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As a professor in astrophysics, Katherine Blundell studies variable objects in the night sky. These are colliding or exploding objects. She uses spectroscopy to infer the dynamics of the objects. In addition to her astronomy, Professor Blundell has established the STEP initiative which offers science to students where science literature is unavailable in their native languages.  A monthly online magazine presents information about astronomy and physics.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare, chronic liver disease characterised by inflammation, scarring, and narrowing of bile ducts. Scar tissue restricts the flow of bile from the liver into the digestive tract, causing bile to back up and damage liver cells over time. The cause is unknown. There is no treatment. And those with the condition eventually need a liver transplant, and the condition later returns. Kate Coldwell in Oxford is investigating possible links between PSC and the gut microbiome, as patients with PSC have gut microbiomes with similar features. If the gut microbiome does play a role in the condition, could diet be used to control or even prevent PSC?

So says potato geneticist Ingo Hein. It’s due to the chaos which results when two potato plants are crossed. The result can be one of tens of thousands of variations, which is challenging when you just want to combine a few favourable traits. As Professor Hein explains, potato geneticists are using all the tools in the box to painstakingly come up with new potato varieties to suit the demands of modern agrifood in a changing climate.

Trees in Kew Gardens, like many across Europe this year, have suffered intensely from baking hot summers. The head of the gardens’ tree collections, Kevin Martin, reports that 72 per cent of street trees in London are threatened by increased heat and humidity and lower rainfall – including many of the rare examples grown in the famous Kew Botanic Gardens.

Brendan May is a London-based environmental adviser to businesses around the world and has been specialising in South Pacific regions including Indonesia and South-East Asia. He has been concerned about the huge plantations of palm oil yielding trees threatening all plants and animals including the once many orangutans. After decades, corporations are taking notice of his warnings. But now, it seems a new threat is looming – nickel mines.

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: [email protected] Featuring: Dr Kat Ross, Curtin UniversityThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

Crick: A Mind in Motion – from DNA to the Brain was published in 2025, full of new information and the disposal of false tales. The story is so vibrant that, after the West End play about him, author Matthew Cobb tells Robyn Williams there is a Hollywood film about Crick in production and even an opera.

Poor household air quality can affect people’s health, and high pollution levels lead to increased risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological disease. With the kitchen being a primary pollution-producing area in the home, Belinda Smith discovers which cooking methods release the most harmful emissions, and what we can do to reduce health risks.

Belinda Smith reports on the winners of this year’s Nobel Prizes in medicine, physics and chemistry.

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: [email protected] Or get yourself a Radio National tea towel commemorating Science Week 2026! Featuring: Ellen Phiddian, Science Reporter ABCThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

In her book What the Flora? Vanessa Fuchs tells of the remarkable ways plants have shaped our world: fuelling civilisations, inspiring innovation and sustaining all life on Earth. Blending science, true crime, history and a touch of lore, What the Flora? offers a fresh perspective on the ingenuity and wonders of the plant kingdom.

Many Australian native trees are struggling. Nearly 25 per cent of all eucalypt species are threatened with extinction, impacted by land clearing, climate change and other factors. In 2015 it was decided to assess the conservation status of all Australian trees. Chantelle Doyle meets two ecologists, Ella Plumanns Pouton and Rachael Gallagher, coordinating Australia’s contribution to The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

The bones were found in 2013 by a team in Türkiye. They look like granules of instant coffee. 40 bones were recovered, with analysis applied to 10, producing one success. This is the genetic lottery with the result being genome sequences of two dogs dating back 14,000–16,000 years, the earliest dogs to be sequenced. Dogs at that time were already genetically distinct from wolves. The work shows that dogs were widely distributed across western Eurasia long before the introduction of agriculture with evidence that the genetic diversification of dogs started much earlier than previously thought.

Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society of London, discusses the responsibility of science in a world where ideology-driven politics is on the rise. A Nobel Prize winner, Paul Nurse was the inaugural Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Francis Crick Institute in London, a centre for biomedical research in a collaboration between six major UK research institutions.

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: [email protected] Featuring: Professor Neeraj Sharma, University of New South WalesThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.