The Science Show

A deadly variant of H5N1 avian influenza has finally reached mainland Australia: the last continent without it. Although the risk to human health remains low, this virus has spread through many different species overseas — and not just birds. So are our animals vulnerable? Jonathan Webb speaks with Dr Tiggy Grillo about which animals could be at risk, and what is being done to protect them.
You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.
Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au
Featuring:
Dr Tiggy Grillo, Chief Operating Officer of Wildlife Health Australia
Further information:
Animal disease hotline: 1800 675 888
What we know about how H5N1 bird flu got here and where it may appear next
Why bird flu poses a high risk to many Australian native mammals
For more on avian influenza and humans, have a listen to the latest Health Report bonus episode.
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

If insects feel pain, do they deserve animal rights as apply to mammals?

The largest, deepest and oldest whale graveyard has been found off the coast of Western Australia: teeming with life. 
Jonathan Webb takes a deep dive with environment reporter, Peter de Kruijff, into the science behind whale falls and their importance to underwater ecosystems.
You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.
Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au
Featuring:
Peter de Kruijff, environment reporter
Further information:
World's biggest whale graveyard found in Indian Ocean off Australia
A 5.3-million-year-old deep-sea whale necropolis in the Diamantina Zone
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

What might be the biggest threat to tropical forests? Climate change? Illegal loggers? Invasive species? None of the above. It’s roads. Bill Laurance explains.

On an island full of trees, there can only be one that is the tallest. How did researchers in Taiwan manage to find the tallest tree in East Asia?
This week, Jonathan Webb finds this out by speaking to Dr Rebecca Hsu, the lead researcher behind the project to find The Heaven Sword.
You can binge more episodes of the Lab Notes podcast with science editor and presenter Jonathan Webb on the ABC Listen app (Australia). You'll find episodes on animal behaviour, human health, space exploration and so much more.
Get in touch with us: labnotes@abc.net.au
Featuring:
Dr Rebecca Hsu, Taiwan Institute of Forestry
Further information:
The journey of finding the tallest tree in Formosa Taiwan
Finding and saving the world's biggest trees before they disappear
This episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.