Tag Archives: radio

Talking science in 2012

Clown fish in waterYou know we’re back into the swing of things when you start doing your regular science chats around the country. As per last year I’ll be chatting to ABC Mid North Coast (Port Macquarie) each Wednesday at 10:10 am (new time), ABC Western Plains (Dubbo) each Wednesday fortnight at 10:35 am, and ABC Central West (Orange) each Tuesday fortnight at 9:35 am. I’m also adding ABC Western Victoria (Bendigo) to my roll call – alternative Wednesday at 10:35 am.

Last week I had my first spot with Angela Owens at ABC Central West. We talked about tiny hard drives and how increased levels of carbon dioxide affects brain activity in fish.

Mornings with Katya Quigley

Snake with tongue outEvery Wednesday morning (around 9:40 am AEST) I chat with the wonderful Katya Quigley from ABC Mid North Coast NSW (Port Macquaire).

I love chatting to Katya as she always asks what I’m up to and what I think about topics that they’ve been discussing earlier on air.

Recently, Katya and Beth (wonderful producer) have started posting our conversations online. Here is the first one where we talk about a a development in the treatment of snake bites and explore the link between volcanoes and atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide.

Mornings with Katya Quigley (29 June 2011)

Sense of direction

Man with map scratching the back of his headRecently I received a call from ABC North Tasmania asking if I would chat about ‘sense of direction’. A quick search of our news archives revealed we had at least three interesting stories. So I agreed to speak with the breakfast presenter Penny Terry at 6:20 am (what I do for science).

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Talking science on ABC Radio National

Headshot of Julian MorrowOver the summer period I’ll be talking science with Julian Morrow on ABC Radio National, every Friday at around 8:15 am.

Last Friday we talked about arsenic eating organisms, Danish vodka foot spas, turkey and alcohol, and sleeping beauties.

You can download or stream the audio from the ABC Radio National website.

Moses parted the sea with some help from the wind

An artist's impression of the biblical parting of the Red Sea by Moses.Yesterday I spoke with Richard Glover on ABC 702 Sydney about research that suggests how Moses parted the sea in Exodus 14.

According to the team at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, a wind of 101 kilometres per hour, blowing steadily for 12 hours, could have pushed back waters 2 metres deep.

You can read more at ABC Science Online, plus you can listen to my interview below.

Moses parting the sea by Darren Osborne

Unique fossil find in outback Australia

Collection of Nimbadon skulls Australian researchers have unearthed a treasure trove of fossils in outback Queensland. It’s one of the biggest collections of fossils from a single marsupial species ever found and the discovery will allow scientists to see how the animals grew and the similarities between them and their modern day descendants.

You can read the story at ABC Science Online. I also put together an audio version for ABC News: The World Today.

20100715-twt-10-fossil-find by Darren Osborne

Phar Lap arsenic claims confirmed

Phar Lap in a glass display caseRecently I spoke with Richard Glover on ABC 702 Sydney about some research into one of Australia’s greatest thoroughbred horses, Phar Lap.

Associate Professor Ivan Kempson of Taiwan’s Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica in Taipei and Dermot Henry of Museum Victoria say they have confirmed the theory that Australian racehorse legend Phar Lap was killed by arsenic poisoning. Their report appears in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

You can read more in a story by Anna Salleh at ABC Science Online, plus you can listen to my interview below.

Why does hot water freeze faster than cold?

Star-shaped iceRecently spoke with Richard Glover from ABC702 about a new piece of research that may answer this question.

It’s not 100% solved, but it does provide some intriguing clues. The key seems to be nucleation points within the water, and how they affect the freezing point.

Michael Slezak wrote up the story for ABC Science Online. Another good version appears on Wired Science.

Mpemba140410 by Darren Osborne

Shuttle artefacts: going once, going twice

Spoke to Richard Glover on ABC 702 about NASA’s plan to ‘auction’ off its excess artefacts.

It’s based on this story I published on our website.

As NASA prepares the move from using the space shuttle to renting space vehicles from private industry, artefacts of the nearly three decade-old program are being distributed online.

With the shuttle program ending this year after nearly three decades of flying, the agency is turning to an eBay-style online service to find homes for surplus and historically significant wares.

Read more at ABC Science or listen to the interview.


Fizzy drinks leave sour taste in the mouth

utterli-image
I spoke to ABC radio in Sydney about research in the US that has found consuming carbonated drinks activates the sour-sensing cells on our tongue.
Researchers in the US have found that consuming carbonated drinks activates the sour-sensing cells on our tongue.

In an article published in the journal Science, the researchers speculate that the ability to taste carbonation may have evolved as a reaction to help humans avoid foods that are going off and have begun fermenting.

They claim that sour and bitter tastes often indicate foods that should be avoided, while sweet, salty, and the savoury taste sensation called umami, are those that can be beneficial.

Read more – http://bit.ly/12Nnfr