Are we living through an age of distraction and if we are what cause it? How to have a difficult conversation and how to make a decision. 

When talking about African history why do we use the term precolonial? The limits of libertarianism and why men are so unhappy right now. We are electric, so are plants and animals.

Has the censorship of words gone too far? Cold blooded animals are in trouble, can a fruit fly save them? What was life like for medieval babies? Concrete built the world and now its slowly destroying it. 

Does social media really rot your brain? Why is stopping the use of coal so difficult. Australian women scientists have had a rotten deal over the years and naming plants and animals after people, good idea or not? 

What is optimistic nihilism and why is it all the rage? How do animals gain and keep power? Just how powerful is water and why are we rewilding invertebrates?

What should Indonesia do with the vast amount of nickel it produces every year? Why the Enlightenment still matters and the history of telling time. Plus would you consider serving an Australian brush turkey at Christmas lunch? 

Just how difficult and dangerous is decolonisation? Is A.I. hysteria out of control and does Australia need a bigger merchant fleet? Plus the wonder that was Phar Lap.

Has Xi Jinping made a big mistake when it comes to women in China? A year out from the US election what matters to people in Japan and Australia? It's a very big mistake to not be doing more to protect giant sequoias and it's also a mistake to blame rats for the plague. 

If you are taking the penalty kick in soccer which way would you go? What happens to your body after a year in space and just how dirty did operating theatres used to be? What's your idea of Utopia and who have you left out?

Why does a Dubai Sheikh want to take control of vast amounts of land across Africa, and how will 2000 rhinos be rewilded in the next 10 years? Why do our young people not feels safe and is it possible to have a moral change of heart? 

Is China living in Russia's shadow? Can we compare the Gutenberg Bible to the first iPhone? Why did so many friendships fall apart in post communist Europe and why do we name things after people? Hello Mr Coronavirus, Lady Luck is with Hurricane Tammy right now.

The censorship bureaucracy is all around us, how do we break it down? Why are we so gloomy and what is going on in the captive lion industry in South Africa? Would we better off trying to learn other peoples perspective? 

Who decides the circumstances behind cancelling someone? Why is America electing mostly old men. Energy transitions are difficult but we need to have one. What can we learn from past transitions? Plus tips on how to say no and mean it. 

Does China have a youth unemployment problem? It does have a problem with Japan but is it real or a bit of a distraction? The world eats a lot of chickens but will eat it chicken grown in a lab? Bushfire season is upon us, will it be as devastating as the ones that have come before or might they be even worse? 

Libya is cleaning up after an earthquake. Should countries who can afford it give more? What's it like to live in a city with no government? Should we still be going into space and how to make a decision when you have multiple options

Tackling key social, economic and cultural issues in Australian life, challenging assumptions.

Is the UN climate neutral? Have we lost the art of conversation with each other and it is adding to the political hate we are experiencing? How important are symbols during a war - just ask the Ukranian people about  Bakhmut

Are we about to see less tanks and more drones in warfare? Should gun violence be treated as public heath issue?  Is the Chinese century already over and is civility a sign of weakness? Are you in the exhausted majority or the loud  minority?

An optimistic take on the inter-generational report, stem cells that can repair teeth naturally, young Chinese men braving jungles and bandits to enter the US – spies or desperate refugees? And embroidery tells the story of South Africa's domestic violence epidemic.

Argentina could be heading in a free market direction with a new and flamboyant potential leader, China’s haunting EV graveyards. How good design could make cities less lonely, and the UK’s new super sniffers.  

Democracy is rapidly becoming an endangered concept in South East Asia. How one tagged tuna set science right and helped save the species. Why the anti-woke shouldn’t get too close to the religious right even when they appear to be in agreement, and good biodiversity news with the discovery of two tiny new mammals.

How the dream of geo-engineering weather, redirecting cyclones and creating rain could turn very nasty in the wrong hands, Indonesia gets tough about accepting our old plastic, Iran's lithium discovery and how it could affect the world economy and why we need more birds in our cities.

Europe has had a record breaking fire ravaged summer but is calling it global boiling unnecessarily alarming rhetoric? Depressed dogs may need psychiatric help just like humans. PNG is suddenly looking very attractive to the US as the superpower seeks strategic advantage in the Indo Pacific . AI is set to unimaginably change our lives – but could it also affect the way we are governed? And popping the question in style.

Megacities are a glamorous idea but would anyone want to actually live in one? Psychedelics back in vogue but this time it's not peace love and music but as a treatment for depression. 

How the US secretly used women in combat in Afghanistan. 'Zombie' drug fentanyl lays waste to San Francisco. Critical Race theory dismissed as a 'pseudoscience', and why birds love our trash.

Were we actually traumatised by Covid? Dr Michael Scheeringa, author of The Trouble with Trauma says the expanding definition of trauma and PTSD is affecting the world of psychology and psychiatry. Also, Irish writer Aiden Hart takes us on a trip through the big things of history, an underground movement in Britain is helping save the beaver and the moon is moving away from Earth, but no need to stop writing songs about it yet.

Cancel culture is an echo of heresy, it is encouraging  fundamentalist attitudes that threaten freedom of speech. Are there signs of a social revolution in North Korea? We should remember that AI for all its cleverness is still just a tool. Diaries are often the most important record of what was really happening in an era in history.

How is the Global South responding to the war in Ukraine and  rising tensions between China and The U.S? Should you retract a paper even if the findings are correct? Do bushfires change peoples perceptions on climate change? Hmmm it depends and time for a bowl of hot home made soup.

What do we think of ourselves, our nation and the future? The 2023 Lowy Institute Poll knows all. Why are we talking through and over each other and not to each other. Cancelling people isn't new so how did it happen before and why was Stalin so good at it. Plus the terrible effect bushfires have on invertebrates. 

Who is Xi Jinping? What was his childhood like and how much has it effected the man he has become? NATO Is moving into the Indo-Pacific, what does that mean? Nobody likes being duped and the fear of it can make us anxious, why?  

What is the cost of dissent? Why are Indian trade practises holding the country back? Are we all reading news and opinions we agree with and have new niche markets made the polarisation of news even worse? Why did people in ancient Mesopotamia bury their dead under the floor?

Are we moving towards a new world order? What happened when China and Kenya built a railway and should we be naming plants and animals after people? Why do Canadian Jays throw their siblings out of the nest? 

When it comes to social mobility what's more important class or race? Is A. I. really a scary beast? Instead of being woke how about being compassionate? The best fire management system in the world is right here in Northern Australian.

Tackling key social, economic and cultural issues in Australian life, challenging assumptions.

Just how effective can a new treaty on high seas conservation be? Is colonialism all bad and is irritation the song of anger? Plus Pygmy Possums and Bogong moths.

Russia is moving troops from the Chinese border to fight in Ukraine. What will Xi do?  Focusing on yourself is all the rage but where does it leave the rule of law? Why the era of building dams is over and what's best a tractor or a drone? 

Do trigger warnings do more harm than good? Why does South Korea want nuclear weapons? The remarkable story of Hope and what do birds and humans have in common? 

Are there limits to Libertarianism? Are economic sanctions always bad and why are English Departments around the world in crisis. Plus nature repair markets.

Why can we visit Gallipoli site and why does Turkey take such good care it? Why has language become a battlefield in Ukraine and how do you define masculinity? 

Is it time to end multilateral agreements and enter into minilateral ones? China is transforming from a factory to a market place, what does that mean. Cute authoritarianism is every where but it's not very cuddly.

Is social media really to blame for all of our ills? What happens to solar panels after they have stopped working and how to have a difficult conversation and still be heard and understood.

Can we compare Stalin and Putin and does AUKUS really matter? Why is Europe looking to Africa for fuel and some animals are back from the brink of extinction. How?

The looming demographic problem in China and corruption in Cambodia. Medieval baby care and the collapse of concrete.

Can China become a media superpower and can Australia and India become better mates? Is banning words and rewriting books really necessary? Can cold blooded  survive in a warming world?

We should be using more not less energy to help mitigate the effects of climate change. What is disturbance ecology and how was it shaped by the nuclear tests of the 1940's on.  The Japanese concept of hitozukuri, ie a 'made person' was used in their education policies. How did it go? 

