Best University of Adelaide Podcasts (2025)

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Lab Notes: How maths explains nature's weirdness 13:48

Play Pause

22h ago13:48

13:48

A huge cold blob of air above Antarctica and bushfires spreading along ridgelines don't appear to have anything in common, yet the strange behaviour of these natural phenomena — and many others — can be understood and explained by mathematics. You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science journalist and presenter Belinda Smith o…

1
Prove It! 20:13

4d ago20:13

20:13

Elizabeth Finkel deploys scientific evidence to show that President Trump’s claim that Tylenol, used by pregnant women to relieve pain, is a cause of autism, is false.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Science was always present for novelist Terry Pratchett 7:03

4d ago7:03

7:03

Next week we celebrate the English author of fantasy novels Terry Pratchett who died in 2015. Physicist Len Fisher presents this tribute and says the scientific references and thinking in Pratchett’s novels are too often overlooked.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Genetic rescue helps struggling native plant species 7:45

4d ago7:45

7:45

Chantelle Doyle moves pollen between locations hoping to establish new plant populations and increase genetic diversity giving struggling species a boost.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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SIMS celebrates 20 years and shows how true collaboration brings great results 10:00

4d ago10:00

10:00

Robert Harcourt collects oceanographic information using microcomputers strapped to turtles and seals.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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COP30 - Food security under threat with climate change 7:19

4d ago7:19

7:19

Jim Falk from Melbourne presented a message of hope at the COP30 climate meeting in BrazilBy Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Lab Notes: Are bioplastics the future of packaging? 14:00

8d ago14:00

14:00

Step into the supermarket and there's plastic around just about everything, even mangoes — and not all that packaging will be properly disposed of. So with around 20 million tonnes of plastic polluting the environment each year, not to mention the potential health effects of microplastics, is there a better, more environmentally friendly alternativ…

1
Space conference makes Sydney mission control 21:08

11d ago21:08

21:08

Space is integral to our modern world, supporting mapping, land care, agriculture, mining, fire prevention and so much more.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Science Academy president urges business rethink on research and development 13:07

11d ago13:07

13:07

Professor Jagadish puzzles why support of Australian Science is so wanting and says business should see their R&D spend as an investment.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Developing more options for people with sleep apnea 6:55

11d ago6:55

6:55

Amal Osman from Flinders University, an ABC Top 5 scientist in 2025 describes sleep apnea, and her work developing new treatments for this debilitating condition.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Superstar of STEM - Rebecca Duncan 6:51

11d ago6:51

6:51

Robyn Williams meets Superstar of STEM marine biologist Rebecca Duncan.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Superstar of STEM - Nicola Lo 3:55

11d ago3:55

3:55

Robyn Williams meets Superstar of STEM Nicola Lo, an environmental engineer and project manager with Colliers Engineering & Design.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Britain in Crisis 1:46:58

12d ago1:46:58

1:46:58

Britain enters 2025 facing economic strain, strategic uncertainty, and intensifying global competition. In this hard-hitting year-end special, Dr John Bruni sits down with former Royal Navy submariner and intelligence specialist CDRE Pat Tyrrell OBE (Ret.), and investigative journalist Pete Warren, for an unfiltered assessment of the UK’s political…

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Lab Notes: Why aurora season isn't over yet 13:42

15d ago13:42

13:42

Astrophotographers have had another great month, with the aurora australis lighting up night skies as far north as southern Queensland. And while you might've heard that the best of this bunch of auroras is behind us, don't put your camera away just yet. There's good reason to think the southern lights will illuminate the sky well into 2026. It all…

1
Top quark used to test quantum concepts 7:49

18d ago7:49

7:49

It exists for of 10-25 seconds. If you blink, you’ll miss it.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Dog wags tail, or tail wags dog – the impact of increasing technology in our lives 7:47

18d ago7:47

7:47

Howe Zhu describes his research area of human computer interaction, and says we should more aware of how technology is changing our behaviour.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Mechanics of flowing lava used to protect people 9:31

18d ago9:31

9:31

The movement and path of lava is a result of lava temperature, its viscosity and the surface over which it flows.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Showing possible career paths would encourage science graduates says new STA president 7:28

18d ago7:28

7:28

Jas Chambers is the new president of Science & Technology Australia. She comes with ideas to help boost science graduates.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Science writing bridges research and community understanding 7:58

18d ago7:58

7:58

Veena Sahajwalla launched The Best Australian Science Writing 2025 at UNSW this last week. For Veena, story-telling is the bridge between research and community understanding. Science writing builds trust and provides context.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Boom time for geology? But university geology departments are shrinking or closing 10:01

18d ago10:01

10:01

With fewer graduates, it’s unlikely Australia will have the geologists needed to produce what’s being promised.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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The Geopolitics of Climate Change 1:44:35

19d ago1:44:35

1:44:35

Is the climate debate more complex than we’re being told? In this episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni sits down with Professor Ian Plimer — geologist, author, and one of the most contested voices in Australia’s climate conversation. Plimer has spent decades arguing that natural geological and planetary processes play a larger role in climate variab…

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Lab Notes: How are long-range weather forecasts made? 14:00

22d ago14:00

14:00

It looks like most of Australia is in for a warmer-than-usual summer this year. That's according to the Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast, which was released in October. So — without a crystal ball — how do meteorologists make weather predictions so far out, how accurate are they, and how is climate change affecting them? You can binge mo…

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2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools 6:13

25d ago6:13

6:13

This year’s winner, Paula Taylor from The ACT Academy of Future Skills describes her approach to supporting teachers to be exceptional STEM educators.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Climate intervention becoming increasingly urgent 16:57

