Episoder
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Are we really facing an attention crisis? Historian, Daniel Immerwahr, has his doubts. In fact, he says ours is an era of obsession as much as distraction and of zeal as much as indifference. Also, the paradox of certainty: we crave it, argues the University of Alberta's, Timothy Caulfield, even though it's so easy to fake.
Guests
Daniel Immerwahr — author and Professor of History, Northwestern University and a contributing writer at The New Yorker
Timothy Caulfield — author and Professor of law, University of Alberta
Professor Gloria Mark — data scientist and psychologist, Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine
Further information
Timothy Coulfield: The Certainty Illusion. What You Don't Know and Why It Matters
Daniel Immerwahr's article on Attention
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They're cheaper and safer than their lithium counterparts, they're easier to scale-up, and they can hold power for much longer than conventional batteries, so why aren't flow batteries better known? The technology has been under development for decades, but enthusiasts now say they're finding their place in the sun. Also, why more and more cargo companies are turning to wind-power; and do developing countries need to rethink their approach to off-grid power.
Guests
Emeritus Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos — School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, University of New South Wales
Emily Mahoney — Researcher, Malapit Lab, Northwestern University (US)
Adjunct Associate Professor Jens Noack — Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland
Associate Prof Paul Munro — Associate Professor in Human Geography, The Environment and Society Group, University of New South Wales
Gavin Allwright — Secretary General, International Windship Association
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Manglende episoder?
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The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is opening-up its storeroom, turning the back end of the operation into a public resource. It's about attracting new patrons, but it's also about accountability, the Museum's managers have declared. Across the Western world museums are having to reexamine their mission and redefine the relationship they have with the public they're meant to serve. We explore why and how. We also look at the balance that's being struck between the physical artefact and its digital equivalent.
Guests
Tim Reeve — Deputy Director, Victorian and Albert Museum, London
Dan Hicks — Professor of Contemporary Archaeology, Oxford University
Karin de Wild — Assistant Professor in Contemporary Museum and Collection Studies, Leiden University (The Netherlands)
Kylie Message-Jones — Professor of Public Humanities, ANU Humanities Research Centre
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A series of massive underground tombs for nuclear waste are currently under construction. They've taken decades to plan and build and they're designed to house the world's nuclear waste for millennia to come. So where are they being built? How safe will they be? And how to devise a toxic waste warning sign that will make sense to people living tens of thousands of years from now?
Also, the latest research on how climate change is beginning to impact on internal migration within countries.
Guests
Mark Piesing — a UK-based freelance journalist
Dr Shastra Deo — Nuclear semiotics expert and author, School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland
Professor Raya Muttarak — Professor of Demography, University of Bologna (Italy)
Lisa — a climate-concerned resident of South-east Queensland
Further information
Mark Piesing's article: How to build a nuclear tomb to last millennia
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Terms like "Gen Z", "Boomer" and "Millennial" are popular, but they have no basis in science. Demographers and social scientists are now pushing back. Generational labelling, they argue, is akin to Astrology and while politicians, journalists and media influencers find them irresistible, they actually promote pseudo-science, sew social division and can reinforce prejudicial stereotypes. So why are generational labels so popular?
Guests
Professor Bobby Duffy — Director of the Policy Institute, King's College London. Author of The Generation Myth.
Professor Philip Coen — Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland
Professor Crystal Abidin — digital anthropologist and ethnographer of vernacular internet cultures, Curtin University
Professor David Costanza — Professor of Commerce, University of Virginia
Further information
Philip Coen’s open letter to Pew Research Center on generation labels
Pew Research Center's response
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Why does Utopian thinking get such a bad rap? It’s often derided as delusional and dangerous. But what if that stereotype is designed to limit our imagination and choices? We hear often that people are tired of democracy and turned off by short-term political thinking. So, is it time to be much more adventurous and ambitious – dare we say utopian – in our imagining of the future?
Guests
Professor William Paris – Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto
Professor Barbara Prainsack – Professor for Comparative Policy Analysis, University of Vienna
Professor Anna Abraham – Director of the Torrance Centre for Creativity and Talent Development
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Privatising public services like trains, hospitals or prisons — is a proven vote loser. But governments of both the left and right continue to privatise — when it suits them. And it suits them, it seems, when large sums of money are needed to pay down debt, or when a government seeks to off load risk and liability to the private sector. So, what conditions should be applied to ensure that privatisations truly serve the public interest and don't simply decrease competition?
