Catalyst

Season 17

TV-G
Exploring the forefront of science and technology, Catalyst brings you compelling stories looking at the latest in science from health and medical breakthroughs to astronomy, environment, and agriculture.
Where to Watch Season 17
40 Episodes
  • Battery-Powered Homes
    E1
    Episode 1Battery-Powered HomesThere's a power revolution heading for our homes – a device that allows you to take power into your own hands. Its batteries, home batteries, and they've been called the holy grail of renewables – the key to the transition away from fossil fuels. Australia is at the vanguard of this revolution - we will be one of the first countries in the world to experience the transition to the battery powered home. Find out how you can be part of it.
  • Oxytocin, Crown of Thorns Starfish
    E2
    Episode 2Oxytocin, Crown of Thorns StarfishIt turns out oxytocin is responsible for a lot more than just love. Dr. Graham Phillips discovers oxytocin's great potential to treat social disorders, like drug addiction and alcoholism.
  • Wi-Fried?
    E3
    Episode 3Wi-Fried?Wi-Fi blankets our homes, schools & cities. Dr. Maryanne Demasi takes a closer look at the link between mobile phones & brain cancer & explores whether our wireless devices could be putting our health at risk.
  • Out of Africa
    E4
    Episode 4Out of AfricaProf. Vanessa Hayes is searching for the origins of modern society, revealing the bedrock of human genetic diversity. Her work exposes some startling truths about racial inequality in modern medicine.
  • Science of Sci Fi Films, Mercury
    E5
    Episode 5Science of Sci Fi Films, MercuryFrom Matt Damon's recent hit, The Martian, through to Interstellar, Gravity and long-running favourite, Star Trek, Hollywood is obsessed with science fiction. Is the level of mercury in the fish we’re eating safe for our health?
  • Music on the Brain
    E6
    Episode 6Music on the BrainCould the soundtrack of your life bring back fading memories? Catalyst takes you inside an extraordinary new program, revealing how personalised playlists can re-awaken the brains of people with dementia.
  • Micro-Plastics, Tassie's Secrets
    E7
    Episode 7Micro-Plastics, Tassie's SecretsWe look into marine life in Australia, to find out what plastics escape our household drains & what kind of damage they can do. And the geology of north-western Tasmania reveals similarities to Antarctica.
  • If Pain Persists
    E8
    Episode 8If Pain PersistsThis week we investigate recent advances in science and medical engineering that are transforming our understanding of chronic back pain & opening the door to new treatments.
  • Motorcycle Clothes, Gravitational Waves
    E9
    Episode 9Motorcycle Clothes, Gravitational WavesA new kind of telescope will allow us to observe a whole host of astronomical phenomena, like gravitational waves. Plus how protective is safety motorcycle gear anyway? Mark Horstman lays his body on the line.
  • Honey Bee Brains and Lavender, Tassie Fires
    E10
    Episode 10Honey Bee Brains and Lavender, Tassie FiresLavender is a powerful smell, but could it be even more powerful than we think? We like to think Tasmania is a refuge from climate change – a cool green island at the bottom of a warming world.
  • Blind Leading the Blind, Bionic Bra
    E11
    Episode 11Blind Leading the Blind, Bionic BraResearchers are getting a clearer picture on the way the brain turns sounds into images, redefining our understanding of vision. Plus, the "Bionic Bra" - providing the right amount of breast support as needed.
  • Antibiotic Resistance
    E12
    Episode 12Antibiotic ResistanceAntibiotics have saved millions of lives, but their overuse is making them less effective as bacteria develop resistance. Can researchers outwit these clever bacteria & find novel ways to beat resistance?
  • Short Sightedness In Children, Saving A Furry Friend
    E13
    Episode 13Short Sightedness In Children, Saving A Furry FriendWe look into the rise of myopia & how scientists are finding a way to turn the tide on the epidemic. Plus meet Australia's first koala scat detection dog that's helping koala conservation researchers.
  • Exercise and Cancer
    E14
    Episode 14Exercise and CancerBy the time you hit mid life, odds are you or someone close to you will be touched by cancer. In this half-hour special, Dr Jonica Newby investigates a medicine that will double your chance of survival – Its exercise, but not as we know it.
  • Becoming Superhuman (1)
    E15
    Episode 15Becoming Superhuman (1)Dr Jordan Nguyen is a biomedical engineer. Riley Saban is a 13-year-old kid with cerebral palsy. Together they develop extraordinary, cutting edge technology that gives young Riley superhuman powers.
  • Becoming Superhuman (2)
    E16
    Episode 16Becoming Superhuman (2)Biomedical engineer Dr Jordan Nguyen & 13-year-old Riley Saban aren't content to just develop cutting edge technology that gives Riley superhuman powers, now they want to push the boundaries to see if Riley can drive a car.
  • Meditation: Can It Really Change You?
    E17
    Episode 17Meditation: Can It Really Change You?Dr. Graham Phillips embarks on an 8 week meditation course to find out if the ancient art lives up to the current hype. New research shows that it can affect the body & the mind & even alter the structure of the brain.
  • Oldest Aussie Beer, Unboiling An Egg
    E18
    Episode 18Oldest Aussie Beer, Unboiling An EggCould bottles, salvaged from a 220 year old Tasmanian ship wreck, contain the remnants of the world's oldest beer? Plus 'unboiling an egg' technology leads to new discoveries in renewable energy.
  • Live Long Die Young
    E19
    Episode 19Live Long Die YoungLab experiments show it's now possible to fight the four major diseases of old age. Anja Taylor investigates one of these methods achieving extraordinary results. Could this be the key to a long & healthy life?
  • Stress and Cancer, Secrets of Pluto
    E20
