118 – Prof Patricia Vickers-Rich – Palaeontology 101

I speak to Professor Patricia Vickers-Rich, the Director of the Monash Science Centre and Personal Chair of Palaeontology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, about palaeontology. Topics we covered included:

– What is palaeontology?
– What areas of science does palaeontology cover?
– If you’re interested in palaeontology, what should you consider learning?
– Prof Rich talks a little about the origin of birds in Australia
– How big were these birds?
– How closely related are animals of different continents, and why?
– Some of the unusual structures of animals from the past – and their relation to microbial life
– What jobs can palaeontologists get?
– Some examples of different places in the world palaeontology has taken Prof Vickers-Rich, and some of the cultures she experienced
– The value of learning different cultures and how this relates to research

Today’s listener of the episode is Sharon Ryan from Australia.

Download MP3 of Ep 118

Details of the National Science Week Show are here – please come along, or listen to it online!

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115 – Dr Robyn Pickering – The Discovery of Australopithecus Sediba

What is Australopithecus Sediba? It’s a newly discovered species of hominid that was discovered recently. I talked to Dr Robyn Pickering at the University of Melbourne, who was involved in this discovery to talk about Sediba.

– Why was it called Sediba?
– What kind of dating technique was used to work out how old these fossils were?
– Why can’t carbon dating be used?
– How old were the Sediba bones?
– Where were the remains discovered?
– How is Australopithecus Sediba related to Australopithecus Africanus?
– What kinds of skeletons were discovered?
– What were the ages of the skeletons found?
– Why is the term “missing link” incorrect?
– What was the European Synchrotron used for with this discovery?
– How common are fossils?
– What upcoming research can we expect from this find?

Today’s listener of the episode is Belinda Nicholson from Australia

Download MP3 of Ep 115

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100 – The Century – Dr Andrew Prentice and Dr Simon Singh

The 100th episode of Brains Matter coincides with National Science Week – and to celebrate both the 100th show and National Science week, in this episode, we cover a range of topics. There are two great new interviews, as well as highlights from previous shows. You can go to the original interviews by clicking on the links associated with that episode.

Interviews:
Dr Andrew Prentice — the first use of the telescope for astronomical purposes

Dr Djoymi Baker– The relationship between sci fi and mythology
Prof John Lattanzio – Element formation in stars
Dr Zachary Moore – Fundamentalism and evolution
Dr Adrian Gentle – Special relativity
Dr Roger Rassool – Physics and music
Prof Peter Doherty – Jokes and the Nobel Prize
Dr Mark Boland – Measurements in the synchrotron
Dr Pamela Gay – Naming the big bang
Dr David Karoly – The evidence for global warming
Adam Parker – Origins of robotics
Dr Orly Lacham-Kaplan – What are stem cells?
Prof Roger Short – Evolutionary evidence of the origin of elephants
Marc West – Cricket, maths and statistics
Dr Seth Shostak – Science and the movies

Dr Simon Singh – The wonder of maths and science, the decline of maths and science study in schools, and a discussion on pseudo science

I hope everyone enjoys National Science Week in Australia – and for those not in Australia – go out and enjoy some science today!!

I would like to thank everyone who have made contributions to this episode, including: Dr Andrew Prentice, Dr Simon Singh, Dr Allie Ford, Christian Wilson, Christopher Short, Dr Daniel Price, Dr Phil Plait, Dr Duncan Galloway, Erk, Daniel Viles, Jason Hameister, Dr Rosemary Mardling, Marc West, Kylie Sturgess, Derek Colanduno, Darryl Carlton, and Nigel Hedges

Thanks also to the following people for their feedback for the episode:

Julia Meaden, Catherine Ld, Christopher Able, Paulo Ricardo Savino, Gerardo Blanco, Jerome

Download MP3 of Ep 100

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Redirect – The Century

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080 – Professor Tim Flannery – Sustainability & Climate Part 2

Professor Tim Flannery is the author of the popular book “The Weather Makers” and is well known for his views on Climate Change. Professor Flannery was awarded Australian of the Year in 2007, and I attended a lecture he gave in September on Climate Change.

This is part 2 of a 2 part talk by Professor Flannery. Please listen to Part 1 in episode 79 first. Also included in this episode are questions presented to Prof. Flannery at the end of the lecture.

Thanks are due to Sarah Wall, Monash University 50th Anniversary Project Manager for permission to use the audio, courtesy of Monash University.

Download MP3 of Ep 80

Please vote for this podcast this month at

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

080 – Professor Tim Flannery – Sustainability & Climate Part 2

Professor Tim Flannery is the author of the popular book “The Weather Makers” and is well known for his views on Climate Change. Professor Flannery was awarded Australian of the Year in 2007, and I attended a lecture he gave in September on Climate Change.

This is part 2 of a 2 part talk by Professor Flannery. Please listen to Part 1 in episode 79 first. Also included in this episode are questions presented to Prof. Flannery at the end of the lecture.

Thanks are due to Sarah Wall, Monash University 50th Anniversary Project Manager for permission to use the audio, courtesy of Monash University.

Download MP3 of Ep 80

Please vote for this podcast this month at

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

079 – Prof Tim Flannery – Sustainability & Climate Part 1

Professor Tim Flannery is the author of the popular book “The Weather Makers” and is well known for his views on Climate Change. Professor Flannery was awarded Australian of the Year in 2007, and I attended a lecture he gave in September on Climate Change.

This is part 1 of a 2 part talk by Professor Flannery.
Thanks are due to Sarah Wall, Monash University 50th Anniversary Project Manager for permission to use the audio, courtesy of Monash University.

Download MP3 of Ep 79

Please vote for this podcast this month at

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

079 – Prof Tim Flannery – Sustainability & Climate Part 1

Professor Tim Flannery is the author of the popular book “The Weather Makers” and is well known for his views on Climate Change. Professor Flannery was awarded Australian of the Year in 2007, and I attended a lecture he gave in September on Climate Change.

This is part 1 of a 2 part talk by Professor Flannery.
Thanks are due to Sarah Wall, Monash University 50th Anniversary Project Manager for permission to use the audio, courtesy of Monash University.

Download MP3 of Ep 79

Please vote for this podcast this month at

You can donate by clicking on the button above, and subscribe by subscribing in iTunes

071 – Prof Mike Sandiford – Geothermal Energy

With the media spotlight on climate change, alternative energies have been looked at as serious contenders to the energy needs of the world. Given that fossil fuels have been shown to have dire side effects in terms of carbon emissions, scientists have intensified their research into cheap, accessible, and clean energy forms. We’ve heard about solar, we’ve heard about wind energy, and we’ve heard debates about nuclear. In this episode, I talk to Professor Mike Sandiford from the University of Melbourne to talk about Geothermal Energy.

Download MP3 of Ep 71

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