Catalyst

8:00pm – Thursday, May 26 on ABC1

Can you really die from a curse? Jonica Newby travels to New Orleans, home of Louisiana voodoo, to uncover the source of its power – the Nocebo effect. We hear the true story of a harmful hex, attend a modern voodoo ceremony and visit a scientific lab with some truly incredible results. Jonica explores the power of the placebo’s deadly opposite – the Nocebo effect.

Robotic Heart Surgery Maryanne Demasi reports on a robotic navigation system being used to revolutionise the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Surgeons see a 3D-map of the heart and control the operation from outside the theatre – lowering the risk of infection.

Penguin DNA Generation after generation of Adelie penguins have nested in the same Antarctic location for thousands of years. Researchers in Brisbane are comparing old DNA from penguin fossils and DNA from more recent samples to measure the rate of evolutionary change. On his last trip to Antarctica, Paul Willis gathered a few pairs of feet from deceased Adelie penguins at Brown Bluff on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The analysis of the DNA provided by Paul is helping to build up a picture of evolutionary change much faster than previously estimated.

Martin Green Profile – The father of photovoltaics Scientia Professor Martin Green and his team have led the world in silicon cell efficiency since 1983, paving the way for the solar panels we now put on our homes. Dubbed ‘the father of photovoltaics’, he’s guided a generation of international researchers and entrepreneurs – including China’s first solar billionaire.

Sydney Brick Pit Fossil As you travel southward on the Princes Highway through Sydney, you’ll pass by the remains of one of Sydney’s oldest brick works. Now surrounded by recreational parkland, it was also where the fossilised bones of paracyclotosaurus were found. Paul Willis asks why the bones are now in London’s Natural History Museum.

Placebo The placebo pill can cure any number of medical symptoms – why? Because you believe it can. And the effectiveness of a placebo can be determined by your genes.

8:00pm – Thursday, May 19 on ABC1

The Complex Active Visualisation (CAV) lab at Griffith University creates a virtual 3D environment where surgeons can explore patients’ organs. Paul Willis dons a sensor glove and 3D glasses to experience how this technology will make surgical planning and teaching much easier.

Faster Computing Recently IT researchers have questioned how long Moore’s Law can stand true. They say that without the development of new technologies, like light or quantum computers, computing speeds cannot continue to double every two years. But, Dr Stuart Parkin, an experimental physicist at IBM in San Jose, California, shows Graham Phillips his solid state chips that are approximately a million times faster than disc drives – using conventional electronics.

Saving Acid Wetlands When Mark Horstman lived in Far North Queensland he was part of a campaign to restore a dilapidated mangrove system right on the doorstep of Cairns. The project became a globally unique experiment and Mark returned to the locale to see what difference the locals’ initiative has made.

Lashi Bandera – a maths tragic Lashi Bandera is a PhD student and Fulbright Scholar studying to become a pure mathematician specialising in the field of harmonic analysis. A blackboard and piece of chalk are never far from his reach. Catalyst asks why he’s so turned on by equations.

Caterpillar Procession The larval stage of the bag shelter moth is a woolly caterpillar and its hirsute appearance plays a role in its unusual behaviour. When they emerge to feed, they form a procession, creeping along nose to tail in a caterpillar conga line. Researchers at La Trobe University managed to get to the bottom of this hairy caravan.

Marvellous Mangroves Mangroves – to some they are the ugly ducklings of the natural landscape, but there’s much about them to admire.

8:00pm – Thursday, April 28 on ABC1

It’s referred to as the oil crunch – when global supply fails to meet demand. The International Energy Agency believes that the global supply of oil peaked in 2006 but went unnoticed due to the global financial crisis. But demand is on the rise again, thanks largely to the surging economies of China and India. Oil is now harder to source and companies go to extraordinary extremes to tap new supplies, such as deep sea, tar sands and natural gas liquids. Jonica Newby follows her report of five years ago into Peak Oil with astonishing predictions from researchers and the International Energy Agency that suggests a global oil crunch is imminent.

Kenyan Hot Rocks In the great African Rift Valley, near Lake Naivasha in Kenya, the Earth’s crust is a mere 6-8 kilometres thick.

Here, the Olkaria Geothermal Power plant draws steam from deep below the ground to turn turbines and generate electricity. It provides base load renewable energy for Kenya without the bi-product of greenhouse gases associated with coal power stations. Paul Willis visits the site and discovers that in transforming the lives of many Kenyans, it has also created a thriving flower industry exporting to Europe.

