicate information about direction, distance and quality of a food source.
03.25.2023 World’s biggest coal port could become the world’s biggest hydrogen port. And Vale Will Steffen And soft tissues can be fossilised. They help piece together the history of life on Earth.
03.18.2023 Academy calls for increased science funding, DNA used to nab wildlife smugglers, and worms reveal secrets of brains and memory. The Australian Academy of Science has called for a review of science funding in Australia.
03.11.2023 Helping young children after burn injury, inside the minds of teens, and behind the scenes at London’s Natural History Museum In the final Strange Frontiers, Carl Smith takes us into the vault at one of the world’s greatest archives of natural history.
03.04.2023 Visit the world’s biggest fission reactor under construction in France and discover the wonders of algae If successful, ITER promises to provide abundant clean energy.
02.25.2023 The value of seagrasses, fish with remarkable powers and how parasites threaten aquatic life Small unremarkable fish use light to detect and avoid predators.
02.18.2023 Autonomous minibus and predicting the behaviour of pedestrians Carl Smith takes us to the Estonian capital Tallinn to ride an autonomous minibus.
02.11.2023 Harry Butler honoured and how a scientist fell in love with a fossil Murdoch University's Harry Butler Institute honours the well-known warrior for the environment.
02.04.2023 A tour of the antimatter factory and John Wheeler remembered Carl Smith takes us to the Antimatter factory.
01.28.2023 Hope from COP27 and atmospheric research from Germany’s highest peak Hope from COP27 and atmospheric research from Germany’s highest peak
01.21.2023 The surprising Huxley family, certainty, and climate prospects for 2023 From T. H. Huxley - ‘Darwin’s Bulldog’ – to author Aldous Huxley to Nobel Prize winner Andrew Huxley, a new book tells the tale of this remarkable scientific family.
01.14.2023 The evolution of galaxies and chasing the big cosmological questions A cosmological Science Show and competition emerging for Haydn’s Creation!
01.07.2023 Celebrating Gregor Mendel the father of genetics Following experiments with peas and other plants, Gregor Mendel proposed a theory of inheritance which became the basis of modern biology.
12.31.2022 Celebrating Charles Todd and the overland telegraph The overland telegraph connecting Australia to the world was completed 150 years ago. It was built due to the dedication of a public servant, Charles Todd.
12.24.2022 A portrait of Dame Miriam Rothschild She was a world expert on fleas. Despite being self-taught, she was awarded doctorates from Cambridge and Oxford.
12.17.2022 Human impact on and response to changing climate By mid-century, human activity will have doubled atmospheric greenhouse gases compared to the pre-industrial level.
12.10.2022 Smart cameras watch for anomalies, Prime Minister’s awards for top science teachers and DNA reveals the history of disease DNA analysis suggests tuberculosis may have jumped to humans from seals.
12.03.2022 PM’s Prizes for Science, koalas, COP27 and Catherine the Great PM’s Prizes for Science, koalas, COP and Catherine the Great
11.26.2022 Recovering aluminium from tailings, aluminium formate to absorb carbon dioxide from power station exhausts, and a Neanderthal family like us The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.
11.19.2022 Best Australian Science Writing winners and prospects for computing Subconsciously humans learn from their experiences. Giving this same information to computers is a big challenge.
11.12.2022 New technology brings added value to museum collections More than 5 million specimens have been digitised at London's Natural History Museum. Just 75 million to go. It’s a slow journey, but the benefits will be immense.
11.05.2022 How crows use deception, saving freshwater turtles and the history of horses Around 4,200 years ago, horses began accepting humans. Greger Larson describes the change in a species which changed the course of human history.
10.29.2022 Storms changing our coasts, plastic in the ocean, and a call for geoengineering The Science Show presents unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.
10.22.2022 How carbon is our friend and unravelling the mystery of communication in plants The Science Show presents unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.
10.15.2022 Grid batteries made in Australia and pumped hydro using abandoned underground mines The Science Show presents unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.
10.08.2022 Nobel Prizes, climate extremes and how science can help save us The Science Show presents unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.

Older episodes

The Science Show

What's The Science Show about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Science Show episodes:

A battle between consciousness theories, and harnessing resources from thin air

Sir John Eccles and the invaluable work of his daughter Rose

Sir John Eccles, one of the big brains in neuroscience

Cyber hygiene, deep sea parasites and what weeds can teach us about cancer

Big ideas at Beaker Street Festival

What can we learn from five minutes of silence?

The Oppenheimer who influenced our modern science centres

Pioneering particles, time-travelling molecules and outer space poets

There's no age limit to science

Protecting habitats and the creatures that dwell within

Torres Strait VR, taming CERN's magnets and Fiji's fight against varroa mite

Where science can lead: An isolated island, the slimy forest floor, and centre stage for stand-up

Communities team up with scientists to tackle flooding

Helping marine life thrive — from Fiji to Goondiwindi

Come inside the vault preserving Pacific plants for future generations

The surprising past — and promising future of women in science

The botanist behind Dame Edna's favourite flower, and the virtuous side of weeds

Nearer the Gods: The enduring legacy of Isaac Newton

Unravelling the mysterious workings of the epigenome — and the universe

Celebrating David Attenborough on his 97th birthday

A lab for seas and winds, measuring carbon dioxide and monitoring animal ecology

Astronomers watch as black hole pulls dust cloud apart

Beaming energy to Earth from space

Technology helps scientists discover new species

Bees communicate intricate information with their dance and Moon mission to map water

World’s biggest coal port could become the world’s biggest hydrogen port. And Vale Will Steffen

Academy calls for increased science funding, DNA used to nab wildlife smugglers, and worms reveal secrets of brains and memory.

Helping young children after burn injury, inside the minds of teens, and behind the scenes at London’s Natural History Museum

Visit the world’s biggest fission reactor under construction in France and discover the wonders of algae

The value of seagrasses, fish with remarkable powers and how parasites threaten aquatic life

Autonomous minibus and predicting the behaviour of pedestrians

Harry Butler honoured and how a scientist fell in love with a fossil

A tour of the antimatter factory and John Wheeler remembered

Hope from COP27 and atmospheric research from Germany’s highest peak

The surprising Huxley family, certainty, and climate prospects for 2023

The evolution of galaxies and chasing the big cosmological questions

Celebrating Gregor Mendel the father of genetics

Celebrating Charles Todd and the overland telegraph

A portrait of Dame Miriam Rothschild

Human impact on and response to changing climate

Smart cameras watch for anomalies, Prime Minister’s awards for top science teachers and DNA reveals the history of disease

PM’s Prizes for Science, koalas, COP27 and Catherine the Great

Recovering aluminium from tailings, aluminium formate to absorb carbon dioxide from power station exhausts, and a Neanderthal family like us

Best Australian Science Writing winners and prospects for computing

New technology brings added value to museum collections

How crows use deception, saving freshwater turtles and the history of horses

Storms changing our coasts, plastic in the ocean, and a call for geoengineering

How carbon is our friend and unravelling the mystery of communication in plants

Grid batteries made in Australia and pumped hydro using abandoned underground mines

Nobel Prizes, climate extremes and how science can help save us