Boiling Point
269 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago -Boiling Point is Eastside Radio's 30-minute foray into the scientific world. The BP crew discuss obscure scientific facts, recent developments and play tunes with a tenuous connection to their topics of choice!
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Episodes
Why we weigh more than we did in the 80s and why is snot green?
September 04, 2019 06:39 - 28 minutes - 35.8 MBCat, Chantelle and Tim bring you this week's installment of Boiling Point. White, yellow, green - ever wondered why your snot turns green when you have a really nasty cold? More weight, similar diet - according to a new study, we weigh more than in the 1980s, although we eat about the same amount of calories. Listen to the answers on the podcast: https://goo.gl/fuPQBs | http://eastsidefm.org/boilingpoint/# Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871403X...
‘Total recall’ in snails and ethanol to fight cancer
August 27, 2019 09:02 - 30 minutes - 37 MBTim, Alex and Nick revisit a 2018 Boiling Point classic... Ethanol-Based cancer treatments ; Are they a cost-effective option ? 'Total recall' in snails. 'Memory transplant' achieved in these marine molluscs
Uni = $ and Ebola = Cured ??
August 20, 2019 09:00 - 29 minutes - 38.8 MBOn tonight's episode of Boiling Point, Chantelle is back and joined by Tim. Does University education really mean a higher income? Perhaps if you are male and want work in a engineering, construction or electrical related field Is Ebola cured? Nope. But two trialled drugs are increasing survival rates Plug into our podcast here : https://goo.gl/YtzS83
Swarming spacecrafts with Dr Will Crowe, and his Top 5 Tips for Remaining Radiation Free.
August 15, 2019 03:39 - 30 minutes - 46.8 MBDr Will Crowe joins Tim and Nick on Boiling Point (August 13) to talk all things space including his "Top 5 Tips for Remaining Radiation Free". Will is an expert on asteroids, asteroid mining, spacecraft swarms, space mining and potentially hazardous asteroids. Will's recent thesis focuses on using swarming spacecraft to characterize asteroids. This episode is a thrilling dip into the ether! Dr Will Crowe's UNSW profile is available here. Plug into our podcast here.
Cigarette butt pollution and introducing the Scientists Are People Too podcast
August 07, 2019 05:24 - 30 minutes - 45.5 MBThis week on Boiling Point Science, Nick and Tim speak with special guest Zoe Ford, who's podcast Scientists are people too launched on Monday 5 August. And Nick delves into the dire environmental consequences of cigarette litter. It's Science Week in Sydney and National Science Week across Australia, with events and activities galore - Sydney Science Week, which runs 6 - 18 August 2019 and National Science Week, which runs 10-18 August 2019. Plug into our podcast here
Science and music festival waste – a Waste Collective special report
July 31, 2019 22:14 - 28 minutes - 34.4 MBIn this week's episode of Boiling Point, Alex is joined by Gamran Green and Evie Preston , the founders of the Waste Collective. In collaboration with researchers, Waste Collective is working on finding green solutions for the tonnes of rubbish left behind at music festivals in Australia every year. Plug into the podcast here: iTunes: https://goo.gl/YtzS83 Check out the website of the Waste Collective: https://thewastecollective.wixsite.com/website…
Universal blood types, ADHD and gluten and listening flowers
July 24, 2019 07:38 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBJoin Boiling Point's Chantelle, Nick and Cat on journey through three trending science stories. 1. The universal blood donation - Researchers identified an enzyme extracted from gut bacteria that strip off the sugar molecules of red blood cells. The results are red blood cells with the blood type O. And anyone can safely receive this blood type. 2. Coeliac Disease and hyperactivity disorder: Researchers found that people with a hyperactive disorder are more likely to also suffer from coelia...
Quolls, cane toads and cane toad sausages
July 16, 2019 08:30 - 32 minutes - 1 ByteOn this week’s episode of Boiling Point, Chantelle and Alex interview ecologist Chris Jackson. The cane toad onslaught reached the WA Kimberley two years ago – but researchers were just ahead. Trialling a crazy scheme to train quolls that cane toads were NOT a tasty snack they dropped 10,000 nausea-inducing cane toad sausages…did it work?! […]
Interview with leopard researcher, Ben Walker.
