Outlet Spotlight: Huh? Science Explained

“This format is long enough to explain a topic with enough depth while allowing the science to be fun”

Why does fruit come with a sticker? Is yawning really contagious? Why does the cream only stick to one side of the oreo? How does the world work and why does it work the way it does? The team at LiSTNR are planning to answer these questions and more with their new podcast Huh? Science Explained. Created in partnership with the Royal Institution of Australia, it aims to answer some of life's weirdest and wackiest questions with a little help from the Royal Institute’s Cosmos Magazine and its team of science journalists.

The podcast was inspired by a previous project from the summer of 2021-2022 that saw the Royal Institute’s journalists and scientists answering questions about science mysteries and publishing them in 140 rural and regional newspapers. They enjoyed the project so much that they decided to create a podcast doing the same. “It peels back the curtain to explain the science behind what is happening in everyone’s life,” says Imma Perfetto, Science Journalist and one of the hosts of the podcast. “From why cheese is so stinky, to why songs get stuck in our heads, and even explaining the global threat of antibiotic resistance.”

Huh? Science Explained has remained dedicated to its question and answer roots, with each episode coming in under ten minutes. “This format is long enough to explain a topic with enough depth while allowing the science to be fun and engaging without dragging on for too long,” says Imma. “An episode on the mysteries of the number pi came out for Pi Approximation Day in July, while the science of the sausage sizzle was released for the Australian federal election in May.”

The team draws from Cosmos Magazine’s extensive network of experts to ensure every episode is held to the highest standards of accuracy. “We have seven years' worth of high-quality science journalism that we can draw from and use as a jumping-off point in our own research as well,” says Imma. “Upcoming questions include how would I feel at absolute zero? Why do salt and sugar taste so good? And how do glowsticks actually work?” 

New episodes of Huh? Science Explained are released twice weekly on the LiSTNR app.