Brains Matter ©

Dr Hunter Mulcare is a clinical health psychologist who has also done research work in the area of psychology.

Psycho-oncology is a relatively new area within psychology. It is the psychological study of cancer patients. Dr Mulcare talked to me about some of his research into this area. What is the appropriate amount of information to give to a cancer patient once they are diagnosed with the disease? Does it depend on their state of mind? Listen in, and find out.

Download MP3 of Ep 64

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In this episode, I continue my talk with Dr Sarah Maddison from the Swinburne University of Technology on how planets form. If you missed part 1 of the interview, please listen to the previous show.

This is part 2 of a 2 part interview.

Download MP3 of Ep 63

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In this episode, I talk to Dr Sarah Maddison from the Swinburne University of Technology on how planets form – both in our solar system, and other systems around the universe. We discuss the standard solar system as we know it – and “Hot Jupiters” that have been discovered around distant stars – and how astronomers think they formed.

This is part 1 of a 2 part interview.

Download MP3 of Ep 62

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In this episode I speak to Dr Geoff Campbell, honorary research fellow from the school of mathematics from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Dr Campbell talked to me about his pioneering research work, including that of Visible Lattice Points, in the area of pure mathematics. He also talks about their application in the real world.

Dr Campbell’s home page – the shapes mentioned in the interview can be found here

Download MP3 of Ep 61

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Happy ANZAC Day to everyone in Australia and New Zealand!

Dr Hunter Mulcare is a clinical health psychologist who has also done research work in the area of psychology. Dr Mulcare talked to me about what psychology is, what it is useful for, and about some of the research he has done especially in the area of drug and alcohol research.

He also shares his story on his studies and how he got to where he is today, so if you are interested in psychology, have a listen to the show.

— Note : This interview includes discussion of illegal drugs —

Download MP3 of Ep 60

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In this episode I talk to Adam Parker, who is currently doing a PhD in robotics. We talk about robots, and their portrayal in current society.

Some of the topics mentioned in the interview:

Karel Capek
Rossum’s Universal Robots

Metropolis IMDB site
Metropolis wikipedia site
Kino Metropolis site

Kismet, the social robot

Al-Jazari and his robot from the 11th century

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Jacques de Vaucanson’s mechanical duck

Joseph Engelberger and his robots

Download MP3 of Ep 59

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Vale Arthur C Clarke, author of the 2001, A Space Odyssey series, Rendezvous with Rama, and a host of other science fiction novels and stories, who passed away today at the age of 90 in Sri Lanka. He was a man well before his time, and predicted via his stories the advent of many scientific and technological advances.

In this episode I speak to Dr Geoff Campbell, honorary research fellow from the school of mathematics from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Dr Campbell talked to me about Srinivasa Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematical genius from the early part of last century.

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In this episode I talk to Lynne Kelly, author and educator, about critical thinking and how it is taught and applied in education. How are people taught today compared to the past? How should they be taught?

This is part two of a two part interview.

Lynne’s website is http://www.lynnekelly.com.au

Download MP3 of Ep 57

Please vote for this podcast this month at

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

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