It seems every day, we hear yet more news about the declining world environment. It's not only climate change, and if when we add other threats including loss of biodiversity and depleting resources, it becomes a dangerous brew. These are having impacts on people - and the economy - which are largely ignored by neoclassical economics and neoliberalism Dr Mark Diesendorf and Rod Taylor discuss their new book The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation (Palgrave Macmillan) out now in eBook and soon as ...
May 13, 2023•19 min•Ep. 192
Standing, walking or running is something most of us take for granted. And yet it is a remarkably sophisticated thing we do without even thinking about it. Professor Gordon Waddington and PhD student Ashleigh Marchant walk us through the beautifully synchronised dance that coordinates parts of your body to make this happen. Muscles, tendons, joints, bones and, of course, your nervous system. We highly recommend being part of Ashleigh's research project at the University of Canberra, where she te...
Apr 30, 2023•54 min•Ep. 191
If you were to visit a river, it might look beautiful, but is it healthy? Looks may be a good start, but properly assessing a water body takes a bit more and, yes, how it smells is another indicator. And then, why should we care whether a river or stream is in good condition? Leon Metzling was a Victorian EPA senior water ecologist for 30 years. Here he's talking to Rod.
Mar 31, 2023•51 min•Ep. 190
What happened to the plants and animals when Africa crashed into Eurasia and when Australia broke apart from Pangea? Find out with Biogeographer Octavio Jimenez Robles. Octavio is a Marie Sklodowska Curie Action postdoctoral fellow who has been based at the Australian National University in Canberra for the last few years and is just about to head to Paris to continue his work there. You can find him on twitter at https://twitter.com/OJimenez_Robles
Mar 26, 2023•59 min•Ep. 189
They knew it then, they know it now, and yet they still do it. Fossil fuel companies are driving the planet - and us along with it - towards climate induced oblivion. While the anti-science tactics of the tobacco industry inflicts death and illness among a huge number of people, climate change is doing that on a global scale. In the process, they have co-opted the levers of government and public institutions that should be steering us towards a safer future. The question is why? Why drives indus...
Feb 14, 2023•51 min•Ep. 188
On this episode Broderick is joined by Jay Ridgewell from Held Outside as they discuss the scientific value behind nature therapy. Also known as "forest bathing" from its origins in Japan, this episode promises to explore what genuine benefits there are to connecting in a deeper way with nature. To find our more about Jay's work in forest therapy, head to https://heldoutside.mailchimpsites.com/ This episode originally aired on 13 November 2022....
Feb 01, 2023•48 min•Ep. 187
For many thousands of years the first humans burned wood to keep ourselves warm and cook food. Then we discovered coal and later, gas. For a while whale oil became an important source of energy - until they they were driven close to extinction and whaling didn't end until the 1960s. By that time, whale oil had already been replaced by cheap, abundent mineral oil. Over the course of human history there have been several major energy transitions and we are in one right now. This time it's urgent b...
Jan 30, 2023•53 min•Ep. 186
The word "community" has a slightly soft appeal to it, as if it's something nice to have, something we do for a bit of socialising. But that undervalues the vast importance of community and there's no doubt humans would not be remotely as successful without it. Our ability to cooperate is central to our existence. Now the world is facing threats from multiple directions and, if we don't solve them soon, the future will be bleak. That makes community is a critical part of the solution. On Austral...
Jan 27, 2023•9 min•Ep. 185
Business-as-usual will result in collapse of the global system midway through the 21st century . That's the stark warning issued by Graham Turner in 2008 when he reviewed modelling by the Club of Rome in the early 1970s. Can we avoid that in the short time we have left? Professor Ian Lowe and Rod discuss how we might avert a looming crisis. Ian Lowe is a contributing author of Sustainability and the New Economics (Springer, 2022), edited by Stephen Williams and Rod Taylor....
Dec 26, 2022•44 min•Ep. 183
In this interview Dr Haydn Washington muses on what denial means. We're sad to hear that Haydn died this week and, in his honour, we post this recording from 2013. It's interesting and sobering to reflect on how the world looks now, nearly ten years later. Dr Jane O'Sullivan provides a few eloquent words for Haydn: "Haydn was a prolific and passionate writer and speaker on sustainability, degrowth, the need for population stabilisation and denialism against both climate and population realities....
