''Catalyst'' is an Australian science journalism television program broadcast by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

(ABC). The program is currently the only science show on

primetime Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

television in Australia. Launched in 2001, it replaced ''Quantum'' which had ceased the previous year. ''Catalyst'' is regularly broadcast on ABC TV at 8:30 pm on Tuesdays and repeated at 6:00 pm on Sundays.

Overview

The show broadcasts stories on scientific themes, and in particular significant recent developments and discoveries. It focuses primarily on stories relevant to Australia, but the series covers international developments as well. It attempts to convey information in a way that is not only accurate but also interesting and informative to the general population, often discussing the ethical, political and other implications of scientific discoveries and research as well as the discoveries themselves. The show's website describes it as follows: Prime examples of ''Catalyst'' featured segments include "Corporate

Psychopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...

s", "The Truth About

Vitamins A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrie ...

", and " Smell and

Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

". The show originally was broadcast in a 30-minute format. Following a series of controversies and an internal review of the program, the ABC announced in November 2016 that ''Catalyst'' would shift to a 60-minute format starting in 2017. The new format utilises out-of-house experts in their respective fields, presenting 60-minute in depth documentaries. Episodes have included "The Great Australian Bee Challenge", "Bionic Revolution", "Feeding Australia" and "The Secret To Making Better Decisions".

Staff

The ''Catalyst'' team is composed of specialised

science journalist Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists, and the public. Origins Modern science journalism dates back to '' Digdarshan'' (means showing the d ...

s, science communicators and producers, each with different specialisations and roles. Over ''Catalyst's'' history, the staff has included:

Presenters and reporters

* Maryanne Demasi, science journalist, medical research scientist * Alan Duffy, astronomer *

Tim Flannery Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer, author, science communicator, activist and public scientist. He was awarded Australian of the Yea ...

, palaeontologist and environmental activist *Joanna McMillan, dietitian *

Derek Muller Derek Alexander Muller (born 9 November 1982) is an Australian-Canadian science communicator, filmmaker, and television personality, who is best known for his YouTube channel Veritasium. Muller has also appeared as a correspondent on the Ne ...

, physicist *Shalin Naik, stem cell biologist *Jonica Newby, veterinarian *

Jordan Nguyen Jordan Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Australian biomedical engineer and inventor whose achievements include creating a mind-controlled wheelchair, and whose technological innovations are targeted at improving the lives of those living with physical disa ...

, biomedical engineer * Graham Phillips, astrophysicist *

Lily Serna Lily Serna is an Australian mathematician and television presenter, best known for co-presenting the SBS game shows ''Letters and Numbers'' (2010−2012) and '' Celebrity Letters and Numbers'' (2021−), as well as the cooking show ''Destinati ...

, mathematician * Nikki Stamp, cardiothoracic and transplant surgeon *

Brad McKay Brad McKay (born 26 March 1993) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Scottish League One club, Falkirk. McKay has previously played for Heart of Midlothian, St Johnstone and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, as well ...

, GP * Anja Taylor *Paul West, former chef and farmer *Caroline West, GP *Sarah McKay, neuroscientist.

Researchers

* Dominique Pile * Amy Sherden * Ariane Hall * Claire Smith

Controversy

A series of episodes ("Heart of the Matter", parts 1 and 2) broadcast in October 2013 which questioned the link between

saturated fat A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone and fatty acids that each contain a long linear or branche ...

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell memb ...

and

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

, as well as the widespread use of anti-cholesterol drugs known as

statin Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. They are the most common cholesterol-lowering drugs. Low ...

s, came under criticism from doctors and the

National Heart Foundation of Australia The National Heart Foundation of Australia (known as the Heart Foundation) is a charity established in 1959. Its activities have been funding cardiovascular research, supporting health professionals in their practice, developing health promotion ...

. The foundation estimates that in the wake of those episodes up to 55,000 patients may have stopped taking their medication, leading to a potential increase in heart attacks and strokes over the next five years. In May 2014 the ABC removed both episodes from its website, after an internal review found that the second episode (but not the first) involved one breach of ABC standards on impartiality and there was a problem of omission of important information. "Wi-Fried?", an episode broadcast in February 2016 featuring American epidemiologist

Devra Davis Devra Lee Davis (born June 7, 1946) is an American epidemiologist, toxicologist, and author of three books about environmental hazards. She was founding director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer I ...

, courted further controversy by claiming that electromagnetic radiation emitted by devices such as

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...

s lead to an increased risk of

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and second ...

in heavy users, contrary to the mainstream view that exposure to such emissions is largely safe. The show faced criticism from local experts, viewers and scientists disputing the episode's claims, with public health professor Simon Chapman stating that "this is not the first time ''Catalyst'' have aired a questionable episode, and there really needs to be a review of their editorial process". An investigation by the ABC's independent Audience and Consumer Affairs Unit found that the episode breached editorial policies standards on accuracy and impartiality, later leading to the withdrawal of the episode from the ABC website. The controversy led to the temporary suspension of reporter Dr. Maryanne Demasi from the show and is the second time since ''Heart of the Matter, Parts 1 and 2'' to have breached editorial standards. It also led to the ABC reviewing the future strategy and direction of the program, leading to format changes for the following series.

References

External links

Official websiteThe Lab
– ABC science gateway {{DEFAULTSORT:Catalyst (Tv Program) Australian non-fiction television series Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming 2001 Australian television series debuts 2010s Australian television series Documentary television series about science Documentary television series about technology English-language television shows