Big Questions From Small Minds

Will NASA get in trouble if they don’t clean up? Do satellites fall on people? Where does astronaut poop go? These are some of our kids’ questions.

Answering them is Anne Bettens, an expert in Space Junk. She’s researching robotic spacecraft or aka building a space handyman. Currently, she’s pursuing a PhD while interning with NASA, which has loads of space trash.

Space junk orbiting Earth is a massive problem. The more floating rubbish, the more difficult launching rockets becomes. This huge issue is expanding and suddenly, it’s made garbage collecting super cool.

Find out about giant magnets, space nets and astronauts eating Doritos… plus why in space, you can actually hear farts.

What happens inside your brain when you die? In accidents, why do things go into slo-mo? And what the heck is deja vu? 

Professor Muireann Irish from Sydney University is answering the kids. She's a cognitive neuroscientist who’s won lots of brainy awards and she's going to blow your mind. 

The brain... it really makes you think!

Are aliens real? Do they have one eye? What do they eat?

Astronomer, Dr Danny Price from Curtin University is answering the kids’ questions. He’s also the chief scientist in Australia’s division of Breakthrough Listen - a project searching for alien life.

Finding intelligent alien life would be one of humanity’s most profound discoveries. The possibility fills us with wonder. And if we do find them, how will we communicate? What will alien culture be like? Would you swipe right on Clarke from Mars?

On the flip side, what does never finding any alien life mean? Or worse, finding aliens that are aggressive? Being invaded would suck.

Plus…. Cloud farts on Venus and are diamonds in Uranus?

Big Questions from Small Minds is a weekly podcast where kids ask big-brained science professors curly questions like, “Are aliens real? Will AI destroy the world? And what happens if we don’t stop climate change?” The answers are broken down to be fun, engaging and often silly.

Co-hosted by Tom Norton and Phil Wolf, who have very little minds, so they’re perfect for the job.

More info at https://smallminds.au

Will AI destroy the world? Will it revolutionise space travel? Can robots have emotions? The kids ask Professor Toby Walsh the big questions.

Toby is a genius with a background in theoretical physics, mathematics and a PhD in artificial intelligence, but he’s trying to do something even harder.

Our future is not killer robots, accidents in driverless cars and machines taking our jobs, that’s already happening! Professor Toby is trying to convince the UN and the world to regulate AI.

Hear about humanity’s true superpower, all the ways people can die, and the deepest most profound question being asked in science today. Plus… toilets and zombies.

So when will AI take over? This episode contains the exact date.

Big Questions from Small Minds is a fun science podcast for curious people. Kids ask big-brained science professors curly questions about the world. The answers are broken down to be engaging and often silly!

Launches - Wednesday, August  16

Ep 1 - Artificial Intelligence with Professor Toby Walsh

For more info - smallminds.au