Brains Matter

167 – Robert Lloyd – 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who – Part 2

admin — Sun, 26 May 2013 03:09:29 +0000

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the classic science fiction show, Doctor Who. I spoke to actor and comedian (and honourary 10th Time Lord) Rob Lloyd, also known as the Number 1 Doctor Who fan in the world, about the show.

This is the second part of a two part interview.

Topics we discuss include:
- Doctor Who’s companions
- Doctor Who villians
- Other related shows
- The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and what’s in store
- Rob’s background and Doctor Who shows

NOTE: This episode comes with a language warning

Today’s listener of the episode is Ellis Collins from Nottingham in the UK

Download MP3 of Ep 167

166 – Robert Lloyd – 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who – Part 1

admin — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:10:31 +0000

Something a bit different for this episode – this year marks the 50th anniversary of the classic science fiction show, Doctor Who. I spoke to actor and comedian (and honourary 10th Time Lord) Rob Lloyd, also known as the Number 1 Doctor Who fan in the world, about the show.

This is the first of a two part interview.

Topics we discuss include:
- What is Doctor Who?
- What are some of the characteristics of the show?
- The Classic Doctor Who vs the Modern Doctor Who
- The actors who have played The Doctor

Today’s listener of the episode is Aatayna Hussain from Canada.

Download MP3 of Ep 166

165 – Dr Michael Brown – The Peer Review Process

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:09:40 +0000

In today’s episode, I talk to Dr Michael Brown from Monash University about the peer review process in science.

We talk about:
- What the Peer Review Process is
- How the Peer Review Process helps
- The issues with Peer Review
- What is the issue with positive and negative scientific results?
- The effects of these on the various areas of science
- What is being done to reduce these issues with the process?

Today’s listener of the episode is Angela Boldt from Texas, USA.

Download MP3 of Ep 165

Dr Brown’s article in The Conversation: Peer Review isn’t perfect and the media doesn’t always help

164 – Sir Paul Nurse – Making Science Work Part 2

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:08:44 +0000

This episode is part 2 of 2, of a talk given by Sir Paul Nurse, who is President of The Royal Society in the UK, and the Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology for 2001, on the wonder of science and how it enhances our culture and civilisation. He also discusses how science can not only help solve the world’s big problems, but be harnessed to improve health, quality of life and the strength of the economy.

Today’s listener of the episode is Kevin Chin from Melbourne, Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 164

Apologies for the quality of the audio in this episode.

163 – Sir Paul Nurse – Making Science Work Part 1

admin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:01:21 +0000

This episode is part 1 of 2, of a talk given by Sir Paul Nurse, who is President of The Royal Society in the UK, and the Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology for 2001, on the wonder of science and how it enhances our culture and civilisation. He also discusses how science can not only help solve the world’s big problems, but be harnessed to improve health, quality of life and the strength of the economy.

Today’s listener of the episode is Shantu Patil from Karnataka, India.

Download MP3 of Ep 163

Apologies for the quality of the audio, and also this episode comes with a language warning.

162 – Dr Michael Brown – Lies, Damned Lies, and NRA Statistics

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:48:44 +0000

In today’s episode, I talk to Dr Michael Brown from Monash University about the mis-use of statistics in the public sphere, and specifically, about the American National Rifle Associations misrepresentations of data.

We talk about:
- The Australian context
- Australian gun control laws
- The subsequent experience after the implementation of these laws
- What the NRA are doing with Australian statistics
- Why are they doing this?
- The tactics used by those wishing to mis-use statistics

Today’s listener of the episode is Steve Briggs, from Melbourne, Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 162

Dr Brown’s article in The Conversation: Faking Waves; how the NRA and pro-gun Americans abuse crime stats

161 – Sir Harry Kroto – The State of Science

admin — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:17:33 +0000

In today’s episode, I talk to Sir Harold Kroto, who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the co-discovery of carbon-60, or Buckminsterfullerine.

We continue the discussion from episode 160, and talk about
- Stereotypes of scientists
- Science and natural philosophy
- What are non-science people interested in?
- Kids as scientists
- Meccano and engineering
- Some of the issues children face today and the barriers to science
- Science and funding

This is part 2 of a 2 part interview.

