Fuzzy Logic Science Show

Ben Shaw is an archaeologist and  senior lecturer in the School of Culture History and Language at the ANU (Australian National University).  We talk about his work in Papua New Guinea. Interviewed by Tom

Tony Irwin is an Engineer that spent 30 years building nuclear power plants in the UK.  He now runs Australia's nuclear research reactor which he was in charge of building.  He also lecturers in nuclear science at the ANU.  I question him about my fears of nuclear power based on my very fuzzy understanding of the topic.  We also touch on the economics of nuclear power in a world moving away carbon dioxide polluting power generation.   Interview by Tom Links shared by Tony  https://electricitymap.org  Interactive map of countries worldwide and Australian States. See emissions/source of generation by technology/imports & exports. Carbon intensity/origin/cost for last 24 hrs. Good for comparing the approach of different countries to reducing emissions. https://opennem.org.au/energy/nem/?range=3d&interval=30m Chart and data for the east coast National Electricity Market (NEM). Can see individual States over time intervals from 1 day to 1 year, output of different technologies and prices. Good for looking

Your body's immune system is a finely tuned and immensely complicated system to hunt down and destroy bad cells. No wonder it gets wrong sometimes! And when it does, you might end up with a condition like rheumatoid arthritis. While exactly how it works, is still not known, it is clear that your lifestyle - diet, exercise etc plays a part. A healthy body seems less likely to attack itself. Honours student Shweta Venkataraman and her supervisor Dr Chloe Goldsmith are investigating the link between diet, the immune system's T-cells and rheumatoid arthritis. In this conversation we learn how they're doing that, and the role of epigenetics. If you want a look at how a lab study works, plus things about your own diet, you can be part of their research. Email: Shweta Venkataraman   Shweta.Venkataraman@canberra.edu.au Chloe Goldsmith   Chloe.Goldsmith@canberra.edu.au Learn more here www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/health/research/participate-in-a-research-study   Interview by Rod.  

Tim Hollo is veteran climate campaigner and running as a Green for the seat of Canberra in the Australian Federal Election.  Tom discusses with Tim some aspects of Greens Party policy related to science and tech.  Amongst other things we talk about funding for scientific research, Australia's clean energy transition, nuclear energy, GMOs and patenting of living things.   

Traditional economics treats our planet as an infinitely exploitable resource. Clearly that is impossible and already there are disturbing signs of a planet in distress. But even if we ignore that, is endless growth really good for us? Where does it end? When we talk briefly about MMT (Modern Monetary Theory), we refer to 'monetary sovereign' nations - for a definitionn, see Wikipedia.   Associate Professor Philip Lawn is a Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, a Senior Research Fellow with the Centre of Full Employment and Equity (University of Newcastle) and Visitor at the School of Economics (University of Adelaide). Interview by Rod as part of the series with authors in our book Sustainability and the New Economics.

The legal system offers powerful tools to limit environmental destruction, with some excellent examples listed in this Guardian story. And yet there is much more that can be done. Nuclear weapons remain a dire threat while climate change marches on, largely unchecked by the inadequate responses thrown at it. Some countries such as Australia do not have a constitutional bill of rights, depriving citizens of a key platform. The alternative is a patchwork of legislation that makes the job harder. In this interview we speak to the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, former Justice of the High Court of Australia.   Interview by Rod as part of the series with authors in our book Sustainability and the New Economics.

Human vision is an extraordinarily sophisiticated thing, backed up by some serious brain power. So how then, can a bee with a tiny brain, find its way over several kilometres through messy terrain to a food source and back again? The answer is both remarkably clever and surprisingly simple. While bee vision has been studied for many decades, there is still much to be learned. One of the hardest perhaps, is to let go of the assumptions that bee vision is just a simpler version of what human do. Emeritus Professor Adrian Horridge has a distinguished career in many areas of science, including years in the company of bees. Interview by Rod.

What does climate change and environmental degredation do to our health? Often these are presented as a loss of species or habitat, but the impacts on humans are real. Some are direct while others are indirect. In all, these are symptoms of a more fundamental problem: our addiction to growth. The mad, relentless drive for an ever bigger population, consuming ever more on a finite planet will not end well. Dr Colin Butler is Honorary prof ANU and a contributuning author to the new the book Sustainability and the New Economics..   Interview by Rod.  

Government revenue comes from taxation, right? At least that's a common view. But, according to Modern Monetary Theory, central governments must create the dollars before they can be taxed: money that does not exist cannot be taxed. That means a central government budget is not like a household, business or even a state government budget. While it's still controversial in some corners, MMT has profound implications for how governments spend and whether they run deficits. There are also a few caveats. To navigate us through a complicated topic, you couldn't ask for a better guide than Dr Steven Hail who is an economist at MML and Adjunct Associate Professor at Torrens University Australia.   Interview by Rod as part of a series for the book Sustainability and the New Economics.

