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Lab Notes: What can we grow on the Moon?
The main aim of NASA's Artemis program is to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon — so what will we eat? And can food be actually be grown there? You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and prese
Australian and New Zealand research presented at Falling Walls Berlin
Carl Smith reports from Falling Walls 2025 and speaks to presenters from Australia and New Zealand who were there sharing their research with the world.
Lab Notes: Can we replace lab animals?
Humans have done experiments on animals for thousands of years — but animal testing has always been controversial because of the concerns for animal welfare. Recently, there have been more and more efforts to find alternatives to lab animal
Saving Australia’s R&D, robot for cleaning up oil, and quantum physics with Paul Davies
Paul Davies explains some of the weirdness that is quantum physics
Lab Notes: NASA's mission to the Moon
It's more than 50 years since humans went anywhere near the Moon — but that's about to change. After a series of delays, NASA's Artemis II mission is set to launch in early April. So what's the aim of the mission, where exactly are the astr
Possums thought to be extinct found in Papua, early Indigenous ingenuity, and how we adjust to ultra-processed food
Two ancient Australian possums, thought to be extinct, are now known to survive in Indonesian Papua
Lab Notes: Super-K flu is here … but it's not our biggest problem
A fast-moving strain of influenza known as "Super-K" is circulating in Australia and has been driving up flu numbers around the world. Virologists are constantly tracking strains like this as they come and go. Professor Kirsty Short, shares
New idea for the origin of language
Conventional explanations for how humans became ‘the language animal’ focus on our need to cooperate to hunt, fight or make tools. Now, evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman suggests a new idea for origin of language: the need to share c
Lab Notes: Slip! Slop! Slap! SUCCESS!
Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world — but there's some good news for Aussie kids. The presence of moles is a strong predictor of melanoma and researchers in Queensland have found that the number of moles found on children'
Astronomy and toxicology converge at Caltech
When raised lead levels were noticed in Los Angeles last year, a chemist — who usually examines asteroids — quickly saw that the fires that ravaged the region in January 2025 were to blame.
Lab Notes: Why air traffic won’t return to normal for months
Major international airports in the Middle East have been closed this week due to the war with Iran, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded. So, what happens after a major airspace closure? How do pilots know where they should
How the US came close to losing half its science funding
Robyn Williams reports from the 2026 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Lab Notes: The surprising history of the backyard sprinkler
Backyard sprinklers have transformed the Aussie urban landscape. But their path to domination of our suburbs was haphazard — and hinged on the inventions of several knockabout tinkerers. Meanwhile with a rapidly drying climate, we may need
Stories told by feet
An ancient human may be a new species, and extinct giant kangaroos - could they hop?
Lab Notes: Why buying a star name is nonsense
A quick online search reveals multiple paid services for naming stars as commemorative gifts. You'll be provided with a certificate and a map for finding your star in the sky. But these names are not official and are not used by astronomers
Ancient humans lived in an Indonesian cave until Homo sapiens arrived
A cave in Sulawesi was home to our ancestors for tens of thousands of years. Archaeologists are piecing together the story.
Lab Notes: Skincare, pregnancy and a minefield of mixed messages
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?
Social media ban impacts political knowledge of young Australians
Australia’s social media ban aims to protect young people from online threats, but it may also restrict their access to discussion of democracy and political systems.
Lab Notes: Can we tap the brakes on energy-hungry AI?
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
Humpbacks threat, green cities and EVs, and origins of life
How did life begin? It may not have been on Earth, with asteroids carrying a range of organic molecules
Lab Notes: What's behind the rising tree death rates?
Fire, insects and disease all pose a threat to Australia's forests but scientists are now seeing a rise in natural tree deaths right across the country. New research links this background mortality to higher average temperatures. So what do
Mysterious stellar object discovered
Natasha Hurley-Walker considers what might explain a mysterious stellar object which shines every 18 minutes.
Lab Notes: The oldest rock art in the world…that we know of
A faint orange hand stencil on the wall of a cave in Indonesia just became the oldest art known to science. The art, made by splattering ochre over a hand, had been painted over by subsequent generations and was only preserved because moist
Kiruna: The city that moved to make way for a mine
In the Swedish city of Kiruna, an entire community is being relocated to accommodate the expansion of the world's largest underground iron ore mine.
Lab Notes: Why UV levels are so high in Australia
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 i
A portrait of Dame Miriam Rothschild
She became an expert on fleas and despite no formal education received honorary doctorates from both Oxford and Cambridge was elected a fellow of The Royal Society.
Lab Notes: The Treaty of the Metre: how the metre came to be
The next time you pick up a bag of spuds from the supermarket or fill up the car with petrol, you can thank the Treaty of the Metre for the metric system that underpins daily life. The treaty was signed exactly 150 years ago, when delegates
Mary Somerville — Brilliant polymath, scientific genius
She could only read and write from age 10. She reared children and had a first unsupportive husband. But Mary Somerville was able to correct the work of Isaac Newton, help discover Neptune, and write a science book which became a university
Lab Notes: Why do whales strand en masse?
Every now and again, dozens or even hundreds of perfectly healthy looking whales strand themselves on a beach. And despite people's best efforts, many — if not all of them — will die. So why do whales strand themselves, and why do they seem
Celebrating 50 years of The Science Show
Norman Swan, Fiona Stanley and Lorin Clarke describe their involvement with Robyn Williams and The Science Show with MC Richard Glover at a party celebrating 50 years of broadcasting.
