Up Close Research Talk Show

Psychiatric epidemiologist Professor Michael King discusses the devastating psychological harm suffered by victims of homophobia and transphobia. He also examines the role of families, governments and religion in curbing the problem. Presented by Lynne Haultain.   Download mp3 (23.7 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Molecular biologist Prof Jacob Corn describes how gene editing is carried out with CRISPR-Cas9. He explains why this technology has the potential of revolutionizing the treatment of diseases such as sickle cell anemia and malaria. Besides human health, CRISPR-Cas9 can also contribute to improving agriculture and, consequently, food security. Jacob also discusses the possible ethical challenges posed by the widespread application of gene editing. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (35.3 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Are refugees fleeing persecution today generally seen as people who need help, or problems to be pushed away? Migration and refugee researcher Prof. Uma Kothari discusses how media representations of asylum seekers influence us in how we attend and respond to the plight of individuals and groups fleeing their countries in search of safety. Presented by Peter Mares.  Download mp3 (31.3 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Research psychologist Associate Professor Lindsay Oades explains how positive psychology and wellbeing literacy, once largely focused on the individual, are being taken to a group level to promote healthier, more skillful interactions in organisations and human networks. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (28.2 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Environmental physicist Prof Mark Sutton explains how our fast growing "nitrogen footprint" from agriculture and industry is reaching crisis levels as reactive nitrogen pollutes our air and soil and is a direct threat to human health. A leading researcher and advisor on nitrogen policy, Prof Sutton argues that smarter nitrogen management is not only a health and environmental priority but will prevent continued enormous economic losses. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (33.6 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Virologist Eddie Holmes explains how viral and bacterial pandemics of the type that spawned the Black Death and Ebola remain an unpredictable and inevitable part of our future. Professor Holmes describes how new technologies like genomic sequencing help us explore the origins and evolution of pathogens linked to pandemics as far back as Ancient Rome, and how evolving biosecurity and surveillance systems offer us a chance of containing outbreaks. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (27.9 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

In our annual PhD episode, we chat with two young researchers on their diverse investigations. We hear from bioscientist Anne Aulsebrook, who is looking at how urban lighting and light pollution is impacting the health and behaviour of wild birds that make their home in our cities. We also speak to chemical engineer Mitchell Nothling about his research into how enzymes like those found in our digestive systems could be harnessed to create sustainable and more efficient detergents. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (20.2 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Criminologist Penny Green explains how states, entrusted to define crimes and enforce the laws that deter them, can themselves be complicit in the worst social harms. Professor Green is director of the International State Crime Initiative, which seeks to understand how states can become perpetrators rather than protectors, and how civil society groups can be enlisted to fight back. Presented by Lynne Haultain.  Download mp3 (31.0 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Virologist and infectious diseases expert Prof John Fazakerley details the myriad threats to the global food supply from pathogen infestations in crops and livestock, and how new genetic and surveillance technologies are lending hope to keeping them in check. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (30.6 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Urban public health researcher Prof Mark Stevenson describes the better human health outcomes to be had in cities that emphasize active transport modes like cycling and walking, while discouraging dependence on cars. Presented by Lynne Haultain.  Download mp3 (26.1 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Stroke rehabilitation researcher Prof. Julie Bernhardt discusses the state of the science in stroke recovery. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Prof Bernhardt and her team develop and test new exercises and rehabilitation measures that aim not only to reduce disability but promote recovery. This includes renewed attention to precise timing of therapeutic interventions, and to environmental enrichment of clinical spaces. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (32.7 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

As populations in the developed economies continue to age due to longer life expectancies and lower birth rates, what will be the impact on the workplace? Is there a place for positive age discrimination at a time of high youth unemployment, or should the rights of all workers -- regardless of their years -- be respected? And to what extent do economics, culture and individual aspiration play into how societies decide how long one can or should work?Industrial relations and elder law expert Professor Mia Rönnmar, from Lund University, joins host Lynne Haultain for an international perspective on the place and plight of older workers in the workforce.  Download mp3 (27.7 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

In a world with a bewildering mix of fact and fiction, and in which social and mainstream media only add to the confusion, how do we separate out false or dubious claims from the well-founded and evidence-based? Research and clinical psychologist Prof Scott Lilienfeld joins science host Dr Andi Horvath to help us distinguish pseudoscience from the real thing by exploring popular myths that too often make fools of us.  Download mp3 (30.9 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Philosopher and social theorist Prof Sally Haslanger outlines the persistence of ideologies like racism or sexism that entrench injustice or privilege, and how we might best combat deeply embedded misconceptions that endure in our societies in defiance of evidence or reasoned argument. Presented by Peter Mares.  Download mp3 (26.7 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

International law expert Prof Naz Modirzadeh and political scientist Assoc Prof Andrew March explore how the United States and other governments contort and stretch international and domestic laws to accommodate the waging of war on non-state Islamist forces, and how those forces themselves invoke Islamic law to justify their actions. Presented by Lynne Haultain.  Download mp3 (48.2 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Earthquake researcher Assoc Prof Mark Quigley explains the lessons learned from recent major earthquakes into how to better prepare regions at risk, the value of strong science communication to affected populations during crisis, and the importance of developing appropriate building codes in anticipation of the Next Big One. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (28.3 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Philosopher of the emotions Prof Louis Charland argues that we need to reinstate the notion of "passion" in our understanding of human behaviour. Now little mentioned outside of the arts and self-help domains, passion has deep historical roots and may have important contemporary use as a lens through which to view certain psychiatric conditions. Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (27.8 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Public health researcher Prof Tony Jorm asks why prevalence of anxiety and depression in North America, Australia and elsewhere has not decreased despite a quarter century of more and better treatment for two of the world's most common mental health problems. Presented by Eric van Bemmel.  Download mp3 (28.1 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Is extreme poverty merely evidence of failed economic policy or should it also be seen as a breach of human rights? Legal scholar and UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston argues that the conversation around human rights has yet to take seriously how the world's very poor are excluded from a life of dignity -- underpinned by access to education, basic health care and housing -- while extreme inequality is itself in part sustained by the blocking of civil and political rights by elites. Presented by Peter Mares.  Download mp3 (37.8 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more

Renowned paleoanthropologist Bernard Wood explains how continuing research into fossil and other evidence of our evolutionary history produces insights but also reveals how much we have yet to learn. How good, for example, are we at telling our recent ancestors and close relatives from those of the apes? How can we know how many species preceded our own? And can we tell which of those species are our ancestors, and which are non-ancestral close relatives? Presented by Dr Andi Horvath.  Download mp3 (30.2 MB)      Listen now      Read transcript read more