Talking Science

Stavros kinnas
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Talking Science is your weekly dive into the wonders of the scientific world. Join our hosts as they break down complex ideas into fun, engaging conversations—covering everything from cutting-edge discoveries and mind-bending theories to everyday science that shapes our lives. Whether you’re a curious learner, a science enthusiast, or just someone who loves a good "aha!" moment, Talking Science makes big ideas accessible, entertaining, and thought-provoking.

  1. 15h ago

    Acids, Bases and the pH Scale

    From the sourness of a lemon to the acid in your stomach and the slow chemical drift of the oceans, acidity is a single, simple idea — the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution — with consequences that reach into biology, medicine and the environment. This episode explains what makes something acidic or basic, why the pH scale is logarithmic rather than linear, and how the body and the planet both work hard to keep pH within liveable limits. You'll come away understanding what a hydrogen ion is, why pH 4 is ten times more acidic than pH 5, how buffers keep your blood pH stable, why acid rain and ocean acidification happen, and what neutralisation actually does. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: Royal Society of Chemistry – "pH and Buffers"; NOAA – ocean acidification resources; CSIRO – research on the Great Barrier Reef and ocean chemistry.

    Acids, Bases and the pH Scale

  2. 2d ago

    From One Cell to a Body – The Science of Development

    A single fertilised cell, in the space of months, becomes a fully formed body with a beating heart, a working brain and everything else in roughly the right place — without a blueprint, a builder or a supervisor. This episode traces how cell division, gene expression and chemical signals called morphogens turn one starting cell into trillions of specialised ones, arranged with remarkable precision. You'll come away understanding how differentiation works at the level of genes, what a morphogen gradient is and why it matters, what stem-cell potency means, why development is surprisingly robust to small disturbances, and where and why it can go wrong. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: Nature – reviews on developmental biology and morphogen signalling; Royal Society – publications on embryonic development; Scientific American – features on stem cells and embryology.

    From One Cell to a Body – The Science of Development

  3. 4d ago

    The Interstellar Medium – The Stuff Between the Stars

    Space between the stars looks empty, but it's filled with a vast, thin soup of gas and dust called the interstellar medium — the raw material of new stars and the recycled remains of stars that have already died. This episode explores what this material is made of, how molecular clouds collapse to form stars, and how astronomers use the dimming and reddening of distant starlight to map material they can't see directly. You'll come away understanding what fills the space between stars, how stellar nurseries form inside molecular clouds, why the elements in your own body were forged inside long-dead stars, and how astronomers detect and measure a medium that gives off almost no visible light of its own. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: NASA – "Interstellar Medium" (Imagine the Universe); ESA – Herschel and Planck mission findings on interstellar dust and molecular clouds; Scientific American – features on star formation and stellar nurseries.

    The Interstellar Medium – The Stuff Between the Stars

  4. 5d ago

    The Anthropocene – Humanity as a Geological Force

    Humans have become so powerful a force that we're now leaving a permanent mark in the rock record itself — from plastics and concrete to nuclear traces and shifted carbon. That idea gave rise to the “Anthropocene,” a proposed new chapter of geological time named for us. This final episode of the series explores what it means to become a planetary force, why the term is scientifically debated, and what it says about our responsibilities. You'll come away understanding how geologists divide time, what evidence suggests humans are leaving a lasting signal, why the Anthropocene has not been formally adopted as an official epoch, and why the underlying idea matters regardless of the label. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: International Commission on Stratigraphy – geological time scale; “The Human Planet” by Simon Lewis and Mark Maslin; Nature and Science – coverage of the Anthropocene debate.

    The Anthropocene – Humanity as a Geological Force

  5. 5d ago

    The Theory of Everything – Physics' Greatest Unfinished Quest

    Modern physics rests on two spectacularly successful theories — one for the very large, one for the very small — and they flatly contradict each other. The dream of uniting them into a single “theory of everything” is one of the greatest unsolved problems in science. This episode explains the deep rift at the heart of physics, why it's so hard to heal, and why honest scientists admit we may not be close to an answer. You'll come away understanding what general relativity and quantum mechanics each describe, why they clash, where that clash actually bites, what ideas like string theory attempt, and why this remains genuinely unfinished business. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: “The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene; Perimeter Institute – public lectures on quantum gravity; Quanta Magazine – coverage of unification in physics.

    The Theory of Everything – Physics' Greatest Unfinished Quest

  6. 5d ago

    Geoengineering – Should We Hack the Planet?

    As climate change advances, some scientists have begun seriously studying a set of dramatic, deliberate interventions in the Earth's systems — from reflecting sunlight away to pulling carbon dioxide out of the air. This episode explains what geoengineering actually proposes, weighs the tempting logic against the serious risks and deep uncertainties, and treats the whole subject with the caution it genuinely deserves. You'll come away understanding the two broad families of geoengineering, why reflecting sunlight is both cheap and frightening, why removing carbon is safer but slow and costly, and why “moral hazard” is at the centre of the debate. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: Royal Society – “Geoengineering the Climate”; IPCC reports – carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation modification; CSIRO – climate intervention research.

    Geoengineering – Should We Hack the Planet?

  7. 6d ago

    Sound – The Invisible Waves We Live In

    Sound is so constant that we rarely stop to ask what it actually is. The answer is surprisingly physical: sound is a wave of pressure rippling through the air, and everything from music to speech to why one room sounds different from another follows from that simple fact. This episode explores how sound is made, how we hear it, and the science of acoustics. You'll come away understanding what sound really is, why it needs a medium to travel through, what pitch and loudness correspond to physically, how your ear turns vibrations into hearing, and why rooms sound the way they do. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: Physics Classroom – “Sound Waves and Music”; Acoustical Society of America – education resources; NASA – “The Nature of Sound”.

    Sound – The Invisible Waves We Live In

  8. 6d ago

    Bushfires – Fire, Ecology and a Changing Landscape

    Fire is woven into the Australian landscape in a way few other places on Earth can match. Many native plants don't just survive fire — they depend on it. But fire is also a serious hazard to lives and homes, and the conditions that drive dangerous bushfires are shifting. This episode explores the ecology of fire, why parts of Australia are built to burn, and how the science of fire risk is changing. You'll come away understanding why fire is natural and even necessary in many Australian ecosystems, how some plants are adapted to it, what makes fire weather dangerous, the role of fuel loads, and how longer, harsher fire seasons are reshaping the risk. Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au Further reading: CSIRO – bushfire research; Bureau of Meteorology – fire weather; Australian Government – fire ecology and hazard reduction resources.

    Bushfires – Fire, Ecology and a Changing Landscape
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About

Talking Science is your weekly dive into the wonders of the scientific world. Join our hosts as they break down complex ideas into fun, engaging conversations—covering everything from cutting-edge discoveries and mind-bending theories to everyday science that shapes our lives. Whether you’re a curious learner, a science enthusiast, or just someone who loves a good "aha!" moment, Talking Science makes big ideas accessible, entertaining, and thought-provoking.

Information

  • Creator
    Stavros kinnas
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    103
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Stavros Kinnas
  • Show Website
    Talking Science