Dec 13, 2022•15 min•Ep. 184
We begin today's interview by asking our expert guest Prof David Lindenmayer: if the Australian environment were a medical patient, what score would he give it? It's a plot spoiler to say his answer is an "F". But he goes on to say, not just why it matters, but what are some of the positive steps we can do to fix it. He offers some surprisingly upbeat, optimistic and practical things that can be done. The cost? Minimal. The gain? Enormous. Interview by Rod, Camille and Eamon. Prof David Lindenma...
Dec 04, 2022•49 min•Ep. 182
Yesterday we caught up with Dr Paul Collins who was launching Sustainable Population Australia's discussion paper “How many Australians?” With his theology background Dr Collins offers a lively philosphical view on our diminished connection with nature. And...traffic jams in a national park? Interview by Rod who is a member of SPA. The discussion paper is on this link: https://population.org.au/discussion-papers/how-many-australians-the-need-for-earth-centric-ethics/...
Dec 01, 2022•12 min•Ep. 181
At the heart of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is a contradiction: by assuming the Ever Bigger Pie economic model, everybody will be better off. But can that really happen? We explore how the SDGs got this way and the thinking behind them. Dr Kerryn Higgs who is writer and historian, Associate Member Club of Rome (speaking here on her own behalf), and author of Collision Course: Endless Growth on a Finite Planet ( MIT Press, 2014). She's also author of two chapters in Sustainability and th...
Nov 29, 2022•27 min•Ep. 180
As the cliche goes, you are what you eat. But did you know it might be linked to rheumatoid arthritis? Honours student Shweta Venkataraman and supervisor Dr Chloe Goldsmith have been investigating the link between diet, the immune system's T-cells and rheumatoid arthritis. For this research they recruited Fuzzy host Rod, who agreed to provide a detailed account of his weekly diet. From that, they derived a detailed nutrition analysis. They used a blood sample to measure T-cells and later will in...
Nov 27, 2022•50 min•Ep. 179
This week Fuzzy Logic celebrates Earth Science Week as Broderick talks to Nick Brown and Anna Riddell both geodetic scientists from Geoscience Australia. They explain and explore the world of geodesy and the role it plays in helping us track the movements across our planet and the movements of our planet to make sure our GPS is accurate for our journeys, along with many other applications. Thanks to Geoscience Australia for providing these two amazing scientists for this week's episode....
Oct 09, 2022•48 min•Ep. 178
What are the causes of our environmental crisis and how do we fix it? Jonathan Miller argues that we should address the fundamental issue, which is the addiction to growth. That means a transition to a steady state economy. But what does that look like and how do we get there? Interview by Eamon and Rod.
Aug 28, 2022•38 min•Ep. 177
What happens when a species goes extinct? Obviously the best course is to avoid it in the first place, but there are plans to resurrect the Tasmanian tiger and the woolly mammoth. We talk about a few projects that are creating safe havens for species, helping them to recover from bushfires and cats. Brought to you by Millie, Camille and Rod.
Aug 21, 2022•49 min•Ep. 176
From melting ice sheets to endless floods and extreme storms, the news lately has been a bit bleak. But science is fighting back and giving us hope for better world. From up in space to deep beneath the Earth’s surface, scientists at Geoscience Australia in Canberra are working to make our planet more sustainable - through satellites whizzing above our heads to uncovering the low-emission fuels of the future underneath our feet. Dr Andrew Feitz and Dr Aleks Kalinowski are part of a team of hydro...
Aug 15, 2022•53 min•Ep. 175
This week Broderick discusses the many events happening across the ACT for National Science Week 2022. He's joined in the studio by Heidi from Kids Securiday, Peter from FungiCo and Prof Lara Malins from the Australian National University who each share some of the interesting science being showcased at their events. National Science Week is from August 13 to 21 and event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au
Aug 10, 2022•50 min•Ep. 174
Is the climate crisis a science problem? Not according to our speaker. Climate change is caused by people - us - and must be resolved by people. We have the tools if only we can use them. In this talk with the Canberra Jung Society, Fuzzy Logic's Rod Taylor discusses the psychology of climate change and the other environmental problems. What does it mean to have 'hope' and how do we convert despair into action? These stories are inspired by his book Ten Journeys on a Fragile Planet . With thanks...
