Shirtloads Of Science

Two decades in and the 21st century being swarmed by digital services - both wanted and unwanted. Dr Karl discusses how we've got here - and where we're going with AI expert, Dean Blumenstein from UTS Sydney. When deep neural networks have lifetimes of human learning inside, Are we heading towards a safer space ?  

Meet Rebecca Whittle, an Australian Teenage Gold medallist in the 2018 Science Olympics. Rebecca was part of a four-member team representing us at the International Earth Science Olympiad. While sports dominate media, it is brain power that will provide for our future. Discover more and the games set for Adelaide in 2019. asi.edu.au amt.edu.au https://www.facebook.com/AustralianScienceOlympiads

An aspiring space diplomat tries to determine space law using the Antarctic Treaty. Both were set in the Cold War but the times have changed. Compare and contrast with Dr Karl and Annie.

Is the ultimate cleaning compound a human byproduct ? What if Evolution was part of an experiment ?  Can a Virus kill Bacteria ? Plus Dr Karl reports on his recent visit to Mongolia. 

Dr Karl & Dr Alice bring you some of 2018's remarkable innovations. A process that transformed manufacturing and surgery, the "Deborah" Number and why a team of researchers went to a Post Office to investigate Male Erectile Disfunction.  https://twitter.com/DoctorKarl

7% of the listeners to this podcast will be affected by attacks of lower back pain. For both men and women it is a debilitating condition. Worse still, some prescriptions result in death. Professor Chris Maher challenged orthodoxy in a 2018 Lancet article with a set of treatment guidelines. Dr Karl helps decode the article for you. https://www.nps.org.au/ http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/christopher.maher.php

You are qualified and experienced. An invitation comes to speak at an international conference. Your research questions 30+ years of practice. Which path do you choose ? You know most of your audience will walk away disappointed. If you're Prof Chris Maher you follow both the Scientific Method and Hippocratic Oath. Is it evidence based ? Is it subject to independent testing ? Does the practice harm patients ? That day Ergonometrists walked away unhappy but it was a victory for patients in pain. Dr Karl and Prof Chris Maher discuss the day ergonomics took a dive. http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/people/academics/profiles/christopher.maher.php

Obesity, Diabetes and Heart Disease are ruining the lives of otherwise healthy people. Many of us are at risk through uninformed choices. Doctor Karl consults dietitian Dr Kyra Sim and analytical chemist Dr Yvette D'Entremont for the latest. Did you know your lungs play a huge role in weight management ?  

Eddie Woo is Head Teacher Mathematics at a government high school in Sydney, Australia - and a whole lot more. He is someone with a gift for teaching and is now internationally regarded for the lessons he posts online with his woo tube channel. https://misterwootube.com/

A.I. is already surrounding us. The internet, cars, courts, recruitment agencies. Already serious issues are surfacing. For instance removing prejudice is proving very difficult. The data sets we train our devices with are imprinting our own society back into the system. Author Ellen Broad leads Dr Karl inside the machine with her book "Made by Humans : The AI Condition". https://www.mup.com.au/books/made-by-humans-electronic-book-text

Inequality. How dangerous is it ? Are our democracies fair ? Author Tim Dunlop says even the Ancient Greeks didn't trust their democracy to popularity contests.  They recognised human weakness and used alternatives. Tim also has a convincing explanation of how privatisation fails and why hope exists. Dr Karl and the future of everything with Tim Dunlop. https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/future-everything/

Dr. Katerina Kimmorley co-founded Pollinate Energy, a solar startup,  in Bangalore India. She's since helped expand that business to three more cities, cutting carbon and transforming lives. What drove her from Sydney to the the London School of Economics and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation ? Dr. Kimmorley tells Dr Karl - (and is at the Sydney Spark statup festival). https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-role-of-women-entrepreneurs-in-tackling-climate-change-tickets-49158532494 http://sparkfestival.co/program/#

Two Polymaths share stories from the past few Millennia.  Bill reveals his DNA profile and links to European History. Karl on Empires and psychopaths. Who said the week should be 7 days long ? How Unready was Ethelred ? Many of Bill Baileys tour dates are sold out. Dr Karl had Laryngitis at the time of recording and has recovered. 

They're 300 million years old. They're almost invisible and they are deadly. Cubozoa, Box jellyfish or Irukandji, are both the smallest and the most venomous jellyfish in the world. There are more than 50 species and Dr Karl joins Lisa-ann Gershwin on her hunt for more. When Box jellyfish fire their stingers, the pain and other symptoms are collectively known as Irukandji syndrome and it can kill. But something as thin as pantyhose can save your life - how does that work ? http://lisagershwin.com

What careers open up for Physics graduates? What if you add a PhD in Chemistry? Meet Sydney University graduate Dr Michelle Deaker talking with Dr Karl about her journey. She started with some entrepreneurial spirit and then added an eye for opportunity. Dr Michelle turns research and ideas into products and then takes them to market. Her Australian venture capital portfolio includes a world-leading vaccine Nanopatch, a watch for tracking dementia patients and a new diagnostic in oncology.  Got a new idea for Dr Michelle ? one-ventures.com.au 

Longitude was maritime history’s greatest scientific breakthrough. Dr Karl discovers why  with Kevin Sumption and James Hunter from the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. What connects Lieutenant James Cook to the early computers ? Extraordinary nautical tables and accurate clocks. From these innovations space exploration was possible. (from 2016)

The original "AI" could be Avian - and from Australia. Professor  Gisela Kaplan with Dr Karl of her research on why Australian birds are smarter than their Northern cousins. NOTE = Professor Kaplan is highly qualified with vast experience treating wild birds. Do NOT attempt her methods at home. The talons of birds of prey can result in serious injury.

A dietary study in Europe reveals a connection between processed foods (and drinks) and cancers. 8 years of research they tried to eliminate factors such as socioeconomic and diet preferences from the data but the link remains strong. What does it mean for you ? Doctor Karl and Professor Claire Collins discuss.  https://theconversation.com/research-check-will-eating-ultra-processed-foods-give-you-cancer-91984

Three Cases cracked by Three Doctors. From Floppy Hats, to Firebirds, The Dark Knight and the Broken Escalator Phenomenon. Doctor Karl is joined by Alice and Jessica as the explore the science behind three observed phenomena. The fire carrying birds of Northern Australia, the dark orbiter that will not die and why people brace themselves when there is no apparent danger. (from 2017)

Dr Karl and Dr Helen - talking about .World's longest echo, how to photograph the molecules inside an explosion, Oceans, Coffee rings and climate change. Physics today is "messy" and "complex" and she loves it. (from 2017)