Episodes
How do you represent the Milky Way Galaxy with a grain of sand? What happens when thousands of people send a message to the Juno satellite destined for Jupiter? And, what on earth does a Visual Strategist for NASA do? Our guest in this episode is Dan Goods from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory - JPL at NASA. He heads up an amazing team developing creative ways of communicating. They work to transform complex science & engineering concepts into meaningful stories that can be universally...
Published 12/10/17
In this special episode of The Big Questions we chat with Dava Sobel, the Janis Joplin of science writing and author of 'Longitude' and 'Galileo's Daughter' and most recently, 'The Glass Universe'. In the 19th-century Harvard College Observatory began employing women as 'human computers' to interpret the observations their male counterparts made via telescope each night. These women changed the history of astronomy, making extraordinary discoveries that attracted worldwide acclaim - what...
Published 12/03/17
Australia has an amazing track record when it comes to the prestigious Nobel prizes. One of our very brightest is Peter Doherty, who in 1996 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his breakthrough understanding in how our cells protect themselves from danger. As humble as Peter is brilliant, Adam was delighted to ask him Whats it like to win a Nobel Prize? Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find PodcastOne Australia on Facebook:...
Published 11/26/17
If you combine crushing it on your socials with posts from outer space and also being an astronaut with a perfect mustache, you get Commander Chris Hadfield. The astronaut that other astronauts look at and think, "Now that's an astronaut!" Adam sat down with the man who famously sang 'Ground control to Major Tom' from the International Space Station and to ask, how does shaving work in space to maintain such a perfect mustache? As well as some other important space related questions. Connect...
Published 11/19/17
When you hurt yourself you feel pain. The bigger the injury the more intense the pain. But what about those moments where people push the pain barrier despite their injuries? What about when pain isn't related to an injury like exercising pain & period pain? Why does that hurt? To answer the question how it works and why we feel it, Adam sits down the 'Dr. of Pain', Professor Lorimer Moseley. Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find PodcastOne Australia on...
Published 11/12/17
Neutron stars are amazing. They are so tightly packed with matter that a single teaspoon of neutron star weighs about a billion tonnes. So when two collide things really go BANG. In fact space-time itself wobbles noticeably. Adam chats with two scientists from the University of Sydney who made history when they observed this phenomenon. Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find PodcastOne Australia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podcastoneau/ Follow...
Published 11/05/17
We're in the middle of an obesity epidemic and weight loss is one of the most talked about topics on the planet. Yet most people still think that when you lose weight it turns into heat and energy. Bow-bowww, not true. In this episode of The Big Questions, we speak to the Surfing Scientist Ruben Meerman, author of Big Fat Myths, to find out where exactly the fat goes? Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find PodcastOne Australia on Facebook:...
Published 10/30/17
You've heard people described as "like a tiger between the sheets" or "hung like a horse" but if someone called you "as impressive as a barnacles penis" Would you be flattered or offended? Turn the lights down low and let go of all your inhibitions as Adam asks Dr Carin Bondar; How sexy do animals get? Find Dr Carin Bondar at https://twitter.com/carinbondar Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find PodcastOne Australia on Facebook:...
Published 10/23/17
The phrase lifesaver is bandied about pretty easily In some cases. But Ian Frazer is the real deal. It is no exaggeration to say that his medical discovery will save millions of lives worldwide. Meet the remarkable and remarkably humble Professor Ian Frazer Connect with Adam Spencer at: https://twitter.com/adambspencer Find PodcastOne Australia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podcastoneau/ Follow PodcastOne Australia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastoneau/ Follow...
Published 10/16/17
You may have watched Bill Nye's Emmy award winning science show or you might have caught his recent Netflix series. But did you know that he holds a patent for his design of womens' ballet shoes? Or that his mum worked on cracking Nazi codes during World War II? Adam asks the big questions of Bill Nye to learn how he went from being Bill Nye -The Mechanical Engineer, to Bill Nye - The Science Guy. Find Bill Nye at: https://twitter.com/BillNye Connect with Adam Spencer at:...
Published 10/04/17
Australians love sport. We REALLY love sport. But why? And do we actually love it more than anyone else? Adam asks the Big Question "Why do we love sport?" and gets answers from one of Australia's most respected sports journalists, Tracey Holmes and AFL Richmond Tigers tragic Mick Molloy. Dig deep, ride every bump, get ready to give 110% and savour the cocktail of excitement and fear in Mick Molloy's voice as his Tigers make an historic run towards the AFL Grand Final. Connect with Adam...
Published 09/27/17