Guests
Owen Hayford — Strategic legal and commercial adviser, Infralegal
Nino Bucci — Justice and Courts Reporter, The Guardian
Richard Denniss — economist and public policy commentator
Professor Graeme Samuel — Monash University Business School
Benjamin Goodair – Senior post-doctoral researcher, Oxford Universty
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Authoritarians rule through fear. We can clearly see that from China to the Middle East to eastern Europe. But why do we constantly overlook the way in which fear also shapes democratic societies? It's fueling populism and distorting our future focus. Then there's anger. It's inspired generations to man the barricades and right society's wrongs. But anger is increasingly becoming a driver of commerce. There's billions to be made in getting you riled up and keeping you that way. Fear fuels anger, and anger blinds you to recognise that your fear might be misguided. A truly vicious cycle.
Guests
Erika Ferszt – Owner, founder and lead-consultant, Scintillate Brand Consulting
Professor Jennifer Lerner – Public Policy, Management and Decision Science, Harvard University
Professor Robert Peckham – historian and Fellow at the Royal Historical Society, London
Margot Faraci – Global leadership expert
Further information
Robert Peckham – Fear: An Alternative History of the World
Margot Faraci - Love Leadership Survey
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Algorithmic feeds are meant to personalise our online experiences, but increasingly they're flattening our culture and fostering a dull conformity, according to best-selling author Kyle Chayka. And the influence they exert on our lives is increasingly physical not just digital. Also, data scientist Gloria Mark who has crunched the numbers on how our attention spans have fared over the past decade or so. If you can keep focused, you might find it fascinating.
Guests
Professor Gloria Mark – data scientist and psychologist, Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine
Kyle Chayka – author and contributing writer for The New Yorker
Further information
Gloria Mark - Attention Span: A Ground Breaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity
Kyle Chayka – Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture
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In our uber-connected world, the development and management of really anything is becoming increasingly complex. Planning for the future has to involve more than just grand ambitions, it also needs to be alert to unintended consequences. Otherwise things you didn't even dream about will go wrong and that can prove enormously costly. Part of the solution is to think past the immediate and adopt a systematic approach to thinking.
Guests
Dr Edward Crawley – Ford Professor of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Dr Isabel Sebastian – Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
Gavin Maguire – Global Energy Transition Columnist, Reuters News
Nicola Twilley – Writer and podcaster, author of the forthcoming book "The Birth of Cool"
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Nostalgia triggers our emotions and that in turn makes us vulnerable to manipulation. We speak with Richard King about the commodification and weaponisation of nostalgic sentiment. Also, New York Times critic-at-large, Jason Farago, on why he believes our cultural age might be the least innovative in half a millennium.
Guests
Richard King – author and critic
Jason Farago – author, social commentator and critic-at-large, The New York Times
Further information
Richard’s Griffith Review essay - Nostalgia on demand
Jason’s NYT essay - Why Culture Has Come to a Standstill
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Most people want to eat better. And many of us have embraced the trend toward "natural" foods and conscious eating.
We equate "natural" with healthy, nutritious and virtuous, but that can often be way off the mark. New research shows many healthy alternatives are anything but. And our embrace of the term natural is more about expressing identity and morality rather than healthy eating. Empowering people to understand what and how they should eat is what it should be about – and one way to do that is by using a food labelling app.
Guests
Professor Sarah Bridle – Chair in Food, Climate and Society, University of York
Alan Levinovitz – Associate Professor of Religious Studies, James Madison University
Laura Marchese – Researcher, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University
Julie Chapon – Co-founder of the Yuka app
Lisa – Brisbane-based food-rating app user
Further information
Sarah Bridle: Food and Climate Change -- Without the Hot Air, UIT Cambridge
Climate Stack Calculator - A free tool to help you add up the climate impact of different food choices
Play the game: Which of your food choices have the biggest climate impact?
Take A Bite Out of Climate – resources and games to learn how food choices contribute to climate change
BBC Future – Foodprint Calculator
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Methane levels are going up — not down, despite decades spent trying to reduce emissions from agriculture and landfill. But some countries are bucking the trend, we find out who and how.
Breeding sheep and cattle to burp less is one way to reduce methane emissions. ABC Top 5 Science Residency recipient Luisa Olmo talks us through a genetic selection programme that could lead the way forward.
Guests
Dr Ed Clayton – Ruminant nutritionist, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Professor Sam Clark – Professor of Animal Genetics, University of New England
Dr Pep Canadell – Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Environment
Producer
Dr Luisa Olmo — Research Officer, Meat Science and Value Chains, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
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The design of your city contributes to how much rain you get. Researchers have found a 'wet island effect' and it's likely to shape the future construction of our cities. Also, better understanding how Artificial Intelligence is used in conflict; and the major Australian study that calls into question the effectiveness of carbon trading.
