UNSW Centre for Ideas

In a witty and provocative talk, Professor of Psychology at UNSW, Brownyn Graham addresses the longstanding neglect of the female anatomy in medical research, exemplified by the late mapping of the clitoris. She highlights how centuries of male-centric studies have led to a healthcare system that inadequately services women and overlooks the critical role sex hormones play in our everyday lives. L...

Biographer Brigitta Olubas and journalist Susan Wyndham have edited a collection of the letters of eminent novelists Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower. Reflecting on the correspondence of two important writers, they’ll share what they have learned about the art of writing letters and the relationships that they can sustain, and destroy. Presented by Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by U...

Despite rapid technological advancements, increasing affluence and population growth continue to strain our planet. Currently not a single country in the world is operating at sustainable level of resource use – and yet that is what we need to aspire to if we’re going to slow climate change, reduce inequality and increase our quality of life. So, how do we get there?   Listen to UNSW’s sustainabil...

Why do we know so little about women’s bodies? Over half the world’s population have had a period or could be having a period right now – so why do menstruation and menopause remain such medical mysteries? And why are doctors still scratching their collective heads when asked to explain how female anatomy works? Well,  New York Times  bestseller Jennifer Gunter is hoping to change that.   In conve...

Haben Girma would prefer not to be called inspiring. But, as the first Deafblind woman to make Harvard history and living in defiance of great social and physical barriers, it is a term often used to describe her achievements. Girma developed a powerful path to success despite facing many social and physical barriers. Overcoming all with an insatiable appetite for social justice as well as a wicke...

Has climate chaos, the cost-of-living crisis and the threat of AI overlords got you feeling like the end is nigh? Don’t stress. As psychologist and evolutionary biologist Athena Aktipis points out, humankind is hardwired to survive big existential crises.  In this engaging talk, Athena—armed with her trusty ukulele—and UNSW’s Rob Brooks journey through history, psychology, and shared humanity to u...

In today's fast paced digital age where misinformation spreads like wildfire, the importance of science communication has never been more critical. From bogus health claims to pseudoscientific theories, the online landscape is rife with inaccuracies that undermine public trust in science. But New York Times bestseller Jennifer Gunter is trying to change this. Dubbed the internet’s gynaecologist, G...

From the celestial ballet of exploding supernovae to the cosmic whispers of gravitational waves, acclaimed astrophysicist Tamara Davis’ journey through the cosmos promises to captivate and inspire. With over two decades dedicated to unravelling cosmic mysteries, Tamara Davis has played a pivotal role in monumental astronomical surveys, uncovering over half a billion galaxies and illuminating the e...

When it comes to climate change, answers can be difficult to nail down. Will the world reach net zero in time? What does a climate change future even look like? Will the changes come in my lifetime – or is it my kids or grandkids who will suffer? With every uncertainty, you can feel your head sink a little deeper into the sand... What is it about our lives, and the way we do, or don’t, think about...

The Earth is cracking under the weight of our expectations, with growth held up as the economic north star. Meanwhile, wildlife populations are collapsing, the ocean is acidifying, and carbon emissions are still increasing. Despite everything we know about what’s wrong and what to do about it, we cling to our current way of life. Civilizations have collapsed before. Could it be happening again? An...

As we struggle to reduce carbon emissions, environmental markets are creating a world where money really does grow on trees. But does putting a price on nature, and forcing the economy to value the things it’s always taken for granted, really work? And can it help us prepare for climate change? This episode features:  Miri (Margaret) Raven – Senior Scientia Lecture, UNSW Arts, Design & Archite...

We. Love. Heat. Bring on the summer! Right? But as each month sees another heat record broken, should we start thinking about heat differently? What’s happening on a local and global level to prepare us for extreme weather events – and for a much sweatier future? This episode features:  Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick – Professor of Climate Science, ANU Lan Ding – Associate Professor of Built Environmen...

In the popular imagination, preppers are busy hoarding tinned food in their bunkers while they wait for the end of the world. But is this what most prepping looks like? And is climate change as bad as all that?  The bin fire of the last few years has ramped the eco-anxiety up to an 11. But as we go about our lives, studying, feeding our families, paying off our debts and waiting for the next seaso...

Get ready to confront the uncomfortable truths about climate change with investigative humorist and climate action enthusiast  Dan Ilic  in   Preppers, a podcast by the UNSW Centre for Ideas that dives deep into the realities we often avoid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Intuition isn’t just hippie-dippie or woo-woo – it saves lives, averts disasters and drives countless innovative business decisions. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, for one, regularly relied on his gut instincts.  Leading Australian neuroscientist and psychologist Joel Pearson’s  The Intuition Toolkit: The New Science of Knowing What, Without Knowing Why  presents five scientifically solid strategies...

Humankind stands at a crossroads: will artificial intelligence make us superhumanly productive, liberating us from life’s most mundane tasks? Or have we opened Pandora’s box, unleashing sentient technology that will eventually destroy us?  In a colossal contest of persuasion and wit, two teams of our best and brightest debate whether artificial intelligence is better than the real thing.   Listen...

Physician and writer Abraham Verghese, author of  Cutting for Stone , crafts a masterly narrative of three generations of a family in Kerala, through the eyes of a young girl, from her arranged marriage at the turn of the 20th century to her emergence as the matriarchal figure, Big Ammachi. Solving the mystery of a family affliction – in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning – the...

In the wake of a shift in the global power balance, how can Australia best protect itself? Two of Australia’s most interesting foreign policy thinkers take a fresh look at Australia’s place in the world and come to some surprising conclusions. Clinton Fernandes ( Sub-Imperial Power ) and Sam Roggeveen ( The Echidna Strategy: Australia’s Search for Power and Peace ) tackle the big questions about t...

Money in the 21st century is increasingly cheap, digital and mobile. Looking at the risks and opportunities of low interest rates, cryptocurrencies and the global mobility of money, economist Richard Holden looks at the impact of these forces on our wallets, on the block chain and on major economies. Presented by Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW Centre for Ideas. See omnystudio.com/l...

Explore the literary histories of Charmian Clift, Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower. Following her biography  The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift , Nadia Wheatley contributed the afterword to  The End of the Morning , Clift’s final manuscript, which was recently published more than 50 years after her death. Literary scholar Brigitta Olubas ( Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life ) joins forces with...

Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna made not just any scientific breakthrough, but uncovered a tool that promises unparalleled control over DNA - the core of existence teetering on the brink between amazing potential and great danger.  Hear the fascinating discussion between Jennifer Doudna and Merlin Crossley as they discuss the mentors who fuelled her scientific passion, the collaborations that l...

The life stories of refugees have all the narrative tropes of myth, replete with world-shattering conflicts, perilous voyages, and courageous heroes who sometimes get to live happily ever after.   Go beyond media reports in this discussion with Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-winner Viet Thanh Nguyen ( A Man of Two Faces ), Miles Franklin-winner Shankari Chandran ( Safe Haven ) and refugee law expert a...

As we grapple with the increasing consequences of climate change, experts are warning that it’s not just an environmental issue, declaring it the ‘biggest global health threat of the 21st century’. In the face of these warnings,  where does Australia stand in its preparedness to address these health challenges,  both locally and globally? In a discussion led by ABC’s climate and health reporter, ...

As we observe National Sorry Day and another great year of Sydney Writers' Festival comes to a close, we revisit one of the highlights of last year's program. Leading journalist Stan Grant shared insights from his new book, The Queen is Dead  – building an impassioned argument on the necessity for an end to monarchy in Australia, the need for a republic, and what can be done to reckon with our pas...

In this Creative Conversation, the second of the series,  Vince Frost  of  Frost*collective  discusses  Scaling a Creative Business with  Shelley Simpson , Founder and Creative Director of  Mud Australia , known for their timeless handmade ceramic homewares, renowned contemporary artist  Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran  and  Professor Frederik Anseel  Dean, UNSW Business School. The panel explore the jo...