Brains Matter

In today’s episode, I continue my interview with Dr Mark Boland, Accelerator Physicist from the Australian Synchrotron. We tour the facility, and continue our discuss on the synchrotron and what it can be used for. Also on today’s episode, the Brain Teaser, Listener feedback, and Pin of the Episode. A picture I took from the […]

On today’s episode, I talk to Dr Mark Boland from the Australian Synchrotron. Dr Boland tells me about how the synchrotron works. Also on today’s show – news, pin of the episode, and the Brain Teaser. Synchrotron Overview: Join me for the next episode where Dr Boland takes me on a tour of the facility. […]

In this episode, I talk to Dr Roger Rassool about why physics is useful – in more ways than people assume! The physics of music, and how elephants communicate using infrasound. Please listen to episode 39 (part 1) and episode 40 (part 2) of the interview series with Dr Rassool. http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au/photo/people/roger/home.html ANZAAS home page: http://www.anzaas.org.au/ […]

In this episode, I talk to Dr Roger Rassool about particle physics, and his research into a land mine detector using nitrogen, a Positron Emission Tomography Scanner – which uses anti-matter to work, and the Single Photon Detector, which is used in synchrotrons. These are all research projects in the the Physics Solutions for Industry […]

Dr Roger Rassool is a particle physicist from the University of Melbourne. He runs the physics MUPPETS outreach program, aimed at students, and those who are interested in science. I talked to him about the program. Download MP3 of Ep39 Please vote for this podcast this month at You can donate by clicking on the […]

Part 2 of an interview with Dr Adrian Gentle on Regge Calculus – a mathematics that is used to describe space-time. Please listen to episode 35 as an introduction to this episode. Dr Gentle’s web page is at: http://www.usi.edu/science/math/apgentle/ and his papers can be found at arxiv.org Wikipedia link on Regge calculus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regge_Calculus Today’s promo […]

A brief introduction to physicist Max Planck, the Brain Teaser, Pin of the Episode, and some listener feedback. Download MP3 of Ep34 Please vote for this podcast this month at You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes digg this

Today I talk with Dr Adrian Gentle, formerly of the Los Alamos National Laboratories, and currently at the University of Southern Indiana, on Einstein’s General Relativity. I would advise you to listen to last week’s episode on Special Relativity as a precursor to this show. Dr Gentle’s web page is at: http://www.usi.edu/science/math/apgentle/ and his papers […]

Sun in the clear over global warming A solar radiation study is evidence that global warming over the past two decades cannot be blamed on the Sun, a theory espoused by climate-change sceptics. Maths proves the silliness of silly walks Scientists have explained mathematically why the famous “silly walks” of Monty Python’s John Cleese have […]

Saturn moon looks like a sponge (ABC Australia science news) Scientists make landmark DNA discoveries (ABC Australia science news) Vatican reveals Roman necropolis (news.com.au) Mercury probe swings by Venus (Discovery channel) Future universe will ‘stop expanding’ (National Geographic) Lava microbes lived on early earth (Discovery channel) Meditator’s brains seem alert (ABC Australia science news) Earth […]