Fuzzy Logic Science Show

Rosetta, bionic eye, aspergers, and cannabis

1.5 billion is a lot for a space mission. Is it worth it? Today we update on the Rosetta probe onto comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In an update after the show, we learn that the Philae's first bounce lasted nearly 2 hours.
 
Closer to Earth, Associate Professor Nick Barnes from NICTA talks to us about the bionic eye.

We probe into aspergers, what is, and what does it mean. In December, we'll be interviewing Dr Peter Enticott about TMS treatments for aspergers.

And then we look at medicinal uses of cannabis, a contentious subject covered in a recent Ask Fuzzy column. (Send your questions to AskFuzzy at Zoho.com)

Brought to you by Ian and Rod

Hot chocolate and dinosaur sex

We all love a bit of chocolate, but what do we make of research on its health benefits?
In our adults-only sealed section we talk about dinosaur private parts described in John Pickrell's book Flying Dinosaurs.  We interviewed John recently on Fuzzy.

We talk to the Federal Member for Wills, Kelvin Thomson, who is one of the few politcians prepared to raise the issue of population growth. Why should we care?

Brought to you by Ian and Rod.

Fuzzy Logic is proudly sponsored by Australian Science Communicators. Hurrah!

Flying Dinsoaurs

What's that creature perched in the tree? Perhaps it's a dinosaur!
You might think that a topic as old as dinosaurs was well settled, but in recent years the thinking on dinosaurs had changed radically.

Today's guests on Fuzzy Logic (or perhaps that should be Feathered Logic) is John Pickrell, editor of Australian Geographic, and author of the new book Flying Dinosaurs, and Phil Hore from the National Dinosaur Museum in Canberra.

Interview by Rod 

Feelings On Fuzzy

This week on Fuzzy Ian, Joe, Hannah and Broderick talk about science with all the emotion attached.  Ian talks about his work with Alzheimers Australia and the emotion behind the science of dementia, while Joe brings in some emotion to the climate change debate.  Stay tuned to the end to hear a clip from an awesome new podcast, Dissecting Love.

Future Cop

Is there a future of crime? Can we believe shows like CSI?

Join four top flight experts to discuss how science, technology, and social trends will affect our ability to prevent and solve crime.

But what do we gain, and what do we lose in our drive to safer society?

A National Science Week public forum with

Dr Bruce McCabe author Skinjob, thinker and futurist. 
Associate Professor Jeffrey Looi Deputy Head & Consultant Neuropsychiatrist ANU Medical School
Fiona Wilkes PhD candidate studying the link between brain structure and function 
Professor James Robertson Director, National Centre Forensics Studies

Hosted by Rod.

You'll find links to the videos referred to by Bruce McCabe on our Facebook

Are you conscious?

You might be conscious now, but were you this morning? Is your cat conscious?
Today on Fuzzy, we explore consciousness with neurscientists Prof Jeff Looi and Fiona Wilkes.

Interview by Rod

Find out more about Bruce McCabe's book Skinjob we talked about today.  Bruce will be a guest panellist at Future Cop, Sat 16 August.

3.5 Billion Years in 60 MInutes

We start today's Fuzzy with the perenial question, 'what is life', but run straight into trouble when we decide there is no rigorous way to define the term.  It's a slippery concept, but full of fascinating alleyways, from Darwin to Mars.

Get your skates on if you want to keep up on this wild ride through the history of life with two leading authorities on the topic.
Dr Jochen Brocks and Dr Charley Lineweaver are Associate Professors at the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences.

Interview by Rod

Don't miss Future Cop on Sat 16 Aug

Snail Sex

We'd say, join Fuzzy today for some hot snail action, but these little creatures go it alone. New Zealand Mud Snails are yet another pest invader in Australia, and lack of sex - or more correctly - asexual reproduction, which would usually be a disadvantage for a species in a new environment.

Our guest is PhD student Adrian Dusting from the University of Canberra is studying their genetic diversity. In a wide ranging conversation, we talk about the snail, and how it survives a journey down the gut of a trout, about sex and evolution, and pest species across the planet.

Interview By Rod.

And if you're in Canberra on Sat 16 August, don't miss Future Cop where Fuzzy Logic appears with top flight guests during National Science Week. 

Tsunamis, Volcanoes, and The Future of Energy

In this episode we talk to some experts about what happens when the planet gets grumpy. Big waves and volcanoes: Dr Barry Drummond and Dr Adele Bear from Geoscience Australia share some fascinating insights.

Did you know there's such a thing as an inland tsunami?  What will happen when Krakatoa goes off again?  Already it's 500m out of the sea.

Then we talk to Dr Michael Lardelli about the human consumption of energy, and what might happen next. Everything depends on energy.

And then....are you a critical thinker? 
Take a few minutes to complete this survey in the cause of science.

Brought to you by Rod

Cochlears, Music, and Critical Thinking

Imagine what it'd be like to lose your hearing. The first thing is how it affects your ability to communicate with family, friends, and people at work. Less obvious is what does to enjoyment of your music. Your favourite band or composer now sound like an over-amplified shoe box.
People with cochlear enjoy the great benefit of having their basic hearing restored, but music no longer sounds the same. We play some sample audio of how the world sounds with a cochlear implant.
We talk to Professor Kate Gfeller about her work to bring enjoyment of music to people with hearing loss.

Then we talk critical thinking in an age of free information. Why are we so prone to swallowing the bunk that floods the internet? Dr Merryn McKinnon from the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science shares her thoughts on this question.

Interviews by Rod.



Links
Audio sample from http://wlmager.com/what-does-a-cochlear-implant-sound-like
Fuzzy Logic recommends Better Hearing Australia http://canberra.betterhearingaustralia.org.au/

The 'unsold cars' story (warning: this is nonsense)  http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-16/where-worlds-unsold-cars-go-die