The Science Show Podcast
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RN's science flagship: your essential source of what's making news in the complex world of scientific research, scandal and discovery. The Science Show with Robyn Williams is one of the longest running programs on Australian radio.
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http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/
Science Show - 2008-05-10
Author: ABC Radio National
Sat, May 10, 2008
Research funding in Australia
Vicki Sara argues the Australian Research Council needs to have its funding quadrupled. She says the ARCīs situation is similar to itīs position a decade ago. Australia is losing people to better paying positions aborad. Post doctoral fellowships and PhD scholarships are offered at $20,000. This compares with marketplace positions easily 5 times this level. The result is people leave universities and move away from research. Tertiary education is in decline. Vicki Sara says education is an investment which protects against economic downturn.
Platypus genome revealed
Elizabeth Finkel reports on the worldwide effort to sequence the genetic code of the playtus.
Amateur astronomy
Space scientists are using amateurs to help analyse astronomical data. Chris Smith talks to professional astronomer Pamela Gay and amateur Jerry Semolik. The amateurs assist by measuring and plotting the change in light output of variable stars. This allow data to be collected over data over 24-hour periods.
Imaging tools in astronomy and medicine
Both astronomy and medicine have high-dimensional imaging data. In medicine itīs X-rays and CT scans and MRIs. In astronomy itīs optical data, X-ray data and radio data. The tools from one field can be used in the other.
Climate policy needed to reduce risks of the unknowns in future climate
Is it possible that natural fluctuations of the Earthīs climate could have caused the temperature record since 1880? Steven Schneider says there is overwhelming evidence that the change is due to human activity. Don Aitkin recently criticised the Kyoto process and the need for climate policy (Ockhamīs Razor April 17 and May 4 see links below). Stephen Schneider says climate policy is needed for cooperative solutions.
Flacco - Parthenogenesis
The Science Show presents another in this continuing series of short lectures.
The Loh down on science - Fine wine
More expensive wine tastes better
Antonio Rangel ran an experiment having participants taste the same wine labelled with a range of prices. His subjects, from the Stanford wine club, preferred the samples with the higher price tags.
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Science Show - 2008-05-03
Author: ABC Radio National
Sat, May 03, 2008
Australian sea floor expands
Australia is 2.5 million square-kilometres larger following the United Nations recognising Australiaīs claim to more of the sea floor around the continent. Australia doesnīt own the fish in the water, but it is responsible for the sea floor. Some trenches go to a depth of 10 kilometres below the surface. Tim OīHara describes some of the animals which live at these depths.
The Loh down on science - Scent of a stripper
Sandra Tsing Loh discusses pheromones, how they change during the menstrual cycle, and how they are effected by the pill.
QED - a play about Richard Feynman
Henri Szeps plays Richard Feynman in Peter Parnellīs play about physicist Richard Feynman. Henri Szeps discusses his character and we hear some archival material of Feynman.
Flacco - Dark matter
Unicellular organisms in Antarctica - response to extended darkness and temperature change
Andrew McMinn describes the challenges of 24 hours of darkness, and 24 hours of daylight, and the amazing transmission that takes place over about 6 weeks.
The Lewin physics lectures
Walter Lewin has been teaching physics at MIT since 1972. He employs large doses of fun with large-scale demonstrations in his classes. These include charging himself using a Vandergraph generator, and swinging from the end of a giant pendulum. He also employs practical jokes and puzzles. As well as mention in The New York Times 100 of Walter Lewinīs lectures can be found online.
Mentoring for science students
Mentoring was mentioned in the recent National 2020 Summit as a new idea. But the idea is in operation already, with much success in Israel, and for the last 15 years at Perthīs Murdoch University. Russell Elsegood argues the idea should be adopted nationally.
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Science Show - 2008-04-26
Author: ABC Radio National
Sat, Apr 26, 2008
Hydrogen production from algae
Conventional hydrogen production is expensive. A cheaper method involves using algae. The algae live in a series of ponds. Hydrogen is collected as it bubbles to the surface. An advantage is microalgae can be located on non-arable land and donīt compete with food production.
Nuclear fuel pellets found in a German garden
In February 2007, fuel pellets were found in the garden of a private home. Forensic science helped determine the materialīs origin. They were produced in a German fuel fabrication plant, which had been shut down some years ago. But how did they find their way into the garden?
The Star Wars Enigma
Author Nigel Hey describes Ronald Reaganīs Strategic Defence Initiative, or Star Wars and the role it played in ending the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
E-science
The internet and advanced computing is allowing a more collaborative way of doing science. Wendy Barnaby reports on some areas of research where new surprising results are being obtained.
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Science Show - 2008-04-19
Author: ABC Radio National
Sat, Apr 19, 2008
Galactic clusters
Clusters of galaxies are the largest gravitationally bound systems in the universe. Some are 1015 solar masses. Thatīs 1,000,000,000,000,000 times the mass of the sun. Christine Jones describes how and why galaxies cluster. One famous cluster is the bullet cluster.
Death Star
Dan Evans has found two galaxies merging. Each hosts a supermassive black hole. One is sending out a jet of particles. This contradicts the earlier idea that black holes only swallow matter.
Oscillating stars
Most starts oscillate in some way. Detecting oscillations allows astronomers to see the properties of the inside of the star. Galaxy clusters can produce sound due to the diffusion of gas. One challenge is to try to explain why the hot gases donīt cool.
The Chandra observatory
The Chandra observatory was launched in 2000. Chandra can see way back to the beginning of the universe. X-rays show the hot violent events in the universe. Two merging galaxies, appear like a mess with an optical telescope. But using X-rays, black holes can be observed. And Chandra has shown two black holes heading straight for each other, lining up for one of the biggest bangs in the universe.
John Wheeler - a tribute
Physicist Paul Davies presents a profile of the great American theoretical physicist John Wheeler whose work gave us much of our knowledge about black holes, and indeed gave them their name. John Wheeler talks about his early fascination with the universe, his collaboration with Niels Bohr and his conversations with Albert Einstein. (first broadcast 13/09/2003)
Café Sydney - changes after energy audit
Café Sydney conducted an energy audit and changed the way it does business, producing large savings in energy use and costs.
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Science Show - 2008-04-12
Author: ABC Radio National
Sat, Apr 12, 2008
Prospects for coral reefs
Charlie Veron looks at threats to the Great Barrier Reef. The crown of thorns starfish and sediment runoff pale compared to the looming threats of warmer and more acidic seas.
Ten Questions Science Can't Answer (Yet!)
Michael Hanlon discusses some of the questions in his book, questions which science has not yet come to grips with, or has chosen to ignore. He argues quite plausibly that dogs can have a sense of humour. He has some new suggestions for current dilemmas explaining why some populations are getting so enormously fat. Michael Hanlon then previews the approach he will take with his next book, Eternity.
Mythbusters
Is Mythbusters science or entertainment? And does it matter! Nicholas Searle casts a critical eye over the program watched by millions and translated into nearly a dozen languages.
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- Published:
2002
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
T007049
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