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The Science Briefing

This is The Science Briefing, a podcast about the science of everything and your new go-to podcast for your snapshot of science news. Hosted by Dr Sophie Calabretto and featuring journalists from Cosmos Magazine, The Science Briefing brings you the latest research in technology, health, climate, physics, artificial intelligence, space and more. Hear what’s making news in science in Australia and across the globe every Tuesday and Thursday.

Episodes

What would we do if GPS went down?

We’ve become so reliant on maps apps on our phone that use GPS, it’s hard to imagine navigating our way around without them. R.I.P street directory books. But what happened if GPS systems around the globe randomly went down? Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Jacinta Bowler about how GPS technology works and what would happen if it suddenly went dark.

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9 min•

15 May 23

Volcanoes: is it possible to predict an eruption?

Some volcanoes erupt multiple times a day, others, once every 600,000 years. But how do we know when they're going to blow? Predicting eruptions has baffled those studying volcanoes, but is that about to change? Dr Sophie Calabretto asks Cosmos Magazine journalist Evrim Yazgin about predicting volcanic eruptions and the researchers using artificial intelligence to unlock when a volcanoes about to go off.

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12 min•

10 May 23

Antarctic ice is melting five times faster than we thought

We’ve modelled the ice melting in Antarctica for decades, but new research suggests it’s melting five times faster than we previously thought. The biggest concern is that more melting ice means higher sea level rise, but that’s far from the only thing we should be worried about. Dr Sophie Calabretto talks to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Ward Agius about what’s going on with Antarctica and putting a plug in sea level rise before it gets worse.

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11 min•

8 May 23

The end of the jab? The science behind vaccine patches

Not a fan of needles? What if getting vaccinated was as easy as putting on a patch? Studies around the world are looking into printable vaccine patches and if they could be used in place of the typical jab, and so far, the results are looking promising. Dr Sophie Calabretto asks Cosmos Magazine journalist Ellen Phiddian what are vaccine patches, how are they made and how far off are they for human use?

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7 min•

3 May 23

Another SpaceX rocket crashes and burns and birds with toxic feathers

The SpaceX Starship fails to launch. Birds eating beetles get toxic feathers. Dinosaur triangle unearths the Ann sauropod skull. Dr Sophie Calabretto chats to Cosmos Magazine journalist about 3 major science stories from April that you might have missed but should definitely know about.

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11 min•

1 May 23

The Kathleen Folbigg story: reasonable doubt and what happens next

Kathleen Folbigg has served 20 years in prison for killing her four children. She has continually professed her innocence. An inquiry into her convictions re-commenced last week with scientific findings from November edging her closer than ever to a possible release. So what happens next? And what’s the likely result from this latest inquiry? Dr Sophie Calabretto talk to Cosmos Magazine journalist Matthew Agius about the latest developments in the Kathleen Folbigg story and the science that blew the case wide open two decades later.

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The Science Briefing

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What would we do if GPS went down?

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Volcanoes: is it possible to predict an eruption?

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Antarctic ice is melting five times faster than we thought

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The end of the jab? The science behind vaccine patches

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Another SpaceX rocket crashes and burns and birds with toxic feathers

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The Kathleen Folbigg story: reasonable doubt and what happens next

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