Virology and evolutionary biologist Professor Eddie Holmes takes Dr Karl time travelling to visit a deadly virus. Many of today's treatments took thousands of years to develop. Smallpox proved to be a tough virus to manage but it also taught us how to fight back. From skin scratching to cows, the American Civil War, Baltic mummies and DNA - Science finally stopped smallpox in its tracks. @EdwardCHolmes https://drkarl.com/ Note: episode recorded in late May 2020 using data available at the time...
May 31, 2020•20 min•Season 3Ep. 17
A-Prof Alice Motion explores the chemistry and properties of the 29th element for Dr Karl. This persistent contact killer is amazingly passive (nothing else is needed). We've known of its benefits for thousands of years and yet chrome, plastics and stainless steel prevail in our healthcare facilities. @all_isee @_breakinggood https://drkarl.com/
May 24, 2020•23 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Dr Simon Murphy explains to Dr Karl the extraordinary behaviour of a star in the early stages of life. Observed only recently, it widens our understanding of new stars. https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2020/03/10/astronomy-new-type-of-pulsating-star-discovered.html http://drkarl.com...
May 17, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 15
We can't see the Great Attractor but we've measured its presence. We're falling into Virgo and Virgo can't resist its force. Is Dark Energy involved? What is the "zone of avoidance"? Professor Geraint Lewis helps Dr Karl with his homework. http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gfl/ http://drkarl.com...
May 10, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Dr Karl & Prof G. Lewis discuss the gaps and guesses that string together our understanding of the Cosmos. So what happens if we find a mistake in one of Einstein's predictions ? It's one of the discussion points in Geraint Lewis' latest book written with Luke Barnes. https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-cosmic-revolutionary-s-handbook-luke-a-barnes/book/9781108486705.html drkarl.com http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gfl/...
May 03, 2020•19 min•Season 3Ep. 13
It's part two of the Neutron star exploration with Professor G. Lewis. He takes Dr Karl layer by layer down to the core. Things are so squashed in there that quantum physics takes over. Escape from the lockdown inside a star where things go subatomic. http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gfl/
Apr 26, 2020•22 min•Season 3Ep. 12
What happens when you squeeze a star ? Dr Karl gets inside one with Professor G. Lewis. They travel from the subatomic level up with the latest on Neutron Stars. Trigger Warning - Quarks and Bosons are mentioned . It's part one with more from the Neutrons next time. http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gfl/
Apr 19, 2020•20 min•Season 3Ep. 11
To study the stars, look to the ocean. Water ebbs and flows under the influence of gravity. Astronomers see tides in moons, stars and around black holes. Dr Karl talks with two astrophysicists who recently measured a bulging star with earth-like tides.
Apr 12, 2020•19 min•Season 3Ep. 10
A perfect poo has metrics. Dr Clare and Dr Karl describe the best solid expressions. Length, thickness, mass and diet. What makes the perfect poop ? https://theconversation.com/had-constipation-here-are-4-things-to-help-treat-it-123364
Apr 05, 2020•30 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Seventy-five percent can be described by Einstein. The remainder? It drove Albert to question his work till his dying day. Dr Karl and Dr Lewis discuss evidence for the missing theory . http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gfl/
Mar 29, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 8
They're back ! Dr Karl on why carbon dioxide is so insidious in the atmosphere. Dr Alice Motion on the best Instagrams yet of our sun and Dr Jessica Bloom on the rise of bio-robots. The original shirtloads gangsters are in the lab.
Mar 22, 2020•26 min•Season 3Ep. 7
American climatologist Michael Mann drew a chart back in 1999 . It's called "The Hockey Stick Graph" because of the way it shoots up. There was no new information in it and it drew on agreed international temperature data. Like Charles Darwin, Dr Mann dared to publish. His "hockey stick" still makes him a target for fossil fuel lobbyists. So what happens when a scientist is taken on by powerful interests ? Dr Karl asks him about the experience....
Mar 15, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 6
One star, observed in outback Australia, may hold new clues to dark matter and black holes. It's a milky way neighbour but moving very fast. Prof Geraint Lewis takes Dr Karl on his quest for answers. http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gfl/
Mar 08, 2020•18 min•Season 3Ep. 5
The Young Australian of the Year Award recognises 16- to 30-year-old Australians. It rewards their achievements and contributions. Dr Karl meets Corey Tutt, the NSW winner for 2020. Corey has already made an extraordinary difference with his Deadly Science initiative.
Mar 01, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 4
The Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990. It is named after the American astronomer who found our universe was expanding. Ninety years on, with much better kit, Hubble’s ideas still hold. The question is how fast are we inflating? This is the Hubble tension and Prof Geraint Lewis leads Dr Karl through the deep space discussion. http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gfl/
Feb 23, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 3
What is the science behind warning pregnant women to stay away from cat faeces ? It involves a parasite (called "Toxo" for short) that migrates between humans and their cats. The risk to unborn children is real and world renowned expert, Professor Justine Smith, takes Dr Karl through the life cycle from Kitty Litter to the eyeballs. https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/justine.smith...