Guests
Dr Megan Evans – Senior Lecturer, Public Sector Management, UNSW Canberra
Professor Dev Niyogi – Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin
Professor Toni Erskine – International Politics, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, ANU
Further information
Statement from the Clean Energy Regulator
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Military spending around the world has reached a new peak, and it's still going up. All eyes are on Ukraine and the Middle East as new strategies and weapons are being put to the test. But are the traditional international rules of warfare too focussed on old technologies? Can they be adjusted to encompass cyber hacking and the use of online civilian proxies?
Guests
Professor Johanna Weaver – Director of the Tech Policy design Centre, Australian National University, ANU
Professor Alexander Hill – Military Historian, University of Calgary
Dr Nan Tian – Senior Researcher and Programme Director, SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme, SIPRI
Dr Jack Watling – Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare, Royal United Services Institute (UK)
Further information
Global Roaming - THE NEW FRONTLINES 01: Welcome to the future of war
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Sometimes, despite the hype, despite extensive funding, and despite clever and ingenious thinking, good ideas fail. Or at least don’t live up to their initial promise. There are lessons to be learnt and interesting anecdotes to be told. In this episode we look at four future-focused projects that have never really taken off: Google Glass, solar roads, space tourism and hyperloop technology.
Guests
Dr Paul Sutter – Astrophysicist, SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, New York
Sarah Marquart – freelance journalist, editor of From Quarks to Quasars
Andrew Hawkins – Transportation editor, The Verge
Quinn Myers – Chicago-based journalist and author 'Google Glass'
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The UN General Assembly has passed a Declaration on Future Generations. It’s designed to ensure the generations of tomorrow aren’t disadvantaged by the decisions we make today. But is it more than feel good symbolism? Could it one day be as powerful as the Declaration on Human Rights? Also, how a focus on the here and now restricts visionary thinking; and we get the results from the latest 4-day work week trial, this time in Germany.
Guests
Professor Thomas Hale – Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University
Professor Brett Bowden – Professor of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, School of Humanities & Communication Arts, Western Sydney University
Professor Julia Backmann – University of Münster
Further information
University of Münster - Germany’s four-day working week trial
Blavatnik School of Government - Implementing a Declaration on Future Generations
Brett Bowden - Now is Not the Time: Inside our Obsession with the Present
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Robot vacuum cleaners are so innocuous, many people treat them almost like pets. But they're also potential portals into our private life. Story Lab journalist, Julian Fell, learns how to hack a robot vacuum cleaner and uncovers some disturbing facts about the security of connected household appliances. Also, acts of aggression and abuse committed in virtual reality environments. So-called "metacrimes" may be cyber in nature, but they can feel very real and have physical world consequences.
Guests
Dr Milind Tiwari – Postdoctoral research fellow, Charles Sturt University
Dennis Giese – independent security researcher
Sean Kelly – robot vacuum owner
Daniel Swenson – US-based victim of robot vacuum hack
Donald Dansereau – senior lecturer, Australian Centre for Robotics, University of Sydney
Yong Zhi Lim – former cybersecurity tester, TUV SUD
Further information
ABC News - Hackers take control of robot vacuums in multiple cities, yell racial slurs
ABC News - We hacked a robot vacuum — and could watch live through its camera
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The heating climate is now recognised as a threat to our inner world – to brain health and rationality. Extreme temperatures not only impact our ability to think and our decision-making they also increase the presence of neurotoxins in the environment. And that can lead to disease and mental degeneration. We speak with the head of the newly formed International Neuro Climate Working Group. Climate anxiety is also caused by changes in our brains. So, is that a blessing or a curse?
Guests
Clayton Page Aldern – Neuroscientist, author and senior reporter, Grist.
Dr Burcin Ikiz – Neuroscientist and Chair of the International Neuro Climate Working Group
Professor Joshua Carlson – Director of the Cognitive X Affective Behaviour and Integrative Neuroscience Lab, Northern Michigan University
Further information
Clayton Aldern - The Weight of Nature.How a Changing Climate Changes Our Minds, Brains and Bodies
The Melting brain
Joshua Carlon - The Age of Climate Anxiety
Climate change on the brain: Neural correlates of climate anxiety
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Rana Sylvatica is an unassuming wood frog with an extraordinary gift. In the depths of winter, it can slow down its metabolism, flood its cells with ice and remain in a state of suspended animation for months. But it's what it might be able to teach us about preserving human organs for transplant that has scientists really excited. Also, the menagerie in an icy test tube — San Diego's Frozen Zoo and the fight to preserve biodiversity.
Guests
Dr Ken Storey — Professor of Biology and Biochemistry, Carleton University, Canada.
Dr Saffron Bryant – Senior lecturer, Department of Physics, RMIT University
Marlys Houck – Curator, Frozen Zoo, San Diego Wildlife Alliance
Dr Justine O’Brien – Manager, Conservation Science,Taronga Conservation Society Australia
Further information
Youtube video of a frozen frog thawing
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