Who has the most power in Asia right now? Why are Putin and his cronies getting richer and richer? Why is it so hard to quit coal and the terrible experiences of women scientists in Australia have to go through if they want to work in their field.

Tackling key social, economic and cultural issues in Australian life, challenging assumptions.

Should we be preparing to fight wars that we can win? Why do people and countries crack up? What is Italian food really and what's happening at the North Head Sanctuary in Sydney? 

Is Beijing in retreat? What are optimistic nihilists and what do they think of the world? Are you normal? There is no such thing. Bio-plastics were supposed to help but they don't, they make it worse.

Can right-wing terrorist funding be compared to whac-a -mole? Are people who glue themselves to artwork moral toddlers? Why do some seemingly successful farmers fail and what happens when a ship is caught shark finning illegally? 

Could mental illness be more than dysfunction? How do animals gain and hold power? What does water want and why are rewilding inverterbrates?

Has American life become stupid? If it has what does it have to do with Twitter and Facebook? Why are more and more Chinese moving to the countryside? Superheroes, they have been around forever so why are the cureent movies getting a bit of h

Hey you, yes you, you're wonderful. Yes, you really are. Does trashy media rot your brain? Diversity is all the rage but is it worth it and are we really better than animals?

Can we lighten our mental load by being cheerful? What is oikophobia and why might it be dangerous? Are inventors  disrupters? Do they need to be? Would you take a placebo? What if it actually worked? 

Tackling key social, economic and cultural issues in Australian life, challenging assumptions.

Is the European Union still united? Does it matter? Why do Buddhists kill and is there any hidden meaning behind the giving and receiving of gifts? Did you know that moving endangered species might actually save them?

Can we compare the propaganda of culture in Stalinist Russia to today?  Why do social media followers resemble birds and can a flood ever be a good thing. Plus the sand battery and how it may just transform clean energy

Why aren't there more women in power in China? How we can use anxiety to our advantage and why all invasive species aren't bad....except the cane toad.

Is Russia on the verge of collapse? It's our life, shoudl it also be our death? What should we do with any excess masks and gloves and COVID-19 in animals - we give it to them.

Why did Putin really invade Ukraine? For Russia or for himself? How much influence has America had over China? They've certainly embraced social media and influencers but to what extent? 

Are we really going through an energy transition or has the use of coal actually increased over recent years? Why is ASEAN so divided right now? What is behind the glittery facade of A.I. and why have some creatures remained unchanged for millions and millions of years?

What happens in the school run by Britain's strictest head teacher?  Here's a hint...ssshhhh. AI can be the stuff of nightmares but did you know it can also write a book, just put it in a couple of lines and it will write a story based on what you asked for. Perhaps in the language of Shakespeare or maybe Austen. What's better being strong r being shrewd. In the animal world that difference matters and shrewdness wins almost every time. 

Are Australian cities in decline and if they are is it because of COVID-19 or bad planning decisions? Are we in an environmental paradox with mining for car batteries? W hat happened when India introduced some cheetahs and just how sacred are cows in India? 

Has the invasion of Ukraine created an opportunity for revitalising the West? Are the United States and China living through a gilded age? Is the rush for electric cars ruining the environment and is doing good things is good for you, isn't it? 

How will China balance it's no-limit friendship with Russia in light of events in Ukraine? ESG is the new business buzz but what does it mean and how will it work?  Plus what did kids play with in ancient times and why might fish poo help with coral bleaching? 

How are Russian sanctions viewed in Russia and what role does luck play in war and life? Plus how do we know what we don't know and how do we know we need to know it?

One of the tensions in the world right now is wether or not China will invade Taiwan. If that did happen two immediate risks would be '(a) potential disruptions to digital flows from vulnerable submarine cables with landing stations in Taiwan and (b) the delay or disruption of container shipments in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, and East China Sea'. Christine McDaniel reminds us that 'Taiwan has an outsized role in the global advanced semiconductor chip industry, and disruptions to the supply of these chips or to US companies’ digital communications with Taiwanese partners would unsettle the US tech sector and nearly every industry that uses advanced computer chips'. That' people’s day-to-day lives increasingly rely on wireless connectivity, but the bedrock of the internet is submarine cables lining the ocean floor'. She says that  'new evidence reveals the points of interest for China, which include economic centers, potential military locations, and submarine cable landing stations' and believes that we need to 'work with Taiwanese authorities and other Indo-Pacific allies and partners to improve security for submarine cables and their landing stations, as well as engage in contingency planning for container shipping traffic Then, (at 18 mins) we tend to think that hygiene was not as significant in medieval times as it is today. But, as Katherine Harvey points out, 'the filthiness of medieval people should not be exaggerated. Much evidence shows that personal hygiene mattered..., that they made an effort to keep clean. Popular advice books recommended washing the hands, face and teeth on rising, plus further handwashing throughout the day'. They were also told to frequently launder their clothes and to change their underwear every day.That is, unless you were a member of the clergy. They embraced lice and other parasites as a sign of devotion, 'concealing their penitential garments, and the creatures that lived in them, under their splendid vestments. Also, (at 29 mins) if you were due to have an operation you would expect the hospital to be clean and as germ free as possible. The operating theatre itself would be pristine and the risk of infection from airborne germs, minuscule. It wasn't always like that. Richard Hollingham takes us back to before things were clean, when 'surgeons wore their outdoor coats, the bed linen wasn’t washed regularly, they carried their instruments around in their pockets. Some surgeons even proudly reused bandages and dressings between patients, preferring not to waste valuable hospital resource'. This all changed, he explains, with Joseph Lister and carbolic acid, first poured directly into the wound and then as a spray in the operating theatre to stope the spread of germs. Between Lister and Florence Nightingale, who insisted on' the importance of handwashing, hygiene and ventilation, as well as how to make patients feel comfortable and cared-for'., the operating theatre became a much safer place. Then, (at 43 mins) Amanda gets on her soapbox to rant about our energy use. Finally (at 44 mins) how much water do plants actually need to grow?  Dr Lucas Cernusak reminds us that 'plants are mostly made up of water – about 80% by weight. So we might expect plants would need around four grams of water for each gram of dry mass to achieve their ideal level of hydration'. They need a lot more  'water to grow. To produce one gram of new dry mass, a plant needs about 300 grams of water'. He tells us about stomata which is on the leaves, and what happens when they open and shut'. He tells about a 15 year study that has been looking at stomata and says that ' it appears plants can effectively control water loss from their leaves while stomata remain open, allowing carbon dioxide to continue diffusing into the leaf to support photosynthesis. And that 'over the coming decades, global warming will make the atmosphere increasingly thirsty for evaporated water. We are pleased to report that nature may yet reveal secrets that can be harnessed to boost plant production with limited water resources'.

What does God smell like? Maybe violets or perhaps freshly made coffee? Why do we have to die and why were we all moved by the images the James Webb telescope? Also rewilding, bringing the bison and other large animals back to where they belong.

Are there really reasons to be cheerful? Maybe or maybe not but smile, it's infectious! Are liberalism and conservatism different sides of the same coin? Does nudge theory work and how can our animals cross the road without being hit by a car?

Do you know how fabulous you are? How truly wonderful your existence is? Take a moment and bask in the wonder that is you. Then have a think about innovators, do they have to be disruptive and even if they do, are they actually, more than anything else, clever marketing people? Is ageing a disease and why tree planting projects aren't always a good thing.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where to next for democracy and autocracy divide in Europe? What happens when Chinese female students go home after studying abroad. Do we really need to do hard things more often and what do the tn lids have to say about that? 

It doesn't always seem as if China is a part of the real world. Usually, it is seen as representing a different 'other' to us. Why is that? Are you a tolerant person and what does that even mean? Is being tolerant more difficult than being indifferent? When did Australian children get to read about Australian fairy rather than European ones filled with Kings and Queens  and castles? 

Is Russian oil in decline, and if it is, is it the result of the war with Ukraine? One of the distinguishing features of the invasion of Ukraine was the amount of people willing to take up arms to defend their homeland. Would you be prepared to do the same? The 'Plant Destroyer' is here to stay and would be better off thinking of ourselves as Earth's Aunties' and Uncles?

