The Science Show - Separate stories podcast

A UN report in September said global heating will hit 1.8C — at least — but this could be partially reversed by removing carbon from the atmosphere. One way to achieve this is by establishing vast new forests. Trees take carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis, and it turns out microbes living in tree bark can absorb another potent greenhouse gas, methane. Shelby Traynor meets two researchers investigating the microbial world within tree bark.

Around the start of September 1859, an intense solar storm triggered widespread auroras and set fires in telegraph stations throughout Europe and North America. This event is often cited as the first such event that had a big impact on technology. And as space weather researcher Brett Carter explains, earlier solar storms impacted systems such as railway signals, causing train delays.

The Pantheon in Rome features the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. It has a diameter of more than 43 metres and was completed nearly 2,000 years ago yet is still in excellent condition. So how have Roman concrete structures such as the Pantheon dome and the vast system of aqueducts lasted for hundreds of years when modern concrete seems shoddy in comparison?

The African lion and, to a lesser extent, the leopard, are the most dangerous big cats for people living in Africa today. But a couple of million years ago, our ancestors and hominin cousins had to contend not just with lions and leopards, but many other predators, including multiple species of sabre-toothed cat. Palaeontologist Justin Adams describes some of the now-extinct big cats that looked at our ancestors and saw lunch.

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.

There's a corner of the social media platform TikTok that has racked up hundreds of billions of views and it is all about books. BookTok is a subcommunity of reading enthusiasts and hopeful influencers creating videos about the books they love. It has been described as the "last wholesome place on the internet” and is popular with teens and those in their early 20s. So do algorithms affect which books we buy, and how has BookTok influenced what types of books get published? Amy Briggs reports.

Dyslexia is not just difficulty in reading and spelling fluency — it affects many aspects of life, such as work or even following a map or recipe. But now the rise of AI has given many people with dyslexia digital tools to help overcome these barriers. Belinda Smith speaks to Dr Shae Wissell and Dr Bec Marland about the pros and cons of AI assistive technology.

In the Blue Mountains west of Sydney a rescue mission is underway to save an endangered plant. But the main threat isn't climate change or habitat loss, it is fertility. Botanists think the plant’s pollen may be sterile. Shelby Traynor joined scientists on a field trip trying to save the species.

NASA has just launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which started life as a spy satellite. It will look for alien planets, map the Universe, and hopefully lead to a better understanding of dark energy and dark matter.

When sports people are assessed for concussion, doctors look for physical signs and consider the results of brain function tests. Researchers at The University of Queensland are developing a new approach based on small magnetic fields produced by neurons. The idea is to compare the magnetic fields before and after a suspected head knock. Any changes would reveal whether concussion has occurred and its severity.

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.

Stories of hope about water and coastlines from the 2026 Beaker Street Festival: How a brush with death steered Allison Reynolds towards a career in water contamination, coastal caretaker Megan Saunders, and Sinéad Nicholson, urban climate adaptation researcher.

Wildfires in Europe so far in 2026 have been vast and ferocious. The destruction and loss of life have been on a new scale in France, Spain, Greece and even in Britain. Professor of pyrogeography David Bowman reflects on the firewave and how Tasmania is preparing for fire and a record-breaking El Niño.

While the practice of using positive thoughts and visualisation to turn your goals into reality — sometimes called "manifesting" — simply can't make $1,000 appear in your bank account, a positive mindset can trigger measurable biological and psychological changes in the body, which can lead to better performance and even pain relief. Neuroscientist Lila Landowski explains.

What's the most valued quality you look for in friends? Kindness? Trustworthiness? What about ... viciousness? It turns out 'nice' qualities aren't always what we want, according to Ig Nobel prize-winning research.

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.

One of the most obvious challenges to our concept of reality, is the idea that there are many other universes coinciding with ours. But how? And can we prove it? Another quandary is Einstein’s theories of relativity mashing space and time together. Professor Geraint Lewis has a new book: The Shortest History of Reality ready to confound us. Now!

As Professor of Practice at the University of New South Wales, Lisa Harvey-Smith provides support for teachers of junior science. She has written books for juniors linking quarks, stars, radiation and sunshine. Lisa Harvey-Smith reflects with Robyn Williams on the state of particle physics and the mysteries at the heart of some of the major questions being pursued in astrophysics today.

It was a full page in the Australian Financial Review last week and included top names in both energy and climate science. The signatories are calling for the federal government to tax exporters of Australian natural gas with the proceeds to directed to science research including Australia’s developing fire crisis. We hear from one signatory, David Bowman, Professor of Fire Studies at the University of Tasmania.

As spring approaches in Australia, we prepare for dust storms, driven mainly by cold fronts moving over the continent’s southeast and interior. But Mars is a whole different planet. Astronomer Chelsea Huang describes conditions on Mars which produce planet-wide dust storms which make the strongest on Earth seem like a gentle breeze.