Australia’s Nuclear Future Australia is a leading exporter of uranium, helping power the 440 nuclear reactors in 30 countries generating 14% of the world’s electricity. But what are the practicalities for building our own nuclear energy industry.

Mark Horstman looks at Australia’s preliminary courtship of constructing a nuclear power plant on the shores of Jervis Bay 40 years ago and, in today’s terms, analyses the realities of importing the enormous components to build a plant, the massive volumes of water needed to cool the reactor and the ever-present need to guarantee against radioactive leakage.

Sustainable Houses Tanya Ha visits a Melbourne 50′s weatherboard home to see how its owners have transformed it into an energy efficient house that no longer costs them anything for electricity from the grid. Also, Graham Phillips meets a home owner who has designed an energy monitoring system for his home following his experience working on the building control systems at Casey in Antarctica.

Oil From Algae Unfortunately, the wait for plankton to turn into oil is rather a long one. So other sources that are environmentally friendly and safe to produce are in hot demand. One proposal is to feed algae carbon dioxide and fish farm slurry to create the perfect little oil factory. Could it be that simple?

8:00pm – Thursday, April 28 on ABC1

It’s referred to as the oil crunch – when global supply fails to meet demand. The International Energy Agency believes that the global supply of oil peaked in 2006 but went unnoticed due to the global financial crisis. But demand is on the rise again, thanks largely to the surging economies of China and India. Oil is now harder to source and companies go to extraordinary extremes to tap new supplies, such as deep sea, tar sands and natural gas liquids. Jonica Newby follows her report of five years ago into Peak Oil with astonishing predictions from researchers and the International Energy Agency that suggests a global oil crunch is imminent.

Kenyan Hot Rocks In the great African Rift Valley, near Lake Naivasha in Kenya, the Earth’s crust is a mere 6-8 kilometres thick.

Here, the Olkaria Geothermal Power plant draws steam from deep below the ground to turn turbines and generate electricity. It provides base load renewable energy for Kenya without the bi-product of greenhouse gases associated with coal power stations. Paul Willis visits the site and discovers that in transforming the lives of many Kenyans, it has also created a thriving flower industry exporting to Europe.

Australia’s Nuclear Future Australia is a leading exporter of uranium, helping power the 440 nuclear reactors in 30 countries generating 14% of the world’s electricity. But what are the practicalities for building our own nuclear energy industry.

Mark Horstman looks at Australia’s preliminary courtship of constructing a nuclear power plant on the shores of Jervis Bay 40 years ago and, in today’s terms, analyses the realities of importing the enormous components to build a plant, the massive volumes of water needed to cool the reactor and the ever-present need to guarantee against radioactive leakage.

Sustainable Houses Tanya Ha visits a Melbourne 50′s weatherboard home to see how its owners have transformed it into an energy efficient house that no longer costs them anything for electricity from the grid. Also, Graham Phillips meets a home owner who has designed an energy monitoring system for his home following his experience working on the building control systems at Casey in Antarctica.

Oil From Algae Unfortunately, the wait for plankton to turn into oil is rather a long one. So other sources that are environmentally friendly and safe to produce are in hot demand. One proposal is to feed algae carbon dioxide and fish farm slurry to create the perfect little oil factory. Could it be that simple?

8:00pm – Thursday, April 21 on ABC1

More and more people are turning to the internet for medical advice. Experts say it’s a serious issue for doctors trying to manage their patients’ wellbeing. Some patients may be under the impression that their symptoms are not serious and delay vital medical treatment. Others may be led to think a minor condition is terminal.

Maryanne Demasi investigates whether web-based medical information is a good thing – or a recipe for ill health.

Road Kill Rescue Unfortunately, dead wildlife on the side of the road has become part of the Australian landscape. It’s a road toll we seem to take for granted – just part of getting from A to B. But in a wildlife-rich state like Tasmania, road kill density is the highest in the world. Mark Horstman hitches a ride with a citizen scientist determined to establish exactly how drivers can make a difference.

Cat Lap How does a cat drink? You might think you know, but stunning new research shows most of us have been completely wrong. Super high speed cameras reveal to Jonica Newby the exquisite and unexpected beauty of what the cat actually does with its tongue.

Kitchen Science All cooking involves science, but progressive chefs are now combining science-based techniques and culinary knowhow to create surprising texture and flavour combinations that engage the senses and excite the taste buds. Tanya Ha explores the chemical and physical changes that take place when cooking steak and eggs, and in creating little parcels of flavour by spherification.

