Shirtloads Of Science

What would a biohacked future look like ? What would stop Supervillians creating seceret labs ?  Who polices the Cyborgs ? What is the controversial 5th pillar of biohacking ? Doctor Karl and Australia's most famous biohacker discuss.

Imagine visiting a doctor in the not too distant future. Afterwards she sends off data to a local gene lab to give your body a small upgrade. This is the world of biohacking. A place where biololgy is being controlled and shaped to our will - just like we have mastered computers. This episode bounces from In-Vivo to In-Silico and back again, visits the Last Universal Common Ancestor and involves a real human cyborg. Doctor Karl and Mr Meow Meow (Australia's most famous biohacker) explain this brave new world. Part One of a two part podcast.

Doctor Alice on Interstellar Chemistry. Doctor Karl answers the vital question "Do Fish Drink?". Dr Almost Jessica on where it is best to listen to podcasts.  A Deep edition. The Shirtloads podcast Team back for 2018.

Doctor Karl takes the Healthy Eating Quiz followed by a dietary checkup with Professor Claire Collins. Have you tried being Flexetarian ? 24 minutes of simple, healthy, free and inspiring suggestions. For maximum effect take the quiz before the podcast and compare your score with the Doctors.  healthyeatingquiz.com.au

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.

Econobabble is an invented language that deliberately obscures what you think words describe. Words like "unemployment" and "subsidy" are simple at first glance. Wait till you find out what they really mean ! Are you wasting your time looking for certain jobs, investing your savings in the wrong place or voting against you best interests? Are your definitions up to date? 1962, William S. Burroughs suggested that language could be a virus in his book "The Ticket That Exploded". This 30 minute podcast might be the inoculation you've been looking for.  Note: Statistics and examples are for illustrative purposes only. Some are out of date and possibly wrong. The interview was recorded this in late 2017 before the Queensland state election. 

August 17 2017 will go down in in Astrophysics history . A LIGO event triggered a 50 telescope 24 hour 360 degree operation which yielded astronomy gold.  Prof Tara Murphy was at ground zero when the results came in but she would have to be patient for the ripples to show up on Australian Radio Telescopes. In the data was the solution to a Cold war mystery. A compelling first hand account of a new frontier of discovery. 

If every death was a good death, then euthenasia would be widespread. Today most countries ban it. Why? Professor Linda Shields has unearthed some of the reasons and they are within living memory. She is a Professor of Rural Health and has written of an under-reported genocide.  One-third of a million disabled people (adults and children, male and female, physical and intellectual)  were killed during the Nazi regime and the people who did that killing were nurses. Her book is Nurses and Midwives in Nazi Germany: The "Euthanasia Programs. 

Dietitian, Care Collins gives Dr Karl a full 360 on a diet that is getting researchers pumped up. Imagine a menu that stimulated the blood brain barrier, made you think you were full early and might starve cancer cells. Sounds good but there are dangerous side effects in the long term. Ketogenic is a medical diet, is difficult to stick with and may actually have no long term weight loss benefits.  

We are what we eat. Organic, low fat, pesticide-free, High Fibre ; Consumers pay extra for foods with health benefits like these. But when food is packaged, how do you know what is really inside ? Welcome to the world of Food Fraud. This Shirtloads podcast stars two British Scientists who have investigated and written about it in their book "Sorting the Beef from the Bull". Bio-Geo-Chemist Richard Evershead and Biologist Nicola Temple expose food criminals with forensic science. (first podcast in 2017)

Marine biologist, diver and author Dr Helen Scales takes Dr Karl deep beneath the waves to share her passion for the ocean. Helen talks about the secret life of molluscs (shellfish). Hear about ‘clacking’ oysters, the legend of the Golden Fleece (sea silk) and a creature resembling a pinecone crossbred with a slug. There’s maths in the spirals, slave trading in the cowrie and just imagine a Harry Potter golden snitch of the sea… it’s real and plays an incredibly important role.

  Dr Karl and Dr Alice put their heads together to discuss the latest research into hairy leaves and burning plants?  Dr Karl’s amazing fruit and veggie classification system. What do killer kangaroos have to do with sleeping in an unfamiliar bed? And, if you talk to dogs (like Dr Alice does) there’s an experiment you might just want to try. Listen up as two Doctors tackle these and more. (First Podcast in 2016)

Dr Michael has found some fascinating new applications and treatments using worms. From gut health, treating Coeliac disease and healing chronic wounds - there's relief to be found in our tubular friends. Join Dr Karl with Dr Michael Smout (from the Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine) at James Cook University. If words like bile, kilodaltons and cysts put you off - stick with this - it's an uplifting tale of research that could make us feel a lot better.

The people of Madagascar have fascinating stories. Did you know the first settlers came from South East Asia ?  That some of their traditions are almost 2,000 years old ? That 90% of Madagascan flora and fauna are found nowhere else on earth. Dr Karl and local guide Lala Harivelo takes us on a cultural tour of the world's 4th largest island.

Bill Nye is a household name in the United States. Former Engineer for Boeing, he has a real knack of explaining things. On the panel are Peter Lebedev (investigating how YouTube videos could be made better) and Tom Gordon from Sydney University (resident science communicator at the School of Physics).  Clear and accurate communication is fundamental to Science. In 2017, how do you counter beliefs that are ultimately harmful to others and the world at large ? Fascinating discussion.  

Edwin Hubble is world famous for his discoveries. Henrietta Swan Leavitt is not. Henrietta was on a team that found a way to measure and classify the universe. They were employed as "human computers" (before the machines existed). Dava's book "The Glass Universe" refers to the half million glass slides Henrietta and other women used to document both the northern and southern skies. An inspiring story of collaboration and discovery.

How do you repel Cyber Espionage ? Architecture says Dr. Barry - The carefully designed structure of things like networks, software and the organisations around them. The latest wave of attacks is Ransom-ware. Dr Karl finds out how to avoid being held hostage. Dr Barry also gives Karl a bunch of tips for keeping your files secure at home and atwork. How often should you update your operating system software? Data backups - how many and where ? Wifi security, Script Kiddies and more. 

 Jules Faber, Illustrator and Cartoonist, talks with Dr Karl about the creative process using "Karl, The Universe & Everything" as a case study​​.  They talk the science of illustration - and the illustration of science. Why do some images speak louder ? Do cartoonists talk a primal language ? Jules is president of Australian Cartoonists' Association and Karl will also give you a preview of some of the hot stories in his latest book ""Karl, The Universe & Everything". Shameless self publicity ? You be the judge.    Jules is a prominent Australian book illustrator, but this is his first adventure with Dr. Karl. His passion for science illustration stems from the late 90s when, while studying animation, Jules was leafing through one of Karl's earlier books. Thinking aloud that he could illustrate like the ones inside, and having never considered illustrating books before, this planted a seed. Years later, when asked to illustrate the first of the WeirDo series with Anh Do, Jules recalled that moment. T

How do stock exchanges, nuclear power plants or the military check their computer security ? They hire penetration testers - Cyber security experts who secretly test both IT and organisational security. Dr Karl gets the low-down from Chris Gatford, director of a company called Hacklabs. You will not believe how some places make it easy to get inside.

We rarely get to hear "insider" stories of extraterrestrial discovery. Doctor Karl meets Warwick Holmes - Australian Avionics Systems Engineer on Rosetta. He worked on the Philae mission (the one that  orbited the comet) seeking the chemical signatures of life. He gives us a blow by blow account of extraterrestrial exploration in the 21st Century. How do you test hardware to fly by the sun and withstand comet dust? How does a lad from South Australia land the best job on earth ? Beam us up Warwick ! First Podcast in 2016