July 10, 2019 13:00 - 29 minutes - 41 MBOn Boiling Point this week, Alex and Cat are joined by special guest Ben Walker. July is interview month on Boiling Point! Leopard expert and UNSW researcher, Ben Walker, talks about the cryptic nature of these fascinating, but pretty aggressive large cats and he explains why it is so hard to study them.
Special guest engineers; Dr Peyman Mostaghemi and Naif Alqatani
July 03, 2019 11:16 - 29 minutes - 46.1 MBSpecial Guests Dr Peyman Mostaghemi and Naif Alqatani From UNSW, our two special guests get supercritical with a chat about petroleum engineering (yup coal, oil and gas) But we want to know more- How does extraction actually work? What are the new technologies (AI is one of them)!? How are researchers making it cleaner and less invasive? Where is the future of resource extraction and how can it be used in medical science and for carbon capture technology? and finally....what the heck is ...
Stimulant Special
June 26, 2019 10:59 - 35.7 MBOne of Boiling Point's Goldies is back; The stimulant special! What does the stimulant drug #Ritalin do to those who don't have #ADHD? 30 % of college students in the US take it to be more efficient with their studying. What are the side effects? Zap your brain and you will become smarter and more focused? Well, it's proven that electro-stimulation of the brain can improve states of depression. Only humans react to stimulants? Wrong! Doping horses and dogs for racing has been around for a ...
Boiling Point 18 June 2019 Radiothon Episode
June 19, 2019 21:26 - 29 minutes - 47 MBBoiling Point 18 June 2019 Radiothon Episode. This week for our 2019 Radiothon Episodes we took to Facebook and our live phone lines to get questions from our listeners: Why is there a Star Trek Chevron symbol on Mars? Why don't we see vaccines for Malaria and HIV? Are there any concerns for CRISPR gene modification and Plant GMO's? All this and tunes with a tenuous connection, every week, on Boiling Point.
Platypus Research with Tahneal Hawke
June 12, 2019 12:31 - 30 minutes - 43.1 MBThis week on Boiling Point, Cat and Jake are joined by UNSW PhD candidate Tahneal Hawke to talk about her research on Platypus. Once considered a hoax, platypus are truly unique. Their nocturnal and aquatic lifestyle make research difficult. Until recently it was unclear how stable platypus populations currently are. Tahneal found evidence for a decline, especially in river beds and creeks that were altered by humans. Tahneal's research is focused on assessing long-term changes in platypus ...
Science History Mysteries; HeLa, Milkmaids and moudly oranges
June 04, 2019 09:31 - 30 minutes - 42 MBScience history mysteries! Fuzzy little helpers - How penicillin came into being. A cheer for the milkmaid - how the beauty of milkmaids helped to develop the very first vaccination in human history: the smallpox vaccine HeLa, the immortal cells from cervical cancer victim, Henrietta Slack- a cell line that just doesn't want to die, now used in thousands of lab experiments all over the world
Light triad, gender conformity and gold digging fungi
May 29, 2019 14:07 - 31 minutes - 27.5 MBThis week's dose of Boiling Point science brought to you by Nick, Jake and Chantelle. Gold-Digging Mushrooms found in Western Australia introduce a potential new method to identify hidden gold deposits The "Light Triad,"the three characteristics of good natured people VS the "Dark Triad" traits of people who exhibit destructive social behaviour Gender Conformity found to influence boys more than girls in the formative years Take a listen and feel free to do some good and share with a fri...
Boiling Point 21 May 2019
May 22, 2019 12:46 - 31 minutes - 72 KBTim, Alex and Cat discuss the options of alien life in space, microbial helpers and the issue with the rhesus factor Grumpy monkey? - the downside of having rhesus factor negative Alone in space? - the Drake equation knows the odds Friends on Mars? - tiny bacteria may help us colonize Mars Rhesus factor - being rhesus negative is usually not a big deal. Most of the time it's just one of 33 blood group systems without any relevance. It can become an issue when a rhesus negative woman is...
