Lagrange Point Podcast: Recent Episodes
Lagrange Point
A fun take on the latest science news with enough data to sink your teeth into. Lagrange Point goes beyond the glossy summary and gets in depth with the research from across the world. Brought to you in partnership with the Young Scientists of Australia.
Each week for over five years, from community radio on SYN 90,7 to online podcasts, the Lagrange Point team have delivered a funny but interesting take on science from a young person's perspective. Gone is industry jargon and narrow focus and in it's place is real insights into the science and it's benefits. Come hang out with us at the Lagrange Point.
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With Kilauea erupting, we look at the science of volcanoes and how we can keep better tabs on these rumbling giants of geology. From infra-sound monitoring, to tracking disappearing lava lakes.
We check in on the latest research into the Zika Virus. How have our efforts to detect and treat this virus progressed since the outbreak of 2015/16? Are there new and novel ways of tackling Zika (and other mosquito born viruses) and can we make the Zika Virus work for us rather than against us?
Now that China has banned importing rubbish, we really have to find innovative new ways to clean up our mess. We look at new solutions from dissolving plastic in enzymes, to making new steel from scrap cars to zero-waste phones.
Is watching a sporting event hard work for your heart? Can you slow down ageing...by skiing? What is the state of the arms race between Doping Athletes and Governing bodies across the globe? Can we measure the effectiveness of the testing procedures of groups like WADA? We find out about some odd, but thought provoking research into sport science.
How do animals from bacteria to birds manage to use the Earth's magetnic field to navigate? Do we know how or why? What potential mechanisms are out there and how does quantum mechanics get involved?
We say farewell to Tiangong-1 ("Heavenly place 1"), China's first foray into space stations as it comes crashing to earth and we look forward into the future for space station development. We also find out how scientists across the world plan to tackle the problem of space junk and keep space safe for years to come.
Making water safe to drink is a problem for the largest cities all the way down to the most remote of communities. We look at the challenges to making water safe to drink, and some innovative new research looking to make it easier to obtain safe drinking water.
This week we find out some strange and new ways scientists are hunting for a new weapons in the antimicrobial resistance arms race. Including turning to platypus milk for guidance, cooking the insides of bacteria like an egg and blocking it from even spreading. Plus we get an update on Mammal March Madness.
t's time for March Mammal Madness 2018, where the greatest mammals from the past and the future face off against each other in performance science battles. Although this year it also features creatures from the past (Antecessors) and even some alt!mammals!
This week we preview the tournament, along with checking out some latest scientific research form across the world on some of the competitors like the Tardigrades along with finding out about the development of that mammalian trait that helped us breath better.
How do you peer back in time to see the light from the first stars? Well the EDGES team did just that and may have unlocked not one but two different secrets to the early universe.
Did the science of marginal gains help athletes win gold at the Olympics? Now that the Olympics are over, we dig into the science behind the events, and how the athletes edged out their competition using scientific innovations.
How can we make wounds close and heal by sticking together better? Is there some kind of super strong glues that can help stick even when wet? What can we learn from spiders to help heal a broken heart? All these bio materials and more in this week's episode.
How do we protect find and protect life across the universe from ourselves? What are the risks and dangers of sending bacteria out into the universe, and how can we prevent unwanted contamination.
Life in a tropical jungle or rain forest provide a window into the future, particularly for Climate Scientists. We look into the impact of a warming climate on biodiversity plus keeping the delicate balance between agricultural land and dangerous deforestation.
We celebrate the Australian of Year for 2017, Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons, by examining the groundbreaking work in Quantum Computing that she has pioneered across Australia. This includes a deep dive into how Quantum Computing works, what it can help with and what makes the Australia approach, led by Prof. Simmons, so special.
We find out about some amazing Australian biotechnology inventions from an efficient lab-on-a-chip, to boosting our immune systems and stopping bio-films in their tracks.
Mysterious creatures roam the depths of the ocean, from turtles to whale sharks. Studying their journeys shed light on the way our oceans are interlinked and the impact of climate change on the whole ecosystem.
