Reading brains, Dave sings science
MP3
Ian Woolf looks inside the minds eye to see what you see, with a scanner,
commentary by Charles Willock,
Patrick Rubie zaps cheap wine into the good stuff,
Kalvin Ng shows the world was warmer than you thought,
Dave the Happy Singer reviews the news in impromptu song,
Dave Sings Monty Python's Universe song,
Presented by Marc West,
Produced by Ian Woolf
2008 Kisses, tantrums and infections
It’s the last show of 2008 so there’s plenty of love, tears and infection spreading! Patrick Rubie looks at the nice and the nasty side of mistletoe. Victoria Bond and Jaime Leclerc quiz you on infectious diseases. Ian Woolf tells a tale of eight-tentacled fury at the Sea Star Aquarium in Coburg, Germany.
And in our last news of 2008 Marc West reveals Santa’s secrets!
Presented by Darren Osborne
Produced by Patrick Rubie
Panelled by Ian Woolf
“The mistletoe: naughty or nice?” by Patrick Rubie
“Otto the kranky octopus” by Ian Woolf
“Who am I – infectious diseases” by Victoria Bond and Jamie Leclerc
News by Marc West – “Infectious Happiness” and “Santa’s Secrets”
Christmas 2008 special
Marc West interviews Hayley Birch organiser
of the Geek Pop Festival,
Marc West and Darren Osborne reflect on the science that made the news in 2008,
news on Santa dealing with global warming and the
global financial crisis, Reindeer science
Produced and Presented by Marc West
Internet censorship protest special
Ian Woolf speaks with Sam, organiser of the protest,
Fiona Patten convenor of the Australian Sex Party,
and finally Dave the Happy Singer and Percy from the Digital Liberty Coalition.
News by Kalvin Ng
- dying coral reefs,
- relating to artificial people,
- ancient cannabis in China.
Presented and produced by Ian Woolf
Maths, hot leaves, and body swapping
Marc West talks with Jamos McAlister and Marcus Findlay about teaching kids that "calculations are the spelling of maths, not the story",
Ian Woolf talks to Dr Andrea Leigh at the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Technology about the science of hot leaves,
News by Kalvin Ng and Monica Sharma, and Ian Woolf
- body swapping
- digital beautification
- heart attacks prevent heart attacks
- Internet censorship rally around Australia on December 13th 2008
Presented by Kalvin Ng, and produced by Ian Woolf
Parasite Wisdom, warming, space sugar
Marc West extends last week's report on global warming and the next ice age, explains how wine's bubbles can track the carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, about dating glaciers by atomic bomb residue, how wind farms may create weather, and Monday night's crescent moon, along with Venus and Jupiter will show a celestial smiley face!
Ian Woolf talks parasite wisdom with Professor John Dalton, director of the Institute for the Biotechnology of Infectious Diseases, UTS, who researches how to exploit parasite's knowledge of our immune system to cure diseases.
Caitlin Howlett tell us about sugar in space, which may point at life, and how water is a greenhouse gas.
Ian Woolf reports on solar powered sea slugs on the sea floor that can make food from sunlight.
Monica Sharma updates us on the fate of the spiders in space, and how a brain implant is giving a paralysed man the power of speech,
Caitlin Howlett reports on how turtles evolved their shells.
Presented by Monica Sharma, produced by Ian Woolf
Cells, Cycling, and fake holograms
PhD student Phoebe Peters is conducting research at the Institute for the Biotechnology of Infectious Diseases, she speaks to Ian Woolf about the role of proteins in the surprisingly complex mechanism of bacterial cell division.
Cyling scientist Chris Lauf describes his 7 month science education adventure around Queensland to Caitlin Howlett,
Cart washes with Kalvin Ng,
Spiders and butterflys in space by Monica Sharma,
Global warming prevents an Ice Age by Patrick Rubie,
and CNN and Telstra "holograms" with Ian Woolf,
Presented by Caitlin Howlett, and produced by Ian Woolf.
Censorship, broken and fixed hearts
MP3
Ian Woolf interviews Crikey tech writer Stilgherrian about the
Australian Government's plan to censor the internet.
Patrick Rubie tells about heart-powered pacemakers, and why looks matter more at speed dating sessions,
Caitlin Howlett pleads the case of whales versus the US Navy,
Presented by Monica Sharma and produced by Ian Woolf.
Read Stilgherrian's blog: Stilgherrian or follow him on twitter
Electronic Frontiers Australia: No Clean Feed
Electronic Frontiers Australia: Protecting and promoting online civil liberties
Digital Liberty Coalition: No Censorship
Twitter hastags: #nocleanfeed
Laurel Papwoth: No Clean Feeds video
Irene Graham: The Net Labelling Delusion
Saviour or Devil
OverClockers Australia:Wiki page collating media articles & other info on the debate
New Matilda: Conroy's Web
ABC Unleashed: PG Nation
ABC Unleashed: How the cold creeps as the fire dies at length
Get UP: Save The Net
Paul Sheehan SMH: A piddling offence and much worse
Syd Walker: Clive Hamilton & I: Getting Personal about Sex, Lies, Hate & Censorship
Richard Baker & Nick Mackenzie SMH: Police hire private spies to snoop online
Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre UNSW: Forum: Internet filtering and censorship proposals
Glenn Milne, in The Sunday Times: Rudd will need a stiff upper lip
Liam Tung, ZDNet.com.au: NSW calls Conroy on Euro filter fudge
Forest water, PhD dances, bird flu
Associate Professor Kendal McGuffie from the Physics department at UTS, tells Ian Woolf about tracking the movement of water by weight to find out how forests use water and effect the climate.
Marc West phones Dr Christopher Pettigrew from Cork University in Ireland to find out how to apply for the American Association for the Advancement of Science PhD interprative dance competition.
Kalvin Ng bring us the latest news about bird flu.
Presented by Kalvin Ng and produced by Ian Woolf.
