Fuzzy Logic Science Show

As the cliche goes, you are what you eat. But did you know it might be linked to rheumatoid arthritis? Honours student Shweta Venkataraman and supervisor Dr Chloe Goldsmith have been investigating the link between diet, the immune system's T-cells and rheumatoid arthritis. For this research they recruited Fuzzy host Rod, who agreed to provide a detailed account of his weekly diet. From that, they derived a detailed nutrition analysis. They used a blood sample to measure T-cells and later will investigate his epigenetic profile. Join Shweta, Chloe, Camille and Rod for a fascinating conversation. Find out more at www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/health/research/participate-in-a-research-study  

This week Fuzzy Logic celebrates Earth Science Week as Broderick talks to Nick Brown and Anna Riddell both geodetic scientists from Geoscience Australia. They explain and explore the world of geodesy and the role it plays in helping us track the movements across our planet and the movements of our planet to make sure our GPS is accurate for our journeys, along with many other applications. Thanks to Geoscience Australia for providing these two amazing scientists for this week's episode.

What are the causes of our environmental crisis and how do we fix it? Jonathan Miller argues that we should address the fundamental issue, which is the addiction to growth. That means a transition to a steady state economy. But what does that look like and how do we get there? Interview by Eamon and Rod.

What happens when a species goes extinct? Obviously the best course is to avoid it in the first place, but there are plans to resurrect the Tasmanian tiger and the woolly mammoth. We talk about a few projects that are creating safe havens for species, helping them to recover from bushfires and cats. Brought to you by Millie, Camille and Rod.

From melting ice sheets to endless floods and extreme storms, the news lately has been a bit bleak. But science is fighting back and giving us hope for better world.  From up in space to deep beneath the Earth’s surface, scientists at Geoscience Australia in Canberra are working to make our planet more sustainable - through satellites whizzing above our heads to uncovering the low-emission fuels of the future underneath our feet.   Dr Andrew Feitz and Dr Aleks Kalinowski are part of a team of hydrogen and low carbon gurus at Geoscience Australia, while Dr David Hudson is the Director, Satellite Programs at Geoscience Australia. Tune in to this episode to hear these amazing geoscientists talk to Broderick about how they're helping to save the world!

This week Broderick discusses the many events happening across the ACT for National Science Week 2022. He's joined in the studio by Heidi from Kids Securiday, Peter from FungiCo and Prof Lara Malins from the Australian National University who each share some of the interesting science being showcased at their events. National Science Week is from August 13 to 21 and event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au

Is the climate crisis a science problem? Not according to our speaker. Climate change is caused by people - us - and must be resolved by people. We have the tools if only we can use them. In this talk with the Canberra Jung Society, Fuzzy Logic's Rod Taylor discusses the psychology of climate change and the other environmental problems. What does it mean to have 'hope' and how do we convert despair into action? These stories are inspired by his book Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet. With thanks to our friends at the Canberra Jung Society.

Tilman Ruff is one of the founders of the movement that has led to the creation of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  Here he speaks about how the world's nuclear weapons have the continuation of our civilisation balancing on a knifes edge and the treaty trying to bring an end to these weapons. Recorded on 17 June Interviewed by Tom

This week Broderick talks to local Canberra cartoonist Stuart McMillen. Stuart uses intriguing real-life historical events, such as published science experiments, as the basis of his non-fiction comics. This episode talks about comics as a form of science communication and explores "Rat Park" and Stuart's newest release "The Town Without Television". Find all of Stuart's work at www.stuartmcmillen.com

Ben Shaw is an archaeologist and  senior lecturer in the School of Culture History and Language at the ANU (Australian National University).  We talk about his work in Papua New Guinea. Interviewed by Tom

Tony Irwin is an Engineer that spent 30 years building nuclear power plants in the UK.  He now runs Australia's nuclear research reactor which he was in charge of building.  He also lecturers in nuclear science at the ANU.  I question him about my fears of nuclear power based on my very fuzzy understanding of the topic.  We also touch on the economics of nuclear power in a world moving away carbon dioxide polluting power generation.   Interview by Tom Links shared by Tony  https://electricitymap.org  Interactive map of countries worldwide and Australian States. See emissions/source of generation by technology/imports & exports. Carbon intensity/origin/cost for last 24 hrs. Good for comparing the approach of different countries to reducing emissions. https://opennem.org.au/energy/nem/?range=3d&interval=30m Chart and data for the east coast National Electricity Market (NEM). Can see individual States over time intervals from 1 day to 1 year, output of different technologies and prices. Good for looking