Chocolate Trees You’ve probably heard of peak oil, possibly of peak phosphate – but peak chocolate? Could the world supply of chocolate be under threat? As demand grows, chocolate companies are trying to unlock the genetic secrets of the cacao tree as a means to ensure the supply of high quality chocolate.

Remote Lab In the future, students will be able to perform many science experiments from the comfort of their own home and in their own time. Paul Willis visits the sharelab at University of Technology Sydney, where engineering students are remotely operating eight experimental rigs.

8:00pm – Thursday, April 14 on ABC1

Koala Heatwave Koalas get most of their moisture from the gum leaves that they eat while bushier trees also provide shade during hot weather. However, as heatwaves increase in duration and frequency due to climate change, koalas are going to find it more difficult to survive – but there’s another battle looming. Increased atmospheric carbon will make gum leaves less nutritious and more toxic. Paul Willis travels to Gunnedah in NSW where a successful colony of koalas is feeling the heat.

Asthma Thunderstorm Hay fever sufferers in Victoria rue the rye grass season, when airborne pollens bring on the uncomfortable symptoms. However, a rare phenomenon that’s caused by a perfect storm of weather conditions and airborne allergens can turn hay fever into an asthma attack. Tanya Ha meets with researchers looking into the role rye grass plays in this explosive mix.

Iron Whales Scientists suspect that like cows in a paddock, whales fertilise the ocean with their manure. The more marine plants grow, the more carbon dioxide the ocean absorbs. Mark Horstman investigates the interaction of carbon absorbing phytoplankton, krill and baleen whales and meets scientists who are working to determine whether the iron in whale poo has a significant effect on sustaining phytoplankton.

Batphone The aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and bushfires is all the more chaotic when communications systems are knocked out. Paul Willis meets telecommunications expert, Paul Gardener-Stephens who has devised a means of using a series of mobile phones to create an effective network for communication and GPS tracking.

Poobiotics Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to most animals and are low in nutrients. Koalas, however, have a special bacteria in their stomachs that breaks down the toxins in the eucalyptus oil. But they aren’t born with it – the essential digestive aid comes from the baby koala’s mother and it’s not in her milk.

8:00pm – Thursday, April 7 on ABC1

Fin Forensics In recent years there has been growing concern over the conservation status of sharks. They grow slowly, are late to mature and produce very few young. But there’s strong demand and high prices for shark products.

There’s a living to be made catching sharks for their fins alone and the suffering animal is often returned to the deep to suffocate on the seafloor. Ruben Meerman reports on the forensic science that is bringing some fishermen to justice.

Low GI Diet Is it possible that a mother’s diet during pregnancy can affect her child for the rest of its life? Scientists are now proposing that it’s not just our genes that shape us. What we’re fed in our mother’s womb can also have a profound impact on how we grow up. Gestational diabetes and fat babies can lead to obesity in adulthood and type 2 diabetes. Maryanne Demasi meets Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, to examine the importance of a Low GI diet during pregnancy.

Mean Girls A study of pre-school children suggests that girls are no less competitive than boys – they simply employ more subtle tactics. While boys use head-on aggression to get what they want, girls rely on the pain of social exclusion. Ostracism is employed by pre-schoolers and teenagers alike and as Jonica Newby finds out, in older girls at least, the behaviour can be devastating.

Boys Toys Boys like trucks and girls like dolls right? But is it nature or nurture? Well, the jury may still be out, but there’s evidence that exposure to testosterone in utero has a bearing on boys’ preference for vehicles with big fat tyres. Females growing in the womb however, respond to testosterone very differently.

Discovering Other Earths Astronomers have discovered a lot of planets orbiting other suns recently, but as yet none with the habitable nature of Earth. But we’re about to discover a whole host of far more interesting places that could support life.

Graham Phillips explores the source of these expected discoveries – the Kepler Space Telescope.

8:00pm – Thursday, March 31 on ABC1

Nowadays with couples delaying childbirth, there’s a greater risk that the child will be born with a serious medical condition like Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis. Tests can screen for these conditions during the pregnancy but the results could lead to a couple facing a difficult decision. Maryanne Demasi examines new technology called ‘pre-implantation genetic testing’ that is making those decisions a whole lot easier.

Bionic Eye Bionic Vision Australia is a consortium of researchers working together to develop a bionic eye that can restore the sense of vision to people with vision impairment due to retinal degenerative conditions such as retinitis, pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. Paul Willis tests the bionic eye to experience what a person will see when a tiny chip implanted in the retina is switched on.

