Fuzzy Logic Science Show

We all know that little surge of delight that comes with the latest purchase. That nifty gizmo that will make your life better. But a week later, it's sitting in your kitchen drawer, forgotten along with the other gizmos.

Such are the days of our lives, one purchase after another. But does it matter? Or are we condemning ourselves to disastisfaction, the endless spending, consuming the Earth's finite resources?

This is one of the many questions in our lively discussion today with Richard Denniss, director of The Australia Institute.

Richard is the author of Curing Affluenza which probes the modern addiction to spending.

You can pick up a 25% discount on this and other books on TAI website using code ‘curing’.

To keep our precious native animals, we need to know where they are. We can focus our efforts on saving their habitats and maybe even restoring degraded ones.

ACT government's Natural Resource Management works with energetic people in the commuity who love platypus. We have the beautiful rakali, more an otter than the unworthy label 'water rat' suggests. And lurking in the mud are the common yabby, the less glamorous but tireless workers in the ecosystem.

In this interview Daniel Harris-Pascal shows his affection for those things that live in our waterways, and why the citizen science projects are so important. Daniel is Citizen Science Facilitator with ACT Natural Resource Management.

There's plenty going on if you want to see for yourself: 

Platypus Month - Waterwatch

Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch

Syban has fled persecution in Indonesia for peaceful expression of his beliefs.  Seeking safe haven in Australia he has, very disappointingly, continued to experience discrimination with the Queensland Road safety authority ruling his drivers licence invalid due to the fact his photo features him wearing a spaghetti colander on his head.  He says this is an item of religious head wear and he should be treated equally to other wearers of religious garments in drivers licence photos. 

Under the weight of population growth, cities are spilling their borders. In Canberra, that means spawl, placing pressure on precious habitats. In these interviews we learned that the city now covers an area equivalent to greater London, but with a fraction of the population.

The Conservation Council organised this protest to pressure the ACT government into drawing boundary that protects areas to the west of the city.

They are hosting a documentary on this issue, 12 May at the National Film and Sound Archive.  https://conservationcouncil.org.au/event/premiere-screening-on-the-edge/

With ever growing pressures on the environment, caring for our land is become urgent. In this interview with Rod, Tom Baker from Landcare gives a sense of the breadth of work that organisation performs.

There are a few ways to get involved:

Did you know Fuzzy Logic is one of Australia's longest running science radio shows? Its heritage is a bit misty, but we do know that 2XX was broadcasting The Science Program in May 1981.

In this interview, one of the earliest station technicians, Kimmo Vennon describes those early days. Recorded by Rod from the tower in Canberra where 2XX first broadcast in 1976. The building nearby housing communications equipment was destroyed by probable arson in 1988.

That tower dates back to 1928, making it a historical artefact, especially significant because it's a rare example of a free-standing radio tower. As Kimmo tells us, there's a surprising amount going on under the ground at this site.

Is your memory like something that can recorded and retrieved on magnetic tape? No. We can discard that as an extremely poor analogy.

Our guest on Fuzzy Logic today is an expert on how memories are laid down and recalled. It's a subtle, complex thing with many facets that we don't entirely understand. For one thing, there are different types of memory, and it's far from an immutable record. It has links to autism and PTSD, among other things.

We discuss the recent pronouncements from the USA about Tylenol 'causing' autism. Official Fuzzy Logic policy states that we support critical thinking, which means we strongly reject assertions made without evidence, especially where they relate to public health.

Dr Shaam Al Abed is a Postdoctoral Fellow from the Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, at the ANU.

Interview by Tara and Rod

Snakes are among the creatures most despised in all creation. Unfairly, we suggest. When treated with respect, a snake should inspire wonder more than fear.

With some justification, people are afraid of their venom which can be lethal. But if you look at it from the snake's point of view, it's not in their interest to bite a human. They just want to go and do their own thing, unmolested.

Emma Carlson is a registered snake catcher. In a surprise visit, she brought Cooper the rough-tailed python into the studio and after our interview, we were able to handle him. Cooper then slithered across the audio console without interfering with any vital buttons.

Cooper, we can assure you, has the most appealing face like a big cheerful puppy.

Interview by Rod, who did not require medical attention as a result.

We speak to two event holders from National Science Week in 2025

Hear from three event holders from 2025 National Science week in Canberra