Fuzzy Logic Science Show

Sometimes it feels like science is a constant in our lives. The facts are facts and that's the way it is. But that isn't always the case. Today Broderick talks about how science has changed with new information and new discoveries over the years. This episode originally aired on March 24, 2019

This episode originally broadcast on St Patrick's Day- hence the green theme! Broderick discusses Irish science and then delves into the world of colour to understand what it means to be green!

One of Australia's most loved animals is the platypus. They are more common than you might imagine because they're fairly shy. But if you look they're you can see them, even in unexpected places. Geoff Williams is a self confessed platypus enthusiast from the Australian Platypus Conservancy. With some citiizen science you can help monitor the numbers of this wonderful creature. www.platypus.asn.au...

...as long as it's in the ground. We caught up briefly with Bob Brown at the Adani rally in Canberra today. A chat more than an interview; by Rod

Some say kids should be in school. Instead they should stay quiet about about what we are doing to the Earth's climate. These kids are ignoring that message, and turning out to voice their thoughts. We found a large, energised crowd at Gungahlin with some articulate speakers. Interviews by Rod.

We all hate weeds, right? But what is a weed anyway? How about say, wheat. Or corn, or oats. Are they weeds? The battle in Australia with  prickly pear is legendary, and there's even a memorial to the Cactoblastis moth that helped bring them under control. It turns out that the prickly pear could be a valuable nutritious crop that grows in our drying land, and our guest today is a self-admitted fa...

What happens when you or a family member can no longer drive because of dementia? It's a major milestone in a person's life, not just because it signals cognitive decline, but because it also introduces a practical burden. How do you go to the shops or visit a friend if you can't drive? The CarFreeMe program being developed by the University of Queensland. Occupational therapist Any Nussio and PhD...

Month by month, we continue to break climate records with a run of heatwaves in Australia, with 46 degrees C in Adelaide this week. Meanwhile in the US, changing climate patterns is allowing cold air to leak southwards resulting in insane conditions in cities such as Chicago. So how do we talk about this without inflicting mass depression? How do we reach those who say that climate change is a soc...

Here's a scientific problem: how can you learn about a situation where the data is unreliable, the system is really complicated, and the outcome is hard to measure? This is what researchers such as Prof Panagiotakos face when they study the health effects of nutrition. People are inclined to give untrustworthy answers about what they eat; the human body is an extremely complex physical and chemica...

What does it mean to have a Big Australia? Kelvin Thomson was the Labor member for Wills in Victoria from 1996 to 2016, and was outspoken on the issue of population. In this 2012 interview with Rod, he reflects on his life in politics, the environment, and what population growth is doing to the planet and Australia. Australia's population 2012:  22.9 million  2018: 24.7 million  - ie growth almost...

This week, Broderick talks about all the latest in science news from whale song to dust storms, cubic poos to fake news. There's plenty to hear including the scat scat!

Fuzzy is doing some fieldwork this week! We head out with Cale Matthews, an honours student from Flinders University, who shares some tales from the field catching bees in Fiji. We also discuss cuttlefish, native tarantulas and coincidental birthdays on this day. This episode presented by Broderick and Jill.

What would you do with a really big computer? It's an interesting thought but it almost misses the point because - what we do without one? The super computer at the NCI in Canberra is about far more than intellectual curiosity. Models that give us a seven-day weather forcast are developed on this computer. Weather leads to climate, and climate leads to the environment, water, and productivity in a...

So who says you're unwell? A doctor? Your insurance company? You? Your boss? What makes a disease is a slippery slope of definition, and not for the faint hearted (which could itself be a disease). It makes a vast difference to how - or whether - you're treated. Do you get a day off work? Will you insurance company cover you? Just as important perhaps, it affects your own well-being, and your perc...

Worried about having enough vitamins and minerals in your diet? Easy! Here's a pill. Problem solved....maybe. The vitamins and supplements industry is huge: this year, global sales will be about $100 billion, and almost a billion of us take one regularly. Think about what all that clever marketing does for sales. Dr Derek Muller digs into this tangled pile in the new documentary, Vitamania. He tra...

The idea of the 'greenhouse effect' goes back to the mid 1800s but back then, it was a theory. Now we know it's real. The evidence has been clear for a long while, so what's happening? We are playing fast and loose with the climate system. To help us navigate this maze, we are joined by Professor Mark Howden, Director of the ANU Climate Institute and Dr Liz Allen, a demographer. We talk about what...

As you're reading this text, or listening to this podcast - you're paying attention. That's the skill you need to absorb critical information in a dense, overcrowded world. Filter the noise, ignore the distractions and focus on the thing that's going to earn you your lunch. Or help you evade the huge, pointy teeth and becoming some one else's lunch. Rebecca Lawrence is in her 3rd hear PhD research...

Want to see the future of medicine? Then tap into a conference such as the New Investigator Forum run each year by Australian Society for Medical Research . We visited last week to see what they're up to on a wide range of research areas including immunology, personalised medicine, and nuclear imaging technology. In this podcast you'll hear   Dr Benjamin Beobrajdic   Dr Bahar Miraghazadeh   Christ...

Single photons? It's surprising but yes, that's what this imaging technology uses. SPECT - Single Photon Emis­sion Com­puted Tomo­graphy - is a type of nuclear medicine that helps diagnose conditions such as cancer.     Tasneem Rahman is a  postdoctoral research fellow at the UNSW is researching the use of L-SPECT which offers considerable improvements in the technology. If you've ever needed a bo...

Regeneration, reproudction, recreation. Jill and Broderick talk about all these and more on today's show which is bound to reenlighten you!

This week on Fuzzy Logic Andy and Broderick discuss the world of insects from how it feels when they bite us, bite each other and when we bite them!

Want to peer into the depths of space? It's kinda handy if you don't have a bunch of atmosphere in the way but space telescopes are expensive. Cheaper to use a ballon. Ryan Ridden-Harper is researching this for his PhD at the ANU. And...why did Einstein get a paper rejected? Brought to you by Andy and Rod. @FuzzyLogicSci

On a windy Canberra day we grabbed a quick interview with speakers at the Canberra March for Science. Professor Frank Bowden , Dr Emma-Kate Potter and  Dr Wendy Elford. Fuzzy Logic is an enthusiastic supporter of #MarchForScience .  Read about the march in the Canberra Times . #MarchForScienceCBR   @ScienceMarchAu   Interviews by Rod    @FuzzyLogicSci

What's science ever done for us? We could be here all day answering that question, but one place to start is your breakfast. Today we look at some of the good things science is doing, especially around our marine and coastal environments. Grab shell, dudes. Andrew Leach's qualifications include marine science as well as conversation programs to protect species such as turtles and fish. We celebrat...

Some diseases get a lot of attention but it's easy to lose site of the big killers. Malaria has been around for at least 4,000 years and a Chinese medical document from 2700 BC describes the symptoms. The name mal-aria literally means 'bad song'. It has proven a tough customer with its ability to sidestep the body's immune system. Harry Sutton is researching ways to combat malaria as part of his P...