Naturally Inspired – Ant Algorithms Biomimetics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. In this first report of a series of naturally inspired technologies, Mark Horstman learns how the pheromones of ants are inspiring new algorithms for computing.

Where Are All the Aliens.

There are plenty of stars in our galaxy just like our Sun, only billions of years older. If alien civilisations sprung up around them, they’d be billions of years more advanced than us. It’s reasonable to expect then, that these superior beings should have made contact with us by now. Graham Phillips examines this conundrum known as Fermi’s Paradox.

Fun Fertility Just when is a woman most fertile and what changes in her biology? Surveys indicate some surprising male reactions to the female voice and gait in the run up to ovulation, as revealed in this cheeky look at fertility.

8:00pm – Thursday, March 24 on ABC1

The cornea, the transparent outer layer of the eye, can lose clarity if the stem cells in the outer layer aren’t doing their job properly, causing a reduction in or even loss of vision. Maryanne Demasi witnesses brilliant new surgery that transplants stem cells from a patient’s healthy eye to rejuvenate the damaged cornea of the other eye.

Folding Observatory The Hubble Space Telescope has been called one of the most productive scientific instruments ever made, capturing images of the distant cosmos in amazing detail. But now, NASA is building a new space telescope far more powerful than the Hubble. Graham Phillips goes to Los Angeles for a sneak preview.

Caves and Climate The history of Earth’s climate has been well informed by the gases trapped in ice and marine sediments. But, a more ancient complementary record is being exploited. Looking at carbon and oxygen isotopes within stalagmites and stalactites, geochronologists can establish exactly when dramatic changes occurred across the world. Paul Willis drills into the story in the Wombeyan Caves of NSW.

Ballistic Tongues Chameleons have a deadly weapon hidden in their mouths – a spring loaded tongue. But like all reptiles, its performance suffers in the cold. Researchers from the University of South Florida have filmed the hot and cold tongue action of the chameleon and found that it has a clever strategy to catch its breakfast when it’s nippy.

Science Demonstrations Nothing conveys the excitement and principles of science quite like a good practical demonstration. Ruben Meerman teams up with Graham Phillips to demonstrate Newton’s 1st Law of Motion and the perfect reversibility of Laminar Flow.

Neptune’s Solar Circuit Neptune has just completed its first orbit of the Sun since it was first observed by astronomers in 1846. It’s a planet with one year equivalent to 164.79 Earth years – that must be worth a birthday bash!

8:00pm – Thursday, March 17 on ABC1

Catalyst dishes up a smorgasbord of food science.

Peak Phosphate Phosphorus is the chemical backbone of DNA – every cell, plant and living thing, needs phosphorus to survive and grow. Its molecular structure allows it to combine efficiently with several other nutrients necessary for plant growth making it the farmer’s fertiliser of choice. But research suggests that the traditional sources of phosphate have peaked and demand will soon exceed supply. Mark Horstman discovers that human urine may provide an alternative supply of the element so vital to our economy.

GM for Good Genetically modified crops, although controversial, have been proposed as a solution for future world food shortages. But now, there is focus on bio-fortified foods as a solution for nutritional poverty in the 3rd world.

Crops such as Cassava are being engineered to contain more protein, vitamin A and iron while other foods are being fortified with omega 3 to be more heart healthy. Graham Phillips travels to the Mecca of GM, Monsanto in St Louis, USA.

Salt: The Hidden Threat A high salt diet puts us at risk of high blood pressure and the resultant heart disease. But is it really that easy to cut salt from the diet? Taste buds can be easily retrained to enjoy food with less salt, but processed foods continue to contain high levels of the silent killer. Maryanne Demasi discovers that there are very few options at the supermarket for the salt conscious shoppers.

Comfort Food Comfort food – that sweet, fatty treat that makes us feel so much better. Tanya Ha examines new research indicating that comfort food can have significant therapeutic effects – and could even help people dealing with long term mental trauma.

Food Coma Why is it that we feel sleepy after a meal? Following a meal, glucose escapes into the blood and heads for the brain to liven things up a little, but the brain has other ideas. If you’re caught napping on the job, blame it on postprandial somnolence, otherwise known as the food coma.

The Perfect Cuppa Milk first or last – does it really affect the taste? Ruben Meerman conducts an experiment to scientifically determine the recipe for the perfect cup of ‘Rosie Lee’ – and it’s all about the minimum temperature required to break down lactoglobulin molecules!