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Heywire: At home in the country

What is the best thing about living on a farm out in the countryside? What is the worst? How does where you live make you the person you are today? Listen to Jane Gould from Boort, finalist of the 2012 Heywire storytelling competition for young people, talk of the connectedness she feels to the land on which she lives.

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Heywire: Autobiography of a flood survivor

Imagine if the town or suburb you live in came under threat due to a natural disaster. How would you react? Shelby Garlick from Kerang, Victoria, was a finalist of the 2012 Heywire storytelling competition for young people. Listen to her inspiring story and explore the lessons she learnt as a result of working with her ...

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Heywire: Hip hop against waste dump

Many hip hop artists have expressed concerns about the world through their music. The Northern Territory's Kylie Sambo is no exception. Listen to her protest against the construction of a nuclear waste dump on her people's lands in Muckaty, near Tennant Creek. Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your ...

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Self Improvement Wednesday: The beauty of prime numbers

A prime number is a number that only has two factors: one and itself. Listen to Adam Spencer and Richard Glover discussing prime numbers. They cover how we define these numbers and how and why prime numbers are widely used in internet encryption.

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Heywire: Volunteers needed! Motivate your audience

We've all been bored by speakers who don't seem to know what their audience might be interested in. As you listen to her Heywire audio clip, explore inspirational 16-year-old Tameika Schultz's skill in appealing to her listeners. Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your community? The ABC's Heywire competition ...

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Radio National: Using genes to unlock the secrets of Tutankhamen

Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh who ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age or nine or ten. His fame in modern times is due to the discovery of his virtually intact tomb in 1922. Since then, many questions have been asked about his life and ancestry. Listen to this audio clip to find out how genetic technology ...

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Big Ideas: Evolving English and the role of social media

How many times have you heard teenagers berated for using the term 'like'? Yet this term has existed at least since 1586 when the term, 'Yon man is like out of his mind' was written into history. The truth is, our language is constantly evolving, with new words added, others dying off and some resurfacing again. In this ...

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Radio National: What makes Shakespeare so special anyway?

Few literary figures are as widely revered as William Shakespeare. But just how did this glove-maker's son grow to become the greatest writer of the English language? Explore the extraordinary appeal of Shakespeare with John Bell, Australia's pre-eminent Shakespearean actor and director. If you like this clip, listen to ...

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Lakes in Antarctica

Scientists are not complacent. We still have a lot to learn about the water cycle. The discovery of glacial lakes under the ice in Antarctica actively transporting water between reservoirs was a surprise. These lakes can be up to 3km beneath the ice sheets. The pressure of the ice above helps to melt the ice, forming lakes. ...

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Microwave explosions

This ABC article and podcast by Dr Karl describes how superheated water can be produced by heating in a microwave and the dangers. This program could be a useful resource when studying the particle theory of matter.

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Science student of the year Western Australia 2008

This friendly chat helps to break down some stereotypes about scientists. Jacinta Delhaize travelled to Chile and work at the Gemini South Observatory in the Andes Mountains. She talked about her experience with high school students and for this received the Science Student of the Year award in 2008. Her PhD researches ...

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Cholera's prevention preferable to its cure

This ABC article by Dr Karl describes in detail aspects of how water balance occurs with some interesting examples of when things go wrong. He then outlines the disease, cholera and how it is associated with bacteria carried by water and the disruption to our water balance. Dr Karl looks at the causes and effects of cholera ...

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Space telescopes and servicing Hubble

This radio interview gives examples of how improvements in technology have influenced astronomy. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is paying a service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, repairing, replacing and deploying new equipment. Jonathan Nally describes the mission and looks at other large telescopes in orbit now, and ...

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WA students compete in US BioGENEius challenge

Yasmin Soliman and Kayla Mizzi are the two high school students who are finalists from Western Australia for the BioGENEius challenge in Atlanta Georgia. Both girls share their research and enthusiasm for science. Download the audio or view the transcript of this ABC radio interview.

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Choleric waters still run deep with disease

With 884 million people globally not having access to clean drinking water, it comes as no surprise that cholera keeps on killing. Dr Karl explains arguably the most important medical discovery of the 20th century. An excellent resource for the understanding of why cleanliness of water is fundamental to the control of infectious ...

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Plane Truths

In this ABC article or podcast Dr Karl provides statistics about comparative safety of different modes of travel and then justifies why flying is so safe.

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Coastal erosion and king tides

A friendly discussion about the economic and environmental impacts of ways of dealing with the problems of simultaneous king tides and tidal surges associated with storms from a Californian perspective. Download the audio or view the transcript of this ABC radio interview.

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CERN legend stuff of angels and demons

This ABC article or podcast by Dr Karl describes and outlines the role of the particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider and how it is helping to research the nature of mass. This article is dated (2008) as some significant results from the Large Hadron Collider have since been announced.

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Radio National: The Awabakal language of the Newcastle area

The Awabakal language, once common in the area now known as Newcastle, was almost 'lost'. It is being brought back to life using old texts and translations left by an early missionary. In this audio clip, listen to a discussion about the importance of reconstructing the Awabakal language and the challenges this poses.

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Radio National: Using the word 'you' in English

Have you ever wondered why we use the word 'you' to refer to both one 'you' or many of 'you'? Or have you ever heard anyone refer to many of 'you' using the once grammatically incorrect word 'youse'? This program considers the words we use when we are talking to each other face to face. It also looks at the use of the word ...