Boiling Point 14 May 2019
May 15, 2019 07:44 - 30 minutes - 35.4 MBNick, Jake and Cat are joined by special guest Kat Ross this week Massive mushroom clouds, Star Trek Spaceship Voyageur and women in STEM - astronomist Kathryn Ross is fascinated by space and its mysteries. She is a PhD student at Curtin University in Perth looking at radio galaxies and their black holes. Her namesake and Spaceship Voyageur's Captain Katherine Janeway inspired her once that girls can explore space as well; advocating for women in STEM is another one of Kat's passions. She...
Box jellyfish antidote and new human species
May 09, 2019 06:57 - 30 minutes - 37 KBBox jellyfish antidote and the jawbone of ancient human species , the Denisovans Excruciating pain and a quick death - A marvellous science journey led a University of Sydney research team to discover first antidote for box jellyfish venom and develop a handy topical ointment. Widely traveled with a sense for mountaineering - jawbone of ancient human species, the Denisovans, gives hints about their mysterious ability to live in hypoxic environments (>3000 metres!!) and helps explain unique ...
Plaque busting micro-robots and the gender disadvantage of a female twin.
April 30, 2019 08:30 - 29 minutes - 35.4 MBTonight's dose of Boiling Point Science brought to you by Cat, Alex and our intern Francesca. Brushing teeth, a thing of the past? - micro-robots wiping out dental plaque may save your dental bill. Having a twin is fun? - Not if you are female with a male twin. Researchers found female twins highly disadvantaged.
Reanimating pig brains, plastic bag bans, and the psychology of break ups!
April 23, 2019 08:30 - 29 minutes - 38.5 MBChantelle, Tim and Nick had a chat about activity after “death” in pigs’ brains, the UK’s ban on plastic bags and questioned; is love the same as cocaine? Saving swine Tim started off with some ground-breaking research about apparently dead pigs’ brains showing signs of cellular life after being bathed in artificial fluid. 32 of the 300 pigs’ brains, collected from the slaughterhouse four hours after their demise, were put in the BrainEx system. The brains amazingly showed metabolic activit...
Education and Poverty, Black holes and the Event Horizon Telescope
April 18, 2019 09:27 - 29 minutes - 38.1 MBTonight, on Boiling Point, Nick, Jake and Tim stopped by the studio to talk about the educational impacts of poverty and the super exciting first imagine of a supermassive black hole. The correlation between poverty and a lack of education Despite Australia being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the ACOSS Poverty in Australia report (2016) found that one out of every six children under the age of 15 in Australia was living in poverty. Nick, graduate microbiologist and "teacher...
Coral spawning, David Suggett and a new GPS epoch
April 09, 2019 08:30 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBTim, Chantelle and Jake are joined by David Suggett in this week's dose of Boiling Point. How resilient is the Great Barrier Reef? Radical drop in coral spawning concerns scientists, with special guest and coral expert David Suggett We just had daylights savings end but did you know we're in a new GPS epoch too?
Special Guest Manon Sabot; the role of vegetation in the climate equation
April 03, 2019 05:54 - 30 seconds - 42.5 MBHow do plants deal with extremes in a changing climate? Our special guest, Manon Sabot, climate scientist from the University of New South Wales discusses her research, the challenges modelling climate/vegetation relationships and why plants may not be responding the way initially predicted.....
Fractal rice paddies, the EDGE list and mathematics to the rescue
March 26, 2019 11:42 - 30 minutes - 45.3 MBChantelle, Alex and Danny are back with another dose of Boiling Point Science. Perfect greenery - What makes rice paddies so efficient? Endangered, but little known - unique and strange animals on the EDGE list Wobbly and unfixable? - Think again. Mathematicians teach us how to fix a wobbly chair.
