The Science Show

Robyn Williams reports from The British Science Festival in Southampton UK.

Across south-eastern Australia, bogong moths seem to be everywhere.

A few years ago, it was a different picture: scientists witnessed a population crash, and habitat threats put the species on the IUCN Red List. Are we seeing a bogong bounce-back? Jonathan Webb speaks to Dr Kate Umbers about these incredible critters, the many unsolved mysteries of their lives — and what their future could look like.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Associate Professor Kate Umbers, Western Sydney University

Further information:

iNaturalist Bogong watchBogong watch project

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Plus a call for accuracy in dinosaur displays.

Over the past few years, our environment seems to have experienced multiple extreme events in quick succession.

With a summer fuelled by what may be the strongest and wettest El Niño ever, can our wildlife withstand more extremes?

Jonathan Webb speaks with Professor Euan Ritchie about what we're currently seeing with flying foxes, what could happen to other species over the summer, and what we can do to help our native creatures.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Professor Euan Ritchie, Deakin University

Further information:

WIRES wildlife rescue assistance on 1300 094 737

24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Burramattagal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

And palm oil producers in South-East Asia have changed their ways, considering the environment more than they did. Brendan May is turning his attention now to nickel mines in tropical countries.

In March 2018, a South African astronomer looking into the distant universe "discovered" a bright red spot in the sky that hadn't been there previously; it felt like an exciting potential discovery. A message was sent to other astronomers, asking them to look at this new dot and study it further.

After forty minutes and a few more calculations, he realised this "star" was much closer to home and nothing new at all: it was the planet Mars.

According to Dr Kat Ross, making this kind of mistake is something of a rite of passage for astronomers.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Dr Kat Ross, Curtin University

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

* 2026 Nobel prizes in science* Air fryer vs deep fryer: Which produces more indoor air pollution?* First major biography of Francis Crick

If you reach for the old tea towel in the cupboard, this episode is for you.

It's time to talk textiles: why older towels seem to be better at drying, and when it may be time to throw out your more well-worn towels.

Jonathan follows the thread with Ellen Phiddian to find out what we can do with our linen.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Or get yourself a Radio National tea towel commemorating Science Week 2026!

Featuring:

• Ellen Phiddian, Science Reporter ABC

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

And genetics reveals further details of a great friendship story – humans and dogs.

Your phone battery doesn't like being fully charged or discharged. This is why it's sometimes advised that to extend its life, you shouldn't charge your phone beyond 80 per cent, or let it drop below 20 per cent.

But what's actually happening inside a lithium-ion battery to cause this effect, and what does it mean for battery engineering — and the life of the battery in your phone, or your electric car?

Jonathan Webb powers through the chemistry of batteries with Professor Neeraj Sharma.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Professor Neeraj Sharma, University of New South Wales

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Millions, perhaps billions of sharks teeth lie on the ocean floor. Valuable mineral deposits collect on their fossilised remains. Now they are viewed as a resource and if exploited devastation will come to an little known ecosystem.

Deep in an old gold mine in South Dakota, scientists witnessed a flash of energy in a giant pool of xenon. Some in the astronomical community are pretty excited, saying this is our best hint yet at what dark matter is. How do we know, why does it matter — and what happens next?

Jonathan Webb shines a light on dark matter with Dr Theresa Fruth, who was involved in the potential discovery.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Dr Theresa Fruth, University of Sydney

Further information:

'Exciting hint' of dark matter spotted by LUX-ZEPLIN detector, physicists report

Search for dark matter particle interactions in an extended nuclear recoil energy window with the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Plus the tree bark which hosts a whole world of methane-absorbing microbes.

AI is getting so good at maths that it is now tackling, and apparently solving, some of the hardest mathematical problems that exist. But as huge companies like OpenAI and Anthropic race to outdo each other, human mathematicians are getting caught in the crossfire... and their field is changing forever.

Jonathan Webb speaks to ABC AI Technology Reporter Cam Wilson about the furore over the Navier-Stokes equations and the million-dollar Millennium Prize.

Featuring:

• Cam Wilson, AI Reporter at ABC.
• Professor Tristan Buckmaster, Mathematician at New York University.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

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

And botanists intervene to save a plant that may have become sterile

It's been three months since the first case of bird flu was found on the Australian continent.

Many cases have been found in birds since then, along with other mammals. So where has it spread? And what can we expect to see as spring and summer arrive?

Jonathan Webb speaks with Peter de Kruijff, who's been following bird flu since the very beginning.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Peter de Kruijff, environment reporter

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.

Most people know the feeling of ticklishness, whether it's the tickle attacks that bring about uncontrollable laughter or the feather-like touch from something brushing against your skin.

But why do we feel ticklish? Can we stop it? And why did we — and all our ape cousins — evolve this sensation?

Jonathan Webb speaks to Dr Anina Rich to explore the science of this everyday experience.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Dr Anina Rich, Macquarie University

Further information:

Human ticklishness is a widespread, culturally shared and bodily organized sensory experience

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Dust storms on Mars make the biggest on Earth seem like a gentle breeze. Chelsea Huang describes the Martian conditions which produce humungous dust storms that cover the entire planet.

These little spiders that live in the dark corner of your garage have a pretty crazy sex life. Researchers have known for a while that male redback spiders get eaten during sex — but not only that, they somersault themselves right onto the fangs of the female.

Considering the ultimate aim of this process is to create more spiders , this seems pretty counterintuitive. So it begs the question: why do they do it?

Jonathan Webb and Ellen Phiddian get caught up in the science of this act, discussing what researchers have uncovered in the genes of the redback spider and its relatives.

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: labnotes@abc.net.au

Featuring:

• Ellen Phiddian, science reporter

Further information:

Male redback spider's dramatic death somersault during sex coded in its DNACrossing experiments suggest a simple genetic basis of complex male self-sacrifice phenotypes in widow spiders

This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.