    Episode 20Stress and Cancer, Secrets of PlutoResearchers may have found a way to prevent the stress induced spread of cancer cells. Guest reporter, oncologist Dr Ranjana Srivastava investigates. Plus we reveal Pluto's secrets with mind boggling pictures.
  • Toxic Ticks
    E21
    Episode 21Toxic TicksDo Australian ticks pose a greater health risk than we thought? For the first time, microbes inside native Aussie ticks are being probed, leading to new discoveries which may reveal the causes of unexplained illnesses.
  • Soundscape, Juno's Mission
    E22
    Episode 22Soundscape, Juno's MissionThe natural world tells unseen stories through sound. Catalyst discovers what we can learn from listening to nature. Plus we go to Australia's tracking station Tidbinbilla to witness Juno going into orbit around Jupiter.
  • Stormageddon, Orangutans
    E23
    Episode 23Stormageddon, OrangutansIn the first week of June, four states were battered by a ferocious east coast low unusual in its size, damaging storm surge and intense rainfalls. Orangutans are highly intelligent animals and keeping them mentally engaged and challenged is paramount for Melbourne zoo keepers and researchers
  • Gut Reaction (1)
    E24
    Episode 24Gut Reaction (1)Could our food be making us sick - very sick? In the first of a two-part special, Dr Graham Phillips reveals research about the interplay between food and the bacteria deep within our guts. #ABCcatalyst
  • Gut Reaction (2)
    E25
    Episode 25Gut Reaction (2)The final part of a Catalyst investigation into whether food could actually be our medicine. A healthy diet could be even more important than previously thought because food affects the bacteria deep inside our guts.
  • Artificial Sweeteners, Antarctica Fossils
    E26
    Episode 26Artificial Sweeteners, Antarctica FossilsGP & guest reporter Dr. Zeeshan Arain looks at artificial sweeteners and how they may impact our health. Plus an Australian paleontologist goes on a US expedition searching for dinosaur fossils in Antarctica.
  • Stentrode, Fantastic Voyage
    E27
    Episode 27Stentrode, Fantastic VoyageCatalyst looks at the game-changing new Australian device that aims to help the paralysed walk again. Plus virtual reality takes scientists and patients on a unique interactive journey inside the human body.
  • Alzheimer's - Can We Prevent It?
    E28
    Episode 28Alzheimer's - Can We Prevent It?Can lifestyle choices delay or even prevent Alzheimer's disease? From what we eat to how much we move & sleep, scientists are suggesting that the power to push back the disease is largely in our hands.
  • Gene Editing Made Simple
    E29
    Episode 29Gene Editing Made SimpleGraham Phillips goes into the desert on a meteorite hunt to investigate the question: is there life on Mars? Plus the powerful gene-editing technique CRISPR that is transforming the field of genetics.
  • Making Dogs Happy (1)
    E30
    Episode 30Making Dogs Happy (1)We all like to think our dogs are really happy with us, but how can we be sure? New research suggests most of us can't even tell. Are our dogs really happy & can we use science to make them happier?
  • Making Dogs Happy (2)
    E31
    Episode 31Making Dogs Happy (2)In Part 2 of Making Dogs Happy, discover new science-based ways of communicating with dogs, how to better read what they are saying, how our own personalities impact their happiness & new technology to help make pets happier.
  • Smell: Our Most Underestimated Sense
    E32
    Episode 32Smell: Our Most Underestimated SenseSmell is our most ancient, but also our most underestimated sense. In this episode Anja Taylor investigates the hidden powers of smell & how smell influences many aspects of our lives in ways we often overlook.
  • Hidden Secrets Of Art, Out Of Africa
    E33
    Episode 33Hidden Secrets Of Art, Out Of AfricaCatalyst goes behind the scenes at the NGV to see how scientists are revealing concealed gems with stunning clarity. Plus we revisit what genomicist Professor Vanessa Hayes discovered about the origins of modern society.
  • Forensic Future, Alien Megastructure
    E34
    Episode 34Forensic Future, Alien MegastructureCatalyst investigates how cutting edge forensics together with developments in DNA testing are working towards putting a face to the nameless. Plus the massive megastructure puzzling astrophysicists - could it be alien-built?
  • Coral Bleaching
    E35
    Episode 35Coral BleachingIn this confronting special, Catalyst explores the lethal threat of coral bleaching to the Great Barrier Reef, and the challenges we all face to protect this global treasure.
  • Plain of Jars, Satellites
    E36
    Episode 36Plain of Jars, SatellitesSouth East Asia's Plain of Jars is an archaeological enigma. Who carved these megalithic stone jars & what were they used for? Plus, Space is being invaded by a new breed of cheap satellites, smaller than a loaf of bread.
  • Testosterone, Dr. Jane Goodall
    E37
    Episode 37Testosterone, Dr. Jane GoodallDr. Graham Phillips investigates how testosterone affects our abilities, behaviour & health, in both men and women. Plus Dr. Jane Goodall & her work as a World-renowned primatologist, conservationist & activist.
  • Medicinal Cannabis
    E38
    Episode 38Medicinal CannabisAnecdotal evidence is building that cannabis has a positive effect on a long list of medical conditions from epilepsy, cancer, even Alzheimer's Disease. By applying scientific rigour can researchers uncover clinical evidence?
  • Tick Bites, Swift Parrot
    E39
    Episode 39Tick Bites, Swift ParrotDr. Jonica Newby meets Dr. Sheryl van Nunen, the clinician who discovered the link between tick bites & meat allergies. Plus we revisit a story on one of Australia's most charismatic & endangered birds - the swift parrot.
  • The Anthropocene
    E40
    Episode 40The AnthropoceneScientists claim that the Earth has shifted out of the Holocene state & into a new geological epoch. We look at how the last 60 years has transformed the human race into a geological force to rival nature.
 
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