The Science Show

ABC

4.4 (105)
NATURAL SCIENCES
UPDATED WEEKLY

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.

1D AGO

Bragg winners for science writing, more from the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science and water droplets used for geoengineering

In just 75 years the Earth’s average temperature is predicted to be close to 3 degrees above pre-industrial levels. We are in the fast lane to a different world, one that will not be friendly to the current range of plants and animals, including humans. The race is on to cool our overheating planet.

54 min
5D AGO

Lab Notes: How breastfeeding can protect against cancer

Thanks in part to 18th-century nuns, we now know that having children and breastfeeding reduces a mum's risk of developing breast cancer for years, even until her kid is well into primary school. Now Australian scientists have discovered how breastfeeding specifically enlists the immune system to protect against an aggressive and hard-to-treat type of breast cancer. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith 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: labnotes@abc.net.au Featuring: Sherene Loi, medical oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Extra information: Parity and lactation induce T cell mediated breast cancer protection Having children and breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk by triggering immune system, study finds This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.

13 min
NOV 7

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science and a dilemma over the appropriate use of artefacts from a Roman shipwreck

Robyn Williams reports from the 2025 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science ceremony in Parliament House Canberra.

54 min
NOV 4

Lab Notes: How your brain chooses your next snack

It's mid-afternoon and time for a treat! Do you choose a healthy piece of fruit, or do you head straight for the chocolate? It turns out that well before we consciously decide what we're going to eat, our brain has already weighed up our choices — and in a fraction of a second. Now a new study shows which food attributes are processed by our brain faster than others, and how this might influence our dietary decisions. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith 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: labnotes@abc.net.au Featuring: Violet Chae, PhD student at the University of Melbourne More information: Characterising the neural time-courses of food attribute representations This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.

14 min
OCT 31

The history of life on Earth may be very different to what we think

We’ve built a picture of the evolution of biodiversity based on a few accessible fossils. But the real story may be very different.

55 min
OCT 28

Lab Notes: Times we thought we found aliens

We have a mysterious visitor to our little patch of the cosmos this week: A comet called 3I/ATLAS. This icy, rocky ball is only the third interstellar object we've discovered zooming past our Sun. There are scientists who think the comet may be alien technology sent from another solar system to invade Earth, but space agencies poured cold water on this idea. So how will we know if we truly find evidence of extraterrestrial life? You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith 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: labnotes@abc.net.au Featuring: Laura Driessen, radio astronomer at the University of Sydney Astronomers discover 3I/ATLAS — third interstellar object to visit our Solar System This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.

13 min
OCT 25

Paint additive boosts plant growth in greenhouses

An additive in paint converts ultraviolet light into red light allowing plants to grow more producing higher yields, a boon for greenhouse agriculture.

53 min
OCT 21

Lab Notes: The extinct ape-like human relative that made tools

Around 1.5 million years ago, in what's now Kenya, a human-like figure walked across the savannah. He was probably quite short by our standards, no taller than Danny DeVito. But unlike Danny DeVito, this ancient figure was not human. He was a long-extinct relative of ours called Paranthropus boisei. And now his fossilised hand bones are giving us never-before-seen insights into how he and his species lived. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith 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: labnotes@abc.net.au Featuring: Carrie Mongle, palaeoanthropologist at Stony Brook University and the Turkana Basin Institute More information: New fossils reveal the hand of Paranthropus boisei Fossil hand bones hint that ancient human relative Paranthropus made tools 1.5 million years ago This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Menang Noongar people.

14 min

See All (346)

Robyn Williams

Host

4.4

out of 5

105 Ratings

Amazing!

07/01/2024

Bennybobobo

The most in-depth, digestible, and compelling show I’ve found in a while. Such a valuable resource!
Curious American

11/11/2020

Groanman

The best podcast around for science news. I love the range of topics, the in depth discussions, and the interesting guests from around the world. I look forward to every new episode.
Nice?

03/07/2021

Anonamous dragon

Nice?
Dear, Robin Williams

11/06/2017

Mr. Sina

I have a great honer to be one of your fan and I think the world needs more and more like Robin Williams.

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate, from the physics of cricket to prime ministerial biorhythms.