Fuzzy Logic Science Show

This week, Zali Steggal's climate action bill is going up before federal parliament in Australia. But will it happen? Or will it be skewered by ideology. Rod interviews Mark Butler, the Federal Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change. Recorded on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra, where you can hear how we were interrupted by some vocal climate activists. Tensions are running high, people are worried. Rod's book, Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet is out this week. www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781925652789 Now available from https://tenjourneys.blogspot.com/p/where-to-buy.html

Andrew Blakers is professor of Engineering at the Australian National University.  He is an expert in the economics of the renewable energy revolution currently underway and lead inventor of global market leading PERC silicon cell solar energy technology.  

This week on Fuzzy Logic, Broderick introduces all the shortlisted candidates to become a fossil emblem for the ACT. Featuring geologists Dr Ian Roach, Natalie, Schroeder, Monica Yeung, Jenni Creagh and Doug Newton-Walters, you can find out all the information you need to cast an informed vote. Decide now and vote online for the fossil emblem at https://surveyhero.com/c/ACTfossilemblem

How does your diet affect your mental well-being? Nutrition, it seems, is strongly linked to your brain function. Brittany Harriden and Dr Nenad Naumovski are delving into the complex relationships between cognition and the things we eat and, of particular interest, is the Mediterranean diet. Interview by Rod

Tom talk's to Shun Deng Fam from the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society.

National Science Week is coming and this week Broderick talks to local scientists about their awesome events. Dr Brad Tucker shares all the details of the satellite selfie and how you can be seen from space. Claire Harris discusses her event featuring inspiring people- Canberra Women of Science and Art. Finally, Vanessa and Tess join Broderick in the studio to talk about Science Alliance, a program for people with intellectual disabilities.

Our sense of smell is probably the most primitive of all. The ability to detect chemicals wafting around us, alerting us to nearby food. Or an approaching preditor. In humans, the sense of smell is the first to develop. And did you know bees are extraordinarily good sniffers? All the better to seek out flowers. Dr James Hayes is from the UNSW Odour Laboratory Interview via zoom with Rod  

Smelly industrial and wastewater processing is an inevitable part of life. We need these systems, preferably in a way that doesn't adversely affect communities. How do we respond to odours, and what can we do if we live near a smelly processing plant? The way we respond to odours is highly subjective, so how can we measure or report what our noses are telling us? These are questions that concern Dr Ruth Fisher. Dr Fisher is a Research Associate at the UNSW Odour Laboratory. Interview via zoom with Rod.

This week Broderick talks optics and visuals with researchers from the Australian National University. He's joined by Dr Erin Walsh who shares her love for scientific illustrations and Dr Doris Grosse who shows how important adaptive optics are to protect our planet. Special thanks to Pint of Science for helping us source this week's guests. Find more great Australian science from them at www.pintofscience.com.au

This week Broderick takes you through some of the latest news around COVID-19, but also explores the inspring scientific research that is happening- COVID and non-COVID related.

Stephanie Davis from the Australian National University gives us the low down on the Corona virus.  Presented by Tom Street and Atul Sharma.

If there's a triumph of modern civilisation, it's the efficiency with which products such as food are delivered to our shelves. That's an amazing thing, but it hides the hugely complicated system that makes it all happen. The largely invisible process can make us blind to our connection to the land. Why do we waste so much food, and what can we do about it? What can we do to make agriculture more sustainable? We tackle these questions with our guests Dr Bethany Turner and Dr Ro MacFarlane from the University of Canberra. Interview by Rod

With firestorms and floods ravaging Australia, now is the time for leadership on climate change. While that's missing on the national level, in Canberra we have just achieved 100% renewable energy for a 40% reduction in the city's greenhouse emissions. It's a good start, but the job's not done yet. Shane Rattenbury roles include being ACT Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability. He tells the story of how we got this far, and where we go next. Interview by Tom and Rod

In this show scientist Lennart Bach from the Institute in Marine and Antarctic Studies in Tasmania talks about the possible side effects of negative emission technology, ocean acidification's effect on marine plankton communities and other thoughts on our climate future. 

On todays episode Jamie Kirkpatrick, geographer and conservation ecologist from the University of Tasmania talks about bushfires. Zanna Chase, professor of oceanography at the University of Tasmania, talks about some of her research into oceanic drivers of climate change.

There are only seven meals between civilisation and anarchy. But we're okay in Australia, right? There's always food in the supermarket and shortages are what happens in other places. Not here. The horrendous current drought, record heat and devastating fires across our country are a hint that we should lose our complacency because Australia is vulnerable. In spite of what our Prime Minister seems to think, climate change is here and it's happening right now. Julian Cribb's latest book is Food or War. It's a fascinating dive into the history of civilisations that went hungry. With foresight we can avoid it, but how? Spoiler alert: we must act soon. Interview by Rod and Tom.

The climate clock is ticking. Actually, it's not just ticking because the alarms are going off with deafening roar. If ever we needed visible evidence of what climate change means, the start to 2020 is it. We invited Emeritus Professort Will Steffen to put this in perspective. Are the bushfires devastating our country unexpected? Will there be more? And what can we do about it? Prof Will Steffen is a world recognised authority on climate and the Anthropocene. Interview by Rod. Music by Shock Octopus who you can find on Bandcamp.  Proceeds from the single go to Extinction Rebellion.    

This week on Fuzzy Logic, Broderick is joined by some local experts to share the science behind the bushfires that are currently the focus for all Australians. Dr Geoff Cary from the Fenner School at the Australian National University shares his research and all the science behind bushfires, while Dr Arnagretta Hunter, a local cardiologist and member of Doctors for the Environment Australia, shares some insights behind what long term health effects might be caused by these fires, both physically and mentally.

Join Broderick for a very merry, sciencey time as he shares the psychology behind wrapping presents, the maths behind Christmas birthdays and the science behind what we eat. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

On this episode of Fuzzy Logic we had three researchers from the Australian National University (ANU): Alena Kimbrough a paleoclimate scientist who has been researching rainfall in Indonesia over the past 380, 000 years by analysing stalagmites from caves in Sulawesi. Katharine Grant,also a paleoclimate scientist who uses ocean sediment cores to gain understanding of the earth's past climate even further back in time. Rebecca Colvin,  a social scientist who is working to understand how human group behavior effects our relationship with issues such as climate change.