China's rapidly evolving social media industry is being used to influence audiences within and beyond it's territory. How invasive is it and can anything be done? There used to be a bit of a digital regime in Asia, what happened to it? Plus can Indigenous knowledge of fire and the land be called science? How could it not. And might the genetics of ancient tress be the thing that saves them?

In 1990 Boris Yeltsin gave a speech in Kyiv to announce that Ukraine was free at last. What happened? The crises we face today are global in nature and more frequent, do we need a global approach to fix them? Does trashy media really rot your brain? People have being say that it does ever since the invention of the printing press but is it true? Plus the fascinating history and hopeful survival of the nautilis.

In the wake of COVID and the war in Ukraine is it time to rethink global supply chain models? Is the war putting green tech progres in jeopardy? China's populations is shrinking and ageing, what does that mean for China and the world? What does recently discovered children's rock from the Ice Ages tell us about their lives and their place in the family?

Is Myanmar both a tragedy and a wicked problem and what does it mean for the promised 2023 election? If it goes ahead will it be free and fare or a farce? If the US goes to war with China should Australia follow? Perhaps we need to look back to go forward. The fascinating history of the smile, especially in art and is there an alternative to wind farms? Sure is..flying a kite!

What does having a worthwhile life mean? Is it all about academic achievement and a high wage or it something more? How dangerous and how prevalent is piracy in Southeast Asian waters? Hint, just under a half of all pirate attacks so far this year have occurred in these waters. Superhero movies have recently had their share of naysayers but have they got it all wrong? Space is not the vast empty nothingness we think it is. To protect it should we start thinking of space as an eco-system?

Is it time to decolonize Russia? What is the best and worst city to be living in right now? Hint one is Vienna and the other is Damascus. We trust our plumbers but not our politicians, why is that? And the stinging nettle plant, sure the sting has a bite but the potential uses for this plant are endless.

Why has Russia's military been so weak against Ukraine? Is this a new thing or more of a case of ever thus? Antarctica is the most protected and yet the most threatened place on earth. How do we solve this paradox? Did you know that there has been a surge in saltiness in all inhabited continents today. How has it gotten this bad and have we left it too late to do anything? How quickly are wild animals evolving and adapting to problems such as climate change? Quicker than you think.

Has American life become 'uniquely stupid? If so how did it happen and what does it have to do with a like button? We need to start feeding the earth, after all it feeds us, but with what? We have the answer in our bodies right now. The world wars produced some of the greatest poetry we know, why have recent conflicts not done the same?

What is China saying on social media about the war in Ukraine? Might the war offer opportunities to revive the WTO? The planet is now a political entity, how did that happen? Plus we are on the verge of a green steel revolution. If so, how will it work?

What does French President Emmanuel Macron actually stand for? What is Macronism? Why are some shipping companies avoiding the rules and regulations when it comes to the breaking up of ships and what are they doing instead? Nothing good. Plus Chinese people are moving from the city to the country in search of a better life and the gross yet amazing things that animals do to find a mate and to protect themselves.

Asa result of the invasion of Ukraine should Australia be looking to strengthen its relationship with Europe? Diversity is all the rage but is it all that it's meant to be? Do human beings really have a higher moral value than animals and how much could we learn if instead of architects digging up castles and tombs of noblemen and queens, they concentrated on how the ordinary people lived in ancient times.

What if anything can China and Xi learn from the invasion of Ukraine? Were the reports that said that COVID had brought the end of the era of globalisation greatly exaggerated? Do you get FOMO and should we be able to experiment and fail at work sometimes?

Does Australia have a fuel security problem? Is there a human cost to decarbonising the global economy and how high is it? Why are Indigenous voices missing from the space race and what can be done to fix it and what is life like in Transnistria and other breakaway states?

Might the Shanghai lockdown be the beginning of the end for Xi? What are the UN doing about the situation in Ukraine and what might the hugely successful way Ukrainians' have used the internet during this war mean for Big Tech? Plus lighting the way forward using plants and animals.

It used to be that most startups could be found in Silicon Valley or Seattle, that is no longer the case. Now they can be found almost anywhere. How did that happen? History has a habit of repeating itself; why don't we notice? We also haven't noticed that we are losing the sounds of birds and animals and if we don't start paying attention there will only be the sounds of sile

Can we compare Putin's leadership with that of the Queen? What is oikophobia and do you have any? Plus women in military bands and how about some boiled tongue for dinner tonight?

Does the rules-based international order actually exist or is it just a bit of a myth? What about the grey zone or even natural laws? Do they work, can they be broken and why do they matter? Plus placebo's. They can actually work even when you know it's a placebo.

Does on-line hate speech really lead to real world extremism? What effect does banning this kind of hate speech have and could it be just as potentially harmful as the speech itself?

In these confusing and confronting times might there be some ancient wisdom that we could turn to that will help guide us through? Have Russia and Ukraine always been so inextricably linked? Are there limits to libertarianism and are all natural disasters the result of climate change?

The Dutch are famous for more than clogs and tulips and cheese, they are also famous for free speech. This contributed to making the Dutch Republic an early modern epicentre of art, learning, publishing, philosophy, and science. What do our Asian neighbours think about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and what does the invasion mean for cyberwarfare. Are you happy? Or maybe content? Which is better?

What is hot capital and why is it on the rise? How big is the threat of chemical waste in our oceans and what can we do about it? Not all fringe ideas are nonsense, some will lead to something important but how do we tell the difference and what happened to the tree seeds on Apollo 14? Are they lost?

The world is full of brilliant jerks, that is people who are leaders that have distasteful traits. How do we balance the very best of them with the very worst? Plus the growth and growth of the Chinese space program and do you hear that bird chirping? Is it saying anything in particular? Probably.

Where are all of the used masks and personal protective equipment, along with used test kits and discarded vaccine syringes ending up? The ocean. Why? What does history tell us about dictators, particularly in China and Russia, and does that help explain what is happening in both countries now? Why 'Do Your Research' is so manipulative and the worst year on record...it's not 2020, 21 or 22.

Can we use the same methods as intelligence officers do to help plan for our own future? Did you know that India has some of the most spectacular fossils on the planet, including the Rajasaurus narmaadensis? Plus has work taken over our lives and laughing out loud at the wrong time.

What is Putin really doing on the Ukraine border? Trying to start a war or a conversation?  In their opposition to nuclear power, have environmentalists become a bigger threat to effective climate policy than deniers? Plus Victorian era values in our inventors and entrepreneurs and why if you care about animals you should eat them .

Chinese children have some new text books featuring Grandpa Xi. They feature his wisdom and caring nature but what is behind the every growing personality cult of Xi Jinping? Why are wealthier countries trying to stop fossil fuel projects in Africa? Afterall the average Tanzanian used only one-sixth the electricity consumed by a typical American refrigerator. Plus the wonderful Hudsonian Godwit and the clever tricks of the Opossum

If we looked back at ourselves in 10,000 years time what would we think of now and how we get here? What is the difference between a liberal and a progressive and where did the concept of a seven day week come from? What can we learn from statues and what do they really represent?

Is there such a thing as the mind and if there is where is it? Do you believe in weird things? What will the world look like after humans? Will there still be life? There is a lot of plastic in the ocean and so far we don't have any method to remove to remove it. Why not?

Did you know that each year around 4.5 million people are bitten by venomous snakes resulting in 138,000 deaths? How can we stop that? Are the hand gestures that we use when speaking universal or do they differ from country to country? What happened when the first women in America to become dean of a medical school took her students to a clinical medical lecture and how important was Iceland in the second World War?

Have you heard of seafood slavery? Right now thousands of men are stuck on boats at seas, what will happen to them? How innovative is language and just how and why does it change? How did Ancient Rome treat outsiders and the various ethnic tribes surrounding it? How important are black swans to both European and Indigenous history?

Have you ever walked out of one room and into another and forgotten why you were there? Should we be planting more and more trees wherever there is a space or should we be thinking more carefully about where to put them? Are bees and other insects about to die out, never to return

Was the decline of the Roman Empire a very good thing for humanity? We can learn a lot about a population by what they flush down their toilets. Why are Americans so hesitant to engage in waste water studies? How can you argue well and why do you need to and why does the Japanese Navy have a Curry Friday? ?

