As music gets quiet, so too must listening. Deep Listening is a philosophy that treats musical work as immersive soundscapes. The music, the environment of the performance and the audience form an interdependent listening experience.

Did you know that music has played a role in shaping our periodic table of chemical elements? Yes – chemistry is intrinsically linked to music. Big Ideas celebrates the 150-year anniversary of the periodic table.

It's the 150 anniversary of the periodic table chemical elements and music has played an important role in shaping it … and you’ll hear about the art of deep listening.

Our driverless future and designing robots to mimic humans

Our criminal justice system has certainly changed since the First Fleet unloaded its cargo of convicts in 1788. But is our prison system doing any better in reducing crime and returning offenders to society? That’s the question explored in this lecture by the Honourable Kate Warner Governor of Tasmania and Professor Emeritus of Law. She compares Australia’s original convict system with current crime and imprisonment rates.

Almost no question is of greater significance for Australia’s future than the emergence of China as an economic and military great power. How should Australia react?

How Iraqi refugee Munjed Al Muderis became a world famous orthopaedic surgeon.

Fiona Wood developed spray-on skin to reduce scarring and recovery time in burns patients. In 2002 she headed the burns team at Royal Perth Hospital when they were called upon to treat victims of the Bali bombing. The daughter of a Yorkshire miner Fiona Wood talks about her passion for medicine and the importance of helping others as a guiding principle in life.

Love, hate, fear, shame, guilt, joy, disgust, and empathy. Animals can feel and express these emotions – just like us. The idea that animal share the same emotions as humans was a taboo in scientific research for a long time. Frans de Waal sets the record straight.

Bees are important crop pollinators and farmers are worried by a decline in bee populations. Global honey production has also suffered because of bee diseases and hive collapse. Australian native bees and honey bees are faring better but habitat loss threatens bee numbers and species loss. Farmers and gardeners are encouraged to be bee-friendly by planting native vegetation.