Episodes
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SPECIAL GUEST: Darryl Jones (Griffith)
Don't feed the birds! Well.. OK, if you must make sure you do it properly.
Dr Darryl Jones is an urban ecologist who has spent years studying the interactions between humans and animals in towns and cities. One of the most common and widespread interactions between animals and humans is bird feeding. Despite how common it is, there has been very little research into the impacts of this interaction on birds' behaviour and ecology. Darryl has turned his focus towards understanding what food we are giving birds and why we feel so compelled to do this.
In this episode of In Situ Science we talk about Australia's bird life and how adopting bird feeding strategies developed in other parts of the world is inappropriate for our unique birds. We talk about what impacts our bird feeding behaviours can have on birds, and, if you do feel compelled to feed birds, how you can do it responsibly. If you do want to know more about how to feed the birds in your garden make sure to grab a copy of Darryl's two books "The Birds at My Table: Why We Feed Wild Birds and Why it Matters" and "Feeding the Birds at Your Table: A Guide for Australia".
Follow Darryl on Twitter @MagpieJonesD
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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Cameron Webb, to put it simply, is the mozzie guy. He has built his career studying the diversity and ecology of mosquitoes and also their interactions with humans and how they can be vectors of significant human diseases. His expertise in mosquitoes requires him to be in one moment a champion for mosquito appreciation and understanding, whilst simultaneously understanding the need to control their populations and their impact on people.
When he’s not out in swamps surveying mosquito populations, you can find him in the lab, or in front of a microphone advocating for responsible urban development and integrated pest management. As cities grow and become greener, we are also faced with the inevitable interactions with wildlife that can occur including our complex relationship with mosquitoes. In this interview we advocate for a new breed of mosquito appreciators, AKA “itchers”, and a balanced appreciation of what ‘living close to nature’ really means.
You can find out more at Cameron’s website here.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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Episodes manquant?
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SPECIAL GUEST: Sami Bayly (Author and Illustrator)
Sami Bayly is the author and illustrator of the award winning children’s’ book ‘The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals”, published by Hachette Australia. This book features full page illustrations and fun facts about some of the world’s strangest animals, who are all beautiful in their own very special way. Sami studied natural history illustration at university and is now forging a career publishing books that highlight weird and wonderful creatures that you may have never heard of.
In this interview with In Situ Science we talk about what scientific illustration is, what sorts of skills you need, and how a creative career can pose all sorts of weird challenges beyond simply doing great work. She is currently working on her next book of incredible animals that is due to be released in late 2020.
Follow Sami on Instagram, Facebook, and visit her website here.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUESTS: Dr Jim Jobin and Nick Tangeman (Pod Therapy)
How are you handling isolation and COVID-19? If you feel like you need some support and want to talk to someone about it, our two special guests today are here to tell you that you definitely should. In this very special episode of In Situ Science we chat to the hosts of Pod Therapy - a podcast dedicated to raising awareness of mental health and breaking down stigmas surrounding therapy.
Dr Jim Jobin and Nick Tangeman are clinical therapists from Las Vegas who specialise in treating a range of mental health issues including depression, addiction, and relationship counselling. In this interview we chat about how the COVID-19 presents some of the most challenging social and economic conditions for people's mental health. We also talk about the relationship between research and practice in therapy, career paths in psychology and the standard of Australian ice hockey.
Ask the guys a question at www.podtherapy.net
Follow them on Twitter @podtherapyguys
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper – www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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Whats next for In Situ Science?
In the weird new world we are living in things have changed quite a bit. Here's a quick update to let you know that we're still here and we're so happy to have your support during these crazy times!
Take care, stay safe, and we'll see you all again soon!
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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Way back on episode 39 Charlotte Mills was a PhD student at UNSW. She has since completed her PhD and is now Dr Charlotte Mills. Charlotte describes her time as a PhD candidate as a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ experience. This experience has taken her across the magical desert landscapes of inland Australia and continues to be an exciting adventure.
Follow Charlotte on Twitter @EcologistMills
Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper – www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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This flashback episode takes us back to episode 60 where we chat with Dieter Hochuli, an invertebrate biologist and urban ecologist from the University of Sydney who studies how nature survives in towns and cities. His research investigates the ecological, economical and psychological benefits of nature in cities, and how our modern way of life affects the plants and animals around us.
In an interview with In Situ Science Dieter chats with us about how connecting with nature is being shown to have significant impacts on people’s health and well being, and that this connection can still happen even when you live in a big city. We also chat about the creative side of science and science communication, and how taking ourselves a little less seriously can be a great technique for approaching science and scientific careers.
Follow Dieter on Twitter @dieterhochuli and check out his lab website here.
Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper – www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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Our next flashback episode goes all the way back to Episode 11 where we chatted with Dr Heather Hendrickson about the battle against anti-biotic resistant bacteria. Dr Hendrickson is a research scientist and science communicator from Massey University in New Zealand. Her research group is at the front line of understanding how other forms of treatment can be used as alternatives to broad spectrum antibiotics. In an interview with in situ science she takes us through her research into bacteriophage therapy: finding viruses that will target and kill pathogenic bacteria.
Find out more about Heather’s research here and read her thoughts on the This Microbial Life blog.
Follow Heather on Twitter @DrHHNZ
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper – www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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For the next few episodes In Situ Science will be revisiting some old classics while James takes a break from podcasting to tackle a very important job :-)
First off the rank is Episode 47 with the one and only Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Dr Karl is perhaps Australia’s most prolific and well known science communicator. He has written over 43 books, and has appeared regularly on national radio for over 30 years. In an interview with In Situ Science we chat about the immense amount of research and hard work that goes in to building up Dr Karl’s broad range of expertise.
Vist Dr Karl’s website at www.drkarl.com and follow him on Twitter @doctorkarl
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper – www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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Adam Hamlin is a neuroscientist at the University of New England who studies how drugs, such as painkillers, affect brain neurochemistry. These chemicals can have wonderful affects and are miracles of modern medicine, however if used improperly can lead to dependencies and addictions.
In this interview with Dr Hamlin we talk about how these painkillers work and what make them such effective and potentially dangerous substances. We also chat about what makes lab rats such effective models for medical research, why scepticism is beautiful, and what antidepressants might have to do with our gutmicrobiomes.
Follow Adam Hamlin on twitter @honestscientist
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Samuel Banister (USyd)
The cannabis plant is useful for everything from textiles to medicine, however our ability to use these plants has been hampered by its association with illegal drugs. People are beginning to make very big claims about the use of cannabinoids to treat almost every ailment under the sun, however the evidence still just isn’t there. Samuel Banister is a medicinal chemist at the Lambert Initiative at the University of Sydney that studies how drugs affect our brains and bodies in both good and bad ways. He studies how the chemicals found in cannabis might be used to treat conditions such as epilepsy and certain cancers.
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Sam also studies how illicit drugs affect the brain and the chemical pathways behind their effects. In this interview with In Situ Science we chat about the benefits of voluntary pill testing, and whether the prohibition of drugs can cause more harm than good. We also talk about the challenges of understanding the effects of recreational drugs with new drugs constantly being developed and finding their way out into the streets.
Follow Sam on Twitter @samuel_b_phd or find out more about the Lambert Initiative here
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Lucy Farrow (UNE)
Humans have the biggest brains of any animals… well, kind of… only if we correct for body size… which is important… we think. Understanding animal intelligence is difficult, especially when brains are so complex that our own brains might be incapable of understanding themselves. When it comes to animals, brain size has been a primary indicator of intelligence, however showing that having bigger brains leads to greater intelligence is harder than it sounds. You can’t exactly ask a sloth to fill out a survey, or ask an octopus sit an IQ test.
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Lucy Farrow is a PhD student at the University of New England that studies cognition in one of Australia’s most notorious birds, the noisey miner. Their complex societies and behaviour make them incredibly successful urban invaders. Before becoming a research scientist she spent time working with National Geographic working filming documentaries throughout South Africa.
Follow Lucy on Twitter @LucyFarrow7
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Glenn Porter (UNE)
The science of forensics has popularised by the success of TV crime shows, but the reality of how criminal investigations occur, and the science behind evidence gathering is often nowhere near as glamorous as these shows imply. While we may not be able to work the magic they show on TV, new technologies are aiding forensic scientists in more effectively gathering and presenting evidence. With advances in imaging technology and the ubiquity of digital cameras in society, forensic imaging is a continuously growing field and faces new challenges surrounding the management and privacy of enormous amounts of image data.
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Glenn Porter is the head of the Centre for Rural Criminology at the University of New England and specialises in how optics and photographic techniques can be used gather and present evidence in criminal investigations. Glenn began his career as a creative photographer and, after finding a job as a forensic photographer, found his career taking a new and exciting direction towards forensic science research. In this interview with In Situ Science we talk about how forensic science can play a role in the complex and collaborative field of crime detection, investigation and prevention.
Find out more about the Centre for Rural Criminology here.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Belinda Craig (UNE)
How well can we read other people’s faces? And how good are we at faking our own emotional responses? Turns out not to great. In the absence of other contextual cues people are not very good at reading peoples facial expressions. Add to that the fact that cultural differences can have a huge impact on what emotions are expressed and how. As humans we are inherently biased towards favourably reading the expressions of people within our own groups. Even things like facial hair can affect how emotions are perceived.