Today’s listener of the episode is Mulia Marzuki, from Melbourne, Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 161

160 – Sir Harry Kroto – Buckminsterfullerine

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 07:01:30 +0000

In today’s episode, I talk to Sir Harold Kroto, who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the co-discovery of carbon-60, or Buckminsterfullerine.

He talked to me about the discover of carbon-60, as well as the state of science in the UK and worldwide.

This is part 1 of a 2 part interview.

Today’s listener of the episode is Renee Webster, from Melbourne, Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 160

159 – Where is my flying car? – Part 3

admin — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 14:26:23 +0000

Today’s episode is part 3 of a 3 part series called “Where is my flying car?” organised and hosted by the University of Melbourne’s Physics Students Society. This final episode in this series primarily includes audience questions – some of the audio is difficult to hear from some parts of the audience, so apologies for that.

Hosted by Dr Roger Rassool, panel members included:

Dr Andi Horvath, Museum Victoria,
Dr Erica Sloan, Monash Institute on Pharmaceutical Science,
Tim Thwaites, Science writer,
and myself.

The listener of the episode for today’s episode is Megan Lynn Bensinger.

Thank you to the University of Melbourne PSS for the event.

Download MP3 of Ep 159

158 – Where is my flying car? – Part 2

admin — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:34:16 +0000

Today’s episode is part 2 of a 3 part series called “Where is my flying car?” organised and hosted by the University of Melbourne’s Physics Students Society.

Hosted by Dr Roger Rassool, panel members included:

Dr Andi Horvath, Museum Victoria,
Dr Erica Sloan, Monash Institute on Pharmaceutical Science,
Tim Thwaites, Science writer,
and myself.

The listener of the episode for today’s episode is John Calchera from the USA.

Thank you to the University of Melbourne PSS for the event.

Download MP3 of Ep 158

157 – Where is my flying car? – Part 1

admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:26:50 +0000

Today’s episode is part 1 of a 3 part series called “Where is my flying car?” organised and hosted by the University of Melbourne’s Physics Students Society.

Hosted by Dr Roger Rassool, panel members included:

Dr Andi Horvath, Museum Victoria,
Dr Erica Sloan, Monash Institute on Pharmaceutical Science,
Tim Thwaites, Science writer,
and myself.

The listener of the episode for today’s episode is Emilka Wxy from Poland.

Thank you to the University of Melbourne PSS for the event.

Download MP3 of Ep 157

156 – Professor Chris Tinney – The Search for Extrasolar Planets

admin — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 14:55:37 +0000

There can be few questions more fundamental for a scientist’s research to address than “Is our home here on Earth unique? Or ubiquitous?” Astronomers involved in the search for – and the study of – extra-solar planets are fortunate enough to have this sort of question driving their daily activities.

This episode is sponsored by the Monash Centre for Astrophysics

Many thanks to MoCA for their support of the Brains Matter podcast.

Download MP3 of Ep 156

155 – Professor Brian Schmidt – The Accelerating Universe – Public Talk

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:59:22 +0000

In 1998, two teams traced back the expansion of the universe over billions of years and discovered that it was accelerating, a startling discovery that suggests that more than 70% of the cosmos is contained in a previously unknown form of matter, called Dark Energy. The 2011 Nobel Laureate for Physics, Brian Schmidt, leader of the High-Redshift Supernova Search Team, gave his first public talk in Australia since winning the Nobel Prize, and described this discovery and explained how astronomers have used observations to trace our universe’s history back more than 13 billion years, leading them to ponder the ultimate fate of the cosmos.

This episode is sponsored by the Monash Centre for Astrophysics

Many thanks to MoCA for their support of the Brains Matter podcast.

Download MP3 of Ep 155

154 – Alom Shaha – The Young Atheists Handbook

admin — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 04:04:34 +0000

In today’s episode, I speak to Alom Shaha, a science teacher and communicator from the UK. Alom has worked on television shows researching science, and is well known in science communication circles. He recently published a book called The Young Atheists Handbook, and spoke to me about his views on science, religion, freedom from religion, and what is important in life.