Vampire moth, ghosts, and vasty deeps
MP3
Halloween special!
Android Amy Bullen hunts the ghost-hunters,
Lycanthrope Ian Woolf explores Immortal radiation-eating bacteria,
Murderous Marc West warns us about Vampire Moths,
UTS Geologist Greg Skilbeck explains to Ian Woolf how sediment from the sea floor tells the tale of climates long past, and may give clues to our future.
Presented by Murderous Marc West,
produced by Lyncanthrope Ian Woolf.
Nanotech, doctoral dancing and pubs
MP3
Ian Woolf interviews UTS Head of Physics Michael Ford about how to make matter do whatever you wish by controlling the size and shape of nano-particles,
Marc West goes on a pub crawl of science-related pubs in London,
News by Marc West and Ian Woolf
- a competition for interprative dances based on PhD theses,
- factors to make your brain grow
Presented by Nick Evershed,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Radio rewards pick-up lines
MP3
Pick-up lines by Victoria Bond and Patrick Rubie,
118118 Information hotline challenge by Marc West,
The brain's reward by Amy Bullen,
News by Victoria Bond and Patrick Rubie,
- obesity and pleasure
- internet surfing keeps your brain young
Presented by Marc West,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Quantum teleportation and a sexy hello
MP3
Ian Woolf interviews Samuel Braunstein about quantum teleportation, how to get yourself faxed from A to B, without travelling in the space in-between,
Patrick Rubie explains part 1 of his Science and History of Radio,
News by Ian Woolf,
- Medical Chocolate from Mars,
- Fertile greetings from females
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
Proteomics and close relatives
MP3
Our closest relatives are all of us,
You can learn to change the way genes are expressed in your body,
Ben Herbert explains proteomics,
Melinda Hall King explains childhood deception,
Produced and presented by Ian Woolf
Bleaching coral and androids
MP3
Ian Woolf speaks with Peter Ralph about global warming modelling, from coral bleaching to Antarctic algae,
Patrick Rubie examines the issue, are robots better than androids - R2D2 or CP30?
News by Victoria Bond, read by Dean Procter:
- Personal genetic screening
- Mothballs and life
- LHC melts down
- blindness cured by gene therapy
- human clones in Sydney
Presented and produced by Ian Woolf with technical support from Victoria Bond
Blood and Space Volcanoes
MP3
Victoria Bond tells us all about blood and the history of blood transfusions.
Ian Woolf interviews Graziella Caprarelli, Space Scientist for the Department of Environmental Sciences at University of Technology Sydney about volcanoes in space.
Ian Woolf, Patrick Rubie and Sam Conyngham review the latest scientific news, from Cubans in space to health-conscious computer geeks.
Presented and produced by Patrick Rubie
Conspiracy and LHC
MP3
News by Victoria Bond
- familiarity breeds contempt
- gentler needles from mosquitoes,
- listeners predict how sentences will finish
The Large Hadron Collider switch-on discussed by Victoria Bond, Patrick Rubie, and Ian Woolf,
Jason Heimaster brings a critical eye to Conspiracy Theories,
Presented and produced by Ian Woolf, with technical support from Patrick Rubie.
Hypnosis and scepticism
MP3
John August sends a Postcard from Britain in the 1870's.
Ian Woolf speaks with Melinda Hall King about hynotherapy,
Melinda and Ian talk about the Science festival, Scepticism and the Placebo effect.
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf.
Bionic soldiers and unlimited power
MP3
Jacqui Hayes brings the week in review:
- Landmine tobacco
- Tree-man
- Cow compasses
- cognitive magic
Muhsin Karim explores the bionic soldier and Brain Computer Interfaces,
Ian Woolf has the last word with Brian Lennon from the Live Futures 2020 festival about the
opportunities offered by large amounts of cheap, clean alternative power.
Presented and produced by Ian Woolf.
Future Fab Labs and Fish and Chip cars
play now
In this special edition from the Live Futures 2020 Festival, Brian Lennon speaks to Ian Woolf about the Fab Lab that could make anything with 3D printers and cars that run on used vegetable oil left over from fish and chip shops. Jacqui Hayes reviews elephants who count, and how to read men's faces.
Presented and produced by Ian Woolf.
Steam work and giant wallabies
play now
Lachlan Whatmore puts steam to work,
Jacqui Hayes and Caitlin Howlett review the week in science
- happiness science,
- giant wallabies in Tasmania
- confirmation that contraceptive pills reverse attraction
- vaccination against alcoholic pleasure
Amy Bullen examines the ultimate cheating drug - the placebo,
News by Ian Woolf
- synthetic telepathy
- anti-aging drugs keep your cells clean
- chilli heat not just an illusion
- cannabis and opium to prevent addiction
Presented and produced by Ian Woolf
Smashing atoms and nanotechnology
play now
Victoria Bond finds out if the Large Hadron Collider will destroy the world,
Ian Woolf talks to Professor Mike Cortie about zapping gold nanoparticles in your body with lasers to cure mind-control parasites,
News by Patrick Rubie
- King Tut's foetuses
- solar power at night
- smart bricks
- dandelion rubber
Produced and Presented by Ian Woolf
Alpine Kat https://www.msu.edu/~mcalpin9/lhc_rap/largehadron.html
Invisible illness and exploding spacecraft
play now
Ian Woolf reports the latest in the war on aging,
the Live Futures Festival to be held simultaneously in Newtown and Second Life on August 17th,
and The doomed attempt of the commercial SpaceX Falcon 1 spacecraft to launch over the weekend.
Dr Stephen Graves talks to Ian about the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Conference in Cambridge. What is Chronic fatigue Syndrome? What are the causes and what is it like to be struck down by the illness? Why is it still the invisible illness so many years after its discovery in the 1980's?
