Science Friction
ABC Australia
In humanity's next giant leap, astronauts are heading back to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
We'll bring you daily Artemis II mission updates, from lift-off to splashdown, and answer your questions about life as an astronaut, the science of spaceflight, and plans to venture beyond the Moon.
The Challenger Legacy (Season 5)
In January 1986, the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds after lift-off. This is the story of how the tragedy unfolded, the engineers who tried to stop it — and the enduring consequences for humanity's exploration of space.
Artificial Evolution (Season 4): Three decades ago, Dolly the Sheep became the first ever cloned mammal. Nearly 30 years later, genetic technology has reshaped the world around us. Environment reporter Peter de Kruijff explores what's changed, where we are headed, and whether we're okay with it.
Brain Rot (Season 3): How does being chronically online affect our brains? Technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre explores the wildest ways people are using tech — from falling in love with AI companions to data-dumping a life into a language model — and the big questions about our own screen use.
Cooked (Season 2): Why do some studies show ice cream is good for you? Why do some people say they feel good going carnivore, and do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet tells us? Food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett cuts through these confusing findings to explain how nutrition science works.
AI Overlords (Season 1): AI didn't come from nowhere, and its development hasn't been a smooth, straight line — it's been rife with drama, conflict and disagreement. Technology reporter James Purtill looks at where AI came from, who controls it and where it's heading.
We'll bring you daily Artemis II mission updates, from lift-off to splashdown, and answer your questions about life as an astronaut, the science of spaceflight, and plans to venture beyond the Moon.
The Challenger Legacy (Season 5)
In January 1986, the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds after lift-off. This is the story of how the tragedy unfolded, the engineers who tried to stop it — and the enduring consequences for humanity's exploration of space.
Artificial Evolution (Season 4): Three decades ago, Dolly the Sheep became the first ever cloned mammal. Nearly 30 years later, genetic technology has reshaped the world around us. Environment reporter Peter de Kruijff explores what's changed, where we are headed, and whether we're okay with it.
Brain Rot (Season 3): How does being chronically online affect our brains? Technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre explores the wildest ways people are using tech — from falling in love with AI companions to data-dumping a life into a language model — and the big questions about our own screen use.
Cooked (Season 2): Why do some studies show ice cream is good for you? Why do some people say they feel good going carnivore, and do we really need as many electrolytes as the internet tells us? Food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett cuts through these confusing findings to explain how nutrition science works.
AI Overlords (Season 1): AI didn't come from nowhere, and its development hasn't been a smooth, straight line — it's been rife with drama, conflict and disagreement. Technology reporter James Purtill looks at where AI came from, who controls it and where it's heading.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 1, 2022 • 28min
Feeling a bit hopeless? Primatologist Dr Jane Goodall is here for YOU
Jane Goodall wants you to gird your loins. What does that mean? Well ... for hope, push PLAY.
Apr 24, 2022 • 27min
Scratch that itch! She of flamenco flair and molecular dances
By day, she's making molecules dance. By night, this vintage fashionista has a different dance on her mind.
Apr 17, 2022 • 31min
AI ethics leader Timnit Gebru is changing it up after Google fired her
Timnit Gebru was fired by Google in a cloud of controversy, now she's making waves beyond Big Tech's pervasive influence
Apr 10, 2022 • 26min
World-first pig to human heart transplant. What happened?
You need a new organ. But there aren't enough to go around. Would you accept one from a pig? Hearts, kidneys, corneas ... xenotransplantation is here.
Apr 3, 2022 • 26min
Scratch that itch! Meet the Sneaky Artist
Indian-born engineer Nishant Jain flew in the face of expectations to radically reinvent himself as the Sneaky Artist
Mar 27, 2022 • 30min
Escaping Russia's new Iron Curtain - superstar science podcaster Ilya Kolmanovsky
Ilya Kolmanovsky is a popular science superstar in Russia. Like so many anti-Putin activists, he’s just made the most wrenching decision of his life.
Mar 20, 2022 • 26min
Foodies, why you should give a f*** about farming!
Why are we so weirdly paradoxical about food? Food, farms, revolution with two women closer to it all than most.
Mar 13, 2022 • 34min
The gun dealer’s defence — on nukes, fossil fuels, and Australia
If you sell the gun but don’t pull the trigger ... are you to blame?
Mar 6, 2022 • 27min
Breaking Buruli, part two
After 25 years of painstaking research, could scientists be getting close to unlocking the mysteries of Buruli ulcer?
Feb 27, 2022 • 26min
Breaking Buruli, part one
When people from a small beach town on Phillip Island started developing severe skin lesions, scientists were left scratching their heads as to what was causing them.