What does it mean to be Australian? A very short speech by Rod on Australia Day 2022 to the Federation of Chinese Community of Canberra Inc at the Canberra Labor Club.

Neoliberalism is the path to prosperity for all, yes? Or maybe not. Few philosophies have had a more profound effect on our current world. Yet it is now crumbling, and what it morphs into remains to be seen. Professor John Quiggin is the author of a chapter on neoliberalism in this Springer book. His book Zombie Economics: How Dead Ideas Still Walk among Us sold over 20,000 copies and was translated into eight languages. His latest book is Economics in Two Lessons: Why Markets Work So Well, and Why They Can Fail So Badly. John Quiggin is UQ Laureate Fellow at the School of Economics, University of Queensland. Interview by Rod who is co-editor of the Springer book.

How often have you heard the word 'sustainable' this week? We've been living with this language for so long, it's become almost meaningless. And yet there is possibly no more important concept today as the world plunges into environmental chaos. In this interview we talk to a world expert on why economics is central to this problem. Professor Steve Keen reveals the astonishing incompetence embedded in the IPCC economics analysis. The impacts of neoclassical economics are profound and ongoing. Prof Keen is one of the emminent authors in this new Springer book that examines this topic in depth. He is also a senate candidate for The New Liberals in the election this year. Interview by Rod who is co-editor of the Springer book. www.profstevekeen.com

Where do you go to get your food you're stuck during lockdown or bushfire smoke? And what does it mean to see empty shelves in the supermarket? That can be hard enough for most people, but even harder if you're not mobile. Sathiyakumar Rahanan is researching for his PhD with the University of Canberra where he is looking at the role of local shops. If you're a small shop owner, you can help by being part of his study fooduc@gmail.com (or 0475 614 047). In this episode Rod also interviews documentary maker Derek Muller, who produced Vitamania, on SBS.

This epsiode Fuzzy Logic celebrates Earth Science Week with Geoscience Australia dishing the dirt on how soil is solving crimes around Australia. Dr Patrice de Caritat starts the episode by sharing how researchers in Canberra trialled a new method of tracking criminals using soil. Next up, Natalie Schroeder takes us back in time to share how Australia's first female Commonwealth palaeontologist helped to solve a crime in 1952 using her knowledge of fossils. Finally, Dr Keith Sircombe explains how a machine that uses radioactivity to date ancient rocks was used to match gunshot residue. A show full of ground-breaking research. Special thanks to Geoscience Australia for access to these amazing earth scientists.

The climate change problem is immense and it can feel like we're helpless. Yet in our own way there is a lot we can do. Today on Fuzzy Logic we met people from different backgrounds who demonstrate their own approaches to the problem. Mark Butler, former federal shadow minister for Climate and Energy Andrew Bray https://www.re-alliance.org.au/ Andew Pepar https://www.co2efficient.com.au/home Millie Boehm https://au.citizensclimatelobby.org/ Interviews by Rod via zoom.

This week Broderick dives into the quirky world of the Ignobel Prizes. With talking cats, old chewing gum and beard research we hope this episode will make you laugh and make you think!

In this National Science Week episode of Fuzzy Logic, Broderick explores the geological journey that has occurred to bring food to our plate. Joined by expert scientists from Geoscience Australia, this episode highlights how closely linked our food is to the geology that surrounds us. Guests include Dr Steve Hill, Chief Scientist at Geoscience Australia, Dr Claire Phillips, a remote sensing scientist, and Amy Peterson, Team Lead for the Global Navigation Satellite Systems.

Michael Jennnions is a evolutionary/behavioural ecologist from the Research School of Biology at the Australian National University (ANU).  We discuss what it is to be a behavioural ecologist, some of his work on mosquito fish and his thoughts on how to improve the incentives and process of science publication.   Interviewed by Tom 

Taryn Laubenstein from Future Earth Australia discusses her journey into science, adaptations of sneaky corsican fish and her current work on bringing together scientists, community and industry to develop a vision for the future of Australia's coastal and offshore marine ecosystems. You can hear more from Taryn on her monthly comedy podcast 'The Uncertainty Principle'   Interviewed by Tom

From The Garden of Eden until today, gardens have a special place. There's a special joy, the quiet contemplation of connecting with a small plot of nature. Each week on radio 1RPH, Camilla presents her gardening program. On this occasion she talks to Rod about his book Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet.