Einstein a Go Go

Guest 1 - Dr Csaba Balazs

Recent experiments and observations have shown that 95% of the Universe’s energy seemingly lies in a dark sector comprising dark matter, a form of yet undiscovered matter, and dark energy, whose origin is unknown. Csaba sheds some light on this dark side of the Universe, piecing together the outstanding puzzle of dark energy and dark matter.

Guest 2- Dr Graeme Lancaster

Obesity and it’s associated diseases are now commonplace in Australian society. Graeme is from the Baker Institute and is interested in understanding the basic mechanisms by which obesity promotes the development of insulin resistance, a key developmental stage in the progression to type 2 diabetes. Graeme’s team has found that chronic inflammation, an essential response of the body to tissue damage and infection, is present in states of obesity and plays a critical role in the development of insulin resistance.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20100425.mp3

Guest 1 - Professor Lachlan Thompson

In the early nineties, Lachlan and his team from RMIT’s School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SAMME) revolutionised the design of the track racing bike, helping Australia achieve 23 world championships and three world records in four years. They also worked on improving canoe paddles for our Beijing Olympians. Lachlan talks about their latest project: a new sports bra prototype.

Guest 2- Hailey Reynolds

Using patented electrochemical processes, Hailey from the RMIT school of Applied Sciences, discusses the development of mercury sensors for pollution monitoring. Researchers are altering the surface of the gold to form hundreds of tiny nano-spikes, each one about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. The nano-engineered gold surfaces are 180 per cent more sensitive to mercury than non-modified surfaces.

Other segments:
-volcanic pyroclastic flow

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20100418.mp3

Guest 1: Dr Alicia Thorpe

Alicia is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Baker Institute and her group has recently completed a study which measured occupational sitting time in different groups of workers (call centre, customer service, office). This is the first study to objectively investigate how sedentary Australian workers actually are. The study showed that for all workers on average, 75% of a typical 8-hour work day was spent sedentary. Call centre workers not surprisingly spent the most time sedentary (81% of a standard 8-hour work day).

They have just begun a new study which looks at the short term effects of prolonged sitting on blood lipids and glucose metabolism in overweight adults and whether breaking up prolonged sitting with short bursts of walking has any effect.

To get involved in the study, click here.

Guest 1: Professor Rod Tucker

Rod is the director of the new Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society (IBES). This is the nation’s first cross-disciplinary research institute dedicated to maximizing the community benefits of broadband technologies.  Rod leads a group of students undertaking research on broadband access technologies and energy efficiency in telecommunications and discusses about how faster internet connections will benefit society.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20100411.mp3

Guest 1: Dr Jennifer Henry

Jennifer Henry received her PhD in plant molecular biology from the University of Melbourne. She then moved to New York to work as a Publishing Manager at Nature Publishing Group, joining the The New York Academy of Sciences in 2009 as Director of Life Sciences. The Academy works to advance scientific knowledge, mobilise science to address major global challenges, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society through seminars, scientific meetings and career development. Jennifer talks to us about fellowships available to graduate and post-graduates for studying in America and some of the students who are studying under these fellowships.

Other segments:

- genome sequencing of zebra finches
- sampling Antarctic water from Lake Vostok
- the early development of written languages from sixty thousand years ago
- how to create life on Earth
- how microorganisms evolve and the surprising amount that they weigh

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20100404.mp3

Guest 1 - Dr Duncan Galloway, Monash University

When a massive star gets old and its core stops generating energy, it may undergo a sudden massive explosion called a supernova event. Depending on the size of the dying star, what remains is either a neutron star or black hole.

About 5% of all neutron stars are members of a binary system where they are coupled with either ordinary stars, white dwarfs or other neutron stars. Neutron stars in binary systems often emit X-rays which is caused by the heating of gas which is accreted or “stolen” from the companion star. Material from the outer layers of a (bloated) companion star is sucked towards the neutron star as a result of its very strong gravitational field.

Duncan talks about in the inner workings of these neutron-star binaries and how he observes them using satellite X-ray.

Guest 2- Dr Michael Brown, Monash University

Michael is interested in active galactic nuclei: compact regions at the centre of a galaxy that emit light over many parts of the electromagnetic spectrum such as infrared, ultra-violet, X-ray and gamma ray wavelengths. They are the most luminous sources of electromagnetic radiation in the universe, and so can be used as a means of discovering distant objects.

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Direct podcast download: Einstein-A-Go-Go-20100328.mp3