The Science Show

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.

Most people know the feeling of ticklishness, whether it's the tickle attacks that bring about uncontrollable laughter or the feather-like touch from something brushing against your skin.

But why do we feel ticklish? Can we stop it? And why did we — and all our ape cousins — evolve this sensation?

Jonathan Webb speaks to Dr Anina Rich to explore the science of this everyday experience.

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 Anina Rich, Macquarie University

Further information:

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

Dust storms on Mars make the biggest on Earth seem like a gentle breeze. Chelsea Huang describes the Martian conditions which produce humungous dust storms that cover the entire planet. 

These little spiders that live in the dark corner of your garage have a pretty crazy sex life. Researchers have known for a while that male redback spiders get eaten during sex — but not only that, they somersault themselves right onto the fangs of the female.

Considering the ultimate aim of this process is to create more spiders , this seems pretty counterintuitive. So it begs the question: why do they do it?

Jonathan Webb and Ellen Phiddian get caught up in the science of this act, discussing what researchers have uncovered in the genes of the redback spider and its relatives.

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:

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

Plus hope for corals, and the story of a museum thief who liked butterflies.

Right now, a high-stakes mission is underway to save NASA's Swift telescope before it falls back to Earth.

There's just one problem… the rescue satellite has run into some issues. So who rescues the rescuer?

Jonathan Webb and Dr Sara Webb launch into this issue to see what scientists are doing to get this satellite back on track, and whether it can save Swift in time.

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.

Editor's note: the day after this episode was published, Australian time, NASA announced that its plan to boost the Swift Observatory was being abandoned because of ongoing issues controlling the pointing of the LINK spacecraft. It will still test out "rendesvous and proximity operations" which might provide useful results for similar missions in the future, but will not attempt to grab and lift the telescope as planned.

Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Featuring:

• Dr Sara Webb, Swinburne University of Technology

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

* The attraction of smelly feet * Plants that trap insects* Pollen grains reveal Australia's first flowering plants* Vale botanist Peter Raven* Australians smashing it at CERN

The last days of winter are here and already you may be seeing flowers blooming around you. Why is that? How do flowers know when to bloom, and is it always around springtime?

Jonathan Webb digs into these questions with Dr Greg Moore to try and uncover the mechanisms behind flowering plants.

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 Greg Moore, The University of Melbourne

Further information:

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

* Mathematics as the basis of western musical harmony and how J. S. Bach loved numbers* Victoria's first dark matter detector fires up* Hurdles for new battery technology* Vale Bill Oddie

It's census time, which means lots of us are about to submit personal information via the Internet.

Whether it's the ABS or your favourite online shop — how safe is our data in an era when AI models have shown they can hack companies without even being asked to?

Jonathan Webb opens a back door to this new normal of cybersecurity with Professor Toby Murray.

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 Toby Murray, The University of Melbourne

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