Download MP3 of Ep 154

153 – Dr Duncan Galloway – Neutron Star Binaries

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:01:31 +0000

In today’s episode, I talk to Dr Duncan Galloway, ARC Future Fellow at Monash University. His interest is in Neutron Star Binaries and I talked to him about this:

- Duncan’s background
- What is a neutron star?
- How big is a neutron star?
- How does a neutron star stay together?
- The formation of neutron stars
- What happens in a binary system where one is a neutron star?
- Is it possible to have twin neutron binaries?
- What is the difference between a pulsar and a neutron star?
- How fast do these systems spin?
- What causes ‘hot spots’ on a neutron star?
- How dense is a neutron star?
- Are neutron stars really made from neutrons?
- How do we make measurements from neutron stars?

Today’s listener of the episode is Lisa Clague from France.

Download MP3 of Ep 153

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152 – Dr Corin Storkey – Sugar to Mend a Broken Heart

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:44:04 +0000

In today’s episode, I talk to Brains Matter regular, Dr Corin Storkey, from the Heart Research Centre in Sydney. He talks to us about new research into a type of sugar that could prevent heart disease!

We talk about:

- the patent that has been filed on a new sugar based compound
- how the sugar helps fight heart disease
- are these the types of sugar we normally eat?
- a description of Atherosclerosis
- how oxidation helps with this type of heart disease
- how does this affect fat?
- some of the effects of Atherosclerosis
- the work Corin has been doing
- is this work recovery or treatment?
- the enzyme that helps clean out your system
- what household product this is similar to
- why is your snot green?
- the element selenium, and how it relates to Corin’s research
- some of the attributes of selenium
- stereo chemistry
- some thoughts on how will this compound be distributed
- some commentary on the amounts and types of fat from different cultures, how the relation to heart disease changes based on diet
- and an out-take at the end!

Today’s listener of the episode is Matthew Lane from Colorado in the US.

Download MP3 of Ep 152

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

10/12/2011 365 Days of Astronomy Appearance

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:13:45 +0000

The Ordinary Guy has contributed to another 365 Days of Astronomy podcast

Aryabhata

151 – Dr Robyn Pickering – Australopithecus Sedeba Update

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:10:15 +0000

In today’s episode, I talk to Dr Robyn Pickering from the University of Melbourne, with an update on the status of research regarding the discovery of Australopithecus Sedeba. Topics discussed include:

- the age of the Australopithecus Sedeba has been confirmed
- how the more accurate dates were determined
- how does this relate to homo?
- did Sedeba and Homo live side by side?
- is there a ‘discovery bias’ in terms of what has been discovered so far?
- were the caves that these bones found in habitable?
- do we know much about the behaviour of these creatures?
- what is the next step for research in this area?
- what are the different forms of Australopithecus?

Download MP3 of Ep 151

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

150 – One Hundred and Fifty Shows!

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:12:51 +0000

In today’s short episode, OG comments on his experiences with the show for the past 150 episodes.

Download Encore MP3 of Ep 150

Encore – Brian Schmidt – The Acceleration of the Universe

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:31:40 +0000

Professor Brian Schmidt won the Nobel Prize for physics for 2011, for his work in helping discover that the universe was accelerating in it’s expansion, which came as a huge surprise to the whole astronomical community.

I spoke to Brian about his work for the 24/5/2009 episode of Brains Matter – for those of you who missed that, and for those who didn’t, and would enjoy hearing it once more, here it is again!

Download Encore MP3 of Ep 92

“When you know where you are going you never invent anything new” – Brian Schmidt. I wonder how many politicians who believe in funding only for short-term outcome-based research will take note.

Amusingly, after the interview, I joked with Brian that the work was worth a Nobel, and he humbly laughed it off!

149 – Kellie Caught – The Say Yes Campaign

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:28:36 +0000

In this episode, I talk to Kellie Caught, Head of Climate Change for WWF Australia, about the Say Yes Campaign. Topics discussed include:

- Kellie’s background
- The background of the carbon price in Australia and worldwide
- Kyoto
- How long has the EU had Emissions Trading Schemes?
- What is the ‘say yes’ campaign?
- Who is involved?
- The community response to the carbon price
- Where is the money for the carbon price going?
- What is the reality of job losses?
- Job growth from the Minerals Council research
- What about other countries?
- Energy producers moving to new cleaner energy technologies
- The loss of Australia’s research leadership overseas
- The current worldwide research position of Australia for renewable energy
- How to help with Say Yes

Today’s listener of the episode is Julia Cooper from Wales.

