How responsible is the genetic cocktail we receive from our parents for shaping our moral compass? Neurogeneticist Professor Kevin Mitchell from Trinity College Dublin joins the show to discuss.

We all know that people with good social interactions are happier with their lives, but what if you could put a monetary value on having a best friend? Well, that's exactly what research author and professor Nick Powdthavee has done.

She tops the charts in Australia, where she was recently interviewed by Alan Jones, and plays big festivals in Europe, but South Island country artist Aly Cook often struggles for recognition in her own country.

Professor Tyler Cowen is a big supporter of immigration -- when it's done right -- but warns the New Zealand government needs to continue with its policy of not allowing China to get too much influence in this country.

Ever wondered why you instinctively turn down the radio while you're trying to park? It has to do with the demands on our ability to concentrate, and the limitations of the human brain. Dr. Simon Lilburn is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne who studies perception, memory, and decision-making using experimentation and mathematical models.

We're a mostly secular country with low rates of church attendance, so what do we believe in and how do we find meaning in times of major distress?

A new scam which sees small amounts (around $10-$15) deducted from credit card accounts each month -- ostensibly for things like software purchases -- before one big charge is logged, has emerged on the scene.

On Mediawatch: Air New Zealand's engine trouble; travel bucks the trend bringing in big bucks for papers; Coldplay cracked it, but do clever newspaper ads really cut through?

Antony Dapiran is a Hong Kong-based writer and lawyer and the author of City of Protest: A Recent History of Dissent in Hong Kong. He joins the show with all the latest from the protests that have now been running for more than six months.

Insight - The government's school donation scheme has not even started and schools are already looking for ways to push its rules to the limit. John Gerritsen investigates how far they will go to give students the best education they can.