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A team from Caltech is using ultrasound to reveal processes at work one kilometre under Antarctic ice.

AI chatbots are helping to crack long-standing mathematical problems, including some of the famous Paul Erdős conjectures that have remained unsolved for nearly 80 years. It's not just researchers finding these solutions, either: it's also amateur mathematicians armed with off-the-shelf ChatGPT.Jonathan Webb wheels out the chalkboard with Dr Melissa Lee to discuss how AI is shaping the field of mathematics, and if anyone can be a mathematician these days.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.auFeaturing:Dr Melissa Lee, Senior Lecturer Monash UniversityFurther information:An AI solution to an 80‑year‑old problem has shocked mathematiciansLeiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and MathematicsThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

We visit a wildlife sanctuary north of Canberra where enclosures are being built to quarantine the eastern quoll, a species already endangered. Will it work and is this a long-term solution?

Old satellites and bits of space junk regularly fall back to Earth, burning up as they pass through the atmosphere.All this burning metal causes a chain reaction and ultimately destroys ozone molecules, which keep us safe from most of the Sun's harmful UVB rays. Could a new era of satellite "megaconstellations", like the one run by SpaceX's internet company Starlink, undo humanity's hard work repairing the ozone layer?Jonathan Webb launches into this issue with Dr Alice Gorman (AKA Dr Space Junk), taking stock of just how many satellites are burning up and what can be done to solve the problem.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.auFeaturing:Dr Alice Gorman, Flinders UniversityThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.

We also celebrate mathematician Terence Tao’s King’s birthday honour, and go in search of subatomic particles, 2Km underground.

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.auFeaturing:Dr Tiggy Grillo, Chief Operating Officer of Wildlife Health AustraliaFurther information:Animal disease hotline: 1800 675 888What we know about how H5N1 bird flu got here and where it may appear nextWhy bird flu poses a high risk to many Australian native mammalsFor 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.auFeaturing:Peter de Kruijff, environment reporterFurther information:World's biggest whale graveyard found in Indian Ocean off AustraliaA 5.3-million-year-old deep-sea whale necropolis in the Diamantina ZoneThis 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.auFeaturing:Dr Rebecca Hsu, Taiwan Institute of ForestryFurther information:The journey of finding the tallest tree in Formosa TaiwanFinding and saving the world's biggest trees before they disappearThis episode of Lab Notes was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.