Director Simon Duffy describes the wide range of activities at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

Philippa Collin describes the themes which have emerged from Australia’s biggest writing competition for young people. 

Cleaner air as ships’ have reduced their emissions has exacerbated coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef.

Wherever Homo sapiens has roamed, other human species tend to disappear, and a cave on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is no exception.

Retinoids are big business for reducing wrinkles and treating acne — but there's conflicting advice on their safety for pregnant women.

Should manufacturers of these skincare products be providing warnings? Or are the risks not that great?

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:

• Caitlyn Davey, health reporter

Extra information:

Retinoids are booming in the beauty industry, but are they safe to use during pregnancy?

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

Australia’s social media ban for under 16s aims to protect young people from online threats, but it may also limit their knowledge about democracy and political systems.

Small patches of forests in schools initiate discussion and leaning across biology and ecology. Students develop a sense of ownership and community awareness with improved mental health. A Perth-based initiative is spreading far and wide. 

The massive foundations that support offshore wind turbines can be an oasis for marine life in an otherwise submarine desert, according to work done at Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China.

John Juriansz describes what is revealed from the largest creative writing competition for young people in Australia.

AI seems to be absolutely everywhere at the moment. While we're still waiting for the productivity revolution — or the jobs apocalypse — the energy costs of AI are already staggering.

So how should we think about those environmental impacts of AI? And what can we learn from previous turns of the great technological wheel?

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 Niraj Lal, renewables expert at the Australian National University 

Extra information: 

Data centres are vital for the future and AI but their environmental footprint can be a problem

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