Are we really facing an attention crisis? Historian, Daniel Immerwahr, has his doubts. In fact, he says ours is an era of obsession as much as distraction and of zeal as much as indifference. Also, the paradox of certainty: we crave it, argues the University of Alberta's, Timothy Caulfield, even though it's so easy to fake. Guests Daniel Immerwahr — author and Professor of History, Northwestern University and a contributing writer at The New Yorker Timothy Caulfield — author and Professor of law...
Mar 07, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast They're cheaper and safer than their lithium counterparts, they're easier to scale-up, and they can hold power for much longer than conventional batteries, so why aren't flow batteries better known? The technology has been under development for decades, but enthusiasts now say they're finding their place in the sun. Also, why more and more cargo companies are turning to wind-power; and do developing countries need to rethink their approach to off-grid power. Guests Emeritus Professor Maria Skyll...
Feb 27, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is opening-up its storeroom, turning the back end of the operation into a public resource. It's about attracting new patrons, but it's also about accountability, the Museum's managers have declared. Across the Western world museums are having to reexamine their mission and redefine the relationship they have with the public they're meant to serve. We explore why and how. We also look at the balance that's being struck between the physical artefact and its...
Feb 20, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast A series of massive underground tombs for nuclear waste are currently under construction. They've taken decades to plan and build and they're designed to house the world's nuclear waste for millennia to come. So where are they being built? How safe will they be? And how to devise a toxic waste warning sign that will make sense to people living tens of thousands of years from now? Also, the latest research on how climate change is beginning to impact on internal migration within countries. Guests...
Feb 13, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Terms like "Gen Z", "Boomer" and "Millennial" are popular, but they have no basis in science. Demographers and social scientists are now pushing back. Generational labelling, they argue, is akin to Astrology and while politicians, journalists and media influencers find them irresistible, they actually promote pseudo-science, sew social division and can reinforce prejudicial stereotypes. So why are generational labels so popular? Guests Professor Bobby Duffy — Director of the Policy Institute, Ki...
Feb 06, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why does Utopian thinking get such a bad rap? It’s often derided as delusional and dangerous. But what if that stereotype is designed to limit our imagination and choices? We hear often that people are tired of democracy and turned off by short-term political thinking. So, is it time to be much more adventurous and ambitious – dare we say utopian – in our imagining of the future? Guests Professor William Paris – Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto Professor Barba...
Jan 30, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Exploring new ideas, new approaches, new technologies — the edge of change.
Jan 26, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Privatising public services like trains, hospitals or prisons — is a proven vote loser. But governments of both the left and right continue to privatise — when it suits them. And it suits them, it seems, when large sums of money are needed to pay down debt, or when a government seeks to off load risk and liability to the private sector. So, what conditions should be applied to ensure that privatisations truly serve the public interest and don't simply decrease competition? Guests Owen Hayford — ...
Jan 23, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Authoritarians rule through fear. We can clearly see that from China to the Middle East to eastern Europe. But why do we constantly overlook the way in which fear also shapes democratic societies? It's fueling populism and distorting our future focus. Then there's anger. It's inspired generations to man the barricades and right society's wrongs. But anger is increasingly becoming a driver of commerce. There's billions to be made in getting you riled up and keeping you that way. Fear fuels anger,...
Jan 16, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Algorithmic feeds are meant to personalise our online experiences, but increasingly they're flattening our culture and fostering a dull conformity, according to best-selling author Kyle Chayka. And the influence they exert on our lives is increasingly physical not just digital. Also, data scientist Gloria Mark who has crunched the numbers on how our attention spans have fared over the past decade or so. If you can keep focused, you might find it fascinating. Guests Professor Gloria Mark – data s...
Jan 09, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our uber-connected world, the development and management of really anything is becoming increasingly complex. Planning for the future has to involve more than just grand ambitions, it also needs to be alert to unintended consequences. Otherwise things you didn't even dream about will go wrong and that can prove enormously costly. Part of the solution is to think past the immediate and adopt a systematic approach to thinking. Guests Dr Edward Crawley – Ford Professor of Engineering, Massachuse...
