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250 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Lab Notes: Eel sex ball
4 november 2026 · 11 min
We don't know a lot about deep-sea eels, so when 2.8 million of them are found in the same place every year, scientists (and science reporters) get excited. Lees meer
Why are they there? Where are they coming from, and why should we care about these creatures from the depths?
Jonathan Webb dives into this world of eels off the coast of Tasmania with environment reporter Peter de Kruijff.
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
Further information:
Australia's giant spawning eel ball estimated to contain 2.8 million eels
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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The British Science Festival
30 oktober 2026 · 55 min
Robyn Williams reports from The British Science Festival in Southampton UK.
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Lab Notes: Bogong moths bounce back?
28 oktober 2026 · 11 min
Across south-eastern Australia, bogong moths seem to be everywhere. Lees meer
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 watch
Bogong watch project
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Collaboration between life forms and how bees protect their hives from disease
23 oktober 2026 · 55 min
Plus a call for accuracy in dinosaur displays.
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Lab Notes: What's in store for wildlife this summer?
21 oktober 2026 · 11 min
Over the past few years, our environment seems to have experienced multiple extreme events in quick succession. Lees meer
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.
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72 per cent of UK trees threatened by changing climate, plus the simple spud’s complex genetics
17 oktober 2026 · 55 min
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.
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Lab Notes: When astronomers make mistakes
14 oktober 2026 · 11 min
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. Lees meer
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.
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Nobel Prizes, kitchen fumes and a biography of Francis Crick
9 oktober 2026 · 55 min
* 2026 Nobel prizes in science* Air fryer vs deep fryer: Which produces more indoor air pollution?* First major biography of Francis Crick
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Lab Notes: When is it time to throw in the towel?
7 oktober 2026 · 11 min
If you reach for the old tea towel in the cupboard, this episode is for you. Lees meer
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.
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Paul Nurse and assessing the health of Australian trees
3 oktober 2026 · 55 min
And genetics reveals further details of a great friendship story – humans and dogs.
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Lab Notes: Why you shouldn't leave your phone charging
30 september 2026 · 11 min
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. Lees meer
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.
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Deep sea nodules, ideas in ecology, and three brilliant scientists not always on the money
26 september 2026 · 55 min
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.
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Lab Notes: Have we found dark matter?
23 september 2026 · 11 min
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? Lees meer
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.
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The big cats that stalked early humans and why ancient concrete outlasts the modern stuff
19 september 2026 · 55 min
Plus the tree bark which hosts a whole world of methane-absorbing microbes.
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Lab Notes: The AI maths wars
15 september 2026 · 13 min
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. Lees meer
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.
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AI boost for people with dyslexia and how algorithms shape what we read
11 september 2026 · 55 min
And botanists intervene to save a plant that may have become sterile
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Lab Notes: Where could bird flu go next?
9 september 2026 · 11 min
It's been three months since the first case of bird flu was found on the Australian continent. Lees meer
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.
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As fire ravages the Northern Hemisphere, is Australia ready for a record-breaking El Niño? And why optimists live longer than pessimists
5 september 2026 · 54 min
The Science Show gives Australians unique insights into the latest scientific research and debate.
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Lab Notes: Why are we ticklish?
2 september 2026 · 11 min
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. Lees meer
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.
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A moon beyond our Solar System, dust storms on Mars and questioning of reality
29 augustus 2026 · 55 min
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.
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Lab Notes: The redback sex-death somersault
26 augustus 2026 · 11 min
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. Lees meer
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.
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The debate over who should be in the genus Homo, and the trailblazing botanical illustrators, Harriet and Helena Scott
22 augustus 2026 · 55 min
Plus hope for corals, and the story of a museum thief who liked butterflies.
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Lab Notes: The 'Hail Mary' effort to rescue a telescope
19 augustus 2026 · 10 min
Right now, a high-stakes mission is underway to save NASA's Swift telescope before it falls back to Earth. Lees meer
There's just one problem… the rescue satellite has run into some issues. So who rescues the rescuer?