How much have captives' or slaves influenced those who took them? It turns out, quite a lot! What makes someone a genius? High IQ or something else? Why do we think think that Africa didn't have scripts and what has it got to do with the fall of Carthage? Anyone for a glass of zesty lime green tree ant infused gin?

Did gunpowder change the world, especially the Medieval World? What is an emotion and why is it so complicated. The changing nature of loss aversion and poo. We generate a lot of it, what can we do with it?

Why is Iran joining the Shanghai Cooperation organisation? How easy is it to succumb to tyranny? The changing way wars will be fought and the remarkable story of Dr Alice Hamilton.

Right now it seems like everybody wants to be engaged with Southeast Asia, where does Australia fit in? Is longtermism a dangerous way to think? Who was Benjamin Jetsy and what does he have to do with the smallpox vaccine and a new citizen science project in Tasmania that is helping with conservation.

Does ASEAN have a position on Myanmar? Are you a fox or a hedgehog when it comes to globalization? What makes a good literary hoax and is the recent one in Spain harmless or not? Will our dogs survive if humans are no longer on the earth?

Can positive discrimination do more harm than good? Mandatory vaccinations have been around for centuries so just how effective are they? Do humans perceive time differently to nature and why are birds egg coloured?

Is there more to AUKUS than nuclear powered submarines? What is China doing in Guinea in West Africa and what does it mean for Australia? What is the Non-Aligned Movement and what happened at it's 60th anniversary commemorative summit and how does a country chose what its national language will be?

Does the Biden Presidency have a plan for the Indo-Pacific? Doesn't seem like it. Can the Bible be read as work of literature rather than a scripture? How important were female healthcare givers in the medieval world and do humans and animals have the same moral value?

Power can good and bad. How can we make sure that it's good? Responsibility is key. Madam Curie changed the world with the discovery of radium including how old the earth could be and how long it might last. Opossums play dead when they need to but what do we mean by playing dead and the wonderful world of birds.

How did the 'culture wars' begin and what keeps it going? It's more than the left/right divide. How much of Angela Merkel's success can be attributed to the fact she is a scientist? What is tongue therapy and why are being people getting their tongues cut? There is a lot of plastic in the ocean and so far we don't have any method to remove to remove it. Why not?

Working from home over the last 18 months or so has been one of the greatest disruptions to work in generations, so what have we learnt about the way in which we work? When we say The West what do we actually mean? Can you toilet train a cow and why would you want to? The fabulous tale of a an eagle that lived in South Australia around 25 million years ago.

Is there more to AUKUS than nuclear-powered submarines? The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has depended on ordering vaccines from overseas. Why can't we make our own? Is there a link between cancel culture and torture and can air pollution be captured and turned into something else?

Do the shifting demands of climate change, COVID and China mean that we need some new thinking around trade, investment and the economy? Is it time to open our borders and stop being fortress Australia? Did you know that adding rock dust to soil can help get carbon into the ground and the fascinating and cautiously optimistic world of tuna.

Has the US withdrawal from Afghanistan created a power vacuum in the region that will be filled by either China or Russia and what might that mean for the Gulf states? Is there such a thing as the mind and if there is where is it? Indigenous technology could benefit all of society and could help us all connect with Indigenous culture that continues to grow. Is there any future for the fishers and seabirds in Patagonia?

After the seemingly chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan should the United States pivot away from nation-building and toward global governance? Mass vaccinations mean that the end of COVID-19 is coming ever closer. Does the thought of reopening society make you anxious? Are the hand gestures that we use when speaking universal and the fascinating history of a most unlikely bird of prey.

Are we about to see a new kind of globalisation or it already here? Who is ranked first in the Economist Intelligence Unit's Safe City Index of 2021 and did any cities in Australian make the top ten? The dangers of light pollution and how did the Orangutan get its name?

Although a military conflict between China and Australia is highly unlikely, if it did happen would we be prepared? The story of ANZUS and Percy Spender and might you be a Luddite? Should you be one? Can todays woke ideology be compared to Stalinist Russia?

Has civil society become a luxury good? How can you argue well and why do you need to? Did you know that there are still people who believe that the earth is flat and why has the night sky dimmed?

Are there foreign agents working in Australia right now and if so, where are they from? We have a huge supply of rare-earth minerals in this country so why are we exporting them rather than manufacturing them? What happened when the smallpox vaccine was rolled out and what do you think birds use to make their nests nowadays?

Who are the sense-makers today? It used to be the clergy and the educated class including journalists but who is it now? Does society really benefit by acting in your own self interest or are we more connected than we ever thought possible? Are bees and other insects about to die out, never to return and how much do we really know about Neanderthals and their children?

Richard Branson started it, Jeff Bezos went further and Elon Musk wants to better them both. Billionaires in space, is it a vanity project or something more? How accurate are press releases based on abstracts, especially science abstracts? Can birds help preserve languages and cultures at risk of extinction and why has the Pangkarlangu returned?

When did inequality begin and why has it stayed? The Antarctic Treaty is 60 years old but is it still fit for purpose? Why do we think think that Africa didn't have scripts and what has it got to do with the fall of Carthage? There were large numbers of visitors to our shores before the arrival of Europeans. Recently found rock art explains who they were and why they came.

China has the world's largest economy and it shares a border with three of the world's least developed economies. What does that mean? Have you read many good stories about the COVID-19 pandemic? The are there even in the midst of the gloom. What happens if the ship you are in the Arctic runs aground and what do you know about Operation Barbarossa?

How do you build peace and have you heard of Jetson? It's a new military laser that can identify people by their heartbeat at a distance of 200 meters. How important are black swans to both European and Indigenous history? We are running out of room to bury the dead so what will happen to the bodies of those who die?

Is America really a white supremacist nation or like almost all other countries does it just have a dominant culture? Are we alone? Do you believe? Are UFO's real or just a trick of clever camera work? What was the Black is Beautiful movement and did it achieve what it wanted to do? How much influence did the Mongol Horde have on Russian civilisation? More than you think.

What if we're wrong about many things such as some aspects of COVID-19? What if what we have all accepted to be true isn't? How would we know unless someone spoke up? Are our lives ruled by the clock and if so why does it seem that sometimes time stands still? The complicated fascinating history of John James Audubon and his birds and why does the Japanese Navy have a Curry Friday?

Lone actor or self-activating terrorism has become a major security threat in Europe and around the world. How are they financed? Why has the argument for free speech shifted from one political view to the other? What happened when the first women in America to become dean of a medical school took her students to a clinical medical lecture and how important was Iceland in the second World War?

Is there a new kind of war, one that doesn't rely on brute force and aggression? Yes it's called land grabs. How did Ancient Rome treat outsiders and the various ethnic tribes surrounding it? Might the need for clothing, and not food, brought about the beginnings of agriculture and what has new research into the trade of whale bon weapons shown us?

Are humans responsible for the extinction of animals on islands? No we are not! What happened at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal? Is there a clear line between being alive and being declared brain dead or is it all just a bit fuzzy? Did you know that each year around 4.5 million people are bitten by venomous snakes resulting in 138,000 deaths? How can we stop that?

What effect will the dispute in Ladakh have on India's long -term strategic competition with China? Is the tragedy of the commons a myth and can we compare previous pandemics with COVID 19? 100 years after its inception is it more than a dream to suggest that Northern is moving ever closer to unification with Ireland?

Just how important is diversity in an organisation and can nostalgia be used to create a better workplace? How do you know what the right thing to do is when there is more than one option? Anyone for a glass of zesty lime green tree ant infused gin?

Globalism or nationalism, does it have to be an either/or or are they inextricably linked? Are high status people more likely to lie to protect their position and are the rest of us more likely to believe them? Better go and get yourselves a big cold glass of milk...or maybe not...perhaps a kidney transplant instead.

Over the last 12 months or so the relationship between China and Australia has been turbulent. Is this because of China's aggressive 'wolf warrior' diplomacy and how has the region responded? Why don't we hear about African terrorism and was the decline of the Roman Empire a very good thing for humanity? We can learn a lot about a population by what they flush down their toilets. Why are Americans so hesitant to engage in waste water studies?

What happened to social democracy? Individuals today are being seen by the colour of their skin and not the content of their character, but at what cost? Should we be planting more and more trees wherever there is a space or should we be thinking more carefully about where to put them?

