Synopsis
Up and Atom brings you the latest breakthroughs and discoveries in the ever-changing world of science. Sometimes weird, sometimes confronting, always informative, come learn about the world around. Hosted by Alice Williamson (@all_isee), University of Sydney lecturer and researcher for Open Source Malaria, each week on Up For It with Ruby Miles.
Episodes
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Space Sperm & Game Theory - Charging Your Mates To Borrow Your Stuff
30/05/2017 Duration: 11minLucy was a little under the weather today, so The Bridge's Lachlan Wyllie jumped behind the mic to fill in. Lachlan and Alice looked into game theory, more specifically, the idea that maybe you should be starting to charge your mates for the privilege of borrowing your stuff. They also talked about the implications of an exciting new experiment involving space sperm - scientists have successfully bred mice from freeze-dried sperm kept on board the International Space Station for about nine months. #interstellarsteak
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Flooded Seed Vaults & Flushing Out Fallopian Tubes
23/05/2017 Duration: 13minLucy and Alice talked about global doomsday prep this morning after the news that the Arctic stronghold designed to protect a massive stockpile of the world's seeds and ensure humanity's food supply forever was flooded with melted permafrost. Keeping things focused on keeping the human race alive, they also talked fertitlity, because a recent study has shown that an old-school method of flushing out fallopian tubes with poppy seed oil can actually boost fertility by getting rid of blockages that stop eggs moving into the uterus.
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Are Old Violins Actually Any Good? & Where To Drink And Science This Week
16/05/2017 Duration: 12minLucy and Alice went classical this week, because it turns out super famous old violins aren't as shit hot as we once thought. In a recent series of double-blind tests, a number of Stradivarius violins, which are hundreds of years old and often worth millions of dollars, were played by blindfolded violinists to blindfolded audience members alongside a series of top quality modern violins. The modern violins were thought to be better sounding nearly every time. Listen back to the podcast to find out why, as well as to hear all about some of Alice's upcoming events - Pint of Science and Two Up.
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Breathalysing Dolphins & The Science Of Laughter
09/05/2017 Duration: 15minLucy and Alice talked all about breathalysers today, but no, not the kind you'd see at an RBT. Scientists have been able to use a special kind of breathalyser to get insights into the health of dolphins exposed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the results mean that they now have biomarkers for assessing the health of wild dolphins in a non-invasive way. In the spirit of the Sydney Comedy Festival, which is going down right now, they also delved into the science of laughter!
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Treating Depression With Ayahuasca & Growing Lambs In Artificial Wombs
01/05/2017 Duration: 15minAlice and Lucy dove head first into some far-out medical science today, starting with the ancient hallucinogen ayahuasca and its potential as a treatment for depression. The psychedelic drug is legal in parts of South America, where it has been drunk for centuries as part of religious rituals, and tourists are increasingly giving it a go while holidaying there. The world's first randomised clinical trial of ayahuasca for treating depression has just been completed, and has found that it can rapidly improve mood over a short period, especially among people with depression that is resistant to antidepressants. Then they looked into something a little more futuristic - the incredible news that two lambs have been successfully grown in an artificial womb that could one day be used to help human babies that are born prematurely. It looks like a plastic bag filled with fluid, and it mimics a mother's uterus, allowing the foetus to continue breathing oxygen-filled liquid just as it would in a real womb. The team a
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Engineering Chicken Dinosuars & The Rise of Prejudice Robots
18/04/2017 Duration: 12minToday's Up and Atom sees our two ladies of science traverse timelines. Travelling to the past to talk about dinosaurs or rather chicken dinosaurs, and then heading to a future which could be populated by racist and gender bias robots. The beak is considered one of the most prominent features which make up the anatomy of the chicken. But, the current beak wasn't always as sharp and pointed as it is now. Realising the chicken needs two different genes to develop their beak, they suppressed one. The result.... some interesting effects on the embryo's beak, or should we say, snout! The two then power forward to a future of prejudice artificial intelligence. A recent AI tool used to revolutionise computers has been found to have some striking discriminations against certain genders and races, and of course, it's all the fault of us humans. Could these machines be absorbing deeply ingrained biases concealed within the patterns of our own language? Lucy and Alice discuss.
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The Dinosaur Special: A Restructure of the Dinosaur Family Tree & The T-Rex Shows Its Sensitive Side
04/04/2017 Duration: 12minLucy and Alice discuss recent news regarding our Prehistoric predecessors. Over a century of dinosaur classification has just been turned on its head with some new research and scientists are now debating the origins of prehistoric beasts, with a small cat-sized creature from Scotland being the frontrunner. Also, It turns out the T-Rex isn't just the vicious monster we thought. Researchers now think T-Rex used to rub their snouts together as a form of courtship, and that their snouts were as sensitive to touch as human fingertips. Got to make up for those arms somehow.
