Evidence is mounting that Indigenous people were in Australia early than the 65,000 date most now know. And there are suggestions the continent supported a population of at least 2 million people. Authors Sean Ulm, Billy Griffiths and Larissa Behrendt explore these ideas in their book The First Inventors.

Plants are more aware of their surroundings then we give them credit for. A growing body of work is showing that plants can change themselves in response to different sounds.

Doctor Samarth, a molecular biologist from the University of Canterbury, is one of these researchers, looking at the mechanisms behind plant senses. 

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Featuring:

• Doctor Samarth, University of Canterbury 

Further information:

The secret sensory life of plants: researchers are discovering how they see, hear, feel – and even remember

Plants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewing

Tuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

AI offers instant translations between human languages. So will we one day communicate with whales? And while we marvel at the possibilities, the challenge today is preventing collisions between sea creatures and ships, or whales and turtles becoming tangled in nets.

Ever wondered how your sweater became bright orange, or how your leather shoes were made? Chances are, at some point in the process, hazardous chemicals like lead or azo dyes were used. 

Jonathan Webb speaks to Ellen Phiddian, science reporter with Radio National, about whether these chemicals are dangerous to us, and if we should be worried about them. 

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Featuring:

• Ellen Phiddian, science reporter

Further information:

Lead may contaminate our clothes but there's no requirement to test for it

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

The IOC will test athletes for a sex gene. But as Jenny Graves explains, human genomics is diverse. Some athletes may be genetic exceptions and will need to be handled with care and sensitivity.

A new giant dinosaur has been uncovered in Thailand: the largest ever found in South-East Asia.

More than 100 million years ago, Nagatitan towered over the Earth — and has now been described by a team of researchers from the UK and Thailand.  

Jonathan Webb speaks with Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a PhD student at University College London who was part of the team that discovered and named this prehistoric behemoth.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Featuring:

• Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, PhD student University College London

Further information:

The first sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation of Thailand enriches the diversity of somphospondylan titanosauriforms in southeast Asia

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Belinda Smith reports on the winners and losers in science following the federal budget brought down this week by treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Stories of AI chatbot users drifting from our shared reality are increasingly common, often described as cases of AI delusions, delusional spirals, or AI psychosis.

New research from Stanford University and the Human Line Project investigates the mechanisms behind these delusions, asking whether AI is making people more delusional or whether these chatbots are simply agreeing with delusional thinking.

You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.

Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Featuring:

• James Purtill, technology reporter

Further information:

The Dynamics of Delusion: Modeling Bidirectional False Belief Amplification in Human-Chatbot Dialogue

Characterizing Delusional Spirals through Human-LLM Chat Logs

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

The much-loved naturalist David Attenborough is 100. And still working!

For more than 70 years, Sir David Attenborough has shown audiences awe-inspiring moments in nature. In this tribute we reflect on the immense contribution the legendary naturalist has made to our appreciation and understanding of the natural world.