Ockham’s Razor

Look, don’t put your mobile phone in a blender. Just… trust me on this one.

But if you did, you’d find more of the periodic table of elements in that pulverised phone dust than you might expect.

What’s that, you want more context? Allison Britt from Geoscience Australia can explain.

First broadcast 11 July 2021.

If you could take your brain and zoom in a couple of times – and then a bit more – you’d see structures that look like towers and tentacles, and behave like pieces of automatic Lego. 

It’s a crazy miniature world, and one we’re going to get a tour of today.

Our tour guide is Dr Kiara Bruggeman, who’s hijacking and hacking these nano-sized structures, in the hopes of helping stroke-affected brains heal.

[First aired July 25, 2021]

They will have played a critical role in many of your favourite albums, but what exactly does an audio mastering engineer do?

And how is artificial intelligence shaking up what's traditionally been an exacting audio science?

What makes someone who cruises through life relatively happily different to someone who struggles with mental health issues?

At least part of it lies in our genes – and there’s not much we can do about that. But there are other factors that we can control. Mary McMillan is trying to figuring out the divide between the two through a highly scientific process involving ... spit in a cup.

First broadcast 28 March 2021.

What does it take to peel a banana? It’s something most of us can do without thinking, but imagine making a machine that could operate with that much dexterity.

This week, we’re hearing from Geoff Spinks, a materials engineer whose focus is on creating teeny, tiny machines that could fit inside your body.

What does it take to raise a generation of healthier kids?

Well it depends a bit on what’s around them – and what’s further away. What’s cheaper, or at least feels like better value for money. And what options they have in their downtime.

Each year, in hundreds of Australian towns, the annual highlight is the country show.

For Kathryn Bowden, showtime isn’t just about checking out the stock and produce. It’s a reminder of the generations of farming knowledge that have been passed down through her family, and the ability of Australian farmers to adapt to the changing world around them.

What’s the most important human invention from history? The wheel? Fire? How about… language and culture?

This week, archaeologist Sam Lin takes us on a tour of very early human history, featuring an item that crops up too regularly to be an accident: an almond-shaped piece of sharpened stone.

What can gobies – those teeny bottom-dwelling fish – teach us about how we cope with lockdowns?

What do your undies have to do with the health of Australian soils?

Dr Oliver Knox is a researcher in cotton farming and soil health -- and he wants you to give you a challenge.

First broadcast 18 April 2021.