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
Dec 1, 2019 • 31min
Selfish by nature? Two scientific renegades who looked for kindness and paid a price
The selfish gene. The selfish ape. Survival of the fittest. Remarkable stories of two renegades who challenged a scientific orthodoxy about selfishness.
Nov 24, 2019 • 36min
A whole lot of POO!
On poo, pooing and all that palaver. A children's author, a colorectal surgeon, a psychologist walked onto stage...
Nov 17, 2019 • 31min
"A perfectly normal girl - although she likes computers" Hidden stories from Australian computing
In the 1950s computers were so big they filled whole rooms. Women were employed in big numbers to work with them. But then something weird happened.
Nov 10, 2019 • 26min
The Ladies' Log: Who (not what) were the first computers?
Hidden amongst astronomy's nineteenth century effort to map the stars, is a tale about some of the first women working in computing in Australia.
Nov 3, 2019 • 26min
Searching for Doggerland: stones, bones and a world submerged by climate change
It's there if you look...under the sea. But how would we know? Join Science Friction on a journey into the lost heart of Doggerland.
Oct 27, 2019 • 26min
Matty's Story - donor conception and the cost of secrecy
What if you suddenly found out you aren't quite who you thought you were? Matty and family's story will move you.
Oct 20, 2019 • 26min
The conundrum of unused IVF embryos: The Trouble With Embryos Part 2
What should you do with the embryos you have left over after IVF treatment?
Oct 13, 2019 • 31min
The mystery of two millionaires and two IVF embryos: The Trouble with Embryos Part 1
A mystery about two Californian millionaires and two "orphan" embryos at the very beginning of the IVF revolution.
Oct 6, 2019 • 36min
Pulsar woman: It's not a bird, it's not a quasar, it's...
The signals were weird. But was what happened afterwards even weirder?
Sep 29, 2019 • 59min
Broad Band - the untold story of the women who made the internet
Have you heard these stories of what was and what could have been? You'll want to. If we CARE enough, could the internet be way, way better?