25d ago16:57

16:57

Fine droplets of seawater sent high into the atmosphere could increase cloud formation and reflect more of the sun’s heat.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Launch of The Best Australian Science Writing 2025 and the Bragg Prize for Science Writing 22:09

25d ago22:09

22:09

A panel discussion featuring Bragg Science Writing prize winner Tabitha Carvan and runners-up Angus Dalton and James Purtill.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Can the West Still Lead? 1:47:44

26d ago1:47:44

1:47:44

In this episode of The Focus, Dr. John Bruni speaks with leading strategist Professor Andrew A. Michta about whether the West is in decline or on the cusp of renewal, exploring the fractures inside the transatlantic alliance, America’s fading primacy, Europe’s struggle for strategic agency, China’s growing economic fragility, and the deeper civilis…

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Lab Notes: How breastfeeding can protect against cancer 12:40

29d ago12:40

12:40

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…

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EU Rising? Defence, Ukraine & Populism 1:46:15

1M ago1:46:15

1:46:15

🇪🇺 Is Europe finally rising as a defence power? As the war in Ukraine grinds on and populist politics reshape Europe, the EU faces a historic test: defend the continent, support Kyiv, and hold the line against Moscow — while staying united. In this episode, Dr John Bruni speaks with EU analyst Piotr Maciej Kaczyński on Europe's defence transformati…

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Lead ingots from a Roman shipwreck - a battle between the past and the future 15:33

1M ago15:33

15:33

A Roman shipwreck contained lead ingots. Should they be retained as a link to the past, or be utilised for their unique quality allowing experiments to be performed in the search for dark matter?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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2025 Prime Minister's Prizes for Science 35:17

1M ago35:17

35:17

Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska from the Queensland University of Technology has received the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for her pioneering research which transformed how the world understands the airborne transmission of disease and indoor air pollution.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Lab Notes: How your brain chooses your next snack 13:53

1M ago13:53

13:53

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 …

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Plant diseases impact native vegetation, gardens, crops 10:52

1M ago10:52

10:52

Brett Summerell describes work being done at the Mt Annan Royal Botanic Garden southwest of Sydney understanding fungal diseases impacting plants everywhere including native vegetation, urban gardens and crops.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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The Stronger Sex 13:36

1M ago13:36

13:36

Author Starre Vartan shows how women surpass men in endurance, flexibility, immunity, pain tolerance, and the ultimate test of any human body: longevity.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Our understanding of changes in biodiversity over time questioned 7:58

1M ago7:58

7:58

Our understanding of the evolution of biodiversity is based on fossil evidence. But so much more may lie buried and reveal a different story.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Ancient people took wallabies to islands in canoes 8:02

1M ago8:02

8:02

Evidence suggests that as early as 12,800 years ago, people captured wild wallabies from the then joined Australia - New Guinea mainland and transported them in canoes to islands sometimes hundreds of kilometres away.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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New Scientist continues in print, boosts on-line 11:44

1M ago11:44

11:44

Editor Catherine de Lange says New Scientist will continue to be printed and new younger readers will be encouraged through the digital edition, a podcast, and live events.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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SITREP | Tracking a World in Flux 1:03:30

1M ago1:03:30

1:03:30

In this episode of The Focus, Dr John Bruni speaks with CTO of NY-based company Artorias, Shane Curtis, about how truth is shaped, challenged, and weaponised in today’s information age and how Artorias' premium product, SITREP, is democratising Open Source Intelligence. From the algorithms driving attention to the blurred line between journalism an…

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Lab Notes: Times we thought we found aliens 13:27

1M ago13:27

13:27

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 …

1
Robots well suited to dangerous drudge work in the chemistry lab 7:34

2M ago7:34

7:34

Robots are ideal in chemistry labs undertaking repetitive and dangerous tasks.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Science OK in the UK 12:04

2M ago12:04

12:04

Outgoing president of the Royal Society says the UK public accepts the importance of science and those in power must be reminded of the importance of maintained funding.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
How rocks tell the history of Earth 7:19

2M ago7:19

7:19

The Earth writes its own history, and it can be seen in the physical, chemical and biological components of rocks.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Signs of life beyond Earth? 5:36

2M ago5:36

5:36

Some meteorites come with signs of chemical reactions found in life on Earth.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Greenhouse paint boosts usable light for plants 9:50

2M ago9:50

9:50

New materials applied to agricultural greenhouses as a paint coating boosts red light for plant growth increased yields.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Ceasefire Politics | What’s Next? 1:40:14

2M ago1:40:14

1:40:14

What happens when ceasefire becomes status quo? In this episode of The Focus, John Bruni interviews Israeli scholar Dr Ori Goldberg on the fragile Gaza truce, Israel’s surveillance corridors, and the internal power-struggles that could spark a new war. Expect hard questions, blunt truth, and no easy answers. Show Notes: X: @ori_goldberg Bluesky: @o…

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Lab Notes: The extinct ape-like human relative that made tools 13:59

2M ago13:59

13:59

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 n…

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US Honeybees in steep decline 6:22

2M ago6:22

6:22

A recent study has shown the loss of 62% of managed bee hives across the United States.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Transfigured Sea – interweaving of human lives and sea creatures 6:05

2M ago6:05

6:05

On the shores of the ocean, Laura and Daphne fantasise that they are mother and daughter. They both have problems in their past, which they need to resolve.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Charles Todd celebrated at Adelaide’s Marriott Hotel 11:31

2M ago11:31

11:31

Robyn Williams is joined by hotel manager Paul Gallop for a tour of Adelaide’s Marriott hotel and it’s displays commemorating the work of Charles Todd.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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Uncertainty – a key aspect of our lives 14:14

2M ago14:14

14:14

David Spiegelhalter offers a data-driven guide to how we should best live with risk and uncertainty.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

University Of Adelaide Podcasts