Shirtloads of Science

Marine Ecologist Assoc. Professor Alex Campbell takes us into the wonderful, under-appreciated world of seaweed and makes the case that it might be one of our most powerful allies against climate change! We dive into seaweed's evolutionary history and the troubling decline now underway: as ocean temperatures rise, marine organisms are shifting toward the poles at a rate of over 60km per decade to...

I'm joined by Dr Nick Fuller to dissect the long-term effectiveness of weight loss medications and why lasting results do actually require more than medication alone. Nick explains why evidence-based behavioural weight management programs remain the first-line approach to weight loss built on three key pillars: diet, exercise and sleep (did you even know that sleep plays a big role in regulating h...

This episode I'm joined by Dr Peter Lee, Head of Research at Microsoft, to explore the ideas shaping the future of technology. Leading 14 research laboratories globally and overseeing a research and development program that receives more than 10% of Microsoft's overall budget, Dr Lee shares his journey to the top of one of the world's largest innovation engines. From AI tools transforming early ca...

In this episode, we speak with Dietmar Müller about the "Boring Billion", a seemingly quiet period in Earth's deep history that may have been crucial for the evolution of complex life. Drawing on his latest research, Müller explains how plate tectonics, passive continental margins, and volcanic outgassing shaped Earth's slow carbon cycle and gradually oxygenated the oceans during the mid-Proterozo...

Astronomer and soon-to-be Dr. Kovi Rose joins us to discuss his newly published Nature Astronomy paper on one of the universe's newest mysteries: strange repeating flashes of radio waves and X-rays coming form deep within our galaxy! His team's discovery of ASKAP J174 has helped identify the source as a pair of stars orbiting each other, with a white dwarf pulling or accreting material from its co...

Professor Clare Collins returns to the pod to answer a common question: does coffee raise your blood pressure? We also discuss how genetics influence whether you're a fast or slow caffeine metaboliser, the beneficial phytonutrients found in coffee, why decaf still has health benefits, and when people with high blood pressure may need to be more cautious with their intake. nomoneynotime.com.au

Friend of the pod Professor Clare Collins returns to dive down into the sticky depths of the surprisingly powerful world of honey - far beyond being "just a sugary liquid". From the hallucinogenic "mad honey" of the Rhododendrons to the science behind medical-grade honey dressings that can heal wounds days faster than conventional treatments, Dr. Clare explains why this ancient food deserves a sec...

What is the universe actually made of? Particle physicist Theresa Fruth join us at Shirtloads to explore one of science's greatest unsolved mysteries - dark matter! Making up roughly 85% of the universe, yet appearing in none of our known particles, dark matter is invisible, elusive and almost certainly the reason the universe (and us!) exist at all. Theresa and her team are hunting for it anyway....

Professor Ollie Jay, a leading expert in heat and health, returns to Shirtloads to discuss the growing toll of climate change on human wellbeing and global economics. Insights drawn from the latest  Lancet Countdown report show that over half a million people die from heat-related causes each year, and a million more from fossil fuel pollution - deaths that are largely preventable.  Rising tempera...

In this episode, we speak with Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis about Vigorous Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (VILPA) - short bursts of high-intensity movement built into everyday life, like walking briskly or carrying groceries. With only a quarter of adults exercising regularly, his research highlights how incidental activity, when done with enough intensity, can offer meaningful health b...

We're living through the great Space Boom and with great innovation comes a lot of whacky ideas... Astronomer and Associate Professor Michael Brown from Monash University joins me to discuss stupid things in space.  The conversation dives into some of the more bizarre and ambitious ideas circulating the space industry, from firing villains and radioactive waste in to the sun to deploying giant orb...

In this episode I sit down with Professor Conny Aerts, a pioneering mathematician and founding figure of astroseismology, who reveals how scientists are "listenting" to stars to understand what's happening deep inside them. From oscillating stars to solar sunquakes, she explains how sound waves can measure the sun's size, age and activity.  Beyond the science, she shares her remarkable journey fro...