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
Vaccination and Autism?
play now
Martin Faccini investigates the controversy over whether the Mumps Measles and Rubella (MMR) Vaccination causes austism in children,
Panel discussion of vaccination as a civil liberty issue by Martin Faccini and Ian Woolf,
News by Ian Woolf,
- Viagra for depressed women
- lasers for youth
- urine on your mind
Produced and Presented by Ian Woolf
Clones, Steam Hero and Mind Control
play now
Cloning by Michelle Kovacevic,
Steam engines and Hero of Alexandria by Lachlan Whatmore,
Emotiv Mind Control interview with Tan Le by Daz Chandler,
News by Ian Woolf
- Wooden nuclear power plant accident in Vermont,
- Moon race goes underground at NASA
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
BioUtopia and draft Garnaut
play now
Heading towards a BioUtopia by Richard Hindmarsh, reviewed by Muhsin Karim,
Panel discussion of Ross Garnaut's draft report on climate change for the Australian government by Lachlan Whatmore, Patrick Rubie, Vicky Saunders, Adrian Saunders, and Ian Woolf,
News by Ian Woolf
- Chimps play to their audience,
- Real snail mail,
- plastic conductors,
- magic half-time oranges,
Presented by Lachlan Whatmore,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Chiptunes, see-through batteries and syphilis
play now
Syphilis in Australian history by John August,
Interview with Professor Christopher Fairley by John August,
News by Ian Woolf
- Migraine zapping
- Transparent, bendy batteries,
- The world's oldest computer generated music
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf.
Diffusion moves to Monday 6:30pm tonight!
We'll no longer be heard on Thursday mornings in Sydney. Diffusion broadcasts tonight in its new Monday 6:30pm timeslot on 2SER 107.3FM for the first time.Holistic medicine and ancient engines
play now
Lachlan Whatmore looks at waterwheels and other ancient machines,
Patrick Rubie talks to the president of the Sydney University Holistic Society,
News by Ian Woolf,
- solar powered solar power
- neurology of cinema
- erasable printing paper
produced by Lachlan Whatmore
Bad weather, appropedia, wet Mars
play now
Lachlan Whatmore talks to Dr Helen Reed from the Metereology Bureau about La Nina,
Ian talks to Chris Watkins about sustainable technology and Appropedia,
News by Victoria Bond,
News by Victoria Bond
- coffee good for you
- cone of silence
- white stuff on Mars
Presented by Ian Woolf,
Produced by Lachlan Whatmore.
Fanny Macleay and talking dolphins
play now
News by Patrick Rubie
- electric flying saucers
- personal networks sewn into clothes
- fake urine used by miners
Nineteenth Century naturalist Fanny Macleay by Lachlan Whatmore,
Discussion of news, staying young by staying with the young, and the portable hug with Ian Woolf and Patrick Rubie,
Can Dolphins Talk? by Ian Woolf,
Produced and Presented by Ian Woolf.
Growing fat and shrinking brains
play now
Cannabis: shrinking brains or fighting fear? by Patrick Rubie
Epigenetics by Tilly Boleyn and Jacqui Hayes
(taken from 2SERâs Friday Daily 06/06/08)
Less money, more fat by Patrick Rubie
News prepared by Ian Woolf and read by Patrick Rubie
- Fruits for power
- Old inside, young outside
Presented and Produced by Patrick Rubie
Outro
Grassroots OLPC and Martian red skies
play now
Martin Facini explores Mars with the Phoenix lander,
Ian Woolf talks with Professor Barry Vercoe about the One Laptop Per Child Foundation in Australia,
Is space exploration worth it? Discussion by Patrick Rubie, Martin Facini and Ian Woolf,
Presented by Patrick Rubie,
Produced by Ian Woolf.
Brain cells and water wells
play now
Inside your brain with Muhsin Karim,
Watching the Water: Interview by Amy Bullen with Clunies Ross Award winner Iven Mareels,
News by Jacqui Hayes,
- Panda's survive the Chinese Earthquake,
- Interplanetary locust robots,
- Bubonic plague's secret weakness
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
Music: "The Best Imitation of Myself by Ben Fold"
'Popular and polarising science'
play now
'Rock radar and solar cells' (The ATSE Clunies Ross Awards: part 1) - Amy Bullen interviews two award-winning scientists, David Noon and Stuart Wenham on their inventions
'A tribute to David Attenborough' by Victoria Bond and Martin Facini
Discussion forum on Richard Dawkins''Enemy of Reason'
News by Ian Woolf
- Safe sex science
- Design your own phone
Presented and Produced by Patrick Rubie
Sample of 'It's a scientific fact' by Tom Glazer and Dottie Evans in outro
Flores Hobbits and Stinging Jellyfish
play now
Amy Bullen and Chris Rehberg interview Professor Mike Morwood about the Hobbits of Flores,
Lachlan Whatmore talks about the stinging Irukandji jellyfish of Australia,
News by Ian Woolf,
It takes two people to trick the masses,
Solar electric cars for cities
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
Music: Upside Down by Jack Johnson from the Curious George soundtrack CD
Global cool space engineers chocolate
MP3
Ian Woolf looks at chocolate physiology,
John August continues his battle with syphilis and the world,
and Lachlan talks to space engineer George Graves.
News by Patrick Rubie,
Presented and produced by Lachlan Whatmore.
Quolls and Quokka dreaming
play now
Quokka and Quolls with Chris Rehberg,
Lucid Dreamer Amy Bullen,
News by Ian Woolf
- peering phones
- Chicken X prize
- pig plastic
Presented by Amy Bullen,
Produced by Ian Woolf.
Ponderous by 2NU2
Tasmanian Tiger bosses spy syphilis
Tasmanian Tigers on the mainland by Chris Rehberg,
Syphilis dose 2 by John August,
Policing at work and school by Ian Woolf,
News by Victoria Bond
- mineral deficiency delayed evolution,
- fertilisation fighting malaria,
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
So Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced that companies need to be able to read employee's email whenever they want, in order to prevent emails being used to commit massive crimes like breaking essential services. This means repealing the Telecommunications (Interception) Act, 1997 which says that only ASIO can intercept emails, and only if they have a warrant from the Attorney-General. In this they went further than other liberal democracies where a warrant from a judge is required, instead of just a government minister.
