The Science Show

Unlike other deserts, Australian deserts experience occasional high rainfall. It supports a unique ecology.

Australia's summer UV levels are high enough to cause sunburn in as little as 11 minutes.Yet the summer sun in the Northern Hemisphere rarely feels that full on.So why does our sunlight have that extra "bite"?Spoiler: it's not the hole in the ozone layer.Learn more on Lab Notes, the show that brings you the science of new discoveries and current events.Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Opals, ancient humans and sharks dating back 465 million years. This week we see how today’s world has been shaped from the distant past.

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) do much more than fill whales' bellies. These tiny crustaceans also play a huge role in Earth's carbon cycle.They sequester around 40 million tonnes of carbon each year, mostly in their poo — that's the equivalent of taking 35 million cars off the road.Yet there's plenty we don't know about these thumb-sized critters.Now a new study has revealed what they get up to under the Antarctic winter sea ice, and how this behaviour affects carbon calculations.Dive into the secret life of krill on Lab Notes, the show that brings you the science of new discoveries and current events.Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

Opalised fossils previously overlooked at the Australian Museum have overturned our understanding of the origin of mammals with the emergence of a whole new age of mammals: The Age of Monotremes.

Robert F Kennedy Jr is tipped to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services. Over the years, RFK Jr has repeatedly pushed the claim that childhood vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder — a theory that's been well and truly debunked.So where did this idea come from? What's bowel disease got to do with it? And what might the US expect with an anti-vaxxer at the helm of health and human services?Learn more on Lab Notes, the new show that brings you the science of new discoveries and current events. Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au

A remote community in the western Pacific is working with scientists to battle the effects of invasive species, a leaking WW2 oil tanker and climate change.

Strewn throughout the sands of an island in the Great Barrier Reef, shards of pottery lay for thousands of years before an archaeologist quite literally stumbled across them 20 years ago.As more pieces were lifted from the sand, a question was also raised: Who shaped and fired these clay pots?We also get to the bottom of a strange phenomenon that had the earth ringing like a bell for nine days -- and earthquake scientists abuzz for a year.Solve these mysteries and more with science reporters Jacinta Bowler and Carl Smith.

Hollywood promoted her as the most beautiful woman in the world. But Hedy Lamarr was more than good looks. She invented and patented a new form of communication which is used widely today and even allows mobile phones to work.

Do you get texts telling you there’s an unclaimed parcel waiting for you at the post office?Turns out scammers can find out if we’re expecting something in the post and time a scam text to coincide with our online purchases -- and it could all be completely legal.And while 2024 saw advances in artificial intelligence, they didn’t seem to wow us like they did in 2023. Are we simply harder to impress now?Breaking all this down -- and more -- are technology reporters Ange Lavoipierre and James Purtill.