April update

This entry was posted on Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 15:24.

Hi all,

A couple of bits of news. Firstly, the Brains Matter podcast, along with the Monash Science Centre, will be joining forces during National Science Week 2010 and will have a live show to the public.

The topic of the show will be an interview following the topic of “From Slime to Dinosaurs to Us!”

We are looking at Saturday the 14th of August, 2010 – so keep that date clear in your diaries, if you are local to the Clayton, Victoria, Australia location.

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In other news, Ordinary Guy Junior’s question on magnetism and stars was mentioned on the ABC Radio National Science Show, when the ABC’s Robyn Williams interviewed Professor Pat Vickers-Rich, and the discussion turned to that of the intelligence of children.

Go to the end of the transcript to hear his question being mentioned. And of course, you can hear the podcast I made about this at this link.

View the original article here

127 – Prof Dennis Schatz – Science Communication Pt 1

This entry was posted on Friday, October 15th, 2010 at 23:59.

In this episode, the fourth anniversary of the Brains Matter podcast, I talk to Professor Dennis Schatz, the Senior Vice President for Strategic Programs at the Pacific Science Centre in the US. We discussed the topic of communication in science, including:

- Dennis’s background
- What are some of the issues with current science communication?
- How do you develop your skills as a science communicator?
- What really excites people about science?
- Why is science singled out for jargon?
- What makes a good communicator?
- What are some of the programmes being run by the Pacific Science Centre?

Today’s listener of the episode is Mark Wilson from New Zealand.

Download MP3 of Ep 127

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New iPhone Application

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 13th, 2010 at 16:53.

Hi all,

For those of you who have an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, you can now purchase and download an application specifically for Brains Matter at the iTunes Store.

(Click on the above image to go to the iTMS)

The first 4 people to email the show and tell me why you recommend the show to others (with an example) in 50 words will win the app for free.

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Or Australian dollars:

Cancel at any time you want!

Runner up in the National Science Week's Big Blog Theory for best Australian science microblogger

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120 – Prof Richard Wassersug – Talking to a Herpetologist

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at 17:51.

Professor Richard Wassersug is from the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology from Dalhousie University in Canada. Much of his research and study was and is in the area of herpetology, or the study of amphibians. I talked to Professor Wassersug about herpetology, and the importance of understanding this area of biology. Topics discussed include:

- The surprising old view of tadpole and frog evolution
- Structures of the mouths of tadpoles and frogs
- How do these creatures live?
- What is affecting frog and tadpole populations?
- What is causing these impacts?
- Why is it important to understand what can stress a tadpole?
- History of the cane toad in Australia
- The impact of introduced species
- What is the role of frogs in the ecosystem?
- Predators and their impacts on frogs
- Media perceptions of frogs, toads and amphibians
- How are we affecting the environment for frogs and toads?
- How big were frogs and toads in the past?
- The infamous frog tasting experiment!

Today’s listener of the episode is Jason Hameister from the Sydney, Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 120

Details of the National Science Week Show are here – please come along, or listen to it online!

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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107 – Dr Yin Paradies – The Effects of Racism

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 13:31.

In this episode I speak to Dr Yin Paradies, who is a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne. Yin’s research focuses on the health, social and economic effects of racism as well as anti-racism theory, policy and practice.

In this interview, some of the topics we talk about include:

- What are some of the effects of racism?
- How does racism affect health outcomes?
- What are the variations that have been found in racism in Australia and overseas?
- Some examples of racism
- The relationship between racism and self-destructive behaviour
- How does racism in Australia compare to the rest of the world?
- How has research into racism informed or changed public policy?
- We also discuss some of the work that Dr Paradies has done in building a framework to tackle racism
- Racism in the media
- How do we educate people and promote harmony?
- Where does racism come from?
- What IS race?

Download MP3 of Ep 107

Some other interesting links:

Challenging Racism: The Anti-Racism Research Project at UWS

Building on our strengths – the anti-racism framework that Dr Paradies mentioned in the interview.

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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135 – Prof Claude Roux – Forensic Science

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 19th, 2011 at 12:19.

I talk to Professor Claude Roux from the Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney about forensics and how it is used. Topics we discuss include:

- The type of research Claude is interested in
- Finger printing
- Forensic anatomy
- Anti body forensic methods
- DNA usage and profiling in the criminal justice system
- Forensic intelligence
- What are the ‘point of identities’ in a fingerprint?
- How many matching points does a fingerprint need to be classified as a match?
- How do forensic scientists ensure identification?
- How accurate is DNA evidence?
- Forensics v archaeology
- The differing definitions of ‘trace’
- The future of forensic science

Listener of the episode is Kathleen Humble, from Melbourne, Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 135

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106 – Dr Owen Carter – Research into the Ultraviolet Index

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 01:02.

We have all heard of the ultraviolet index in weather reports. What is it? What does it mean to the lay person? What is the average person’s perception of the ultraviolet index? I talk to Dr Owen Carter from the CBRCC and Curtin University in Western Australia about his research into this area.

- Who is most likely to get sunburned?
- What are the best predictors for skin cancer?
- What is the difference between SPF and the Ultraviolet Index?
- Is all exposure to UV bad? Is there a protective effect?
- What are people’s perceptions of the UV Index?
- What measures have been recommended to influence people’s perception of the UV index and help reduce the incidences if skin cancer?
-

Download MP3 of Ep 106

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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All of these works are covered by the
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Or Australian dollars:

Cancel at any time you want!

Runner up in the National Science Week's Big Blog Theory for best Australian science microblogger

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Book launch – Dr Geoff Campbell

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 at 20:37.

Hi folks,

Dr Geoff Campbell, who was interviewed in the following episodes:

18/3/2008 – Episode 58 – Srinivasa Ramanujan
27/4/2008 – Episode 61 – Visible Lattice Points

will be releasing a book next week, so you are welcome to join if you wish. Details in the flyer below.

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All of these works are covered by the
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You can donate in US dollars:

Or Australian dollars:

Cancel at any time you want!

Runner up in the National Science Week's Big Blog Theory for best Australian science microblogger

View the original article here

Drinking with Aliens..

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 09:56.

The Brains Matter interview with Dr Allie Ford from Monash Uni (highlights version for 365 DoA) was featured on Diffusion Science Radio this week.

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All of these works are covered by the
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia agreement.
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Or Australian dollars:

Cancel at any time you want!

Runner up in the National Science Week's Big Blog Theory for best Australian science microblogger

View the original article here

111 – Evan Bittner – Asian Elephant Conservation Part 2

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at 23:31.

In this episode, I continue my talk with Evan Bittner from the University of Melbourne in Brains Matter’s continuing series on Asian Elephants. If you missed Episode 110, please go back and listen to that episode first. In this interview, Evan discusses:

- What can we do to reduce the impact on the ability to conserve the elephant?
- Making a difference
- What work is being done in artificial insemination techniques for elephants?
- What are the advantages of using artificial insemination for elephant populations?
- What are the transportation costs of an elephant?
- The differences in spending the same amount of money in different geographic locations – and how this impacts conservation efforts.
- How do the experts ensure the success of artificial insemination?
- Why does it seem to be more difficult to get elephants to mate in captivity compared to the wild?
- Can captive elephants be successfully re-introduced to the wild?
- Understanding herds in captivity and how they differ to herds in the wild
- Future research

We also demonstrate some of the various elephant vocalisations that have been discussed over the past two shows.

Download MP3 of Ep 111

Please vote for this podcast this month at

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