Jonathan Webb and Dr Sara Webb launch into this issue to see what scientists are doing to get this satellite back on track, and whether it can save Swift in time.
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.
Editor's note: the day after this episode was published, Australian time, NASA announced that its plan to boost the Swift Observatory was being abandoned because of ongoing issues controlling the pointing of the LINK spacecraft. It will still test out "rendesvous and proximity operations" which might provide useful results for similar missions in the future, but will not attempt to grab and lift the telescope as planned.
Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au
Featuring:
Dr Sara Webb, Swinburne University of Technology
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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How nematodes love smelly feet, plants that trap insects, Australians at CERN and vale Peter Raven
15 augustus 2026 · 55 min
* The attraction of smelly feet * Plants that trap insects* Pollen grains reveal Australia's first flowering plants* Vale botanist Peter Raven* Australians smashing it at CERN
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Lab Notes: How do flowers know when to bloom?
12 augustus 2026 · 11 min
The last days of winter are here and already you may be seeing flowers blooming around you. Why is that? How do flowers know when to bloom, and is it always around springtime? Lees meer
Jonathan Webb digs into these questions with Dr Greg Moore to try and uncover the mechanisms behind flowering plants.
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 Greg Moore, The University of Melbourne
Further information:
What is Australia's most amazing Wildflower? Vote nowDinosaur Died. No flowers at funeral
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Dark Matter search from inner Melbourne, Gelion update, Bach and maths and vale Bill Oddie
8 augustus 2026 · 55 min
* Mathematics as the basis of western musical harmony and how J. S. Bach loved numbers* Victoria's first dark matter detector fires up* Hurdles for new battery technology* Vale Bill Oddie
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Lab Notes: In an era of AI hacking, how safe is the census?
5 augustus 2026 · 11 min
It's census time, which means lots of us are about to submit personal information via the Internet. Lees meer
Whether it's the ABS or your favourite online shop — how safe is our data in an era when AI models have shown they can hack companies without even being asked to?
Jonathan Webb opens a back door to this new normal of cybersecurity with Professor Toby Murray.
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 Toby Murray, The University of Melbourne
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Looking inside cells, and how seals hear so well underwater
1 augustus 2026 · 55 min
* Fluorescent sensors bring cell contents to life* Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers* Animal senses that work as well in water as on land* Mushroom Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Fungal Lives* Descend two kilometres underground to the cleanest lab on Earth Lees meer
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Lab Notes: What will we see in a 10-year movie of the universe?
29 juli 2026 · 11 min
The longest survey of our southern skies — The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) — has just begun from the Vera Rubin Observatory in the Chilean Atacama Desert. Lees meer
Over the next 10 years, the largest digital camera on Earth will look at the same patches of sky time and again, aiming to record exploding stars, new asteroids, and maybe find what's behind dark energy.
Jonathan Webb gets sucked into grand cosmic questions with Dr Anais Möller, as they discuss how astronomers are getting a head start on their research from the survey.
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 Anais Möller, Senior Research Fellow Swinburne University
Further information:
Rubin's Ocean of StarsFink broker
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Pioneers past and present, and fiddling with life brings a heavy caution
25 juli 2026 · 55 min
* Celebrating Charles Todd, father of the overland telegraph* Diverse background ideal for leader in pioneering science* Mirror life risks catastrophe* Future Right Now reveals concerns of young people* Botany courses becoming an endangered species
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Lab Notes: How do we predict the snow season?
22 juli 2026 · 11 min
This year has been one of the worst starts to the snow season since records began. And it's a trend that researchers say will only continue in the years to come. Lees meer
But what's causing this change? What's the outlook for the rest of this ski season, and should we all just be booking a holiday to Japan?
Jonathan Webb goes off-piste with climate reporter Romy Stephens about what this all means.
