-
3 days ago | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Claire Slattery |Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May
Are fermented foods really good for us? Do antibiotics destroy our gut flora? And have you heard about poo transplants? Our gut is teeming with trillions of microbial cells, and we are learning more all the time about how this affects everything from our digestion, to immunity, to mental health. So crack open your kombucha, because these leading researchers will cut through the noise with some hard facts and pioneering science about the microbiome.
-
1 week ago | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Grace Pashley |David Le May |Steve Fieldhouse
There are some leaps in science and technology that change everything. Scientists say we’re living through the second quantum revolution, so we're going deep into the quantum world with leaders at the forefront of this field. If you think quantum is all about computers think again – like how could this vast science help female athletes reach their peak? Thanks to the World Science Festival for this talk “Welcome to the Second Quantum Revolution”.
-
1 month ago | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May
What if we could turn back time on our biological clock and slow down — even reverse — aging? High profile Harvard scientist David Sinclair is co-author of the New York Times bestseller Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To.His lab’s work is as ambitious as it is controversial. He wants to radically change the way we live our lives — and push at the boundary of what it means to be human. Professor Sinclair joins Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 World Science Festival Brisbane.
-
Mar 17, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Karin Zsivanovits |Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May
The structures of families have gotten complex, even messy. Patchwork families are increasingly common. You can a birth mother, a genetic mother and a social mother. People choose friends as kin. How have families and communities changed? Presented at the Byron Writers Festival, supported by the Byron Shire Council.
-
Feb 20, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Karin Zsivanovits |Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May
Humans have a conflicted relationship with animals: We love our pets and admire our wildlife. But we continue the industrial production of dairy, meat and eggs, that often leaves animal suffering in dreadful conditions. We create a division between US and THEM, if it suits us. What does that say about how we value animals in our lives?
-
Feb 2, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May |Karin Zsivanovits |Natasha Mitchell
Australia resettled fascists, even war criminals after World War II as part of a worldwide program led by the International Refugee Organisation. The background of these immigrants was known to all political parties, but they were regarded as cheap – and white – labour. Historian Jayne Persian explores the impact of these characters on the trajectory of postwar politics — a phenomenon well documented in other parts of the world but with which Australia has barely begun to reckon.
-
Jan 27, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Karin Zsivanovits |Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May
Nicky Winmar's iconic stand against racism was a wakeup call more than 30 years ago. But how much has really changed? Racism on and off the field continues to be an issue across Australia, when we should be celebrating Indigenous sport icons. Presented by the Byron Writers Festival, supported by First Nations Australia Writers Network FNAWN.
-
Dec 1, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May
Can a single seed tell the story of a civilisation? What do the scars on the skins of 200-year old whales tell about our ancestors? Can ancient trees reveal hidden histories of human frailty and fabulousness? Can Nature be a timekeeper?
-
Oct 27, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Natasha Mitchell |Karin Zsivanovits |Steve Fieldhouse |David Le May
Literature on crime is huge. Many of you just love to read about a good murder. But do you prefer a soft touch around violent scenes? Or do you want to read it in the drastic, graphic language that shows crime the way it is? Writing crime stories can be a minefield: Do authors have to tell people, if they want to use them in their book? Particularly if they want to paint 'your character' the villain? Can you re-traumatise a victim when you turn their painful experience into a bestseller?
-
Sep 1, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Claire Nichols |Sarah L'Estrange |Steve Fieldhouse |Rhiannon Brown
Meena Kandasamy is an Indian born poet, novelist, rebel and activist who's been threatened and harassed for her writing. From the Byron Writers Festival she explains why she keeps going despite the threats. She is also celebrated for her innovative approach to storytelling. Her debut novel The Gypsy Goddess (2015) was about the 1968 massacre of Dalit agricultural workers in India. Her book When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife is about her own experience of domestic violence.
