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
Jun 21, 2020 • 26min
When fake facts go viral: Islamic science, Medieval medicine and the history police (repeat)
Don't believe everything you see. Art, science and the curious making of fake news.
Jun 14, 2020 • 31min
The mystery of two millionaires and two IVF embryos: The Trouble with Embryos (repeat)
A mystery about two Californian millionaires and two "orphan" embryos at the very beginning of the IVF revolution.
Jun 7, 2020 • 38min
The carnivorous woman – a saga from Charles Darwin to Wheatbelt Western Australia (Part 2)
A flesh-eating botanical saga. Outside the hallowed halls of science, revolutions are made.
May 31, 2020 • 26min
A wild and whimsical world of flesh-eating plants (Part 1)
From Day of the Triffids to Little Shop of Horrors, meet a most sagacious animal. What the hell is a plant doing eating flesh?
May 24, 2020 • 36min
The Gendered Brain - Gina Rippon and myth shattering neuroscience
Girls. Boys. Brains. Biology. Society. The game of Whac-A-Mole that is the science of sex differences.
May 17, 2020 • 31min
The Scientist and the Spy - China, the FBI, espionage, and racism
A shady story about seeds, China, the FBI, and industrial espionage. Mara Hvistendahl delves into America's pursuit of ethnic Chinese scientists.
May 10, 2020 • 33min
The Big PhD Pause - postgraduate students, COVID-19, and the next brain drain? (Science Interrupted Part 3)
Doing is a PhD can screw with your mind at the best of times. Isolating and exciting all at once. What’s happening to PhD students locked out labs worldwide right now? What will their options be as the clock ticks towards D(eadline) Day?
May 3, 2020 • 26min
The Ruins of Science - a story of misdirected medical power
In the 1960s, when gay sex was still treated as a crime in Australia, science intervened in shocking ways.
May 1, 2020 • 5min
PREVIEW RN Presents — Hot Mess: Why haven’t we fixed climate change?
What do we know, what will it take, and why have we struggled to effectively act on climate change? Don't miss the compelling new series, Hot Mess.
Apr 26, 2020 • 36min
The astrophysicist Survivor star and immunologist dropping everything to help save you from COVID19 (Science, Interrupted Part 2)
Exploding stars and killer cells. Then comes a pandemic. Drop everything. Head into the battle-zone. It's Survivor but not as you know it.