Since companies are fictional people, who are the bosses that will have greater powers than ASIO? What will separate the police from the policed? Will it be managing one employee? Managing five? There will be national outcry that bosses shouldn't be doing this, and bosses will say they need police to do this. Does it make sense for managers to have more policing powers than ASIO? So the government can back off and just give ASIO and the Federal Police these powers to wiretap without a warrant, and the public will feel they've been saved from the evil spying bosses. Certainly if a MacDonalds supervisor can read our emails, then ineveitably ASIO and the Federal Police will have equal powers.
At present if ASIO makes a horrible mistake using its email interception powers, the responsibility lies with the minister who granted the warrant. If this law is changed, then the government has no responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
Of course if you were to read your boss's email and blow the whistle on criminal plans, then you would be the one to go to gaol.
Technically there are two ways that bosses could read your email. Either they set up a system where they hire people to read all incoming and outgoing emails, in the same way as a country at war. This means a special internal police force. This slows down email traffic and costs a lot of money. Its not going to happen.
The other is to give bosses the power to search your inbox and sent mail folders whenever they want. They will inevitably use Outlook which by default automatically executes macros embedded in emails and automatically opens attachments. This is how viruses are spread. The bosses will spread more viruses this way. It would be simpler to have software anonymously filter emails for attachments before they reach the employee - without anyone reading them.
We are told we need to protect essential services that are in private hands from electronic attack. The only known case of an essential service going down due to abuse of a private network is the rolling black-outs caused in california. However the criminals were not the employees, but the executives of Enron. The executives criminally caused blackouts to generate a fake demand for electricity that allowed them to justify increasing the cost of power. Giving email reading power to the executives is like giving the keys to the henhouse to the fox.
Perhaps emails could be sent to or by employees using code. If so, it would require ASIO or Federal POlice to crack the code, not bosses. When the dust settles, we may be expected to welcome ASIO and the Federal Police being given these overkill powers over email, just to stop the bosses from getting them.
In reality, an electronic attack on a company is more likely to come from a Denial Of Service Attack. This is usally done by saturating the computer with so many requests for service, whether that be a web page or a credit card authentication, that the computer has no time left over to service legitimate requests. The email equivalent is spam. So is the Deputy Prime Minister proposing to classify email spam as a terror crime?
Tapes Show Enron Arranged Plant Shutdown
Science Puts Enron E-Mail to Use
Planned ASIO surveillance laws under fire
Big pox big cats remotely lie
play now
John August gives us Syphilis,
Chris Rehberg chases Singleton Big Cats,
News by Patrick Rubie and Victoria Bond,
- remote lie detection
- two faced girl
- spinal healing with nano-polymers
- piezoelectric nano-fibres rub up some power
Multilingual dyslexia and super-powerful lasers by Patrick Rubie,
Presented by Victoria Bond,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Reducible Evolution Special
play now
Thermoregulation with Frank Seebacher interviewed by Jesse Silverman
The irreducibly complex Michael Behe by Alex Jordan
News by Jesse Silverman
- life from space
- hobbits
- Ancient sea monsters
- AIDS resistance
- Antarctic giants
Presented by Carla Avolio
Produced by Ian Woolf
We Come From Monkeys by Emerald Rose
Silky spiders with wireless chips
play now
Fast, cheap and wireless by Ian Woolf
Silky spidery secretions' by Lachlan Whatmore with discussion by Patrick Rubie, Ian Woolf and Victoria Bond
News by Victoria Bond
- bacteria fighting bacteria
- iodine-deficient cavemen
- cancer-killing viruses
Presented by Patrick Rubie
Produced by Patrick Rubie
Songs:
'Big Scary Monsters' by Sar Friedman
'The Spider' by Flanders and Swan
Sample of 'Technologic' by Daft Punk
Galileo fish count quantum secrets
play now
Space probe Galileo by Lachlan Whatmore
Quantum cryptography by Amy Bullen
News by Ian Woolf,
- Superconductors,
- Nanowires
- Counting Fish
Presented by Amy Bullen
Produced by Lachlan Whatmore
Space probes Borderless housing
Space Probes by Lachlan Whatmore
Sustainable housing interview with Vaugh Gray of Engineers without Borders by Amy Bullen,
News by Patrick Rubie
short people are more jealous,
self-healing artificial joints
butterflys remember their childhood
Presented and produced by Lachlan Whatmore
Echinoderms, illusions and your brain
Lachlan Whatmore explores the mysterious world of echinoderms,
Ian Woolf reveals the illusion of scarcity,
and the panel discusses the latest brain research:
gaming gadgets,
memory goggles,
brain entrainers,
happy genes,
and why puberty is so difficult.
Presented by Amy Bullen,
and produced by Jacqui Hayes.
Power-dressing giant frogs with ID cards
MP3
ID card pensions by Ian Woolf
Synaesthesia by Charles Willock
Power-dressing giant frogs by Tilly Boleyn and Evan Shapiro
News by Patrick Rubie
- Wild winter viruses
- snake jaws sailing sound waves
- solving a 140 year old equation
Song '"A Thumbnail 160 -Atomic Energy"
Outro contains a sample of "It's a Scientific Fact"
Presented by Lara Davies
Produced by Patrick Rubie
Religion, Spineless sex, and faces
Religion versus Science by Michelle Kovacevic,
Sex bypasses the spine for the injured by Ian Woolf,
Facing up to automatic ID recognition by Tilly Boleyn and Evan Shapiro,
Calculating your caffeine by Ian Woolf,
News by Ian Woolf
- artificial sweeteners make you fat
- G-spot imaged
Presented and produced by Ian Woolf
War goats, rat studs, and smart beds
MP3
Goat sacrifices of the military by Ian Woolf,
Wired Beds by Tilly Boleyn and Evan Shapiro,
Junk DNA points the way by Patrick Rubie,
Female rats prefer males with recent sexual experience by Patrick Rubie,
Jacqui Hayes interviews Chris Lauf of the Cycling Scientists and their travelling energy show,
Presented by Patrick Rubie,
Produced by Ian Woolf.
