The Science Show

* 2026 Nobel prizes in science* Air fryer vs deep fryer: Which produces more indoor air pollution?* First major biography of Francis Crick

If you reach for the old tea towel in the cupboard, this episode is for you. 

It's time to talk textiles: why older towels seem to be better at drying, and when it may be time to throw out your more well-worn towels.

Jonathan follows the thread with Ellen Phiddian to find out what we can do with our linen. 

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]

Or get yourself a Radio National tea towel commemorating Science Week 2026!

Featuring:

• Ellen Phiddian, Science Reporter ABC

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

And genetics reveals further details of a great friendship story – humans and dogs.

Your phone battery doesn't like being fully charged or discharged. This is why it's sometimes advised that to extend its life, you shouldn't charge your phone beyond 80 per cent, or let it drop below 20 per cent.

But what's actually happening inside a lithium-ion battery to cause this effect, and what does it mean for battery engineering — and the life of the battery in your phone, or your electric car?

Jonathan Webb powers through the chemistry of batteries with Professor Neeraj Sharma.

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:

• Professor Neeraj Sharma, University of New South Wales

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

Millions, perhaps billions of sharks teeth lie on the ocean floor. Valuable mineral deposits collect on their fossilised remains. Now they are viewed as a resource and if exploited devastation will come to an little known ecosystem.

Deep in an old gold mine in South Dakota, scientists witnessed a flash of energy in a giant pool of xenon. Some in the astronomical community are pretty excited, saying this is our best hint yet at what dark matter is. How do we know, why does it matter — and what happens next?

Jonathan Webb shines a light on dark matter with Dr Theresa Fruth, who was involved in the potential discovery.

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:

• Dr Theresa Fruth, University of Sydney

Further information:

'Exciting hint' of dark matter spotted by LUX-ZEPLIN detector, physicists report

Search for dark matter particle interactions in an extended nuclear recoil energy window with the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment

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

Plus the tree bark which hosts a whole world of methane-absorbing microbes.

AI is getting so good at maths that it is now tackling, and apparently solving, some of the hardest mathematical problems that exist. But as huge companies like OpenAI and Anthropic race to outdo each other, human mathematicians are getting caught in the crossfire... and their field is changing forever. 

Jonathan Webb speaks to ABC AI Technology Reporter Cam Wilson about the furore over the Navier-Stokes equations and the million-dollar Millennium Prize.

Featuring:

• Cam Wilson, AI Reporter at ABC.
• Professor Tristan Buckmaster, Mathematician at New York University.

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]

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal and Kaurna people.

And botanists intervene to save a plant that may have become sterile

It's been three months since the first case of bird flu was found on the Australian continent.

Many cases have been found in birds since then, along with other mammals. So where has it spread? And what can we expect to see as spring and summer arrive?

Jonathan Webb speaks with Peter de Kruijff, who's been following bird flu since the very beginning.

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:

• Peter de Kruijff, environment reporter

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