Download MP3 of Ep 149

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

148 – Michael Roache – Australian Macropod Action Plan

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 05:34:45 +0000

In this episode, I speak to Michael Roache, the Program Manager for Threatened Species at the World Wildlife Fund – Australia. He spoke to me about:

- Michael’s background
- National Threatened Species Day
- How many threatened species do we have in Australia?
- What are macropods?
- The relationship between threatened species and the ecosystem
- Examples of successful action on threatened species
- What kind of macropods are more susceptible in Australia?
- The categories of being endangered
- The Ten Year Action Plan for Australian Macropods
- Why it was written
- Systematic approaches to recover threatened species
- How long do such efforts take?
- What is the financial cost of recoveries?
- How does this compare to other spending by governments?
- What are the flow on effects of threatened species?
- The goals of the action plan

The Action Plan can be viewed online here: http://www.wwf.org.au/news_resources/resource_library/?2940/The-action-plan-for-threatened-Australian-macropods-2011-2021

Today’s listener of the episode is Kathryn Aldridge from the US.

Download MP3 of Ep 148

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

147 – Marita Cheng – Who are the Robogals?

admin — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 10:55:23 +0000

In today’s show, I speak to Marita Cheng, the founder of Robogals. Topics we discuss include:

- Marita’s background
- What inspired her to go into engineering?
- How did Robogals get started?
- What are the aims of Robogals?
- Who is it targeting?
- What does it do at schools?
- What is the international footprint of Robogals?
- The skills that Robogals teaches students and its own volunteers
- What are the statistics around females and studying technical courses?
- What other activities does Robogals provide?

Today’s listener of the episode is Brad Milne.

Download MP3 of Ep 147

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

146 – Five Years of Brains Matter

admin — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 08:29:13 +0000

Today’s episode is a 5 year celebration of the podcast

- Listener feedback for the five year anniversary
- The five year anniversary competition winner

A discussion on science and society at the Brains Matter 5 year celebration where we discussed:
- education
- inspiration
- teachers
- governments and their inertia in pushing science education
- people’s perspective of science
- is the movement towards science getting better or worse?
- acceptance of science and ‘geek culture’

Thank you to everyone who has contributed, not just to this show, but to the show over the past five years as a whole.

Download MP3 of Ep 146

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

145 – Dr Rosemary Mardling – The Three Body Problem

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:22:25 +0000

In today’s episode, I speak to Dr Rosemary Mardling from Monash University on the 3-body problem and the n-body problem.

- What is the 3-body problem? How does it relate to astronomy?
- How was it worked out in the early days?
- What was Newton’s approach to the problem?
- How does the 3-body problem differ from the 2-body problem?
- In our solar system, what effects does the 3 or n body scenario provide?
- Henri Poincare and his attempt at the problem
- The relationship between the n-body problem and chaos
- The n-body problem and how it relates to the formation of the solar system and collisions in during the formation process
- Do changes in masses change the behaviour of a 3-body system?
- Is Tattooine a reality?

Today’s listener of the episode is Richard Ogley from Victoria, Australia

Download MP3 of Ep 145

It’s also almost the 5 year anniversary of the podcast – drop me a line and let me know your favourite memory of the show!

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

5 Year Anniversary

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 01:29:53 +0000

This Friday signifies the 5 year anniversary of the podcast – thank you to everyone who has contributed to the show, been on the show, listened or recommended the show to others. The show is nothing without all of you.

Please send me through your favourite (or memorable!) moments from the show by Wednesday 14/9 – one random entry will win a prize!

144 – Dr Owen Carter – What Causes Childhood Obesity?

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:15:03 +0000

In this episode, I talk to Dr Owen Carter, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer Control at Curtin University, on the topic of childhood obesity and the perceptions that surround it – some of the reality based on the research studies may surprise you!

Today’s listener of the episode is Gary Murphy from Queensland in Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 144

It’s also almost the 5 year anniversary of the podcast – drop me a line and let me know your favourite memory of the show!