'Plug into your Prius, replicate with RepRap'
MP3
'Self-replicating 3-D printers' by Ian Woolf
'Plug-in batteries for hybrid cars' by Brigid Mullane
'DNA taxis' by Patrick Rubie, Lachlan Whatmore and Ian Woolf
News by Patrick Rubie
- Black Strings
- Stem cells give birth to a jaw
- Threesome IVF
Outro contains a sample of 'Love will tear us apart again' by Yha Khut
Presented by Lachlan Whatmore
Produced by Patrick Rubie
Good Vs Bad radiation, Hep C treatments and more....
MP3
News and views by Tilly Boleyn (speaking with Evan Shapiro)
New Hepatitis C treatment by John August
Good and Bad Radiation by Michelle Kovacevic
Presented by the ever elegant Lindsey Gray
Technical assistance by Ian Woolf
Additional contribution by Joanne Chang
Edited by Tilly Boleyn
Zombie Sex Change Lizard Medical Myth
play now
Free will or zombie-hood explored by Amy Bullen,
Medical myths dispelled by Michelle Kovacevic,
Hot sex changing lizards get cool with Jacqui Hayes,
Michelle Kovacevic, Amy Bullen, and Patrick Rubie.
News by Patrick Rubie:
- Virgin Galactic spaceship 2,
- Upsizing dimensions with Artificial Intelligence,
- Searching and rewarding the searching and rewarding area of the brain
- Aztecs sacrificed young boys
Presented by Jacqui Hayes,
Produced by Ian Woolf.
Crude oil and cruder monkeys
play now
News and views by Jacqui Hayes.
Lindsey Gray with a slick coverage of the competing crude oil formation theories.
Matt Clarke couldn't help but tell us about monkey prostitution and pornography.
Intelligent musings from Michelle Kovacevic.
Produced and presented by Tilly Boleyn.
Parasitic Koels and space robots
MP3
Koels of summer by Lindsey Gray,
Kayuga probes the moon by Ian Woolf,
News by Ian Woolf,
- Glowing mind parasites get jammed,
- Magnetic nano-medicines,
Presented by Derek Williamson,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Stone calendars, obsolete units of biofuel
MP3
We take the measure of strange obsolete units with Lachlan Whatmore,
and look at ancient astronomy with John August and Steve Maxwell,
Charles Willock looks at the downside of biofuels.
News by Patrick Rubie,
Presented by Lachlan Whatmore
Produced by Lachlan Whatmore with technical support from Ian Woolf
Peruvians online and exercising flab
MP3
Patrick Rubie with exercise science,
Ian Woolf with Peruvian children's first experiences online, One Laptop Per Child Videos
Fat discussion by Joanne Chang, Ian Woolf and Patrick Rubie,
News By Joanne Change, James Foster and Ian Woolf.
Presented by Lindee Wong,
Produced by Ian Woolf with technical assistance by Patrick Rubie
'Fly me to the moon with love and fireworks'
play now
'Mining the moon' by Ian Woolf
'The chemistry of love' by Joanne Chang
'Fireworks frenzy' by Patrick Rubie
Fireworks discussion by Charles Willock, Ian Woolf, Joanne Chang, Lara Davis and Patrick Rubie
Music outro: Sample of Aerodynamic by Daft Punk
Presented by Lara Davis
Produced by Patrick Rubie
Coelacanth, Xmas trees Stand pregnant
play now
The Science of Xmas Trees by Patrick Rubie,
Coelacanths fishy resurrection by Rabia Khan,
News by Ian Woolf
- Scary time
- Flipping coins
- Fearless mice
Stand to be Pregnant and BBQ cancer by Jacqui Hayes and Ian Woolf,
Presented by Jacqui Hayes,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Ancient chocolate bioweapon bugs moon
play now
A Shirtload of Units by Lachlan Whatmore,
Squirming, creeping and feeling by Tilly Boleyn and Evan Shapiro,
Termite class war by Ian Woolf
Ancient Chocolate by Derek Williamson,
Endangered new species by Rabia Khan,
News by Patrick Rubie
- Memorable Chimps
- Free internet on aircraft
- Moon rocks
- Seeing red over the Red Sea Dam
- Ancient Hittite bioweapons
Presented by Rabia Khan,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Menstrual stem cells smallpox extinct
play now
Stem cells from Menstrual blood by Ian Woolf,
Smallpox extinction by John August,
News by Patrick Rubie,
Presented by Joanne Chang,
Produced by Lachlan Whatmore
Evidence kills smallpox placebo
play now
Evidence based medicine by Erin Passmore
Smallpox and vaccination by John August
Evidence, smallpox and placebo discussed by Rabia Khan, Patrick Rubie, John August, Joanne Chang, Linda Wang and Ian Woolf
News by Patrick Rubie
- climate
- telescopes
- stem cells
- giant scorpians
Presented by Rabia Khan
Produced by Ian Woolf
Robot Love, Nuclear Power, Safe?
play now
A Diffusion Science Nuclear Special (Part II).
Instead of looking only at CO2, we look at the
other important issues surrounding nuclear power
generation. This week: the risks of proliferation.
Special Guests Dr Sue Wareham OAM of the Medical
Association for the Prevention of War, and A/Prof
Tilman Ruff, Australian Chair of the International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons talk with
Charles Willock about nuclear proliferation.
Jaroon Descartes is Jacqui Pfeffer's Special Guest
in Part II of "Relationships with Robots".