Belinda Craig is ‘not that kind of psychologist’ from the University of New England. She studies how the social groups we belong to affect how we perceive emotions. In this chat with In Situ Science we chat to Belinda about fluctuating fashion trends in the world of beards, spider phobias and why we have them, and why you shouldn’t fall asleep in an FMRI machine.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Matthew McKenzie (Thalgarrah EEC)
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Matthew McKenzie is the principal and head teacher of a public school with a difference. Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre is located in the woodlands outside of Armidale in regional NSW. It is part of a network of environmental and zoo education centres across NSW that provide other schools with a base for excursions, camps and experiences focussed on using nature as a learning and teaching resource.
In this interview with In Situ Science Matt talks about the importance of connecting with nature in the classroom and how school students have the opportunity to not just learn about science, but be scientists by taking part in real-world science experiments. We chat about the Tiny Gardeners Project, an upcoming citizen science project where school groups across Australia can participate and learn about how ants are Australia’s ‘tiny gardeners’ planting tree seeds across our vast country.
Find out more about the Tiny Gardeners Project here, and about the Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre here.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Michael Kasumovic (UNSW)
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After a brief stint trying to become a dentist, Michael Kasumovic found his true calling studying the ecology and evolution of spiders. That was until he found another calling studying everything else from performance in professional athletes, how income can affect facial preferences, and how sex and social status can influence people’s behaviour in online videogames. Not content with simply being a prolific research scientist Mike decided to start his own educational company developing apps that can be used to teach scientific concepts and principles in the classroom.
Arludo was developed to provide school teachers with tools to engage students with active and exploratory challenges that helps them develop problem solving and collaboration skills. Teachers can join in on YouTube live sessions to see Arludo in action or try out there freely available apps.
Follow Michael on Twitter @mkasumovic, visit his website, or check out the Arludo website to find out more about their educational apps for the classroom
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Isabelle Kingsley (UNSW)
From school teacher, to science communicator, to events producer, and now researcher, Isabelle Kingsley has spent her career spanning widely different areas of science education and outreach. She founded the Sydney Science Festival in 2015 which has grown into an annual festival attended by over 80,000 people. While she was running the Sydney Science Festival she began to wonder what sort of educational impact public science events actually have.
This inspired her to undertake her PhD at the University of New South Wales where she is developing methods to quantify what people actually learn from public science events. Despite the proliferation of science communication and outreach across the world we actually don’t know how effective these initiatives are at increasing science literacy and comprehension. Isabelle’s work will help improve the efforts of science communicators and educators and help make science engagement more effective into the future.
Visit Isabelle’s website to find out more or follow her research and outreach journey on Twitter and Instagram @isabellekingsley
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Benji Kessler (UC)
Benji Kessler is a man of many talents, he studies the behaviour of spiders, teaches mathematics to school kids, does stand-up comedy and looks great in a Spider-Man costume. Benji is currently visiting Australia from the USA where he is doing his PhD at the University of California. He was nice enough to sit down for a chat to talk about how a severe arachnophobe managed to forge a career in science studying the visual and vibratory signalling behaviours of spiders.
In this interview we talk about how a life spent doing both science and comedy can interact and how sometimes you’re not sure which one you are doing. We discuss whether you can be a stupid scientist, whether you HAVE to be stupid to be a scientist, and how far can you push the limits with putting puns in your research paper titles. At In Situ Science we strongly believe that great discoveries come from the amazing and unique individuals that do research, and Benji Kessler is the perfect example. His sheer passion and joy for what he does makes him a great scientist and one hell of a podcast guest.
Search for Benji Kessler on YouTube to see some of his stand-up comedy or follow him on twitter @BenjiKessler
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Alva Curtsdotter (UNE)
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Some scientists go out in to the field, collect data and conduct experiments to test their hypotheses. Other scientists conduct their experiments inside a computer. Alva Curtsdotter is a theoretical ecologist that studies the behaviour of animal populations across natural landscapes, but instead of spending her time surveying and measuring real world populations she runs computer simulations to see how animal populations may respond in the future to things like climate change and environmental disturbance.
In this interview we discuss how empirical and theoretical approaches to science are both necessary to gain a thorough understanding of the world around us, but to make that work we need scientists who are able to understand both so that empirical and theoretical scientists can communicate effectively. As always we discover that everything in science can be likened to some kind of pop culture reference and, when pressed for relevance, sports references can always do the trick.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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SPECIAL GUEST: Natalie Morgan (UNE)
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Chicken is big business and the science behind poultry nutrition is an incredibly precise mix of chemistry and biology. As the market for poultry continues to increase worldwide there is ongoing need to industry to improve the efficiency and sustainability of chicken feed. Natalie Morgan is a poultry nutrition expert who works to understand how the diets fed to livestock can be modified to improve overall animal health and yield.
In this interview we talk about the connection that people have to their food in a society where most people are getting their food from supermarkets rather than farmers and growers. We also talk about the difference between caged, barn reared and free-range chickens, and pitch ideas for new ‘big thing’ tourist attractions.
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Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper - www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com
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