The Science Show

A team from Caltech is using ultrasound to reveal processes at work one kilometre under Antarctic ice.

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.
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 mathematicians
Leiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

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?

Old satellites and bits of space junk regularly fall back to Earth, burning up as they pass through the atmosphere.
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.

We also celebrate mathematician Terence Tao’s King’s birthday honour, and go in search of subatomic particles, 2Km underground.