Science On Top
The Australian Podcast putting Science on Top of the agenda

Mighty Maggots v Flesh Nom Bugs was a Pozible campaign that raised $9,970 for a trial. The trial aims to assess the ability of maggots to improve the rate of healing for people with Bairnsdale Ulcer lesions.

A new malaria vaccine has a 100% success rate in a small study. While promising, there are a lot of obstacles that need to be dealt with before this could be a viable Real World treatment.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has admitted that radioactive water has been leaking from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

A material inspired by the cactus plant cleans tiny particles of oil from water.

100,000 adventurous people have signed up for a one-way trip to Mars. But did they read the timeline before signing on the dotted line?

Direct download: SoT_0115.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:19pm AEDT

Scientists have made "teeth-like structures" from stem cells generated from urine.

Mark Post, a Dutch researcher has made a hamburger from cow muscle grown in a lab. The Cultured Beef was cooked at a PR event in London and tastes "close to meat".

Brochosomes are tiny 'soccer-ball' structures secreted by leafhoppers that protect them from rain, spider silk and... their own waste.

A new technique developed by the CSIRO uses X-Rays to find gold in ore samples.

Fewer boys than girls were born in the months after the huge earthquake struck Japan in March 2011.

Direct download: SoT_0114.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:49pm AEDT

Dr. Pamela Gay is an astronomer and assistant research professor at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She is the co-host of AstronomyCast, one of the longest running astronomy podcasts and Project Director for CosmoQuest.org. CosmoQuest is a non-profit organisation trying to engage people in both learning and doing science.

In this conversation we talk about her research on variable stars, as well as her involvement in citizen science and amateur astronomy. We discuss science education and funding, how AstronomyCast began and Pamela's inspirations.

You can find Pamela at her blog, StarStryder.com

You can learn more about CosmoQuest at CosmoQuest.org

You can listen to AstronomyCast at AstronomyCast.com

Direct download: SoT_Special_009_-_Dr._Pamela_Gay.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:22pm AEDT

It was thought that the many eyes on a peacock's tail feathers were what impressed peahens. But a new - and really cool! - study suggests that when it comes to wooing peahens, size does matter. It's not the number of the eyes, but the width of the tail.

Do dolphins use names? Well, sort of. They may use names to refer to themselves, but we don't know if they use names to refer to each other.

Scientists at MIT have developed a technique to insert false memories into mice

Three new studies have uncovered the genetic mechanism which controls regeneration in flatworms.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo say they have created electronics thin and flexible enough to be considered “imperceptible.” Their first prototype, a touch sensor, is 30 times lighter than printer paper and one-fifth the thickness of sandwich wrap.

Direct download: SoT_0113.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:02pm AEDT

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