Feb 16, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 2
A dietary study in Europe reveals a connection between processed foods (and drinks) and cancers. 8 years of research they tried to eliminate factors such as socioeconomic and diet preferences from the data but the link remains strong. What does it mean for you ? Doctor Karl and Professor Claire Collins discuss. https://theconversation.com/research-check-will-eating-ultra-processed-foods-give-you-cancer-91984...
Feb 02, 2020•21 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Dr Kyra Sim treats takes Dr Karl through The benefits of exercise - after eating. @kyrasim
Jan 19, 2020•15 min•Season 2Ep. 44
We are officially in an interglacial period - between ice ages. Dr Karl talks with Australian Glaciologist Dr Tas van Ommen about the times when Ice sheets were a kilometre thick. What caused them and how long did they last. Understanding our climate history is our best chance for anticipating its earth's future. Recorded in Antarctica
Jan 12, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Dr Karl and AI expert Dean Blumenstein from UTS Sydney discuss the application of drones being deployed on Australian beaches. Can deep learning improve on helicopter surveillance ? Could a drone save someone faster than lifeguards ? How safe in are we in the hands of AI ?
Jan 05, 2020•17 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Guardian Australia's 2017 bird of the year was the Magpie. They are notorious for swooping and pecking bike riders so why are they so popular ? Dr Karl joins Prof Kaplan in the cradle of bird life. Australia saved the birds and some of the smartest ones are still here. https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760554200/
Dec 29, 2019•18 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Dr Nick Fuller investigates the claims behind fasting diets and why today, most of us will end up where we started and feeling Hangry. He and Karl go through a recent study to show how deceptive it can be. It's not willpower that lets us down but something much deeper. There are proven long-term plans - fasting is not one of them. Twitter: @drnickfuller Website: www.intervalweightloss.com.au
Dec 15, 2019•21 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Marine Biologist Dr. Daniela Ceccarelli has been studying the Great Barrier reef for around 20 years. She lives and works there and has uncovered some of the complex relationships between seaweed, algae, fish and coral. One of her surprising discoveries involves the humble Damsel fish. Dr Karl talks to her on Magnetic Island about her research and containing the damage that agricultural run-off and sea temperatures are having on reefs.
Dec 08, 2019•26 min•Season 2Ep. 38
What controls our sex life ? Dr Amee Baird has a tremendous insight into this. As a clinical neuropsychologist, she has studied many people whose sexual behaviour suddenly changed. It remains a taboo subject for many, and so she has written a book about what she has learned. Dr Karl spoke with Dr Amee Baird in Sydney about her book "Sex in the Brain". https://newcastleneuropsych.com.au/dr-amee-baird/...
Dec 01, 2019•31 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Dr Bernie probes the Augmented Realities inside Dr Karl's new book. Are the 3D animations impressive ? Do the walking, talking virtual Karls look amazing on her phone ? Is this the new frontier in science publishing ? https://drkarl.com/books/
Nov 24, 2019•10 min•Season 2Ep. 36
2019's Australian of the Year Award was most unusual, shared between two extraordinary people - Veterinary Surgeon, Craig Challen and Anaesthetist Richard Harris. They were pivotal in the rescue of a Soccer team trapped in a cave deep in the mountains of Thailand. In this special 50-minute podcast Dr Richard Harris takes Dr Karl through that extraordinary cave rescue during the South-east Asian Monsoon. https://www.penguin.com.au/ books/against-all-odds- 9781760890957...
Nov 17, 2019•44 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Dr Alice Gorman is an internationally recognised leader in the emerging field of space archaeology. So how do you create a job like that? It begins with rubbish. Dr Alice takes Dr Karl back to the fundamentals of preservation and how to sort space junk from the keepers. @drspacejunk.
Nov 10, 2019•27 min•Season 2Ep. 34
How do you un-boil an egg? A Professor of Chemistry showed what was possible and won an Ig-Nobel Prize. It's all about the structure of proteins and how you fold them.
Nov 03, 2019•26 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Firestorms attacked Australia's Capital City in 2003. Four people died. Dr Karl meets Prof Jason Sharples. His analysis has altered the world's understanding of fire. In certain conditions fires jump, dance and then go their own way . https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/our-people/associate-professor-jason-sharples https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navier%E2%80%93Stokes_equations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H1eVy6O3Fo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Canberra_bushfire...
Oct 27, 2019•23 min•Season 2Ep. 32
The discovery of a planet beyond our solar system was rewarded with a share of the 2019 Nobel Physics Prize. Thousands more exoplanets have since been discovered but is there life out there? Rocket propulsion Scientist Dr Rachel Brachman and astro-chemist Dr Michael Malaska join Dr Karl to scope how and where to start looking for signs of life beyond Earth. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scientist-for-a-day/home/ https://eyes.nasa.gov/ https://projectpanoptes.org/ @WATSONpstar...
Oct 20, 2019•17 min•Season 2Ep. 31