In recent years it had seemed that democracy was being embraced in Southeast Asia. What happened? How have cities changed over the last year and after the abolition of slavery what happened in Africa, particularly in West Africa? Can miners and geologists work together to preserve and protect fossils? In New Zealand they .

As we slowly begin to emerge from the COVID_19 pandemic, what kind of shape is Australia in? How effective has the internet and social media been in the Myanmar coup? Very, if you're one of the ruling generals. Normally, if a cow has a disease that effects its ability to reproduce it's put down but what happens in India where cows are sacred? A species of bird is forgetting how to sing, can it be taught how to sing out loud ?

Is democracy under threat and if it is what can we do to reverse the trend and secure it into the future? Government rorts are infuriating. Why do they happen and why does there seem to be nothing can be done to stop them? Have you ever walked out of one room and into another and forgotten why you were there? Can there be some good news from fake news, especially for vulnerable wildlife? Yes there can.

Can maps be racist? Specifically, is the Mercator Projection, conceived in 1569 to help sailors navigate the oceans, racist? What, if anything, can bankers learn from pastoralists and what can nature teach us to avoid network collapse? Is your bunker ready for the apocalypse? Do you have food, water and medicine stashed away?

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused world-wide disruption but does this mean that Australia needs to change its strategies, particularly in Asia? In an age of fake news and polarizing political debate do we need to teach students more about, and have them practise, critical thinking? Was there ever really ancient environmental wisdom or is it a myth and are sulpher-crested cockatoos loveable larrikins or noisy pests?

What has been happening in Tigray, Ethiopia's most northern region, over recent months? Why don't we know more about this conflict and how might it end? In an attempt to overcome racism have we become more racist, however unintentionally? Did you know that in the early 1900's Thomas Edison drove an electric car driven by a nickel-iron battery? 100 years later this battery has come into it's own. Also, it's time to get up, the curious history of waking people up.

Is Alexei Navalny a serious threat to Vladimir Putin? How innovative is language and just how and why does it change? Have we confused knowledge with critical thinking and what's the difference between them? Scientist are looking to the past to predict the future, so where does a Spruce that was thought to be extinct fit in?

What is grey-zone aggression and why is it being used? Angela Merkel has a few months left as Chancellor, what can she achieve or what should be achieved before she does? Did countries in East Asia, with a focus on Japan, accept westernization when it came? Not as much as wight think they did. We hear a lot about England, Scotland and Northern Ireland but what about the other country in the United Kingdom, what about Wales? How has gone since the 1998 devolution?

Can the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) withstand China's increased activities in the region, and what, if anything, should Australia do about it? Have we reached 'conceptual overreach' when it comes to human rights, health and the law? It would seem so. Why do cognitive scientists and corporations see our minds as predictive machines and the story of Ham, the first chimp in space.

Why did the military takeover in Myanmar on the first day in February? Was it a coup, or was it just a kind of ministerial reshuffle? Can there be peace in the South China Sea? Perhaps a technocratic peace might work. Who funds NGO's? It's probably not who you think and Wikipedia has turned 20 so lets celebrate.

The Economist Intelligence Unity has just released its 2020 Democracy Index. Where does Australia rank and how do we compare with New Zealand? A map showing the sites of Indigenous massacres will hopefully be finalised by the end of the year. What does the map look like and what will it be used for? Have you heard of seafood slavery? Right now thousands of men are stuck on boats at seas, what will happen to them? What makes someone a genius? Is it a high IQ or something else?

A sceptic is someone who has not decided, or is not in a position to decide, what is true, right or good. Why then are sceptics now called deniers? As the impeachment trial of the former president begins, is there any precedent for impeaching people no longer in office? Yes there is and it's a gruesome tale. How much have captives' or slaves influenced those who took them? It turns out, quite a lot! We're told to just follow the science, but sometimes there are competing theories so who do you believe and why is that choice sometimes not easy?

Over the last couple of decades infrastructure spending, with the exception of China, has been decreasing. Why and how can it be lifted. Do urban ethnographers do more harm than good in speaking for Black communities? Do you have a fight or flight reaction when people stand too close to you? Why is that? Will The Peace Park in Myanmar be able to survive the troubles in Myanmar?

Can we move beyond the labels progressive and conservative? Why is Coon cheese getting a new name and how difficult will it be choosing a new one? Does science really have to be about hard facts? The fascinating history of dogs and are you feeling a bit peckish? Need a bit of a pick-me-up? How about some rhubarb sprinkled with some ground mummy?

How did Venice cope with the plague of 1575? By using a new practise called quarantine. An interesting tale about how carbolic acid has made surgery easier for everyone and the fascinating libertarian history of science fiction. How good are utopian fictions? Not at all. If you don't fit in, you're out.

Why are international borders causing so much anxiety over recent years? Did you hear the one about Stalin? Life under Russian dictator Joseph Stalin wasn't funny and yet there were jokes. What can the history of the Chinese tea trade tells us about the history of capitalism? Are they linked?

In recent times there has been much talk about the imminent collapse of the liberal rules based order with Russia and China citied as the main culprits for this destabilisation. Is it true? How did people in Ancient Greece cope with sickness? Can you hear any birds singing right now? Do you think that people in the ancient world heard the same kinds of birds in the same kind of numbers that we do today? When Siri or Alexa speak to you do you speak back? Might we be a little in love with your technology?

In 2018 Dr Frances Arnold was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Then she gave it back. Why At the turn of the 20th Century Australia went through a bit of a fortune telling craze. The practise was illegal and the police tried to prosecute where they could but the women survived and in some cases thrived. Alphabets are disappearing. There are between 6,000 to 7,000 languages in the world. Yet 96% are spoken by just 3% of the global population and 85% are endangered. What do barcodes and trains have in common? Without one we wouldn't have the other.

Why do regime changes rarely work? Would you buy something from a company if they didn't agree with the same causes that you do? Rules are everywhere. Some make perfect sense but others seem to be there simply to annoy us, so how do we know which ones to ignore or break and which ones to follow? Superman has saved the world countless times, he did other things too, but why are he and his superhero cohorts so popular today?

Is China the all powerful, all conquering nation that some believe it to be or is it 'in “decay” and beset by internal and regional challenges that will frustrate the nation’s grand ambitions'? Wokeness, cancel culture, and calling out have become almost a way of life in recent times. But instead of calling people out should we be calling them in? How safe are consumer goods in Australia and how can we make them safer? Just over 75 years ago the Nuremberg Trials began. How successful were they and how are they now remembered?

Australia has embraced the concept of a rules-based order but what does that actually mean? Instead of breaking up Big Tech can we create new technologies and new ways of living either with or without them? Can science measure free will? How? Alternate maps from alternate histories can teach us a lot, they're also fun. What would be your alternate map of Australia, would you change any State borders?

Can a pandemic be a source of wisdom? Yes it can! After the devasting effects of the last bush fire season do we need to learn how to live with fire? The fascinating history of the pall point pen and autopsies may be on the decline but they have taught us a lot about how COVID-19 affects the body and shown us more effective ways to treat it

Can COVID-19 change the way African cities are planned in the future? Can science measure wisdom and what is wisdom anyway? Can Darwinism and religion happily co-exist and now that we're not doing a lot of right now, how important is touch?

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we mark the end of the first World War and remember...what exactly and why? The United States, like Australia, is settled country and a migration nation, but has this meant that there isn't a shared sense of history? One of the biggest issues over the last few years has been identity politics. But not all identity categories are interchangeable, and some identities are much more powerful, and dangerous than others. have we reached a tipping point? What does that actually mean and if we have, what comes after?

How did individualism create our postmodern culture? What is conservatism and who is a conservative and does that depend on where you are? Why did thousands of people, including around 80 Australians, join the International Brigades and fight in the Spanish Civil War? How did we learn to breathe for each other, the moving history of the ventilator.

Is it possible to get back to the prosperity of the postwar years? Right now we're all being told to plant trees but is it really the right thing to do? Should we let mother nature just be? Rules, when should we obey them and when should we break them? Why is the Jet age important and how much did jets themselves define the era?