Presented by: Lachlan Whatmore
News: Patrick Rubie and Ian Woolf
Panelled by: Ian Woolf
Produced by Charles Willock and Ian Woolf
Musical Clips:
Randy Newman: Political Science ("Let's drop the big one now")
Tom Lehrer: That Was The Year That Was ("Who's_Next?").
Nuclear Waste: Safe for 240,000 years?
play now
A Diffusion Science Nuclear Special. We look at the breakdown of
nuclear waste storage materials with time, and the problems
associated with cleanup of the Maralinga nuclear test site.
Dr Ian Farnan, University of Cambridge, talks to Charles Willock about
possibly significant errors in estimates of nuclear waste storage times.
Alan Parkinson, nuclear engineer, talks with Charles Willock about
the mishandling of nuclear waste at Maralinga.
Presented by: Emily Fearn
Panelled by: Celine Steinfeld
Produced by Charles Willock and Ian Woolf
assisted by Patrick Rubie
Music:
"The Elements" Tom Lehrer/Sir Arthur Sullivan
"It's a scientific fact" Tom Glazer and Dottie Evans
(by Hy Zaret and Lou Singer)
Robots, baby birds and free internet
play now
Jacqui Pfeffer discusses Robot Relationships with Hugh Durrant White
Ian Woolf interviews Lachlan Hardy about freeing the net http://lachstock.com.au
Charles Willock looks at the life of baby birds
News by Ian Woolf
Presented by Lara Davis
Produced by Ian Woolf
Diffusion Animal Special: Spooky Worms, Dr Pet and Medicine Farms
play now
'Spooky Worms' by Lachlan Whatmore
'Dr Pet and Medicine Farms' by Patrick Rubie
News by Patrick Rubie
Presented by Lachlan Whatmore
Panelled/Produced by Patrick Rubie
Apt Apertures, Microbial Fuel Cells
play now
News by Emily Fearn
- drop in ocean pH harms snail defences
- ancient evidence of modern behaviour
Apt Apertures by Charles Willock
DIY Beer Power with Microbial Fuel Cells by Patrick Rubie
Presented by Ian Woolf
Produced by Ian Woolf and Ed Pollitt
Sound barrier, Virgin green
play now
Aviation special
60th Anniversary of the first supersonic flight by Lachlan Whatmore,
Virgin Blue goes green by Emily Fearn,
News by Erin Passmore,
- Suicidal genetics
- Of moose and man
- Urine as fertiliser,
Presented by Ian Woolf,
Produced by Lachlan Whatmore
'Science, Politics and the Nuclear Meltdown'
play now
'Science in Poltics' and 'Nuclear Meltdown' by Charles Willock, Ian Woolf and Patrick Rubie
News by Ed Politt
Presented by Ian Woolf
Panelled and Produced by Patrick Rubie
Dino-bird, Scientists miscast, Sputnik
play nowNews by Emily Fearn and Jo Dessman
- Velociraptor possibly had feathers
- Hearing problems in the classroom
- Scientists angry at being miscast in doco
50th Anniversary of Sputnik by Lachlan Whatmore
Presented and Produced by Ed Pollitt
'Loneliness, Hair and Red Blood Cells'
play now
'Loneliness and Hair' by Tilly Boleyn and Evan Shapiro
'Riding the Red' by Patrick Rubie
News by Patrick Rubie
Presented by Charles Willock
Panelled and Produced by Patrick Rubie
Music: Lenny Kravitz - 'Are you gonna go my way?'
Miss Bessie Music/EMI Virgin Music
P 1993 Virgin Records America Inc
Sea grass neurological morals
play now
Sea Grass by Lachlan Whatmore,
Neurology of Ethics interview by John August,
News by Patrick Rubie
Presented by Lachlan Whatmore
Produced by Ian Woolf and Lachlan Whatmore
The Art of Science
play now
'The Art of Science', interview with Boo Chapple by Ian Woolf
News by Ed Politt
Presented by Ian Woolf
Produced by Patrick Rubie
Zero Point Energy, Sex/Sport, Toy Boys
play nowFocussing zero point energy by Ian Woolf
Sex before sport by Marc West
Toy-boys and Trophy wives by Kachina Allen
News by Patrick Rubie
- Swiss Cheese universe
- Atomic-size computers
- Long-lived bacteria
- Relationship maths
Presented and produced by Ed Pollitt
Dark matter and alternative medicine
play now
'The Dark Side of the Cosmos' - Professor Joe Silk interviewed by Ian Woolf
'What's the alternative?' by Patrick Rubie
News by Patrick Rubie
Presented by Ian Woolf
Produced by Patrick Rubie
Professor Joe Silk' is the author of books and articles such as "The Left Hand of Creation", "The Big Bang", "A Short History of the Universe" and "The Infinite Cosmos". His website is at http://www-astro.physics.ox.ac.uk/people/silk.shtml
Diffusion Medical Special
play nowNews by Ed Pollitt
- toys recalled for lead and magnets
- sexy slug pheromone orgies
- immune system recognizes fats
The Evolution of Medicine by Emily Fearn
Presented by Erin Passmore,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Puke-ray, Marriage, Expanding Universe
play now
News by Ian Woolf
- Iced Germs
- Puke-ray
- Mega sugar-rush
Marriage Science by Kachina Allen
Expanding Universe by Patrick Rubie
Presented and produced by Ed Pollitt
Music: Lies Are Much More Fun by The Grates, Galaxy Song by Eric Idle
Genetic Peas Uncomplimentary Medicine
play now
Mendel's Peas by Lachlan Whatmore,
Uncomplimentary complementary medicine by Ian Woolf,
Blood chips by Matt Francis,
News by Matt Francis
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
Asperger's adventure Nuclear shutdown
play now
Asperger's Adventures by Patrick Rubie,
Nuclear shutdown by Ian Woolf,
News by Ian Woolf
- Paper aircraft
- Neurological guardian angel
The Science of Niceness presented by Bre Bunce
Presented and Produced by Ian Woolf
Global Swindle, Snow Science, E-voting
play now
News by Ian Woolf
- Australian Audiovisual Archive
- Caffeine Thinking
- Gesture Control
- Micro Movers
- Early Altruism
Global Warming Swindle Review by John August
Snow Science by Patrick Rubie
E-voting by Ian Woolf
Presented by Emily Fearn
Produced by Ed Pollitt
Brain music and Smelly science
play now
Mind Listening to the Mind Listening by Ian Woolf,
Smells like Science by Patrick Rubie,
News by Patrick Rubie - taking the urine,
- holograph testing
- synthetic life
- jellyfish cosmetics
- ancient chilli
Presented by Ed Pollitt,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Icelandic Science, Heart Brain, Robots
play now
News by Patrick Rubie
- Hubble sees new stars
- energy generator using vibrations
- rat-brained robot
- Aesop's fable tested
- gut parasites from the ocean
- largest bird's secret of flight
Science of Iceland by Marc West
Heart Rates and the Brain by Tilly Boleyn
Presented by Erin Passmore
Produced by Ed Pollitt
Music: 'Vaka' by Sigur Ros, 'Kobol's Last Gleaming' by Bear McCreary
Carbon Praise, Internet Goes Sideways
play now
Wonderful Carbon by Lachlan Whatmore,
Meshing the Internet by Ian Woolf,
News by Patrick Rubie:
- Space weather
- Microwaved plastic
- Colour evolution
- Artificial skin
- Giant penguins
Presented by Charles Willock,
Produced by Ian Woolf.