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

143 – The World of the Elephant – Science Week Live Show

admin — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:35:04 +0000

This episode is the audio from the National Science Week live show recorded at the Monash Science Centre. You can download the presentation and the lyrics to the song at the Brains Matter web site.

A live audience enjoyed hearing from the range of guests at the Brains Matter live show – first up was Professor Roger Short, one of the world’s leading experts on elephants. Roger spoke about the history of elephants, his research on elephants done over decades and in various countries, and his dedication to the creatures.

Research scientist Evan Bitter then spoke about his own work around Human Elephant Conflict, elephant vocalisations, and the work done in combining these two areas to help save both human and elephant lives.

The audience then heard from the A Future With Elephants organisation – how they started, what their aims are, and the projects they are currently undertaking in South East Asia to help the conservation effort to save the Asian Elephant.

Listen in to this fascinating and enjoyable discussion.

Download MP3 of Ep 143

You can download the presentation that is discussed in the talk at this link

Lyrics to The Elephant in the Room, written by Clive Richard Weeks for the show.

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

20/8/2011 Science Week Live Show

brainsmatter — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:29:11 +0000

Well, Saturday has come and gone, and fun was had all round. To celebrate Science Week, Brains Matter, with the support of the Monash Science Centre, hosted a live show on The World of the Elephant.

The first person to be interviewed was Professor Roger Short, a world leading expert on elephants, and he discussed many fascinating aspects of elephants that both he and others have discovered in their research over the years.

Following on from Roger, Evan Bittner, a research scientist, who flew in all the way from Adelaide only minutes before the show started, discussed his research.

This included his work on vocalisations and his aim to help with human-elephant conflict. He also gave some chilling statistics on current elephant populations in Asia.

This was followed up by music from Clive Weeks – who wrote a special song for the day.

A Future With Elephants, a conservation fund that was started by a Brains Matter listener, then discussed what their aims were and the type of projects and research they were doing in South East Asia to help the plight of the elephant.

All in all, a fascinating day with great information, and the feedback we had from attendees on the day was fantastic. So a big thank you to everyone who was involved, who helped out, and who attended.

The presentations for the day, the lyrics to Clive’s song, and the audio to the interviews/podcast will be up very soon. You can also find some extra photos on the AFWE facebook page

Once again, thank you to everyone involved!

The show is able to be done through the assistance of its listeners – if you’d like to help, check out the support page on the right hand side, or donate via paypal – all information is on the website.

Science Week Live Show – 20/8/2011

admin — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 20:20:01 +0000

Brains Matter is hosting a live show for Science Week at the Monash Science Centre

Details here

The World of the Elephant – National Science Week Live Show

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:50:47 +0000

The Brains Matter podcast will be hosting a National Science Week event on Saturday the 20th of August, 2011 at the Monash Science Centre starting from 2:30pm.

Research scientist Evan Bittner will be joining OG to discuss elephants, what we know about them, their history, and the current situation with human-elephant conflict and the research work being done to tackle this issue.

There will also be some special guests – with a surprise or two in store!

Join in the live audience, ask questions, and enjoy a wonderful and lively discussion.

Clive Weeks will be providing live music for a great atmosphere – in fact, Clive has written a song especially for the occasion, and that is a treat in itself!

The event will be held in the main hall at Monash Science Centre, Building 74, Normanby Rd, Monash University, Clayton Campus, VIC 3800.

Contact mail at brainsmatter dot com via email to RSVP, or at the facebook event.

If you can’t be there on the day – never fear! The event will be streamed live as well as available as a podcast after the event.

Live Streaming Link

Event poster to put up around your school, university, or workplace can be found here

142 – Prof Richard Wassersug – Prostate Cancer

admin — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 14:46:01 +0000

Professor Richard Wassersug is from the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology from Dalhousie University in Canada. He is also a prostate cancer survivor, and I talked to him about his personal and academic interest in issues around prostate cancer, including:

- His personal experience with prostate cancer
- The link between his interest in herpetology and prostate cancer
- The effects of endocrine disrupting drugs
- The different types of castration and their effects
- The psychology of these drugs
- Some of the statistics around prostate cancer
- Androgen deprivation therapy
- The effects of testosterone and oestrogen
- The impact that western culture and society expectations on those undergoing this type of therapy
- Eunuchs in history
- The impact of testosterone on co-operation
- The relationship between testosterone and ageing
- The advantages of increased empathy
- The sociological impact of the ‘viagra culture’
- The extra effort required to tackle the side effects of androgen deprivation drugs

Today’s listeners of the episode is Tamara Rosewarne from Victoria, Australia
Promo: Cheap Astronomy

Download MP3 of Ep 142

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

1/7/2011 365 Days of Astronomy Appearance

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:05:14 +0000

The Ordinary Guy has contributed to another 365 Days of Astronomy podcast

The making of Makemake

141 – Dr Rosemary Mardling – Extra Solar Planet Update

admin — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 11:57:04 +0000

In this episode I speak again to Dr Rosemary Mardling from Monash University with an update on extra solar planets

- What kind of planets are being discovered?
- The HARPS spectrograph and its capability
- The radial velocity method
- How many extra solar planets have been discovered to date?
- The transiting method
- How big are the discovered extra solar planets?
- The Kepler satellite
- What kind of orbits are we finding with these discovered extra solar planets?

Download MP3 of Ep 141

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

140 – Stephen Luntz – Forensics, Fossils and Fruitbats

admin — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 07:09:12 +0000

In this episode, I speak to science writer Stephen Luntz. He talked to me about his interests, career, and his book Forensics, Fossils and Fruitbats

Today’s listener of the episode is Eliska Jeffrey

Download MP3 of Ep 140

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139 – Dr Michael Brown – The Square Kilometre Array

admin — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:08:39 +0000

In this episode, I talk to Dr Michael Brown, the ARC Future Fellow from Monash University, who has been doing work on the planned surveys with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder. He talked to the podcast about the Square Kilometre Array. Topics we discussed included:

- What are the different types of telescopes?
- What type of telescope will the SKA be?
- What are the differences between a large telescope and a telescope array?
- Will the SKA be restricted to a 1 km diameter?
- Why do we need the SKA?
- How is the SKA better than current radio telescopes?
- A background of the Square Kilometre Array project
- What was considered in putting together the SKA project?
- What sites were considered for the SKA?
- What constitutes a suitable site for the SKA?
- What are the Pathfinder projects?
- Where is the Australian Pathfinder being built?
- How does the Pathfinder compare to current radio telescopes?
- What is the difference between the Australian Pathfinder and the South African Pathfinder?
- Why should the SKA be sited in Australia?
- What advantages will having the SKA in Australia bring?
- How big is the SKA location in Australia?
- What are the differences in locating the SKA in Australia versus South Africa?
- What are some of Dr Brown’s personal research interests in the SKA?
- How much scientific data will the SKA provide?

Today’s listener of the day is Genevieve Abbot from Melbourne, Australia

Download MP3 of Ep 139

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

138 – Prof Ray Jayawardhana – Strange New Worlds

admin — Sat, 21 May 2011 11:15:58 +0000

Professor Ray Jayawardhana is the Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics and the Steacie Fellow at the University of Toronto. He has just written a book called Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien Planets and Life beyond Our Solar System, and he chatted to me about:

- some of his background, and study areas
- the changes in extra solar planet research over the past 15 years
- this history of extra solar planet discovery
- is our solar system typical?
- the diversity of what we have found
- how do gas giants exist close to their parent star?
- how has our understanding of extra solar planets changes our understanding of our own solar system?
- the different detection methods for finding extra solar planets
- the Kepler mission
- are our observations skewed because of the technological capabilities we currently have?
- how can microlensing be used?
- examples of some of the different systems discovered
- some explanations on the sizes of supermassive planets at great distances from their star
- Prof Jayawardhana’s new book
- some of the people who have discovered extra solar planets
- one of the first instances of an explanation of some of the techniques used to discover extra solar planets today
- what might the discovery of life on extra solar planets mean for us as a species?
- what kind of life might be out there?
- Prof Jayawardhana’s work on meteorites in Antarctica

Today’s listener of the episode is Hannah Souter from the UK.

