The Discovery Pod Podcast

From muskets and biplanes to artificial intelligence and satellite defence systems- warfare in the 21st century is rapidly changing as we work to outsmart our adversaries in a digital world. 

The Def…

Three years of a pandemic has left Australia’s labour market crying out for more workers, yet some members of our society are struggling to find gainful employment.

Neurodiverse people and older Aust…

Activated carbon- you can find it in food, face masks, water filters and even gold mines, but one Australian start-up is working to help activated carbon find is place in our circular economy.

This w…

Shellfish reefs once framed Australia’s coastline from Noosa to Perth, but today they’re considered functionally extinct. So why are some researchers turning to music to bring these decimated habitat…

Since 2012, the Clean Energy Regulator has issued 122,881,923 Australian Carbon Credit Units (also known as ACCUs) to over 1,400 carbon abatement projects. The projects can look like anything from tr…

In Australia, the number of men dying by suicide is almost double the number of lives lost on our roads every year.

But while we know to buckle up, observe speed limits, and keep our eyes on the road…

66% of consumers are willing to pay more money for products and services that are ‘sustainable’. But a brand’s environmental and social policies don’t always align with what they put on the packet…

T…

Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time? Our current attitudes to crime and punishment in Australia sees 45.2% of prisoners reoffending after just 2 years of being released.

This revolving-door n…

In 2019, the Australian Government released its National Hydrogen Strategy with a goal to create a clean, innovative, safe and competitive hydrogen industry that would help decarbonise the nation. 

B…

Could artificial intelligence fill the gap as our nation faces a dangerous shortage of mental health clinicians? Virtual therapy offers affordable and on-demand mental health support, allowing people…

Australian researchers are commercialising game-changing research like never before, elevating the value of innovation like never before. But how do we build academic and commercial environments that…

Hydrogen, solar, electric vehicles and carbon capture are all terms you’ve probably heard when conversation turns to reaching net-zero emissions. But what about blue carbon?

As the world heats up, so…

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that the detection of new diseases must be both fast and reliable if we are to limit the impact illnesses can have on our industries, communities, and global lifest…

Mimicking the power of the insect world, engineers at the University of Adelaide are researching the potential of swarm robots and other technologies inspired by the natural world, for a variety of a…

Did somebody say hempcrete? From domestic housing to city skyscrapers, plant-based materials cut reliance on scarce resources and construct comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient buildings. 

This…

Hemp houses, disease-detecting dogs, and robot swarms inspired by wasps; In 2022, The Discovery Pod is exploring bold new ideas.

Join us in conversation with host Andy Lowe and researchers at the f…

Malevolent influence and interference between nation states has always been a ‘thing’. But in the digital age, it’s gone to a whole new level. Our societies are more connected than ever, with countle…

The female reproductive conditions endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome make life incredibly uncomfortable for a huge number of Australian women—up to 9% and 13% respectively. Compounding matt…

Our march to sustainable living is gathering pace. With Australia’s environment ministers banning all single-use plastics from 2025, an explosion of eco-friendly alternatives is emerging. And similar…

Vaccinations are the global frontline in public health. So how do they protect us from disease? What are the different ways of making them? And why were COVID-19 vaccines able to be made so much fast…