Producer's report 25th March 2007

The 25th March was brought to you by the letter J; that is Jeevan, Jacqui, Julia and Josh....oh and Amy who was behind the panel in the 2XX makeshift studio. It goes to show that it takes a lot to bring 2XX down. The temporary studio is kinda cosy, especially when there are two microphones and five presenters.

We covered a wide range of topics in the show. First up was:

Mice with super vision.
Geneticists have breed mice that can see and distinguish among a broader spectrum of light waves. Normally mice and most mammals are red-green colour blind, they only have two different colour receptors in their eyes; blue and green. Humans an primates have three; blue, green and red. When the researchers added the red receptor gene to the mice, they were able to process the new sensory information straight away. Goes to show that the transition in primate evolution could have been very quick.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070322160852.htm

Next up was transgenic mosquitos

Clever termites
Jeevan interviewed Ra Inta from CSIRO entymology who is doing some cool things with termites. They have shown that termites can tell what sort of material their food is made of, without having to actually touch it....the key is vibrations
http://www.csiro.au/news/ps2wf.html


Climate Change
We had a bit of a discussion about whether climate change is a natural or a human made phenomena.

Second Life Hallucinations
Ever wanted to know what a hallucination is like? Researchers from the University of California want to educate people about the crippling disorder schizophrenia where sufferers have visual and auditory hallucinations. They are often negative experiences, for example, voices urging schizophrenia sufferers to hurt themselves.

The researchers have created a virtual hospital in Second Life, the popular online virtual world. Members can walk into a hospital where they hear voices and have hallucinations such as the floor falling away leaving users to walking on stepping stones above the clouds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6453241.stm

Future Memories
The lead article in New Scientist last week was "Future Memories". Researchers have found that the part of the brain that creates our day dreams of the future also 'constructs' our memories. Our memory isn't like a recording after all...
www.newscientist.com

Life in the circus
Jacqui, Julia and Josh are all members of the Shell Questacon Science Circus, a group of young scientists that travel around Australia performing school science shows and running a science exhibition. We discussed the fun, trials and tribulations of being on the road and how to make the best slime.
www.questacon.edu.au/html/sqsc.html

Pet triangles
And finally, can people really grow to love a pet triangle? Check this out.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg19325935.700&feedId=being-human_rss20




Technorati tags: Science, Education, Community, Radio, Canberra, Australia

Producer's Report 4 Mar 07

Producer: Dean
Contributors: Jacinta, Mike & newcomer Kat

News:

Improved predictions of warming-induced extinctions sought

A hidden twist in the black hole information paradox

Virtual-Reality Video Game Helps Link Depression To Specific Brain Area


Weather Feature:

Unintended consequences in road de-icing.

[Audio] Jacinta interviews Kenn Batt from the Canberra BOM about Tuesday's supercell storm.


Station Promo:

2XX suffered significant damage during Tuesday's storm and needs help. The music library and broadcast equipment have been badly water-damaged, as have the studios (the high water mark is a good foot and a half up the wall). Subscriptions will help, as always, but a major challenge will be rebuilding, so if you're a subscriber/volunteer please get in touch with station management (they've temporarily set up on the first floor of the Griffin Centre) and find out how you can help; from what I saw today they're really going to need people with building & technical skills to rebuild the office, reception & studios.


More Features:

Female koalas captive behaviours.

This day in science

1675 - John Flamsteed appointed first Astronomer Royal of England.
1774 - First sighting of Orion Nebula by William Herschel.
1877 - Emile Berliner invents the microphone.
1954 - Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, announces the first successful kidney transplant.
1955 - First radio facsimile transmission is sent across the continent of America.
1977 - The first Cray-1 supercomputer is shipped to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.
1979 - U.S. Voyager I photo reveals Jupiter's rings.

featuring birthday call-out to the little fat kid from Hey Dad! and John Lennon's 1966 quip which led nicely to...

"Jesus in a box".

And while we're on ancient history... Laxatives kept Pharaohs on the throne.


This week's science event:

Mr Toad comes to Darwin: An evolutionary perspective on the cane toad invasion

Speaker: Professor Rick Shine FAA
ARC Federation Fellow
School of Biological Sciences
University of Sydney

When: Tuesday 6 March 2007
Drinks and refreshments 5.30pm, lecture 6–7pm

Where: Shine Dome, Gordon Street, Canberra

Cost: Free entry and parking

Bookings are recommended.
To reserve a place, please contact Susie.
Email: susie.barratt@science.org.au
Phone: 02 6201 9400
Fax: 02 6201 9494

Technorati tags: Science, Education, Community, Radio, Canberra, Australia