Download MP3 of Ep 138

Please vote for this podcast this month at

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137 – Prof Lawrence Krauss – Dinner with a Physicist

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:43:06 +0000

Professor Lawrence Krauss is the author of “The Physics of Star Trek”, a professor of physics, the Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the Director of the Origins Project at the Arizona State University. I was privileged enough to have a chat with him about physics and science in general, over dinner.

We talked about:

- What inspired him to do physics?
- The inspiration of using science fiction to communication science
- How realistic are some of the science examples used in Star Trek?
- Is teleportation possible?
- Technological predictions from science fiction
- String theory
- General relativity
- How science evolves and progresses
- His prediction on the energy of empty space
- The positioning of religion and its influence on science, especially in the US
- The ability of science to bring people together
- Current world issues that rely on an understanding of science
- His work with advising government policy for Barack Obama
- The problem of a drop in science funding worldwide
- How much of an impact does science have on the GDP?
- Recommendations on what to do if you enjoy science
- Science communicators

Today’s listener of the episode is Rhys Winter from Australia.

“The stars will still shine with the colours they do, regardless of who tried to explain it” – Prof Lawrence Krauss, speaking to OG in this episode

Download MP3 of Ep 137

Please vote for this podcast this month at

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

136 – Marion Anderson – Spam in a can: Yuri’s Night

admin — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:49:07 +0000

Today is the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gargarin’s first venture into outer space. Marion Anderson, a planetary geologist from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, presented a talk on the history and future of Manned Space Flight.

Download MP3 of Ep 136

Please vote for this podcast this month at

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135 – Prof Claude Roux – Forensic Science

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:19:03 +0000

I talk to Professor Claude Roux from the Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney about forensics and how it is used. Topics we discuss include:

- The type of research Claude is interested in
- Finger printing
- Forensic anatomy
- Anti body forensic methods
- DNA usage and profiling in the criminal justice system
- Forensic intelligence
- What are the ‘point of identities’ in a fingerprint?
- How many matching points does a fingerprint need to be classified as a match?
- How do forensic scientists ensure identification?
- How accurate is DNA evidence?
- Forensics v archaeology
- The differing definitions of ‘trace’
- The future of forensic science

Listener of the episode is Kathleen Humble, from Melbourne, Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 135

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134 – Dr Helen Paterson & Sadhana Raju – Lying

admin — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 17:03:26 +0000

Why do people lie? And how easy is it to determine if people are being truthful or not? I talk to Dr Helen Paterson and Sadhana Raju in relation to these topics. We discuss:

- What is a lie?
- Why do people lie?
- Is there an advantage to being deceitful?
- Are humans the only creatures to lie?
- Do micro-expressions really show truthfulness?
- Why do we expect lies in certain situations?

The listener for the episode is Victoria Soutar from the UK

Download MP3 of Ep 134

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3/3/2011 365 Days of Astronomy Appearance

admin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:38:36 +0000

The Ordinary Guy from the Brains Matter Podcast has contributed to another episode of 365 Days of Astronomy:

Meteorites in Antarctica

133 – Prof Ralph Pudritz – From First Stars to First Life

admin — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 09:25:04 +0000

Professor Ralph Pudritz is the Director of the Origins Institute at McMaster University in Canada, and presented a talk entitled “From First Stars to First Life” at Monash University, Australia.

The following podcast is a recording of that presentation, which also brings out some interesting discussion points, and some amazing revelations including:

- Formation of stars
- What processes from the formation of stars lead to planetary formation
- What is required for life
- Why certain other alternatives for life may not be feasible
- The age required by stars to have an opportunity to form life

Listen in to this fascinating discussion, including audience questions.

Download MP3 of Ep 133

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Book launch – Dr Geoff Campbell

brainsmatter — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:37:31 +0000

Hi folks,

Dr Geoff Campbell, who was interviewed in the following episodes:

18/3/2008 – Episode 58 – Srinivasa Ramanujan
27/4/2008 – Episode 61 – Visible Lattice Points

will be releasing a book next week, so you are welcome to join if you wish. Details in the flyer below.

It’s awards season…

admin — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:55:27 +0000

… or so it seems. I’ve been fortunate enough to be nominated in the Shorty Awards

Nominate Brains Matter for a social media award in the Shorty Awards science category

and also in the Top Geek award.