China is the world's biggest seafood exporter and the population consumes around a third of world's catch. How do they do it and at what consequence? Might facts be overrated and what can we learn about vaccinations from the 1976 swine-flu fiasco. What has 43 quintillion potential variations, has sold more than 350 million, and began as a spatial tool for people with science, math, or engineering backgrounds?

Imagined in 2001 and meeting since 2009, in 2020 just how successful has the BRICS grouping been and should it continue? Is Asia turning inwards? The Economist Intelligence Unit believes so. Was Milton Freidman right, or maybe half right. Is greed good? We all know that Australian lyrebirds are great mimics and that the male tail, when fanned out, is beautiful but did you also know that they are also ecosystem engineers?

Belarus is a country in turmoil, two months after the presidential election protests are still going on and the calls for a new election are getting louder. Can we compare what's happening here with the Ukranian protests of 2005 and 2013-2014? Why are conspiracies and conspiracy theorists' like QAnon, so popular in the United States right now? Did you know that there are about 200 contact languages in the world right now. Where are they and who is speaking them? Are you in the habit of dropping your apostrophes or using too many commas? The history and future of punctuation.

Is the silver lining of working from home an increase in productivity? How has this happened? The relationship between China and Taiwan is fraught with tension and right now that tension is being played out in a dispute over a bird conservation group. There's new documentary called Juice. It's abut electricity and those who have it and those who don't and an interesting tale about how carbolic acid has made surgery easier for everyone.

Recently there have been calls for Australia to decouple from China but is this really a good idea? Identity politics is all the rage right now and as such we appear to be living in an era in which people are more often rewarded for their identities, especially if it’s a victim identity, rather than for their achievements. Why is that? Why do cities get built where they do, what are they hoping to achieve and what happened to tact?

The ammonium nitrate blast in the Port of Beirut on 4th August was devastating. What effect did it have on internal politics in Lebanon? What does the UAE's agreement with Israel mean for the rest of the Middle East. Does Big tech need to be regulated? Perhaps the comic book industry can show the way to do it effectively and with consumer support. How good are utopian fictions? Not at all. If you don't fit in, you're out.

As his party votes for a new leader how will Shinzo Abe be remembered? What were some of the successes and failures of the longest serving prime Minister in Japanese history? Should some Australian universities consider merging? Consolidation may offer a better long-term path to sustainability. Can we compare this US election campaign, with Donald Trump and Joe Biden, with the 1948 campaign of Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey? Can you hear any birds singing right now? Do you think that people in the ancient world heard the same kinds of birds in the same kind of numbers that we do today?

Around the world countries have 'radical and previously unthinkable policies to counter the spread of the coronavirus pandemic'. What does this mean, if anything, for democracy? Have you noticed a change in how some products and companies are advertised? Many have gone from aspirational to woke. Why? Feeling a bit peckish? Need a bit of a pick-me-up? How about some rhubarb sprinkled with some ground mummy? What is the Indigenous concept of deep time and how can it help with bushfire and other environmental issues?

75 years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki what is the nuclear future of the world? Do the woke left and the alt-right have more in common than they might think? Yes they do. Who should you believe? An expert or someone on twitter? The person who says they have all of the answers or the person who doesn't have the answer right now? How can we hear what's happening deep in a forest or in the middle of a wasteland? Bioacoustics.

What is American conservatism and is it the same, or similar to, nationalism? What is the history of philanthropy and how has it changed in recent times from small micro loans to million dollar projects that may or may not be completed? Who will run the post-COVID world and how can we make sure it won't be Russia, China or the United States? The internet and social media promised so much. What happened?

In many ways it seems as if the response to the coronavirus, especially in the United States, has been chaotic and irrational but is this really the case? Game theory can explain everything. In recent times Russia has begun to shift its thinking to Asia. However, infrastructure, especially in the Russian far east, is holding it back. Have you ever heard the saying 'go woke or go broke' or even 'get woke, go broke'? Which one is right? Is woke capitalism profitable? There's a new way to test for coronavirus. Sniffer dogs. How does that work?

In recent times there has been much talk about the imminent collapse of the liberal rules based order with Russia and China citied as the main culprits for this destabilisation. Is it true? Should nations be telling other nations what to do and how to act or should they be minding their own business? Statues are being torn down across the United States right now, including statues of Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Why? How do you see into a black hole or into the depths of the oceans? Is it all skill or all imagination?

We've all heard about China's Belt and Road Initiative, which has been making news since it was launched at the end of 2013, but when and how did China start its push westward and how did they do it? They built roads. Cybersecurity is about preparing the nation from a cyber attack from a hostile government or organisation. How are doing with that, not so well. The world's poorest countries are often troubled by huge amounts of foreign debt but for some of these countries the COVID-19 pandemic has made their debt situation even worse. Can anything be done? Yes, SDR's. Fish pirates may be a great title for a movie but in the real world just how much of a problem are they? We follow the pursuit and capture of one boat, the Andrey Dogov

What is the difference between a riot and a protest and does that depend on who you ask? What would happen if the liberal order, set up in the aftermath of the second World War as a set of international institutions agreed upon by nation states, collapsed? The Australian Space Agency was established in July 2018. Two years later, how do we compare to the rest of the world? Plus the fascinating libertarian history of science fiction.

Are we seeing a new kind of iconoclasm? That is, are statues being torn down, most notably in the UK and US, to erase the history of almost anyone without any kind of consent? Targeted cyberattacks are growing in frequency, most recently with medical research centres and hospitals being attacked by 'hostile state actors'. The country that is doing the most about this is Estonia. How? How did the Kim dynasty come to power and stay there in North Korea? By telling a powerful fiction and keep telling it and telling it and growing it. It's often thought that the Catholic Church and science are diametrically opposed, with Galileo being offered as the perfect example of this incompatibility. Is this really the case or might the Catholic Church have given birth to science?

Who is responsible for the crisis in American cities right now? Is it the rich, or corporations, or the system or might it be the city leaders themselves? Who do you think the most influential person in modern history is? Might it be the man who was responsible for the beginning of the start of the first World War? How might Europe have a credible and autonomous defence policy and why does it involve the UK? Is nostalgia a guilty pleasure or a launch pad for your future? Pass me my cabbage patch doll and we'll find out.

Is racism just about black and white or something more? Where has our sense of grandeur gone and can we get it back? Washing our hands is really important right now but germs and viruses are also important, so how can we make sure we aren't killing any good germs or bacteria or haver the times overtaken us? Termites produce methane gas the same way we all do but their mounds filter about half of it out. How and why is that potentially very important?

How does China maintain its influence over other countries, and within those countries, the Chinese community? Australia is a middle power, as is New Zealand and a host of other countries including South Korea, but why is it known as a middle power like no other? How did Venice cope with the plague of 1575? By using a new practise called quarantine. The kauri trees of New Zealand are in trouble. Can they be saved? How?

Is phrenology making a comeback in the form of facial recognition technology? The history of gibberish shows that saying coochy coo to a baby is a good thing. Why is still so difficult to find flour to feed your mother and why aren't the fields of animal health and human health closer?

What is behind some of the most fanciful conspiracy theories of the COVID-19 pandemic? How do you know what science to believe and when to believe it? What can the history of the Chinese tea trade tells us about the history of capitalism? Are they linked? What is the ancient world's best kept secret and what does it have to do with whiteness?

What will Angela Merkel's European legacy be? What will war look like in the future? The RAND Corporation have published a report assessing the future of warfare. What does it say? Is being angry a waste of energy or can it be constructively used for your greater good? Right now the world is relying on epidemiologists to get us through the COVID-10 pandemic, but who modelled diseases before this branch of medicine was founded? Astrologists.

Are we more connected than we thought we were? Why is the kind of language that is used during war time being used now? If there is a lighter side to COVID-19 it is in some of the new sayings and terms being used? For example, would you like a quarantini at your is isodesk while we're living through this Miley? Kangaroos have not always been an Australian icon, a new book looks at how they were hunted and killed and portrayed during colonial times.

Is Libya headed for partition? As China and the US increasingly view each other with suspicion, what challenges will Australia face? Why do you believe what you do? Is it because of where you lived and how you were raised? Did you know that cattle produce more methane gas than many large countries, and that most of it is a result of burping?