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:
Romy Stephens, climate reporter
Further information:
How snow machines have become the key ingredient for ski seasons
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Fossil graveyards an archive of past climate and ecology
18 juli 2026 · 53 min
* Gillard tribute to Ogilvie* The future of sleep* Fossil graveyards an archive of climate and ecology* How bacteria behave in the body* White possums in peril
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Lab Notes: What's it like to be in a clinical trial?
15 juli 2026 · 11 min
Before any new therapy or medicine is placed on the shelves of a pharmacy, it needs to be tested in humans first. Lees meer
What does that process look like? And who are the people testing these new drugs?
Jonathan Webb goes behind the curtain of clinical trials with health reporter Lauren Roberts to take a look at what happens in Australia.
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:
Lauren Roberts, health reporter
Further information:
Richard Scolyer encouraged Australians to enrol in research. Here's how to get involvedAustralian Clinical Trials
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Monitoring Antarctic glaciers and the science of gluten-free baking
11 juli 2026 · 55 min
A team from Caltech is using ultrasound to reveal processes at work one kilometre under Antarctic ice.
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Lab Notes: Is AI taking over mathematics?
8 juli 2026 · 10 min
AI chatbots are helping to crack long-standing mathematical problems, including some of the famous Paul Erdős conjectures that have remained unsolved for nearly 80 years. It's not just researchers finding these solutions, either: it's also amateur mathematicians armed with off-the-shelf ChatGPT.Jonathan Webb wheels out the chalkboard with Dr Melissa Lee to discuss how AI is shaping the field of mathematics, and if anyone can be a mathematician these days. Lees meer
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 Melissa Lee, Senior Lecturer Monash University
Further information:
An AI solution to an 80‑year‑old problem has shocked mathematiciansLeiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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As bird flu arrives in Australia, an endangered species is being quarantined
4 juli 2026 · 53 min
We visit a wildlife sanctuary north of Canberra where enclosures are being built to quarantine the eastern quoll, a species already endangered. Will it work and is this a long-term solution?
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Lab Notes: Is space junk destroying the ozone layer?
1 juli 2026 · 11 min
Old satellites and bits of space junk regularly fall back to Earth, burning up as they pass through the atmosphere. Lees meer
All this burning metal causes a chain reaction and ultimately destroys ozone molecules, which keep us safe from most of the Sun's harmful UVB rays. Could a new era of satellite "megaconstellations", like the one run by SpaceX's internet company Starlink, undo humanity's hard work repairing the ozone layer?
Jonathan Webb launches into this issue with Dr Alice Gorman (AKA Dr Space Junk), taking stock of just how many satellites are burning up and what can be done to solve the problem.
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 Alice Gorman, Flinders University
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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How bird brains help us understand human brains, and how eugenics had as much hand in the birth control movement as did feminism
27 juni 2026 · 55 min
We also celebrate mathematician Terence Tao’s King’s birthday honour, and go in search of subatomic particles, 2Km underground.
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Lab Notes: The bird flu risk for Aussie wildlife
24 juni 2026 · 14 min
A deadly variant of H5N1 avian influenza has finally reached mainland Australia: the last continent without it. Although the risk to human health remains low, this virus has spread through many different species overseas — and not just birds. So are our animals vulnerable? Jonathan Webb speaks with Dr Tiggy Grillo about which animals could be at risk, and what is being done to protect them. Lees meer
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 Tiggy Grillo, Chief Operating Officer of Wildlife Health Australia
Further information:
Animal disease hotline: 1800 675 888
What we know about how H5N1 bird flu got here and where it may appear nextWhy bird flu poses a high risk to many Australian native mammals
For more on avian influenza and humans, have a listen to the latest Health Report bonus episode.
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Insects and pain and The Selfish Gene turns 50
20 juni 2026 · 55 min
If insects feel pain, do they deserve animal rights as apply to mammals?
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Lab Notes: What happens when a whale dies?
