Science Friction

Forty years ago this January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated on its way into orbit. All seven astronauts on board were killed. In the days after the tragedy, the world wanted answers. What really caused the shuttle to explode? And should the launch have been stopped altogether? For season five of Science Friction, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Fiona Pepper investigate how the Challenger disaster unfolded – and what that has meant for space exploration from 1986 to now. The Challenger Legacy is a five-part series from Science Friction. Episode 1 is out Wednesday 21st January.

In 2018, a Chinese scientist made an announcement that shocked the world — and landed him years in prison. In a special episode of Artificial Evolution, Health Report reporter Shelby Traynor traces the story of He Jiankui, the researcher who helped to produce genetically edited babies. His actions invited condemnation from scientists worldwide and opened new fronts of scientific and ethical debate. Thank you to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for supplying the baby KJ audio, and Genepool Productions for supplying the citizen's jury audio used in this episode. You can hear more episodes of Science Friction with journalist Peter de Kruijff about DNA, cloning, genetic modification and gene editing on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. Reporter: Shelby Traynor  Presenter: Peter de Kruijff Producers: Shelby Traynor, Fiona Pepper Senior Producer: James Bullen Sound Engineer: Roi Huberman This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Whadjuk Noongar and Menang Noongar peoples.

Dr Jane Goodall, a pioneer of ground-breaking chimpanzee field research, has died at the age of 91. Her early work, published in 1963, transformed our understanding of the social and emotional lives of chimpanzees and encouraged a wave of study into primate behaviour. She later established the Jane Goodall Institute, now one of the world's largest conservation organisations. In 2022, Natasha Mitchell interviewed Dr Goodall for Science Friction about her life and work. This episode of Science Friction first aired in May 2022.

Timothy Andrews has lived with a pig kidney in his body for eight months. That makes him a record breaker — living longer with a gene-edited pig kidney than anyone else in the world so far. In the final episode of Artificial Evolution, he tells us about his journey, his hopes for making it a year with the transplant, and the challenges he's faced along the way. With expanded clinical trials into this 'xenotransplantation' around the corner, researchers and advocacy groups argue a future in which animal organs are used in life-saving transplantation procedures for humans is not far off. So what is the science and history of xenotransplantation? What are the ethical concerns? And what's happening in Australia? You can hear more episodes of Science Friction with journalist Peter de Kruijff about DNA, cloning, genetic modification and gene editing on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. Guests: Timothy Andrews New Hampshire, United States Professor Wayne Hawthorne Professor of Transplantation, Westmead Hospital Professor Dominique Martin Professor of Health Ethics and Professionalism, Deakin University Professor Syd Johnson Professor of Bioethics, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York Credits: Presenter: Peter de Kruijff Producer: Fiona Pepper Senior Producer: James Bullen Sound Engineer: Tim Symonds Archives Researcher: Lisa Chidlow This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Whadjuk Noongar and Menang Noongar peoples.

Gene-edited fish are on the market in Japan, and similar foods could soon be on Australian shelves. But will we want to eat them, how affordable will they be, and what do they even taste like? On this episode of Artificial Evolution, Pete looks at the future of gene editing for consumption, what's on the menu, and whether it’s a sustainable way to feed the world. You can hear more episodes of Science Friction with journalist Peter de Kruijff about DNA, cloning, genetic modification and gene editing on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. Credits: Presenter: Peter de Kruijff Producer: Fiona Pepper Senior Producer: James Bullen Sound Engineer: Richard Girvan/Angie Grant Archives Researcher: Lisa Chidlow This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Whadjuk Noongar and Menang Noongar peoples.