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Spider Venom To Help Stop The Effects Of Strokes & 12 New Clouds Added To The Cloud Atlas
27/03/2017 Duration: 13minFrom watching the ground to watching the skies, Lucy and Alice talk about spiders and clouds (Note: Unrelated topics just in case you're imagining spiders falling from the sky). Following up last week's venture into the use of Funnel Web spider venom as an insecticide. Now researchers think they might be able to create a drug from the deadly venom to ward off brain damage caused by strokes. The two science aficionados then let their heads drift off to the clouds as they discuss the twelve new cloud formations which have been added to the official Cloud Atlas. Their inclusion is all thanks to the Cloud Appreciation Society, which you can become a member of right now!
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A Chimpanzee Mortuary-Like Ritual & A Spider Venom Insecticide
20/03/2017 Duration: 12minA Chimpanzee has recently filmed cleaning the teeth of a deceased chimp of their group in a mortuary-like practice. What insight does this give in terms of evolutionary practices and the compassion of animals? Lucy and Alice dive right into that question! The pair also bravely chat about spider venom and the possibility of using a Blue Mountain Funnel Webs venom as an insecticide. Don't be scared, have a listen!
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New Planets Announced & Genius Bumblebees
27/02/2017 Duration: 10minLucy and Alice dive into the mystery that is the alien solar system discovered which could support other life. We may not be alone! They also discuss the mad ball skills of Bumblebees who have learned to complete tasks, including manoeuvring balls into a hole for a tasty treat.
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The New Continent Of Zealandia & A Hydrogel That Could Lead To Non-Surgical Vasectomies
20/02/2017Lucy and Alice get down to business today, talking about the newest prospective continent Zealandia (You get one guess as to who this might be). They also chat about monkey semen and the role it has to play in a hydrogel that could lead to a non-surgical vasectomy.
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Do You Love The Smell Of Roses? Scientists Find Out Why Some Smell Sweeter Than Others
13/02/2017Scientists have discovered that some roses smell sweeter than others and as a result may have figured out a way to make the Valentine Day flower smell even sweeter.
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The Soybean Oil Material That's Stronger Than Metal & An Illness Caused By Lychee Fruit In India
06/02/2017 Duration: 12minAlice talks us through the latest Scientific discoveries, including the use of soybean oil to create a material 200 times stronger than steel. Alice and Lucy also discuss the mysterious illness affecting the children of Mazzafarpur, India. Scientists believe the Lychee fruit might have something to answer for.
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The first pig-human 'Chimera' and the cancer risk of overcooked toast
31/01/2017Scientists have created a human-pig hybrid which raises the prospect of being able to grow human organs inside animals for use in transplants. While the Food Standards Agency has warned that overcooked, starchy foods can contain acrylamide - a chemical linked to cancer.
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The Feathered Dinosaur Tail and Using Platypus Venom to cure Diabetes
12/12/2016 Duration: 12minA feathered dinosaur tail was discovered in a piece of amber for sale at a market in Myanmar, plus: researchers at the University of Adelaide have found that monotremes, like the platypus and echidna, may hold the secrets to curing diabetes.
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Crustaceans Carrying Pollen Underwater and How Whales Breach to Communicate
05/12/2016 Duration: 08minBees may be in decline, but pollen continues to move throughout the ocean. Researchers discovered a species of crustaceans that pollenates sea grass like bees pollenate flowers. Meanwhile, University of Queensland researchers look deeper at how whales communicate with each other when they are out of the water.
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Using Insects to Research Viruses and Asthma Deaths in Melbourne
28/11/2016 Duration: 15minHumans have mainly left invertebrates out of the equation for medical research, instead thinking about animals that are more similar to us. Researchers looking at invertebrates have discovered at least 1500 previously unknown viruses. Plus: multiple people hospitalised in Melbourne with asthma following intense storms.
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Cane Toad Sausages and Using Dart Frog Toxins to Fight Disease
21/11/2016 Duration: 14minScientists are using taste aversion to prevent larger animals from eating Cane toads. Meanwhile, the Dart Frog's toxin is said to be so strong that one frog could kill 10 men, and a group of chemists at Stanford University are using the toxin to investigate how disease passes through the body.
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Wirelessly Allowing Paralysed Monkeys to Walk Again and the Robot Changing the Future of Cataract Surgery
14/11/2016 Duration: 13minResearchers have used a brain implant to allow paralysed monkeys to walk again by wirelessly bypassing the damaged section of the spine. Plus: the robot that is set to revolutionise eye surgery.
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The Thorny Devil Can't Drink Water and Spinach Could be a Bomb Detector
08/11/2016 Duration: 13minResearchers from the University of Western Australia looked closer at how Thorny Devils absorb water without using their mouth. Meanwhile at MIT, spinach and nanotechnology have been combined to create natural bomb detectors.