Whale lice, genetic resistance to contraceptives and wolves vs dogs
March 19, 2019 10:55 - 30 seconds - 43.2 MBWhales and their lice - they might be nasty and crawly, but they tell researchers the story of the whales' social network Genes breaking down contraceptive hormones? A new hypothesis explores why the pill and other contraceptives might fail for a select few women Wolves versus dogs - can wolves collaborate with people like a domestic dog? If so, why have we domesticated dogs for thousands of years?
Brain stew, super recognizers, and a world built for men
March 12, 2019 08:30 - 30 seconds - 40.3 MBAnother Boiling Point podcast is out! Brain stew - How many brain cells do we actually have? You can listen to a podcast on the topic here Super recognizer - Some people just have it in their genes A man's world - how the world is built for men and how that puts women in danger in their every day life
Insect special: Giant bees, Bogong moths and mathematical bees
March 05, 2019 08:30 - 31 minutes - 45.6 MBThis week on Boiling Point Chantelle, Jake and Nick are back for an amazing bug filled week. The six centimetre Megachile Pluto bee is back, having been spotted for first time in 37 years; the devastating consequences of the Bogong moth's decline; and can bees really do maths? Sources: -https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-02-27/bogong-moth-decline-in-australian-alps/10850036 -https://theconversation.com/can-bees-do-maths-yes-new-research-shows-they-can-add-and-subtract-108074 -https://...
Midday naps, horseshoe crab blood and Neptune’s new moon
February 27, 2019 00:45 - 30 minutes - 42 MBMidday naps, horseshoe crab blood and Neptune's new moon Nick finds out what good lunch time nap on the other does to our brain Horseshoe crabs and the amazing medical uses of their blue blood, put it at risk from over exploitation What the moon? It's tiny and probably pretty young, Nick gets the low down on a new moon for Neptune
Palaeontologist Liz Dowding and Horseshoe crabs
February 20, 2019 01:44 - 41 MBPalaeontologist Liz Dowding and the living fossil; Horseshoe crabs Special guest devonian palaeontologist and biogiographer, Elizabeth Dowding, talks with Cat about the contentious fish dominated Devonian period , plus the even more contentious 'new' continent Zealandia. Alex talks about the wonderful Horseshoe Crab, technically an arachnid and unchanged for millions of years
Fish pass the mirror test, upward lightning and teen tech use
February 13, 2019 09:48 - 30 minutes - 41.5 MBReef fish; brighter than you think, upward lightning and teens vs screens Tim brought us the bright and flashy: Lightning research and its newest advances. Check out this Amazing upward lightning on YouTube Jake saw something fishy: A fish that passes the classic mirror test of animal intelligence calls into question the traditional method of measuring animal cognition and; Nick shared Science's opinion on today's teenagers. Can't it really be they have too little sleep, too little exerc...
Blue ringed octopus, insulin producing stem cells, chloroplasts vs pathogens
February 06, 2019 00:00 - 1 hour - 41.4 MBCat, Nick and Tim bring you this week's serve of Boiling Point Science: Shy but deadly - the secrets behind the toxin that makes the blue ringed octopus so dangerous Blood sugar too high ? - how researchers turn stem cells into insulin-producing pancreas cells Green and aggressive - chloroplasts are capable of much more than just photosynthesis Plug into the podcast here: iTunes: https://goo.gl/YtzS83 | http://eastsidefm.org/boilingpoint/#
Groundwater microplastics, shark nets, the pope and the pill.
January 29, 2019 08:30 - 1 hour - 42.2 MBThis week on Boiling Point, Cat and Jake are joined by Tuesday Drive's host, David Barr. Helpful or harmful - offshore shark nets on Sydney beaches. It is everywhere - microplastics found in groundwater for the first time. The pope and the pill - how the pope shaped the way women take the pill. #boilingpointFM #eastsideradio Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/23/medical-advice-pill-pope-bleeds-women?fbclid=IwAR0LepMjCfAFMbY23wP1a6ZLrTRe-3xJ7r4iH5CHtESBJlBM05XC97z...