Music: Carbon is a Girl's Best Friend by Lynda Williams The Physics Chanteuse - from her Cosmic Cabaret album,
http://www.scientainment.com/songs.html
DJ Ted Stevens Techno Remix: "A Series of Tubes" by 13tongimp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtOoQFa5ug8
Greenwich Mean Time, Chookosaur, Bees
MP3
News by Patrick Ruby
- Liquid Telescopes
- Arctic Spring
- Fresh Air
- Nano-squids
- Bad news for girls
- Picky-eating kids
- Pygmy pandas
Greenwich Mean Time by Marc West
Chookosaur & Queen Bees by Tilly Boleyn
Presented by Ed Pollitt
Produced by Ed Pollitt
Music: "Greenwich Mean Time Machine" by Mark Mitchell, "Space" by James Singer
The Sciencegasm, Ice Skating, Vegemite
play now
News by Erin Passmore
- Smoking
- Sticky gecko feet
- Familial plants
- Cold pain
The Science of Orgasm by Tisha Dejmanee
Ice Skating Science by Celine Steinfeld and Jeffrey Heaton
Southern Directions and Vegemite by Celine Steinfeld
Presented by Emily Fearn
Produced by Ed Pollitt
Music: "Science Is Golden" by The Grates, "The Scientist" by Coldplay
Killer Robots, Google Streetview, Ants
MP3
- Killer robots
- Stainless stem cells
- Gait madness
Marching Ants and the best Patents by Tilly Boleyn and Vanessa Gardoz
Google Streetview discussion with Erin Passmore, Ian Woolf and Ed Pollitt
Presented by Erin Passmore
Produced by Ed Pollitt
Oil free, Low fat cows, Green goes red
play now
Darren Osborne interviews Dr David Lamb about Fuels of the Future,
Tilly Boleyn and Vanessa Gardoz discuss:
- Workchoice treadmills,
- Nominative determinism,
- lonely albatross,
- red-stained windmills,
News by Erin passmore and Ed Pollitt,
- Energetic astronomy,
- Black holes,
- Wood fired reverse speakers for alternative energy,
- Low fat cows
Presented by Ed Pollitt,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Robots in traffic, What attracts you?
play now
Dr Will Uther talks to Ian Woolf about robots that drive in traffic,
Patrick Rubie takes to the streets to find out what people find attractive,
Presented by Charles Willock,
News by Ed Pollitt
-Nobel Peace,
-Yoga and GABA,
-Salt Savvy,
-Ward Awarded,
Produced by Ian Woolf
Oil, hair, heads and science
MP3
News by Ed Pollitt.
Hair, heads and hard-times discussion lead by Jacqui Hayes.
Interview with science film-maker Sonya Pemberton by Tilly Boleyn.
Presented and produced by Tilly Boleyn.
Music
It's Alright by Rand & Holland
23 by Blonde Redhead
Nanotech cancer and super-duper-novas
play now
Nanotechnology and cancer treatment by Pat Rubie;
Super-duper-nova by Chris Stewart;
news by Ed Pollitt.
Produced and presented by Chris Stewart
Synchrotron and phone spam
play now
News by Catherine Beehag.
Spunky Synchrotron Science by Ed Pollitt.
Beer Power, Micro-Wind power and Military brain-scanning by Ian Woolf.
Do-Not-Call (DNC) registry discussion lead by Ian Woolf.
Presented and produced by Tilly Boleyn.
Music
Hang me up to dry by Cold War Kids
+81 by Deerhoof
Cricket science+not so new discoveries
play now
News read by Catherine Beehag.
The science of cricket by Marc West.
Not-so-new discoveries by Tilly Boleyn (and a gaggle of delightful volunteers).
Presented by Jacqui Pfeffer.
Produced by Tilly Boleyn.
Music
Misread by Kings of convenience.
Mishaps Happening by Quantic.
Cloned and Dressed for Success
play now
This week's Diffusion casts aside vanity and looks at how healthy those belts, braces and bras really are when we try to dress up. The beer drinking scientists ask your opinion on cloning, life in general and the appeal of your own mini-me. Plus in Diffusion News, we look at an insect which has rediscovered the joys of sex after millions of years of celibacy.