What might post COVID-19 China look like? Will they lead the global economic revival or will it struggle? Why are international borders causing so much anxiety over recent years? Are we at the Kindleberger moment and what is it anyway and was the collapse of Virgin Australia inevitable?

What will happen to agriculture after COVID-19, will it be business as usual? Italy may have just eased some restrictions after a complete lockdown but their troubles are far from over. We hear a lot about the scientific modelling that is guiding our response to COVID-19 but what actually is scientific modelling? What is a hero?

While we've been paying attention to COVID-19 another killer has been on the loose. That killer is ISIS and they bombing Sikhs in Afghanistan. Last year roughly 155, 732 people died around the world every day. Death, just like tax, is normal, that is, until now. Are you working from home right now? Are you enjoying it? The benefits of working from home have been talked about for the last 50 years. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, or live close to a park, now is the time to go out and explore and watch.

Can we trust China? How? The internet has changed the world but has it also created 'unprecedented concentrations of power, which are making society not only less transparent, but more brittle as well'? Can we compare COVID -19 to the Black Death? Are we nearly at the point, with social media, of needing to legislate and police friendship?

Will globalisation survive the COVID-19 pandemic? What are some examples of successful public health polices? In the immediate aftermath of BREXIT many British academics and commentators claimed that people voted Leave because they were racist or were yearning for Empire and the good old days. Is this true? How good is your nose? It's all kinds of brilliant!

President Xi Jinping's rule of China is seemingly absolute, but is all as it seems? Outbreaks of animal-borne and other infectious diseases like Ebola, SARS, bird-flu and CVID-19, are on the rise around the world. Why? How did people in Ancient Greece cope with sickness and disease and how clean is the International Space Station?

Is Narendra Modi's India a democracy in peril? Might COVID-19 be a disaster without precedent? Civilization has brought millions of people out of poverty, out of hunger, and saved millions of lives, so why does it seem that some academics want to destroy it? Emotions can be tricky and unpredictable but should we be using them more to help us face some of our most pressing problems?

Would you buy something from a company if they didn't agree with the same causes that you do? We know, or have heard about, Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Revolution but did you know that he also went to the Middle East? We know the best way of avoiding the spread of COVID-19 is to isolate citizens and adopt stringent hygiene standards. How is this interpreted around the world? When Siri or Alexa speak to you do you speak back? Might we be a little in love with your technology?

How stable are the autocratic regimes in the Middle East? After the Arab Spring it seemed like possibly the end of authoritarian rule in the region, but was it? Why are there different reactions to COVID-19? Who is getting on with their lives and who is not? Rules are everywhere. Some make perfect sense but others seem to be there simply to annoy us, so how do we know which ones to ignore or break and which ones to follow? Superman has saved the world countless times, he did other things too, but why are he and his superhero cohorts so popular today?

The United States now has to share the globe with other great powers. What has happened to their sphere of influence? Who is in the middle class and is it the same now as it used to be? In the aftermath of the Arab Spring what has decentralisation meant for Tunisia? How are diseases named and why is that important?

It's easy for politicians to deflect the blame for their own policy errors by blaming someone or something else. Right now, especially in countries with nationalistic tendencies such as China, the Philippines and the United States, the favourite scapegoat is globalism. As China embraces its facial recognition technology for its Social Credit System, is it also changing the Confucius concept of face? Can proportionality save us from the wackiest of the woke? The beloved Aussie icon Holden cars will be no more by the end of the year...except they're not Australian.

Two years after Robert Mugabe was swept from power, how is his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa faring as President of Zimbabwe? The 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper reinforced Australia's commitment to the Indo- Pacific region. Might this have been a mistake? Did you hear the one about Stalin? Life under Russian dictator Joseph Stalin wasn't funny and yet there were jokes. Is there a difference between machine learning and artificial intelligence and what effect will either have on our working lives?

What will the relationship between the EU and the UK look like post BREXIT and might it mean the beginning of the end for the EU? The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is not the first virus, nor will it be the last, that spreads from animal to humans. How can we stop the spread of these viruses or will they now always be with us? In 2018 Dr Francis Arnold was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. A few months later she retracted her paper because the work was flawed. Was it evidence that scientists can't be trusted or should she praised for her transparency? At the turn of the 20th Century Australia went through a bit of a fortune telling craze. The practise was illegal and the police tried to prosecute where they could but the women survived and in some cases thrived.

India is going through some rapid changes politically but is Australia paying enough attention? Should hate speech be banned from social media and who gets to decide if it is hate speech or opinion? Alphabets are disappearing. There are between 6,000 to 7,000 languages in the world. Yet 96% are spoken by just 3% of the global population and 85% are endangered.

Why do regime changes rarely work? What does the term ideological really mean and why is it so often used as an insult? An analysis of the coronavirus suggests it comes from bats who carry a host of viruses without themselves getting sick. How do they do it? How much BPA is too much and is there such a thing as too little to make a difference and why is there a stoush over this? How sick do we need to be before it's solved?

Can you think of anything more boring than living in a world in which nothing and nowhere is unique? Why do we fear difference and yet crave it at the same time? Australia has cracked the top ten in The Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Democracy Index but we're still behind New Zealand! Why? Is Twitter representative of 'main stream' opinion? Do it's users speak for us all? What was it like to live in Romania under Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu? How are they viewed in Romania now?

Do separatists still have ambitions in the Middle East? What are the consequences of gender inequality across Africa and what can be done to give women more economic and social opportunities across the continent? How is it possible that the world is running out of sand and why are people killing for it? Golden Rice could save hundreds and thousands of people every year from dying, why isn't it?

What can Indigenous cultures teach us about diversity? How do some kids get ahead while others don't? Why are children being sacrificed in Uganda today and I could eat a hollow log full of green ants right now. A dog's eye should take the edge off.

The world has changed over recent years and so must Russia. Today we take a bit of a look at what this means in terms of Russian foreign policy.

Why do some people get shivers in their body when someone whispers? Also, an academic hoax comes undone. Is there such a thing as the perfect toilet or does it depend on where you live? New archaeological research has unearthed a vibrant seagoing trade in the Gulf of Papua.

Do you believe that you're a citizen of the world? What does that even mean? What's it like to live in a breakaway state and how didn't the clergy in medieval times scratch more often? Can we stop eating everything that's put in front of us or are we too lazy to stop?

Should Middle Powers such as Canada, Australia and South Korea join together to sustain the liberal international order. What is shrinkflation and how does it effect your visit to the supermarket? Have we put to much trust into renewables and why is science fiction so popular in China right now?

What is it about Vladimir Putin that has made him sometimes seem historically weak against the U.S. and Europe and yet be seen as a bare chested strong man at home? How many buttons do you push in a day and here did the idea of buttons originate from? Toilets', they can be smelly and uncomfortable but could you live without one? Millions do every day.We know that puppies and kittens and babies are cute. But is there more to the idea of cute than we realise?

How can Australian universities ensure that any partnerships they have with Chinese universities don't also involve the Chinese military? They use the Chinese Defence University Tracker! Why is Latin America imploding and what happens after the protests there and in Hong Kong die down? What happens next? The bin chicken is considered to be a pest to most Australians but not to the Ancient Egyptians. For them they were so much more.

Is soft power going hard? What's the story behind China's date-driven power expansion and should we be worried? The fascinating story of some forgotten Australians and the secret to happiness and success is Korean. It's called Nunchi and we can all learn how to do it.

With the world's population booming and with an estimated 2.5 billion people moving into urban areas by 2050, with 90% of that taking place in Africa and Asia, what should be done? Iran's influence in the Middle East is waning, can it get it back or is too late? The long history of eco-pessimism and the surprising need for conspiracy theories.

Is there a connection between the Belt and Road Initiative and debt diplomacy in the Pacific? What is India's Act East Policy and is there a bamboo ceiling in Australia? Could CRISPR help reduce biodiversity loss worldwide?

75 years after The Bretton Woods agreement was signed how are the institutions it created holding up? How to argue better, or at least, ethically and go and get yourselves a big cold glass of milk...or maybe not.

Is the 'Shop Local' movement doing more harm than good? Science and data are inextricably linked, but can you have one without the other? Why being lazy or idle is actually good for you and what Indigenous Tasmania's can teach us about looking after the land.