Aug 07, 2022•46 min•Ep. 173
Tilman Ruff is one of the founders of the movement that has led to the creation of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Here he speaks about how the world's nuclear weapons have the continuation of our civilisation balancing on a knifes edge and the treaty trying to bring an end to these weapons. Recorded on 17 June Interviewed by Tom
Jul 04, 2022•55 min•Ep. 172
This week Broderick talks to local Canberra cartoonist Stuart McMillen. Stuart uses intriguing real-life historical events, such as published science experiments, as the basis of his non-fiction comics. This episode talks about comics as a form of science communication and explores "Rat Park" and Stuart's newest release "The Town Without Television". Find all of Stuart's work at www.stuartmcmillen.com
Jun 29, 2022•49 min•Ep. 171
Ben Shaw is an archaeologist and senior lecturer in the School of Culture History and Language at the ANU (Australian National University). We talk about his work in Papua New Guinea. Interviewed by Tom
Jun 03, 2022•59 min•Ep. 170
Tony Irwin is an Engineer that spent 30 years building nuclear power plants in the UK. He now runs Australia's nuclear research reactor which he was in charge of building. He also lecturers in nuclear science at the ANU. I question him about my fears of nuclear power based on my very fuzzy understanding of the topic. We also touch on the economics of nuclear power in a world moving away carbon dioxide polluting power generation. Interview by Tom Links shared by Tony https://app.electricitymap.or...
May 23, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 169
Your body's immune system is a finely tuned and immensely complicated system to hunt down and destroy bad cells. No wonder it gets wrong sometimes! And when it does, you might end up with a condition like rheumatoid arthritis. While exactly how it works, is still not known, it is clear that your lifestyle - diet, exercise etc plays a part. A healthy body seems less likely to attack itself. Honours student Shweta Venkataraman and her supervisor Dr Chloe Goldsmith are investigating the link betwee...
May 15, 2022•47 min•Ep. 168
Tim Hollo is veteran climate campaigner and running as a Green for the seat of Canberra in the Australian Federal Election. Tom discusses with Tim some aspects of Greens Party policy related to science and tech. Amongst other things we talk about funding for scientific research, Australia's clean energy transition, nuclear energy, GMOs and patenting of living things.
May 04, 2022•37 min•Ep. 167
Traditional economics treats our planet as an infinitely exploitable resource. Clearly that is impossible and already there are disturbing signs of a planet in distress. But even if we ignore that, is endless growth really good for us? Where does it end? When we talk briefly about MMT (Modern Monetary Theory), we refer to 'monetary sovereign' nations - for a definition, see Wikipedia . Philip Lawn is Adjunct Professor at Torrens University, a Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustaina...
Apr 10, 2022•28 min•Ep. 166
The legal system offers powerful tools to limit environmental destruction, with some excellent examples listed in this Guardian story . And yet there is much more that can be done. Nuclear weapons remain a dire threat while climate change marches on, largely unchecked by the inadequate responses thrown at it. Some countries such as Australia do not have a constitutional bill of rights, depriving citizens of a key platform. The alternative is a patchwork of legislation that makes the job harder. ...
Feb 12, 2022•27 min•Ep. 165
Human vision is an extraordinarily sophisiticated thing, backed up by some serious brain power. So how then, can a bee with a tiny brain, find its way over several kilometres through messy terrain to a food source and back again? The answer is both remarkably clever and surprisingly simple. While bee vision has been studied for many decades, there is still much to be learned. One of the hardest perhaps, is to let go of the assumptions that bee vision is just a simpler version of what human do. E...
Feb 02, 2022•28 min•Ep. 164
What does climate change and environmental degredation do to our health? Often these are presented as a loss of species or habitat, but the impacts on humans are real. Some are direct while others are indirect. In all, these are symptoms of a more fundamental problem: our addiction to growth. The mad, relentless drive for an ever bigger population, consuming ever more on a finite planet will not end well. Dr Colin Butler is Honorary prof ANU and a contributuning author to the new the book Sustai...
Feb 02, 2022•23 min•Ep. 163