Presented by Emily Fearn. "Dressed for Success" and "Eye Colour" by Kachina Allen, "The Beer Drinking Scientists: Cloning" by Marc West and Darren Osborne, News by Patrick Rubie. Panelled by Celine Steinfeld. Produced by Celine Steinfeld and Patrick Rubie.
Da Vinci, Climate-Fried Fish, the Pope
Discover Da Vinci's workshop full of flying machines, theatrical contraptions and submarines. Take a splash with the frenzied fish that are migrating across our warming ocean. But where does the Pope fit into all this? Find out this week on Diffusion.
Presented by Ed Pollitt and Emily Fearn
News by Patrick Rubie
Climate Fried Seafood by Darren Osborne
Da Vinci's Inventions by Chris Stewart
Produced by Celine Steinfeld
The science of sleep, lasers and sauce!
News and views by Ian Woolf.
Scientific tips on how to get a good nights sleep from Darren Osborne.
Lasers that will blow your mind and other body parts by Chris Stewart.
Will eating an aussie pie protect you from the suns harsh rays by Kachina Allen.
Produced and presented by Tilly Boleyn.
Music
Let me go home by Camera Obscura.
Happy Kid by Nada Surf.
Solar saves coal, Green your home
play now
Coal is too valuable to burn, by Ian Woolf,
Angus Kell explains water and energy efficient home renovation to Patrick Rubie, Mark West shares his election fever,
Presented by Jacqueline Hayes,
Produced by Ian Woolf, with technical support by Tilly Boleyn.
Music:
Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)
by They Might Be Giants (Severe Tire Damage Album - Restless Records)
Stretched Out and Rollin by Pat Webb
Magical mushrooms and so much more!
play now
Scientific news and views by Ed Pollitt.
Magical mushroom tour by Celine Steinfeld.
Science Communication interview and lowdown by Catherine Beehag.
Presented and produced by Tilly Boleyn.
Music
We will become silhouettes - The Postal Service
Phantom Limb - The Shins
Science chats+wine-a perfect combo!
download
Scientific news and views by Marc West and Celine Steinfeld.
The genetics of grapes by Darren Osbourne.
Questacon outreach interview by Marc West and Celine Steinfeld.
Presented and musically enhanced by Marc West.
Produced by Tilly Boleyn.
Pubic lice, fishy & diesel science
Diffusion's Marc West reports on diesel from his stranded car,
and Patrick Rubie taunts us with a fish science paradox.
Vanessa Gardos manages to tell us all about pubic lice, pregnant lizards and Diffusion on wikipedia!
Presented and Produced by Tilly Boleyn.
International Womens Day Special
Medicating Mr Faithful, Green Senator Kerry Nettle and the Women behind Science
Let's celebrate all those XX chromosomes out there! On Diffusion this week, we will have a chat with the Greens Senator and environmental scientist, Kerry Nettle. We will also take a bite of the "commitment pill" - a medication for creating Mr Faithful. Plus, we uncover two female scientists who were buried in history. Don't miss this weeks Diffusion special!
Presented by Celine Steinfeld
News by Emily Fearn
Medicating Mr Faithful by Tisha Dejmanee
Uncovering Women in Science by Catherine Beehag
Interview with Senator Kerry Nettle by Celine Steinfeld
Produced by Celine Steinfeld
ID Card - Is Big Brother Stalking You?
This is a special edition of the Diffusion Science Radio show looking at a controversial application of science and technology: the proposed card to identify everyone accessing Australian government services.
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Program Summary
Developments in "smart-card" technology have resulted in a push by governments world-wide to identify people (eg Real ID in the US, and the Access Card in Australia) - ostensibly to reduce fraud by those who use their services. Unfortunately, extensive collection of personal details could lead to abuse and suppression of dissent.
Will the Access Card Bill be passed and effectively become a National Identity Card?
We speak with Professor Graham Greenleaf of the University of New South Wales and former New South Wales Deputy Privacy Commissioner Anna Johnston, now of the Australian Privacy Foundation. They explore the issue of function creep by which the access card would become a de facto national identity card and the risks that involves.
Engineer Aras Vaichas explains the workings of possible smart card technologies, and how they might be made secure.
Concealment of identity when exposing fraud and malpractice has long been an issue for whistleblowers. That has partly been resolved by disguising their voice. We experiment with a further level of concealment - concealing the inteviewer as well, by replacing their voice with an anonymous synthetic voice.
We also explore synthesising an interview - using answers from a real interview but splicing them with new questions spoken by an anonymous interviewer voice.
The show was presented by Darren Osborne and produced by Ian Woolf and Charles Willock from the Diffusion Science Radio team at 2SER Sydney.
Is it now possible to ensure complete anonymity for both interviewer and interviewee?
What steps are required to eliminate all clues to identity?
What are the as-yet-undisclosed "commercial benefits" of the card.
Credits
- Presented by Darren Osborne
- Synthetic interview with Anna Johnston about privacy concerns, by Anonymous Voice,
- Aras Vaichas speaks with Ian Woolf about RFID cards,
- Anonymous Voice interviews Professor Graham Greenleaf about card use and Cyberlaw
- Produced by Ian Woolf and Charles Willock
Acknowledgments
The interview with Anna Johnston was synthesised from a story by
Alex Koutts, produced by Erica Vowles and
originally broadcast
on 13th February 2007 by
2SER on The Wire.
Permission to adapt and rebroadcast that interview is
gratefully acknowledged.
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REFERENCES:
Links used in preparing the Big Brother special program are listed below. It is worth noting that while most pages remain constant, some government web sites, changed on an almost daily basis).
- Updates
- International and General
- Campaigns and Issues
- Need for Identity? - Need for Privacy?
- Blogs and Commentary
- Australian Government Websites
- Technology Sites
- Business Issues
Updates: (. . . and developments since the program aired)
International and General
Privacy legislation applied to businesses is substantially different from privacy legislation for government organisations.