We're scared to say the D word! But why is talking about death such a taboo? Dr. Hannah Gould, a cultural anthropologist at the University of Melbourne, joins me to discuss the topic in the wake of the release of her new book 'How To Die in the 21st Century'. The discussion dives in to the modern experience of dying, from the pressures of having a 'good death' to the reality of overly medicalised,...

When a problem with the James Webb Space Telescope left its images frustratingly out of focus, the solution wasn't fixed in space... it was fixed from Earth. At the University of Sydney, PhD students Dr. Louis Desdoigts and Max Charles spent two years rewriting and refining code to recalibrate a critical instrument designed by Professor Peter Tuthill: the Aperture Masking Interferometer. Their bre...

This episode features Dr. Linzi Wilson-Wilde and Hannah Jarman discussing the realities of forensic science beyond shows like CSI . Through cases such as the Phantom of Heilbronn case and Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, they explore how flawed evidence and forensic myths have contributed to wrongful convictions. They also examine common misconceptions around techniques like bite mark analysis, fire i...

Pharmacist and science communicator Kate Thomas shares how a viral debunking video launched her into the world of online health education. In this episode we explore the booming "wellness woo" economy and sift through the weeds on why misleading short-form content spreads so easily and the risks of unregulated wellness influencers. Kate breaks down the truth about supplements, the power of placebo...

***Prof Lucas would like to provide the following clarification in regards to comments relating to prenatal BPA exposure and male autism spectrum disorder: "A positive association between high prenatal BPA exposure and ASD diagnosis was only seen in male offspring with a genetic predisposition to low aromatase enzyme activity." Professor Michaela Lucas, an Immunologist and Immunopathologist resear...

I'm joined by Dr. Anna Broinowski - Senior Lecturer and Director of the Master of Film and Screen Arts at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney - to unpack the rise of deepfakes and synthetic media. We discuss the emergence of deepfake pornography in 2017, the fact that around 90% of deepfake content targets women and girls, and the growing use of AI in propaganda. From political manipu...

Nitrous oxide (better known as "laughing gas") is widely used in medicine as a safe anaesthetic and pain reliever. It's also found in whipped cream canisters and even used in car engines. But Angela Chiew, toxicologist and Associate Professor at UNSW, joins me to set the record straight: the growing recreational misuse of this easily accessible gas is causing serious long-term harm, including nerv...

In the final episode of the Great AI Safety Debrief series with Dr. Petr Lebedev, we discuss job eradication, AI alignment and the rise in cases of AI deceiving humans. Petr unpacks ideas like AI scheming, situation awareness, parasitic relationships between humans and machines, and even the possibility of AI developing belief systems of its own. We end by zooming out to existential risk, Alan Tur...

In part two, Dr. Petr Lebedev and I dive deeper into how modern AI systems are grown , not programmed, and the emergence of Shutdown Resistance. We explore AI performance in math and coding competitions, the rapid evolution of ChatGPT models, and why companies are already letting AI write the majority of their code. Petr explains how huge investments globally are pushing these systems forward fast...

Intelligence is emerging from sand and less than 1% of the population seems to care! Physicist and science communicator Dr. Petr Lebedev joins the podcast following his SXSW talk to explore the rapid advancement of AI and how it's dramatically shifting the global status quo. From completing a PhD in physics and writing for Veritasium, to leading science communication at Palisade Research, Petr ste...

A mysterious glow from the centre of the Milky Way has scientists intrigued. Astrophysicist Geraint Lewis explains how this gamma-ray excess, first detected in 2009, could be evidence of dark matter particles interacting deep in our galaxy. With dark matter believed to make up a vast, invisible halo that holds galaxies together, uncovering the source of this glow may bring us closer to understandi...

In this episode, I'm joined by Professor Clare Collins, Australian dietitian and Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle. Clare is my go-to expert when it comes to all things nutrition, and today she's here to unpack the often confusing world of processed and ultra-processed foods. We dive into what really separates the two, explore the role of additives, emulsifiers, a...

In part two with Online Safety Consultant Troy Hunt ( Have I Been Pwned ), we unpack the risks of online age verification in light of Australia's social media ban, including the personal data (often times photos or government documents) sites may demand, and how these security practices can be questionable.  Troy explains why we should be thinking more about data minimisation and the dangers of un...