The eavesdropping evening primrose, redback antivenom and apple cider vinegar
January 22, 2019 08:15 - 1 hour - 42 MBThis week on Boiling Point, Alex explores the extraordinary abilities of the evening primrose and how this species increases the sugar content of its nectar in response to the sounds of bees; Nick investigates the positive effects apple cider vinegar might have on your cholesterol as demonstrated in research conducted on rats; and Tim takes a look back at the development of anti-venom the role of horses play in its production. #boilingpoint #eastsideradio Sources: https://www.nationalgeogra...
Reef restoration with Assoc. Prof David Suggett and microbial resistant soil
January 15, 2019 11:33 - 28 minutes - 39.2 MBCoral matchmaking and antimicrobial dirt!! Interview with Associate Professor David Suggett from UTS: University of Technology Sydney Coral zooxanthellae matchmaker for the Larval Restoration Project and coral restoration expert Need an infection treated? Rub it with some Streptomyces inhabited dirt from the town of West Fermanagh Scarplands (known locally as Boho!)
Slingshot ripples, yoghurt-based leukemia cure and robot-assisted reef rehabilitation
January 08, 2019 09:06 - 29 minutes - 41.6 MBThis week on Boiling Point Cat, Chantelle and Alex look into the how a slingshot actually works, research into a cure for leukemia using bacteria within a yoghurt-like drink and how planting coral larvae using robots might help save the Great Barrier Reef. iTunes: https://goo.gl/YtzS83 | http://eastsidefm.org/boilingpoint/# #boilingpointFM #eastsideradio Sources: https://physics.aps.org/articles/v11/136?fbclid=IwAR1y-TwUuBVN5RLo9vWlqn4LmodcWG--ObTAaKlPSosYPC1PBXF80kHhrO0 https://www.thegu...
New Year Special; Resolutions, Fireworks and Albinism
January 01, 2019 09:42 - 30 minutes - 72.1 MBNew Years Special, resolutions, fireworks and albinism The mechanics of fireworks – you can’t start the new year without it Albinism in Tanzania – A not so rare condition and its dire consequences for those who live with it reminds us to value kindness this 2019 How to make your diet resolutions last. Don’t worry […]
Summer Special: Too many toys, Xmas beetles and the ubiquitous fly
December 25, 2018 06:27 - 30 seconds - 70.4 MBBoiling Point’s Christmas Summer Special! When is a fly not a fly? Listen to the 2007 Summer special repeat with special guest, Holly Richardson as she chats the ecology of the quintisential house guest; the fly. Plus we ask the question of the day; is there a benefit to limiting toys? It wouldn’t be an […]
Physics of Santa and the science of frankincense and myrrh
December 18, 2018 07:06 - 30 minutes - 40.7 MBPhyscis explains Santa and the botanic history of Franincense and Myrrh Cat and Chantelle chat Xmas science. The science of myrrh and frankincense – baby Jesus’ first ever presents! But what were they actually good for? Santa’s secret revealed! How the relativity theory enables him to visit every child on earth in one night!
Interview with Jake Krauss Ecologist
December 11, 2018 11:44 - 36.8 MBCat and Alex interivew PhD candidate and ecologist, Jake Krauss Have you ever camped with lemurs in the bush or watched the mating behaviour of an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock in South America? Well, our special guest and Centre for Ecosystem Sciences UNSW researcher, Jake Krauss has done and seen it all.
Inherited fear (epigenetics) and chronic inflammation
December 06, 2018 02:10 - 30 minutes - 35.5 MBInherited fear and chronic inflammation Epigenetics at its best: Baby mice dislike a smell only their parents were conditioned to fear; cherries! The dire consequences of chronic inflammation on our body. How it is linked to numerous diseases, like macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, some cancers and aging Those stories plus some tenuously connected tunes, on Boiling […]
Origin of the female orgasm, choose your pup wisely and the IUCN Redlist 2018
November 27, 2018 10:47 - 30 seconds - 34.9 MBThe origin of the female orgasm, choosing your Lab wisely and the IUCN redlist 2018 The evolutionary origin of female orgasm. What is it actually good for (other than fun)? Chocolate-coloured labradors die younger than their yellow counterparts. What’s behind this mystery? The new IUCN Red List is out: Mountain gorillas on the rise and […]
Cat tongues, Planck’s Constant kilogram, and peanut allergies
November 20, 2018 10:14 - 32 minutes - 41.5 MBThis week on Boiling Point, Alex returns to catch us up on cats and their combed tongues – what cool things can learn from felines? Nick brings up to speed on the recent redefinition of the kilogram last Friday. And Tim takes a look into a possible pathway to reducing the severity of peanut allergies.