Your body's immune system is a finely tuned and immensely complicated system to hunt down and destroy bad cells. No wonder it gets wrong sometimes! And when it does, you might end up with a condition like rheumatoid arthritis. While exactly how it works, is still not known, it is clear that your lifestyle - diet, exercise etc plays a part. A healthy body seems less likely to attack itself. Honours student Shweta Venkataraman and her supervisor Dr Chloe Goldsmith are investigating the link between diet, the immune system's T-cells and rheumatoid arthritis. In this conversation we learn how they're doing that, and the role of epigenetics. If you want a look at how a lab study works, plus things about your own diet, you can be part of their research. Email: Shweta Venkataraman   Shweta.Venkataraman@canberra.edu.au Chloe Goldsmith   Chloe.Goldsmith@canberra.edu.au Learn more here www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/faculties/health/research/participate-in-a-research-study   Interview by Rod.  

Tim Hollo is veteran climate campaigner and running as a Green for the seat of Canberra in the Australian Federal Election.  Tom discusses with Tim some aspects of Greens Party policy related to science and tech.  Amongst other things we talk about funding for scientific research, Australia's clean energy transition, nuclear energy, GMOs and patenting of living things.   

Traditional economics treats our planet as an infinitely exploitable resource. Clearly that is impossible and already there are disturbing signs of a planet in distress. But even if we ignore that, is endless growth really good for us? Where does it end? When we talk briefly about MMT (Modern Monetary Theory), we refer to 'monetary sovereign' nations - for a definitionn, see Wikipedia.   Associate Professor Philip Lawn is a Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, a Senior Research Fellow with the Centre of Full Employment and Equity (University of Newcastle) and Visitor at the School of Economics (University of Adelaide). Interview by Rod as part of the series with authors in our book Sustainability and the New Economics.

The legal system offers powerful tools to limit environmental destruction, with some excellent examples listed in this Guardian story. And yet there is much more that can be done. Nuclear weapons remain a dire threat while climate change marches on, largely unchecked by the inadequate responses thrown at it. Some countries such as Australia do not have a constitutional bill of rights, depriving citizens of a key platform. The alternative is a patchwork of legislation that makes the job harder. In this interview we speak to the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, former Justice of the High Court of Australia.   Interview by Rod as part of the series with authors in our book Sustainability and the New Economics.

Human vision is an extraordinarily sophisiticated thing, backed up by some serious brain power. So how then, can a bee with a tiny brain, find its way over several kilometres through messy terrain to a food source and back again? The answer is both remarkably clever and surprisingly simple. While bee vision has been studied for many decades, there is still much to be learned. One of the hardest perhaps, is to let go of the assumptions that bee vision is just a simpler version of what human do. Emeritus Professor Adrian Horridge has a distinguished career in many areas of science, including years in the company of bees. Interview by Rod.

What does climate change and environmental degredation do to our health? Often these are presented as a loss of species or habitat, but the impacts on humans are real. Some are direct while others are indirect. In all, these are symptoms of a more fundamental problem: our addiction to growth. The mad, relentless drive for an ever bigger population, consuming ever more on a finite planet will not end well. Dr Colin Butler is Honorary prof ANU and a contributuning author to the new the book Sustainability and the New Economics..   Interview by Rod.  

Government revenue comes from taxation, right? At least that's a common view. But, according to Modern Monetary Theory, central governments must create the dollars before they can be taxed: money that does not exist cannot be taxed. That means a central government budget is not like a household, business or even a state government budget. While it's still controversial in some corners, MMT has profound implications for how governments spend and whether they run deficits. There are also a few caveats. To navigate us through a complicated topic, you couldn't ask for a better guide than Dr Steven Hail who is an economist at MML and Adjunct Associate Professor at Torrens University Australia.   Interview by Rod as part of a series for the book Sustainability and the New Economics.

What does it mean to be Australian? A very short speech by Rod on Australia Day 2022 to the Federation of Chinese Community of Canberra Inc at the Canberra Labor Club.

Neoliberalism is the path to prosperity for all, yes? Or maybe not. Few philosophies have had a more profound effect on our current world. Yet it is now crumbling, and what it morphs into remains to be seen. Professor John Quiggin is the author of a chapter on neoliberalism in this Springer book. His book Zombie Economics: How Dead Ideas Still Walk among Us sold over 20,000 copies and was translated into eight languages. His latest book is Economics in Two Lessons: Why Markets Work So Well, and Why They Can Fail So Badly. John Quiggin is UQ Laureate Fellow at the School of Economics, University of Queensland. Interview by Rod who is co-editor of the Springer book.