Jan 02, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nostalgia triggers our emotions and that in turn makes us vulnerable to manipulation. We speak with Richard King about the commodification and weaponisation of nostalgic sentiment. Also, New York Times critic-at-large, Jason Farago, on why he believes our cultural age might be the least innovative in half a millennium. Guests Richard King – author and critic Jason Farago – author, social commentator and critic-at-large, The New York Times Further information Richard’s Griffith Review essay - Nos...
Dec 26, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Most people want to eat better. And many of us have embraced the trend toward "natural" foods and conscious eating. We equate "natural" with healthy, nutritious and virtuous, but that can often be way off the mark. New research shows many healthy alternatives are anything but. And our embrace of the term natural is more about expressing identity and morality rather than healthy eating. Empowering people to understand what and how they should eat is what it should be about – and one way to do tha...
Dec 19, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Methane levels are going up — not down, despite decades spent trying to reduce emissions from agriculture and landfill. But some countries are bucking the trend, we find out who and how. Breeding sheep and cattle to burp less is one way to reduce methane emissions. ABC Top 5 Science Residency recipient Luisa Olmo talks us through a genetic selection programme that could lead the way forward. Guests Dr Ed Clayton – Ruminant nutritionist, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Developme...
Dec 12, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The design of your city contributes to how much rain you get. Researchers have found a 'wet island effect' and it's likely to shape the future construction of our cities. Also, better understanding how Artificial Intelligence is used in conflict; and the major Australian study that calls into question the effectiveness of carbon trading. Guests Dr Megan Evans – Senior Lecturer, Public Sector Management, UNSW Canberra Professor Dev Niyogi – Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson Scho...
Dec 05, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Military spending around the world has reached a new peak, and it's still going up. All eyes are on Ukraine and the Middle East as new strategies and weapons are being put to the test. But are the traditional international rules of warfare too focussed on old technologies? Can they be adjusted to encompass cyber hacking and the use of online civilian proxies? Guests Professor Johanna Weaver – Director of the Tech Policy design Centre, Australian National University, ANU Professor Alexander Hill ...
Nov 28, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes, despite the hype, despite extensive funding, and despite clever and ingenious thinking, good ideas fail. Or at least don’t live up to their initial promise. There are lessons to be learnt and interesting anecdotes to be told. In this episode we look at four future-focused projects that have never really taken off: Google Glass, solar roads, space tourism and hyperloop technology. Guests Dr Paul Sutter – Astrophysicist, SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute, New York Sarah Marqua...
Nov 21, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The UN General Assembly has passed a Declaration on Future Generations. It’s designed to ensure the generations of tomorrow aren’t disadvantaged by the decisions we make today. But is it more than feel good symbolism? Could it one day be as powerful as the Declaration on Human Rights? Also, how a focus on the here and now restricts visionary thinking; and we get the results from the latest 4-day work week trial, this time in Germany. Guests Professor Thomas Hale – Blavatnik School of Government,...
Nov 17, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robot vacuum cleaners are so innocuous, many people treat them almost like pets. But they're also potential portals into our private life. Story Lab journalist, Julian Fell, learns how to hack a robot vacuum cleaner and uncovers some disturbing facts about the security of connected household appliances. Also, acts of aggression and abuse committed in virtual reality environments. So-called "metacrimes" may be cyber in nature, but they can feel very real and have physical world consequences. Gues...
Nov 07, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The heating climate is now recognised as a threat to our inner world – to brain health and rationality. Extreme temperatures not only impact our ability to think and our decision-making they also increase the presence of neurotoxins in the environment. And that can lead to disease and mental degeneration. We speak with the head of the newly formed International Neuro Climate Working Group. Climate anxiety is also caused by changes in our brains. So, is that a blessing or a curse? Guests Clayton ...