Monkey malaria, stealth moths and biomimicry
November 13, 2018 10:29 - 30 minutes - 36.5 MBThis week on Boiling Point, Nick and Tim discuss the rise of monkey-borne malaria infections in humans, how hairy moths evading their bat predators and a few examples of biomimicry.
In conversation with Dr Keith Leggett, Director of UNSW’s Fowlers Gap Research Station
November 06, 2018 08:03 - 27.5 MBOn Boiling Point tonight, Cat and Nick are joined by Dr Keith Leggett. What do we actually know about the critters of the outback like echidna and co? Surprisingly little! Our special guest, Dr Keith Leggett, is Director of the arid zone research station of the University of New South Wales and runs several research […]
Nail tail wallabies, bilbies and crocs
October 30, 2018 09:11 - 30 minutes - 32.9 MBCat and Chantelle interview special guest, Alexandra Ross. PhD student Aly Ross talks about her amazing research to help conserve some of Australia’s most unique creatures from extinction by minimising prey naiveté. Sources: https://www.bees.unsw.edu.au/alexandra-ross
Pink Cauliflower Coral; Boys, Girls & STEM
October 23, 2018 12:49 - 29 MBCat and Tim are joined this week by special guest Rosie Steinberg. Pink cauliflower growing underwater? Soft corals are little understood creatures that provide habitat and food for numerous marine invertebrates and fish like seahorses. Marine biologist, Rosie talks about her research on the mysterious soft corals. Boys are better at maths and girls better […]
Cancer combating venom, anti-avian airport tech, benefits of books on brains
October 16, 2018 12:15 - 27.5 MBTim investigates how Australian funnel-web spiders can help fight melanoma and Tasmanian Devil facial tumours. Chantelle explores the brain benefits of growing up surrounded by books. And Nick discusses new technology keeping birds away from airport runways. Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/growing-surrounded-books-may-bolster-skills-later-life-180970523/#7pYqKcJLJHFJSpmy.99 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0204802 http://amp.abc.net.au/artic...
Science myth vs reality!
October 09, 2018 12:26 - 27.5 MBBe quick: The 5 second-rule revisited. A subtle pointer: Digit ratios and what it tells us about our in utero life! This and not quite 99 other science myths on Boiling Point! Sources: https://www.nature.com/news/the-science-myths-that-will-not-die-1.19022 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28208851/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03171.x
Jellyfish, orca menopause, e-waste microfactories
October 02, 2018 12:09 - 32.4 MBWe talk to Holly Richardson about jellyfish. Cat explores menopause in orcas and why the top predators of the oceans stop reproducing with age. And Tim digs into the war on waste with new techniques to process discarded consumer electronics Sources: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/01/study-suggests-surprising-reason-killer-whales-go-through-menopause http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-01-24/meet-the-pioneers-in-the-war-on-waste/9329038 https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrate...
Baby’s cry and adult vocals, noctilucent clouds, and antidepressant antibiotic resistance
September 25, 2018 12:29 - 29.5 MBChantelle discusses a study linking a baby’s cries with their adult vocal range. Tim has his head in the noctilucent clouds. And Nick explores the relationship between antidepressants and antibiotic resistance. Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/babies-cries-may-predict-what-they-will-sound-adults-180969669 https://www.livescience.com/63656-glowing-blue-clouds-nasa.html https://www.space.com/5790-strange-clouds-spotted-edge-space.html?_ga=2.216286163.434774862.1537792562-12882...