So if you could take a moment of your time to support Brains Matter, that would be wonderful.

132 – Steve Mirsky – (2/2) – Science Communication Pt 6

admin — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:22:16 +0000

In Brains Matter’s continuing series on science communication, I continue my talk with Steve Mirsky, a journalist and author, editor at Scientific American, and podcast host about various aspects of science communication and the perception of science in the public.

This is part 2 of the discussion. If you haven’t listened to part 1, please go back and listen to episode 131.

Topics we discuss include:

- the impact of science communication
- where podcast listeners are located
- the increased number of science communicators
- where science communication has inspired people
- why do kids lose interest in science within schools?
- how do we influence kids to have a positive view of science?
- how does opportunity and influence affect this?
- the wonder of libraries
- Steve’s path into science
- OG’s path into science
- The impact of good teachers on interest in science
- The relationship between art and science
- How some sciences can lead into other types of science interests

Today’s listener of the episode is Bruce Wallace from Australia.

(Keep an ear out for an out-take from this episode!)

Download MP3 of Ep 132

Please vote for this podcast this month at

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

131 – Steve Mirsky – (1/2) – Science Communication Pt 5

brainsmatter — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:06:54 +0000

In Brains Matter’s continuing series on science communication, I talk to Steve Mirsky, a journalist and author, editor at Scientific American, and podcast host about various aspects of science communication and the perception of science in the public. Topics we discuss include:

- Steve’s background
- The changing view of science by the public
- Stereotypes of scientists
- The modern take in television and movies of a scientist
- Gilligans Island
- Sports v Science
- Perceptions of the Nobel Prize
- Various strategies to get people interested in science
- The IgNobel Prizes
- The differences in science being communicated in print and through new media
- Some fun science stories
- How do we get children more interested in science at a younger age?
- What is a science story?
- The false objectivity of non-science media when they report on science stories
- A discussion on climate change as an example
- The reliance people have on science and engineering
- The funding of science compared to other areas due to a lack of political will and public apathy
- Some great science communicators

Today’s listener of the episode is Joshua Weisskopf.

This is part 1 of an interview with Steve – keep an eye out for part 2 in the next episode.
(Keep an ear out for an out-take from this episode!)

Download MP3 of Ep 131

Please vote for this podcast this month at

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9/12/2010 365 Days of Astronomy Appearance – Titan and the Saturnian System

admin — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:44:09 +0000

The Ordinary Guy from the Brains Matter Podcast has contributed to another episode of 365 Days of Astronomy:

Titan and the Saturnian System

For the full interviews with Dr Andrew Prentice, please check out the guests list

130 – Ian Woolf – Science Communication Pt 4

admin — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 05:50:16 +0000

In our continuing series on Science Communication, I talk to Sydney science journalist, Ian Woolf. Topics we discuss include:

- How Ian got into science communication
- How well is science communicated in Australia?
- Where does most of the communication come from in this country?
- The government’s lack of valuing of education
- Why is science communication important for public dialogue?
- What is being done particularly well in Australia?
- What science shows are being shown on television?
- The origins of Mythbusters
- OG proposes the idea of ABC4 – the science channel!
- Where can you find science on the internet?
- What is the delineation between science communicators and scientists who communicate?
- How does “authority” affect people’s perception of the communication of science?
- What needs to be done to help communicate science to the public?

Today’s listener of the episode is Jindrich Dusek, from Gothenburg in Sweden
Today’s promo is for Here’s Why

Included in the show are some out-takes as well!

Download MP3 of Ep 130

Please vote for this podcast this month at

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129 – Karl Kruszelnicki – Science Communication Pt 3

admin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:09:41 +0000

In todays show, I talk to Karl Kruszelnicki, also known as Dr Karl, about science communication, in the Brains Matter continuing series of science communication. Topics we discuss are:

- Why do we need a science week?
- Respect for education
- Different attitudes to education and science overseas compared to western nations
- The differences education makes to the community and to economics
- Why is science important?
- How much of our economy is based on science and technology?
- What makes a good science communicator?
- Some hints for a science career

Today’s listener of the episode is Richard Pruen from the UK
Today’s promo is for Cheap Astronomy

Download MP3 of Ep 129

Please vote for this podcast this month at

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes