Fuzzy Logic Science Show

Today, we look at a favourite animal, the turtle. Our guest is doing his PhD on the Eastern Long Neck Turtle, common through much of Australia. Bruno Ferronato tells us some great stories from his fieldwork in the wild rivers of Peru. He travelled by boat and canoe, and lived among the villagers for his research on river turtles. Mosquitoes, leaches boa constrictor, and the occasional piranha are all part of the scenery. Bruno is studying at he Institute of Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra. Interview by Jarrod, Tom, and Rod Here's a link to Bruno's South American work.

We all love a a good distraction, amusing ourselves with the little things to take our minds off looming problems.  We need those moments to rest, but what happens when the nation descends into trivia, forgetting to tackle the big ticket items heading our way? In today's Austalia, we have been consumed by petty politics, virtually ignoring the approaching road trains.  Issues such as peak oil and global warming won't go away if we do nothing. Today we talk to Dr Bob Douglas from Australia 21  about how we can make a difference. Visit the See-Change community action site. With guest appearance by Alan Lee.  Interview by Rod.

We all like a bit of technology, but where is it leading us?  Smart phones, cameras, lie detectors, sex dolls all bring their pleasures, but what do we gain, what do we lose? Can you imagine a religion founded on technology? What happens when the police bail you up with hand held polygraph lie detectors?  Nothing's ever as simple as it seems at first glance. Today's guests are two writers who've delved deeply into the consequence of our technological future. Bruce McCabe has written a racey novel exploring these themes. Skinjob, highly recommended. David Dufty has written the intriquing tale of the Philip K Dick android, an animatronic re-creation of the author of famous books such as Blade Runner and Minority Report. Bruce McCabe will be one or our guest panellists during National Science Week on The Rise of Cyborgs and Post Human Beings.  We're hoping to see you there for a fun & fascinating event! Interview by Eamon & Rod.

Why would a musician need a physiotherapist, and how do cicadas clean their wings are two fascinating question we discover on today's Fuzzy Logic. Simon Kravis interviews Bronwyn Ackermann Pozzible Thanks!

This week Fuzzy regular Broderick is joined by Jill from the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre to talk about marine science in Australia.  They interview scientists who are talking at the Who Cares? Marine Science Forum which is happening on May 4 & 5.  For more details check out www.sapphirecoastdiscovery.com.au

There's something about exploring that fires the imagination.  And nothing quite so humbling and inspiring as the thought of delicate little spacecraft way out there in the blackness of space. Robert Brand has a finger in every imaginable pie in space communications, 'extreme' communications in mine tunnels, ham radio, missions to Mars and the Moon.  Even amateur high altitude balloon flights. Robert and his son Jason take us on an enthusiastic ride. Web sites mentioned during this show are pluscomms.com,  echoesofapollo.com, wotzup.com Interview by Rod

Civilisation is the system that feeds us, houses us, and keeps us safe. It seems to work well, but embedded in it is a deadly flaw. There is no known system in nature that can expand indefinitely. Many economists live with the fantasy notion of curves on graphs that climb forever, while overlooking the drops on the other side. Somehow we've come to believe the bizarre assumption that resources are limitless. It's hard to know what we're going to do as cheap oil runs dry, because there's no obvious alternative.  Cheap oil is the foundation of just about everything. Our guest today is Nicole Foss, who describes herself as a systems analyst. Of all human systems, there are none bigger than this. What are we to do?  Is it Big Green Stuff, or something more fundamental? Along the way, we talk about nuclear power, permaculture, peak finance, and even chickens. Nicole Foss is co-editor of The Automatic Earth You might want to lookup Ponzi schemes which Nicole mentions a few times. Interview by Rod

Fuzzy Logic is home to four Homo sapiens this week: Elise, Amy, Siân and Broderick.  Together they discuss a wide variety of different species including Aphredoderus sayanus, Rheobatrachus silus and Homo neanderthalensis.  What are all these strange species?  Listen and find out!

Can rats share thoughts from brain to brain?  Can we train robot brains?  Expand your brain with a bit of science on Fuzzy Logic.  This episode is presented by Jess, Phoebe, Dan and Broderick

Diabetes is a serious lifelong illness that affects many Australians. Imagine having to cosntantly monitor your blood sugar and inject insulin every day for the rest of your life. That's on top of possible side effects such as kidney damage, damaged eye sight, heart problems, and the risk of losing limbs through infection. While there are reasaonbly good ways of managing diabetes, it's obviously better avoided in the first place. Our guest today is Dr Charmaine Simeonovic from the John Curtin Medical School of Medical Research (see http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/researchers-in-diabetes-breakthrough-20120904-25czg.html#ixzz2Pm8Ah7yv) Inteview by Rod

This week on Fuzzy Logic Dan, Martha, Siân and Broderick think about how it would feel to live on chemical smoothies rather than food- is it healthy?  We also talk about movement in the moshpit and EPO doping.

What does it take to make a computer see? Something we humans do. Dogs and cats, and even flies do it. But it's not a trivial job. Guest today is Dr Stephen Gould, AI researcher ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science.  And we're delighted to welcome back David Dufty, who wrote the amazing story of the Philip K Dick Android. Interview by Rod

With bush fires raging around the country, Fuzzy Logic takes a look at the science behind fires.  Join Alice & Broderick as they discuss the past, present and future of fire science.

How long can we continue living on borrowed money on a limited planet?  How long can prosperity rely on endless growth? If that's true, what can we do about it. Are we just at the mercy of larger forces. Theo Kitchener is an advocate of Doing It Ourselves. Your bank manager might not like what she says.

This week Alice, Blaire and Broderick talk about electronic music and the amazing science nerds that helped produce some of the coolest music.  They also discuss dung beetles, dog toys and more current science news.

Fuzzy Logic today was a 'scene of interest'.   Our guest today is head of forenscis at the University of Canberra, Professor Chris Lennard. How do we untangle the scene of a crime. Who was there, and when. What happened. Are crime scene shows realistic? We talk about fingerprints and superglue, and ear-prints, explosives, and the Bali bombing. Interview by Rod. Do you have a question for Prof Lennard? See your question answered in our Monday Canberra Times Ask Fuzzy column. Send your question to AskFuzzy Zoho.com   (if you don't get the Times, we'll send you a scan).

Today on Fuzzy we bring you some of our favourite moments from our archive. Inspirational Australian scientist and National Living Treasure Dr Fiona Wood talks about her breakthrough treatments for burns victims. Dr Wood is famous for having treated victims of the Bali bombings. Dr Ian Williams from the ANU brings in - get this - a piece of the oldest rock ever found on the planet. It was truly memorable to hold this during the show. Do you know what a (European) wasp can do to horse? Dr Phil Spradbury tells us the amazing story of a rider, a horse, and wasp nest. Hard to imagine this is possible. And,  but no means least, we talk to some college students about science. Why memorable? Because it shows what young, clever people are capable of. Brought to you by Claire and Rod. If you like Fuzzy, you might like to subscribe to 2xx, and help keep us on air.

This week Broderick talks to Dr Carolina Tallon about new ceramics developed for high speed flight and he discusses the health benefits of black carrots with Dr Anneline Padayachee.  He also takes a look at this year's Nobel Prize winners

How long can the world economy keep growing? How close to the limits are we? According to our guest today, we are nearing the end of cheap resources that have powered wealth creation, and it's time for us to power down to adjust to the new reality. Richard Heinberg's latest book is The End of Growth.   We caught Richard during his recent visit to Canberra (which we also podcast). Interview by Rod, with thanks to Jenny Goldie, Sustainable Popultion Australia. If you found this interview interesting, you might like to also visit Doing It Ourselves where you'll find an excellent video. Stay tuned for an interview we'll be doing with Theodore Kitchener from this group.

Can the world continue growing forever? Not according to Richard Heinberg, who says we have reached the limits of cheap oil and other commodities. Then there's debt which has become a proxy for genuine productivity. We are, in effect, printing money to maintain the pretence. Pile climate change on top of that, and we face a nasty brew that means we business as usual cannot continue. Richard Heinberg is Author of ten books, including The Party’s Over, Peak Everything, and The End of Growth. Stay tuned; we'll be broadcasting for our interview with Richard in the next few weeks. Recorded at the ANU, 21 Sept. Fuzzy on Facebook. If you found this interview interesting, you might like to also visit Doing It Ourselves where you'll find an excellent video. Stay tuned for an interview we'll be doing with Theodore Kitchener from this group.