17 juni 2026 · 11 min
The largest, deepest and oldest whale graveyard has been found off the coast of Western Australia: teeming with life. Lees meer
Jonathan Webb takes a deep dive with environment reporter, Peter de Kruijff, into the science behind whale falls and their importance to underwater ecosystems.
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
Further information:
World's biggest whale graveyard found in Indian Ocean off AustraliaA 5.3-million-year-old deep-sea whale necropolis in the Diamantina Zone
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Kris sword with an intriguing history, echidnas, tropical forests and Australia’s energy potential
12 juni 2026 · 55 min
What might be the biggest threat to tropical forests? Climate change? Illegal loggers? Invasive species? None of the above. It’s roads. Bill Laurance explains.
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Lab Notes: Tallest tree in East Asia
11 juni 2026 · 11 min
On an island full of trees, there can only be one that is the tallest. How did researchers in Taiwan manage to find the tallest tree in East Asia? Lees meer
This week, Jonathan Webb finds this out by speaking to Dr Rebecca Hsu, the lead researcher behind the project to find The Heaven Sword.
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 Rebecca Hsu, Taiwan Institute of Forestry
Further information:
The journey of finding the tallest tree in Formosa TaiwanFinding and saving the world's biggest trees before they disappear
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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The First Inventors
6 juni 2026 · 55 min
Evidence is mounting that Indigenous people were in Australia early than the 65,000 date most now know. And there are suggestions the continent supported a population of at least 2 million people. Authors Sean Ulm, Billy Griffiths and Larissa Behrendt explore these ideas in their book The First Inventors. Lees meer
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Lab Notes: Plants can hear you
3 juni 2026 · 11 min
Plants are more aware of their surroundings then we give them credit for. A growing body of work is showing that plants can change themselves in response to different sounds. Lees meer
Dr Samarth Kulshrestha, a molecular biologist from the University of Canterbury, is one of these researchers, looking at the mechanisms behind plant senses.
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 Kulshrestha, University of Canterbury
Further information:
The secret sensory life of plants: researchers are discovering how they see, hear, feel – and even rememberPlants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewingTuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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AI tools in ocean research and a tribute to Dame Bridget Ogilvie
30 mei 2026 · 53 min
AI offers instant translations between human languages. So will we one day communicate with whales? And while we marvel at the possibilities, the challenge today is preventing collisions between sea creatures and ships, or whales and turtles becoming tangled in nets. Lees meer
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Lab Notes: Lead may be hiding in your clothing
28 mei 2026 · 11 min
Ever wondered how your sweater became bright orange, or how your leather shoes were made? Chances are, at some point in the process, hazardous chemicals like lead or azo dyes were used. Lees meer
Jonathan Webb speaks to Ellen Phiddian, science reporter with Radio National, about whether these chemicals are dangerous to us, and if we should be worried about them.
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:
Lead may contaminate our clothes but there's no requirement to test for it
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Sex testing at the Olympics: beware the exceptions
23 mei 2026 · 55 min
The IOC will test athletes for a sex gene. But as Jenny Graves explains, human genomics is diverse. Some athletes may be genetic exceptions and will need to be handled with care and sensitivity.
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Lab Notes: Giant dino discovery fulfils a childhood dream
21 mei 2026 · 11 min
A new giant dinosaur has been uncovered in Thailand: the largest ever found in South-East Asia. Lees meer
More than 100 million years ago, Nagatitan towered over the Earth — and has now been described by a team of researchers from the UK and Thailand.
Jonathan Webb speaks with Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a PhD student at University College London who was part of the team that discovered and named this prehistoric behemoth.
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:
Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, PhD student University College London
Further information:
The first sauropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation of Thailand enriches the diversity of somphospondylan titanosauriforms in southeast Asia
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
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Science and the budget, bird flu closer to Australia and a guide to pollination
15 mei 2026 · 55 min
Belinda Smith reports on the winners and losers in science following the federal budget brought down this week by treasurer Jim Chalmers.