Forget gorilla channel, Bonobos are a better mirror to human behaviour. We check out some interesting studies which reveal some of human kinds unique traits in behaviour compared to our closet primate cousins.
Taking the pain out of injections and needles by using micro-needle patches. This can help deliver flu vaccines and help diabetics without the need for painful injections.
Heavy metal stars often go out in spectacular blaze of glory, where as other more mellow blackholes will just forge even more rare material. We check in on some interstellar antics that help produce the most unusual metal.
How can we cut down on waste from everything coffee to packaging? What new materials, processes and technology can help us eliminate waste and recycle more? Are there ways to turn food waste into food valued added products?
Dinosaurs take to the air or the water, much like a swan or a duck, but the feathers are quite different to what you imagine.
Mysterious underwater caverns teeming with unusual life, and oceans trapped in time. We dive into the mysteries of oceans, caves and their hidden ecosystems.
Mysterious objects from inside and outside the solar system from an interstellar interloper to a fiery crash landing in the Australian outback.
Unexpected journeys in science from a link between quantum mechanics and proteins, to spider silk hearing aides. We hear how scientific research can start in one place and end far far away.
How can we make printers more realistic and life like? How can we push the limits of printing and make hidden messages cheaply and efficiently? How do we turn printed advertisements into productive energy efficient solar cells?
How can we improve our medical imaging technology? What can be used to scan bacteria in action without a biopsy? What about ways to known what needs fixing in an emergency department without having to go all the way to an MRI?
What lessons in resilience to fires, climate change, epidemics and sudden shocks from insects can be adapted to help humans adjust to change.
What damage does diesel do to our planet, cities and lungs? Is there a way we can make it cleaner that helps not only the atmosphere but also our farms? We find out what is being done across the world to clean up our diesel engines.
Can humour help save lives? Or do you need to be gritty and realistic to change behaviours? We look at examples of safety, advertising and psychology from Australia.
We celebrate the winners of this years Nobel Prizes, but we also ask important questions like - just how representative are the Nobel Prizes? Do people miss out? How do the Nobel Prizes measure up in equality and gender balance compared to other major prizes?
Detecting an epidemic before it spreads and becomes a pandemic is hard in a globally connected world. However new cheap and efficient tests for Zika and Ebola can help us be better prepared for the next outbreak.
What does climate change have in store for our oceans? What happens to fish when their reefs become full of pollution? All this and more.
How do you avoid spilling your coffee? Well different solutions have won the Ignobel prize not once but twice! We find out on this groundbreaking research that makes you laugh and then think.
After 20 years we say farewell to Cassini and catalog all it's hard work peering into the workings of Saturn's moons, rings and atmosphere. We also find out about some noisy storms living in our Van Allen Belts.
The history of humanity is tied to the history of domestication. But we often overlook the rule of farming and domesticating grains which enabled huge cities to form. We find out about using modern day science to follow the journey of agriculture to today. Plus some of the future innovations we can implement such as Vitamin A rice.
How can we protect species from extinction? What can the Dodo and other extinctions on islands teach us about protecting species today?
How do we make our buildings adapt to the climate around them from turning opaque and clear, to blocking only heat we dive into the science of glass.
To celebrate National Science Week we find out about some groundbreaking Australian science on uses for Vitamin B3 to help reduce risk of birth defects and another application for melanoma risk.
North America gears up for a solar eclipse by planning a myriad of experiments, from telescopes on jets to analysing mountains on the moon. We find out about the experiments planned for this once in a generation event.
How can we reduce food waste and turn it into bioplastics and cleaning agents. Plus the benefits of using bio-char to help improve crops and clean the air from smog.
We get a new look at Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Plus we find out how deadly other planets can be for bacteria but how spaceships can help bacteria and fungi thrive.
An energy crisis, a storm and a tech entrepreneur walked into South Australia and ended up with a giant battery. We investigate the context, other generation technology and the future of renewables.