Oct 31, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rana Sylvatica is an unassuming wood frog with an extraordinary gift. In the depths of winter, it can slow down its metabolism, flood its cells with ice and remain in a state of suspended animation for months. But it's what it might be able to teach us about preserving human organs for transplant that has scientists really excited. Also, the menagerie in an icy test tube — San Diego's Frozen Zoo and the fight to preserve biodiversity. Guests Dr Ken Storey — Professor of Biology and Biochemistry,...
Oct 24, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The demand for sex tech is booming. That is, toys and apps that can be used for pleasure, communication or to improve sexual health. Developers are using innovative ways to incorporate AI in a way that is respectful of both consent and the diversity of human desire. But it seems some male developers are intent on weaponising it against women. In this special episode of Future Tense, Stephen Stockwell, explores the power of the emerging technology, its potential benefits and harms, and the need t...
Oct 17, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast It was known as Wolf Warrior diplomacy – a brand of Chinese foreign ministry posturing that was as aggressive as it was unexpected. But has Beijing now changed tack? And if so, why? Also, does the theory of Institutional Amnesia explain why our preparedness for natural disasters is often found wanting? Guests Assistant Professor Tyler Jost — Political Science, International and Public Affairs, Brown University (US) Dr Sarah Robertson – Research Fellow in sustainability, RMIT University Dr Paul B...
Oct 10, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Gone are the grandiose infrastructure projects, replaced by an emphasis on smaller development opportunities. China's Belt and Road initiative has entered its second decade — and it's changing. It now also includes a determined focus on green technology. But is the recalibration a sign of the project's overall success? Or a scaling back because of China's growing economic problems? And what has Beijing learnt about debt-levels and governance? Guests Professor Christoph Nedopil – Director of Asia...
Oct 03, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 2024 has been an eventful year for democracies around the world. More than 80 countries, containing over half the world's population, are holding elections this year. It's democracy's mega test. The implications for the future of democracy and world order are profound. Guests Professor Nick Bisley – Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University Dr Gorana Grjic – Senior Researcher, Swiss and Euro-Atlantic Security Team, ETH Zürich's Center for Security Studies (CSS) Dr...
Sep 26, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Could the realities of an aging population and a declining birth rate soon make our obsession with youth a thing of the past? It's not just an equity issue it also has implications for politics and economics, because the citizens and consumers of the future will inevitably be older. So, how do we reframe our perceptions of aging to make the most of a very different future workplace? Guests Assistant Professor Sven Brodmerkel – Advertising and Integrated Marketing Communications, Bond University ...
Sep 19, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chat GPT pioneer, Sam Altman, reckons democratic countries will need to re-write their social contracts once AI reaches its full potential, such is its power to shape the future. But to quote a famous political aphorism: "he would say that, wouldn't he?" Princeton computer scientist, Arvind Narayanan, joins us to talk about the hype, the reality and the true limits of Artificial Intelligence. His new book is called "AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can't, and How to Tel...
Sep 12, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every crisis, they say, presents an opportunity. But history tells us differently. Social philosopher, Roman Krznaric, spells out the vital elements needed to initiate rapid change – and why a better understanding of the way we respond to crises could help in the fight against climate change. Guests Dr Roman Krznaric – Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Oxford University Dr Stefan Peters – Senior Lecturer in Geospatial Science, University of South Australia Furt...
Sep 05, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do we underestimate the value of Liberalism? Political philosopher, Alexandre Lefebvre, says liberalism underpins the modern Western world, even if we sometimes struggle to define it. And even when its brand is coopted by party-politics. Rediscovering its pure form, he argues, could be the key to a more tolerant and prosperous future. Also, is the European Union losing its taste for regulation, particularly where big tech is involved? Guests Dr Alexandre Lefebvre – Professor of Politics and Phil...
Aug 29, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a world where Donald Trump embraces anti free-trade protectionism and "leftish" governments are going heavy on law and order, do the old political labels of Left and Right really make sense? Is it time for a new way of thinking and talking about political difference? And how do ordinary voters actually choose their political positions? Are their decisions based on ideology or simple tribalism? Guests Dr Gregory Millard – Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Kwantlen Universit...
Aug 22, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
