Ep 94. Painkillers, opioids and addiction with Adam Hamlin

Dr Adam Hamlin is a neuroscientist at the University of New England who studies how drugs, such as painkillers, affect brain neurochemistry. These chemicals can have wonderful affects and are miracles of modern medicine, however if used improperly can lead to dependencies and addictions. In this interview with Dr Hamlin we talk about how these painkillers work and what make them such effective and potentially … Continue reading Ep 94. Painkillers, opioids and addiction with Adam Hamlin

Ep 92. Bird brains, documentaries and serial killers with Lucy Farrow

Humans have the biggest brains of any animals… well, kind of… only if we correct for body size… which is important… we think. Understanding animal intelligence is difficult, especially when brains are so complex that our own brains might be incapable of understanding themselves. When it comes to animals, brain size has been a primary indicator of intelligence, however showing that having bigger brains leads … Continue reading Ep 92. Bird brains, documentaries and serial killers with Lucy Farrow

Ep 90. Beards, phobias and implicit biases with Belinda Craig

How well can we read other people’s faces? And how good are we at faking our own emotional responses? Turns out not to great. In the absence of other contextual cues people are not very good at reading peoples facial expressions. Add to that the fact that cultural differences can have a huge impact on what emotions are expressed and how. As humans we are … Continue reading Ep 90. Beards, phobias and implicit biases with Belinda Craig

Ep 88. Video games, dentistry and ageing basketballers with Michael Kasumovic

After a brief stint trying to become a dentist, Michael Kasumovic found his true calling studying the ecology and evolution of spiders. That was until he found another calling studying everything else from performance in professional athletes, how income can affect facial preferences, and how sex and social status can influence people’s behaviour in online videogames. Not content with simply being a prolific research scientist … Continue reading Ep 88. Video games, dentistry and ageing basketballers with Michael Kasumovic

Science Meets Design 2019 Video Highlights

Can science explain what makes good design? Are designers and scientists really that different? Or are they both just explorers searching for truth in different ways? We celebrated the intersections of Science and Design at the Sydney Design Panel with a celebrity panel featuring Tom Gordon, Chris Reid, Wendy Davis and Laura Jade Hindes. We explored everything from optical illusions to corpse piles to redneck … Continue reading Science Meets Design 2019 Video Highlights