Shirtloads Of Science

In this episode I sit down with Professor Conny Aerts, a pioneering mathematician and founding figure of astroseismology, who reveals how scientists are "listenting" to stars to understand what's happening deep inside them. From oscillating stars to solar sunquakes, she explains how sound waves can measure the sun's size, age and activity.  Beyond the science, she shares her remarkable journey from a small rural town in Belgium where she had to attend an all-boys school, the only school near her family home. She was expected to become a seamstress but Conny's dreams were beyond this planet, leading her on a path toward becoming a highly acclaimed asteroseismologist.

We're scared to say the D word! But why is talking about death such a taboo? Dr. Hannah Gould, a cultural anthropologist at the University of Melbourne, joins me to discuss the topic in the wake of the release of her new book 'How To Die in the 21st Century'. The discussion dives in to the modern experience of dying, from the pressures of having a 'good death' to the reality of overly medicalised, 'prolonged dwindling'. Hannah unpacks how death isn't just biological but also cultural and legal, raising the question: When does death officially occur? The conversation is an invitation to rethink death - not as something to fear, but as something we can approach with openness, intention, and maybe even a sense of celebration https://www.hannahgould.com/

When a problem with the James Webb Space Telescope left its images frustratingly out of focus, the solution wasn't fixed in space... it was fixed from Earth. At the University of Sydney, PhD students Dr. Louis Desdoigts and Max Charles spent two years rewriting and refining code to recalibrate a critical instrument designed by Professor Peter Tuthill: the Aperture Masking Interferometer. Their breakthrough sharpened the telescope's infrared vision unlocking clearer views of distant worlds, including volcanic activity on Io, one of Jupiter's moons. In a fitting tribute, the pair even got matching tattoos of the hardware they helped fix! Not only did their work restore clarity to one of humanity's most powerful observatories, it also saved NASA the immense cost and impossibility of repairing the telescope in space.

This episode features Dr. Linzi Wilson-Wilde and Hannah Jarman discussing the realities of forensic science beyond shows like CSI. Through cases such as the Phantom of Heilbronn case and Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, they explore how flawed evidence and forensic myths have contributed to wrongful convictions. They also examine common misconceptions around techniques like bite mark analysis, fire investigation, and glass evidence. The conversation emphasises the importance of approaching forensic science holistically, recognising it as just one piece of the broader investigative puzzle. www.epistemicsolutions.com.au/

Pharmacist and science communicator Kate Thomas shares how a viral debunking video launched her into the world of online health education. In this episode we explore the booming "wellness woo" economy and sift through the weeds on why misleading short-form content spreads so easily and the risks of unregulated wellness influencers. Kate breaks down the truth about supplements, the power of placebo, and why accessible, personalised health advice is so hard to find online. She also highlights the important role pharmacists play in helping consumers make informed choices. TikTok & Instagram: @PrescribeOrPass Linkedin: Kate Thomas

***Prof Lucas would like to provide the following clarification in regards to comments relating to prenatal BPA exposure and male autism spectrum disorder: "A positive association between high prenatal BPA exposure and ASD diagnosis was only seen in male offspring with a genetic predisposition to low aromatase enzyme activity." Professor Michaela Lucas, an Immunologist and Immunopathologist researching the health impacts of plastics, joins me to explore what microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals may be doing inside our bodies. We discuss how compounds like bisphenols and phthalates can act like hormone-mimicking molecules, the evidence linking plastic exposure to developmental and fertility concerns, and why some estimates of microplastics in the body may have been overstated. Professor Lucas also shares insights from her ongoing study in Perth examining how everyday exposures, particularly ultra-processed foods packaged in plastic, may contribute to microplastics in the body. Listeners can subscri

I'm joined by Dr. Anna Broinowski - Senior Lecturer and Director of the Master of Film and Screen Arts at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney - to unpack the rise of deepfakes and synthetic media. We discuss the emergence of deepfake pornography in 2017, the fact that around 90% of deepfake content targets women and girls, and the growing use of AI in propaganda. From political manipulation to fake ads impersonating me (!), this episode explores how deepfakes are eroding trust, and what that means for the future of media, filmmaking and truth more broadly.

Nitrous oxide (better known as "laughing gas") is widely used in medicine as a safe anaesthetic and pain reliever. It's also found in whipped cream canisters and even used in car engines. But Angela Chiew, toxicologist and Associate Professor at UNSW, joins me to set the record straight: the growing recreational misuse of this easily accessible gas is causing serious long-term harm, including nerve damage, cognitive damage, weakening of the spinal cord and mobility impairments.  Cases of misuse are rising globally, likely driven by how easy it is to legally purchase the drug in many countries. This episode unpacks the hidden dangers behind a gas many once thought was just a harmless high. Linkedin: Angela Chiew X: AngelaChiewA  

In the final episode of the Great AI Safety Debrief series with Dr. Petr Lebedev, we discuss job eradication, AI alignment and the rise in cases of AI deceiving humans. Petr unpacks ideas like AI scheming, situation awareness, parasitic relationships between humans and machines, and even the possibility of AI developing belief systems of its own. We end by zooming out to existential risk, Alan Turing's early warnings, and why aligning AI with human values may be one of the most difficult (and urgent) challenges humanity must face. Linkedin: Petr Lebedev palisaderesearch.org/

In part two, Dr. Petr Lebedev and I dive deeper into how modern AI systems are grown, not programmed, and the emergence of Shutdown Resistance. We explore AI performance in math and coding competitions, the rapid evolution of ChatGPT models, and why companies are already letting AI write the majority of their code. Petr explains how huge investments globally are pushing these systems forward faster than we can fully understand or control. The final episode in this 3 part series drops next week! Linkedin: Petr Lebedev palisaderesearch.org/

Intelligence is emerging from sand and less than 1% of the population seems to care! Physicist and science communicator Dr. Petr Lebedev joins the podcast following his SXSW talk to explore the rapid advancement of AI and how it's dramatically shifting the global status quo. From completing a PhD in physics and writing for Veritasium, to leading science communication at Palisade Research, Petr steps in to bring some clarity to the weird, wild, and worrying sides of AI. Did you know that no one truly understands how large language models actually work? We go deep on misaligned systems, humanoid and dog robots, and why many experts believe AI could pose a serious global risk. Is AI our greatest tool? Or something we're slowly losing control of? This conversation is big, so we've split it into three parts. Part two drops next week.

A mysterious glow from the centre of the Milky Way has scientists intrigued. Astrophysicist Geraint Lewis explains how this gamma-ray excess, first detected in 2009, could be evidence of dark matter particles interacting deep in our galaxy. With dark matter believed to make up a vast, invisible halo that holds galaxies together, uncovering the source of this glow may bring us closer to understanding what the universe is really made of. www.geraintflewis.com/ Linkedin: geraint-lewis-4a499b1

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Andy Reisinger, an internationally recognised expert in climate change science and policy, with a focus on mitigation and agricultural emissions. Together, we unpack the concept of climate overshoot - why the world is set to exceed the 1.5°C warming limit within the next five years, and what that means for people and the planet. Dr. Reisinger explores whether the damage already done is reversible, what it would take to get back on track, and, hypothetically, the bold actions he would take if he had the power to drive real societal change to combat climate change. Linkedin: Andy Reisinger

Consumer technology expert Ashley Iredale returns for part two, bringing more surprising facts about everyday household appliances. We break down why your fridge actually contains more heaters than coolers, demystify the Energy Star rating system, and settle the debate on whether front-loading or top-loading washers are more efficient at cleaning clothes.

This episode i'm joined by Ashley Iredale, a consumer technologist and content producer whose winding career through industrial design has armed him with a trove of quirky tips and practical wisdom. Ashley breaks down the real efficiency of hand-washing versus dishwashers, explains how a dishwasher can double as an oven, and settles the age-old question of how toilet paper should hang. We also dig into his non-linear career journey and how it led to his deep well of surprising insights. There was so much to cover that Part Two lands next week! Linkedin: Ashley Iredale

In this episode, I'm joined by the legendary Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell - the pioneering astrophysicist who discovered pulsars, launching an entirely new field of astrophysics. She began her PhD searching for quasars, but soon noticed a strange, repetitive signal appearing night after night - so peculiar she jokingly labelled it LGM ("Little Green Men"). That signal would become one of the most important astronomical discoveries of the century, though the credit and Nobel Prize were controversially awarded to her supervisor. Dr Bell Burnell also shares why she donated $4.3 million of her own prize money to support underrepresented researchers in physics, especially women and girls, and the work she's doing to make the field more inclusive. We dive into her views on religion, her life in science since that landmark discovery, and her mission to help more young women pursue careers in physics.

This week I'm joined by John Staton, one of Australia's leading sunscreen-testing experts, to unpack the big headlines surrounding sunscreen safety. A recent Choice report revealed that 16 out of the 20 tested sunscreen products failed to meet their advertised SPF rating by a significant figure. John helps us to understand what is really going on. He breaks down how sunscreens actually work and the science behind SPF testing and why so many products fell short. 

In this episode, friend of the show and astrophysicist Professor Geraint Lewis returns to help me wrap my head around one of the strangest ideas in modern physics: Time Crystals. After stumbling across a Nature article that left my brain pleasantly scrambled, I called up Geraint for a deep-dive into what time crystals are and why physicists are so excited about them. We explore why Time Crystals don't have real-world applications yet, but how they could open entirely new frontiers in future technology. 

In this episode, futurist and award-winning scientist Dr Catherine Ball dives into the state of science in Australia, uncovering the good, the bad, and the overlooked. From humanoid robotics and wearable exoskeletons transforming healthcare, to Australia's lagging space economy, Ball offers an unflinching look at where we stand. She also highlights world-class cancer detection research happening in Australia, like PROCAN and early ovarian cancer screening innovations that deserve far more recognition. Passionate about inspiring the next generation, Ball shares her advice for young Australians ready to shape the future of science ww.drcatherineball.com/

In this episode, I'm joined by Professor Clare Collins, Australian dietitian and Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle. Clare is my go-to expert when it comes to all things nutrition, and today she's here to unpack the often confusing world of processed and ultra-processed foods. We dive into what really separates the two, explore the role of additives, emulsifiers, and flavour enhancers, and discuss how some of these ingredients, designed to make foods more appealing, may be doing our health more harm than good. Plus, she shares practical, no-nonsense tips to help you make smarter choices next time you're wandering the grocery aisles. Check out Clare's free online resource, No Money No Time, for simple, budget-friendly recipes and nutrition advice - nomoneynotime.com.au/ Follow Clare on X: @ProfCCollins and LinkedIn: Clare Collins.