This week on Pioneering Minds we chat with the wonderfully enthusiastic Professor Tom Hillard from the Department of Ancient History. In this wide-ranging conversation we cover everything from violent historical video games to deep sea excavations and the lessons we can learn from the ancient past.

In this very special mini-episode of Pioneering Minds we chat to Professor Orsola De Marco and Associate Professor Daniel Terno about the kilonova explosion which involved the collision of two neutron stars 130 million years ago. We discuss details of what happened, its significance and the aftermath of this astonishing occurrence.

In a world saturated by advertising and entertainment, self esteem can be an elusive trait. With social media, that problem becomes curated directly to our phones.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, we caught up with Dr Jasmine Fardouly from the Department of Psychology to discuss the role of social media on body image and the steps one can take to identify and lessen the negative mental health impacts of social media.

This week on the Pioneering Minds podcast we speak to Dr Kira Westaway from the Department of Environmental Sciences who was part of the team that helped to discover a new species called 'Hobbits' which caused many to redefine their understanding of human evolution. We also talk about her newest adventure, hunting an extinct giant ape in China.

The week we speak to Associate Professor Rebecca Mitchell from the Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science. We chat to her about the world of accident preventions, injury and recovery in the elderly and the policies A/Prof Mitchell is putting forward to make the world a better place.

This week we chat to Professor Garry Falloon from the Department of Educational Studies about the changing use of technologies in the classroom. The conversation spans the impact of digital learning on teens, the new role of teachers and potential positive side effects of Minecraft.

This week we talk to Dr Adam Dunn from the Centre of Health Informatics about the data behind trends in health. The conversation spans the nature of the pharmaceutical industry, biases in health studies and the impact of social media on vaccination trends.

This week we spoke to Professor Bronwyn Carlson, Head of the Department of Indigenous Studies about the ways in which Indigenous communities utilise social media to connect and promote an Indigenous identity, while not shying away from the distressing realities that still exist for these communities in Australia.

With the new season of Game of Thrones kicking off, we felt it appropriate to return from our brief podcast break with a chat with Dr Clare Monagle, modern history lecturer and the woman behind the course 'From Charlemagne to Game of Thrones: The Middle Ages Then and Now'. Hear Dr Monagle discuss the legacy of Medieval Europe, the dangers and glories of revels in historical fiction and - that all-important question - her favourite GoT character.

What is big data and how will it shape how we work?

Welcome to the first of our Global Alumni Impact Series talks for 2017! Listen as a special panel of experts discusses the technological and social challenges facing us in the very near future - from educational opportunities in schools and universities, to the shadow of Silicon Valley and jobs of the future.

On the panel:

- Dr Elizabeth Coombs, Acting NSW Privacy Commissioner

- William Howe, KPMG

- Adam Driussi, CEO of Quantium

Moderator: Stephen Brammer, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Macquarie University