Ep 164: The Pod - Flesh eating sea lice
The Mr Science Show
I have started a new podcast called - I'd love you to have a listen and tell me what you think! Mr Science Show is not gone though, it will continue to exist and I will continue to put up material. The Pod is about ocean swimming - there is more to ocean swimming than swimming in the ocean - and will cover a whole spectrum of topics. It is likely to be a very sciencey show! So here's episode one, which is a science-based episode on flesh-eating sea lice! For more information, check out the .
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Birthday maths
The Mr Science Show
A few weeks back, I had a great chat about birthday mathematics with Glynn Greensmith on the show on ABC Radio. It was great! We discussed how when you are born in the year influences your latter life, some counter-intuitive probabilities regarding shared birthdays, a bit of astrology and whatever else popped into our heads. Audio courtesy of the ABC.
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Ep 162: Pulsating Pulses
The Mr Science Show
2016 is the , which aims to heighten public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production aimed towards food security and nutrition. I spoke to from the about his research into pulses, including genetic resistance to heat waves and climate change, plant physiology and genetics, crop modelling and why he is known throughout the University as "The Hot Scientist". Songs in this episode (all Creative Commons ): by Future Boy; by George_Ellinas; by AudioLogic; by Pitx; by Psychadelik Pedestrian; by Wired Ant
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Ep 161: 2016 Pulses and Pulsars
The Mr Science Show
Happy 2016! This week, I spoke on about some of the science we can expect in 2016: ...
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Ep 160: 2015 The year of light
The Mr Science Show
2015 was a magnificent year for physics. Not only was it the , it was an outstanding year of astronomical achievement, culminating with the magnificent . It was also 100 years since the was published, and 50 years since the was discovered. Australia also broke a couple of astronomical world records: , and in a . One of the organisers of this world record was Tom Gordon, a science communicator at who runs (), which are physics workshops aimed at year 12 science students and teachers. Tom, along with Christie McMonigal and Shane Hengst, runs the , chatting about science communication and...
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Ep 159: Wedding cost, marriage success and cats
The Mr Science Show
From a recent chat with , this week we talk:
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Ep 157: Food science with ABC Radio
The Mr Science Show
Every month I chat with and the science topics of the day, and this week we chatted food, in particular:
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Ep 157: Where to now for Cold Fusion?
The Mr Science Show
Do you remember ? Remember when electrochemists and claimed to have achieved on a table in their lab in Utah? That was so 80s! Cold Fusion was quickly debunked and, apart from its appearance in a 1997 Val Kilmer Movie (), most people forgot about it. So it may surprise you to hear that Cold Fusion research continues to this day, with some “interesting” participants and some extraordinary and surprisingly persistent claims. The most recent (ICCF-19) was the largest yet reflecting a climate of renewed interest. ...
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Ep 156: Science for kids - home-made lava-lamp
The Mr Science Show
This Christmas break, I have been mucking around with science experiments for my kids. Here is the first of a few easy experiments you can try at home. The following video shows you how to make a home-made lava lamp. It is very simple - grab a cup (or bottle or vase or flask), fill it about a third full of water and two thirds full of oil. The oil floats on the water as it has a lower density. Add some food colouring (you can do this at the start directly to the water, or after you have added the oil - this has the added benefit of showing you that the food colouring does not dissolve in the...
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Ep 155: Fact or Fiction with ANSTO
The Mr Science Show
The undertakes research and development in nuclear science and technology. This has wide application including nuclear medicine, atmospheric monitoring, materials engineering, neutron scattering and climate change research....
info_outlineResearch published in Biological Invasions shows that Australian redback spiders are invading New Zealand and could become established in many urban areas around major ports.
The paper, The invasive Australian redback spider, Latrodectus hasseltii Thorell 1870 (Araneae: Theridiidae): current and potential distributions, and likely impacts, details recorded sightings of redback spiders in New Zealand, then used biological and climatic information to reveal where redbacks could establish. Warm, dry conditions in some eastern areas of New Zealand are suitable for redback spiders to become established, and they are likely to spread further as they are surviving in places with relatively high rainfall. Urban areas, for example, provide shelter from the rain. The spread of redbacks is likely to have arisen from the establishment of new invasions through New Zealand's ports.
There is genetic evidence that redbacks have interbred with the protected, endemic katipo and there is a danger that redbacks could competitively displace katipo or cause extinction by interbreeding. Redbacks are also a public health issue as they have the potential to become established in areas close to urban populations. Successful border control already produces regular interceptions of the redback as well the invasive brown widow and the western black widow. Both these species are related to the redback and have similar habitat and climate requirements. I spoke to lead researcher Dr Cor Vink about this work and how they are developing new approaches and tools to ensure harmful organisms are kept out of New Zealand.