Episodes
"Operation Winston"
The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is dealing with the greatest threat to his nation since the Spanish Armada. But somehow, he makes it known that he wishes Australia to send him some live platypuses. Incredible, ...
Where Are We At With Platypuses?
Lots of people don't believe the platypus is a real creature. Bill like a duck, tail like a beaver, body like an otter and venom like a cobra. It's like someone hit the "Randomise" button in the character creation section. They are real, but with their numbers declining in many areas, who knows for…
Where Are We At With Universal Translators?
Apps like Google or Microsoft Translate claim to have removed the language barrier. But few people would trust an app to interpret their complex medical history, or relay critical information in a court case. Human translators and interpreters have formed critical links between civilisations and th…
Where Are We At With Fashion Part 2
The global fashion industry contributes to modern slavery, environmental destruction, and unrealistic body images. But there are solutions. People like Professor Alice Payne from RMIT are working towards a sustainable, responsible and circular process that allows those of us who wear clothes to mak…
Where Are We At With Fashion? Part 1
Watch a movie from the 50s or 60s about the future, and apparently, we should be all wearing silver jumpsuits or coloured PVC by now. Most of us aren't, but what we are wearing is shaped by a myriad external influences, be they cultural, social, demographic, economic, political, or more.Fashion…
Where Are We At With Military Drones?
No longer just an eye in the sky, drones in the air, sea and on land have changed military strategy forever. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike. To the world's horror, international law and expectations have been savagely upended, but to i…
Where Are We At With Vaccinations?
Vaccines work. The science has repeatedly shown what an incredible impact they have had on diseases, especially those mostly caught in childhood. But some people continue to hold out, due to either the fear-mongering of a few, health-system mistakes by governments, or the potential conflict of corp…
Where Are We At With Nuclear Fusion?
Nuclear fusion is the holy grail of power production. It is what powers the Sun and all the stars we see in the night sky.For the past 80 years, scientists have been saying it's been only 30 years away from being perfected. Except now, with the massive projected electricity demands of AI and th…
Where Are We At With Food Labelling?
"Frankenfoods". Ultra-processed foods formed in factories, not created in kitchens, make up about half of Australians' nutritional intake. Labelling the food we eat correctly while also letting us know what is healthy and what is going to kill us. Eventually. Dr Alexandra Jones from UNSW and The Ge…
Where Are We At With Body (re)Building?
Spring-loaded false teeth, fish-skin grafts, pig-heart transplants and bionic limbs. Just some of the ways we have repaired, replaced or reengineered the human body. Join New York Times multi-best selling author, all time TED-talk top ten speaker, and all-round entertaining person Mary Roach discus…
Where Are We At With Koala Chlamydia?
Koalas did not catch chlamydia from humans. Humans can't catch it from koalas either, but we can catch it from birds!Koala chlamydia often makes people snigger, thinking that the animal symbol of Australia can get what we think of as an STD. But the disease is decimating populations of the fluffy…
Where Are We At With Climate Science?
Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening, to me, and most of the sane world, given that climate change promises more frequent and intense storms, as well as droughts, and floods.Forecasters and meteorologists rely on centuries of observations and modelling. Data is now available in expon…
Where Are We At With Frog Fungus?
Frogs tend not to get a lot of love around the world. In fact, we often refer to them in negative terms. Kissing a frog to get a prince, basically doing something unpleasant to yield a positive result. Mark Twain supposedly told us to “Eat the frog” first thing in the morning, meaning do the worst …
Where Are We At With Autonomous Vehicles?
The car of the future is apparently one that we don't even control. Autonomous vehicles are already commonplace in large mines, and have been popping up in a number of cities around the world as taxis.Professor Michael Milford is the Director of the QUT Centre for Robotics in Brisbane, Australi…
Trailer
Jetpacks, flying cars, cure for cancer, the hole in the ozone layer, fashion, fusion and frogs. Just some of the topics we will find out just Where We Are At With in this new podcast from journalist David Curnow.
Where Are We At With Cane Toads?
Cane Toads. An amphibian's attack on Australia.Professor Rick Shine from Macquarie University explains how young toads can be like a bottle of scotch, what Fine Young Cannibals can teach us, and how Peter Pan could be the solution to the problem.The international archetype of bio-control failur…