Might we be to blame for the rise and rise of misinformation or fake news? How can effectively stop or slow down climate change? It won't be at the supermarket but it may be at the ballot box. What happened when Indonesia proposed a no sex for unmarried couples rule? Is putting up your dukes better than picking up a gun?

Is there are a problem with democracy or are some people just sore losers? There was supposed to be a war over water by now but it hasn't happened yet. The reality is that States are much more likely to cooperate over shared water than go to war. What is a luxury belief and why are they so unfair? I could eat a hollow log full of green ants right now. A dog's eye should take the edge off.

Might urbanisation be the most profound change to human society over the last century? What is globotics and what is it doing to the service sector? Why are people still cleaning the sewers in India and are we about to go to the moon?

What is the world to do with it's aging population? Well, we could all learn from China. Is changing a company name an effective crisis strategy? We are living through an age of amnesia but what does that mean and is it a problem. Does having a university degree mean you're smart or just qualified to do a certain job?

Does white privilege really exist and if does how bad is it for everyone who isn't white? Is the world, in general, getting worse? Is it all doom and gloom with the four horsemen of the apocalypse running wild? Plus, the history of publishing, letters and opinions, from the early days to now and what it means for the the rise of digital media

Do we depend less on Chinese trade than we think? Will Australian troops be taking our hearts and minds with them into their next mission or are the days of social mobilization for our military over? A fabulous seafaring tale with no drunken sailors but plenty of maths, in schools, with exams. Might whales and elephants hold the key to preventing cancer?

Can the countries of East Asia find enough common ground to find solutions to global and regional programs? Meritocracy means to get ahead according to merit rather than who your parents are or how much money you have. It sounds ideal but it it? Can we stop eating everything that's put in front of us or are we too lazy to stop? Plus how as innovation and invention changed over the years?

The world has changed over recent years and so must Russia. Today we take a bit of a look at what this means in terms of Russian foreign policy. French foreign policy might also be changing, but is it a good idea? Plus, jump on your e-bike we're going fora ride.

Might plant based food help feed the world now and into the future? To grow plant based food you need water. Could treated wastewater be suitable? Animals need food and water and some of them, like our very own kangaroo, are helping us to solve human health problems like arthritis. Plus, how to protect yourself so you have the best possible chance of surviving a chemical weapon such as sarin.

Does diversity training do what it's supposed to? How can you tell? Should Australia invest in nuclear energy or is that a step too far? What does it mean to be woke and is mindfulness the answer to our problems?

How can individuals and nations protect their data and is information the new oil? Is banning single use plastic bags really going to help clear our oceans of plastic? It's your shout! I'll have a beer with a bit of a history chaser please.

How can the East-West divide within the EU be bridged? What happened to those countries in the East when their best and brightest moved West and did some European countries always have empire on their minds?

Why hasn't China stopped the Hong Kong protests? Do we need to save Asia's democracies and what is it about Putin and his hold on power that makes him so fascinating? Can cute take over the world and would it mean that Hello Kitty will rule us all?

Where did the term 'counter culture' come from? Joel Engel explains its history from an obscure book to an enduring term for anyone who feels outside the system.

Should Middle Powers such as Canada, Australia and South Korea join together to sustain the liberal international order and should we also be nurturing and defending liberal democracy against populism? Not everyone in China is happy with Xi but are they about to turn against him? Hold your nose and watch out for that brown sludge..it's time for a surf!

Is it really realistic to break up Big Tech? Student debt in Asia is having some serious consequences as is religious and political differences. Plus, French colonialism in Africa is still going strong but why?

Why is nationalism so important and why can't it be defeated? How did Indonesia manage its election and where to from here for democracy there? Did we forget to celebrate our victory in the Cold war and do you really think that Sudoku puzzle is going to make you any smarter?

As protests continue in Hong Kong, find out what's at stake and why? Also, an academic hoax comes undone, a possible answer to our fuel questions, and the connection between Vikings and social media.

What is fascism and why are so quick to label people we don't agree with as fascists? Is culture missing form any discussions about our cyber future? Why are children being sacrificed in Uganda today and would you eat a teaspoon of worms if it made you healthier?

Does social media need regulating or would that do more harm than good for users and innovators? Are we all planned out? Can we see what's happening in 15 years but not tomorrow and might Kenya's development hurt it's wildlife and affect tourist dollars in the future?

How good are you in a crisis? What do you do if your dog can't stop scratching and how didn't the clergy in medieval times scratch more often? Are pigs about to cut the waiting time for organ transplants and what's on telly tonight?

Does Qatar have a Islamist soft power problem? Is China's mind closing and why does big tech want to control my world? What is the significance of some shards of pottery pots that have been found in PNG? Grab that chocolate muffin and sit back and have a listen.

Is Global inequality getting worse or might it just be getting better? What is shrinkflation and how does it effect your visit to the supermarket? How much energy does bitcoin mining use and why do we feel better about things we make ourselves?

Is there a new kind of globalisation happening right now? Are white supremacists and Islamic jihadists inextricably linked?

Does business benefit when they introduce operational transparency? Why is the humble fence doing so much damage to animals and are India and Pakistan locked into ugly stability. Why do some people get shivers in their body when someone whispers?

What are some of the long- term problems facing China and also NATO? Is Greta Thunberg being taken advantage of and why do tourists sometimes behave very badly?

What might really happen with AI? Is the environment too important for interest groups and what is the perfect toilet? Also who or what cut the grass at the SCG or the Adelaide Oval or whatever your favourite sporting venue is before the ride on lawn mower?

Do you believe that you're a citizen of the world? What does that even mean? The wonderful, magic world of mushrooms and we'll meet a remarkable man in Bolivia who gave up everything to look after stray dogs.

Why is civil society so important and yet seemingly so neglected? What is Jemaah Islamiyah up to in Indonesia and why we should not stop buying snake skin boots. Afterall, you can't judge a book by its cover and as we all know actions speak louder than words.

After the momentous election of 2018, what's happening in Malaysia? What to do about fake news in Southeast Asia and a genuine success story from Africa. Plus, how we speak - is it an affront to your ears or should we embrace every lost letter and the delight in the way we chop a word in half and then add an o?

What can be done to stop the violence of terrorism? Will machines ever really be able to think like us? Would you catch a cane toad for 10 cents and why are authors so keen on killing our kangaroos?

Why are there so many regulations? Why are private armies protecting Chinese citizens and have we put to much trust into renewables? Now that El Chapo is behind bars are the drug wars over? No, in many ways they're just beginning.

Is there enough competition in Asia? How is democracy going around the world and in particularly Nigeria? Ever stayed in an old motel? How smelly was the carpet?

Can the crisis in Venezuela end without violence? Contrary to popular belief nationalism works, and it always has. How can we take better care of ourselves in our digital lives and why is science fiction so popular in China right now?

Might Viktor Orban be an unlikely hero for the west or is the west as we know it about to be over? What kind of literature should high school students read and what to Linkin Park and Rick Astley got to do with cyber hacks?

We take a look at Iran 40 years on from the Islamic Revolution. Wall building has had a long history in the US, stretching from Benjamin Franklin to Donald Trump. What happens when you make a mistake at work? And we explore how effective the plastic straw ban really is.

What's it like to live in a breakaway state? How on earth did booking a flight go from 90-minutes to a matter of seconds? What is a factoid and how do they end up in public discourse? And we continue our exploration of the waste problem from last week.

Is East Asia becoming less reliant on western economies to survive? Are younger workers bless able to understand and resolve ambiguity and can you pleas push that button for me. Also, toilets', they can be smelly and uncomfortable but could you live without one? Millions do every day.

Should incentives be more opaque to be more rewarding? Do walls work and why did most Russians, at one time, want to be a terrorist when they grew up? How can we stop the illegal wildlife trade in Africa?

Are we doing enough for the homeless? Why do so many communities have monsters and in 1938 why did so many people that the radio was carrying a live broadcast of Martians landing on earth?

Why do some countries thrive while others fail? Are the reports on the death of liberalism greatly exaggerated and why are there so many voices on social media and what's the story behind the microphone?

What is the new original sin? Why are we drawn to bad news and why do we kind of like pirates? Plus are university and college students too coddled?