Nine To Noon for Wednesday 6 April 2022

 

09:05 From the frontline: from lawyer to soldier

Just over a month ago, Roman Shulyar was leading a busy life as a partner at a law firm in Kyiv. He's a transaction lawyer, and was largely concerned with everyday tasks; finance projects, mergers and acquisitions, billable hours, and financial KPIs. But on the 24th of February, his life was turned upside down when Russia invaded Ukraine. Roman Shulyar tells Kathryn how he has had to temporarily leave his old life behind, and is now serving with the territorial defense unit in his hometown of Kyiv. 

09:30 Single test identifies 50 genetic diseases

A DNA test has been developed to screen patients for a range of neurological and neuromuscular genetic diseases quicker and more accurately than existing tests. The technology is able to identify over 50 hard-to-diagnose diseases, including Huntington's disease, muscular dystrophies and fragile X syndrome. It's hoped the test will end the 'diagnostic odyssey' for patients, which can sometimes take decades.  Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney have developed the test in collaboration with teams in Australia, the UK and Israel. Work is now underway to make the technology available in pathology labs, and it's expected to be standard in global pathology labs within five years. Kathryn speaks to the senior author of the study and head of Genomics Technologies at the Garvan Institute, Dr Ira Deveson.

09:45 Australia: Election imminent, petrol tax slashed, Opera House lauded

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about a federal election date being set before week's end - how tight are the opinion polls? Petrol prices have fallen dramatically since the Morrison government slashed petrol excise by 50% in its federal budget last Tuesday. Covid is still raging across Australia, yet mask use has dropped and restrictions eased. And Sydney's Opera House is bestowed a very great honour. 

10:05 Fighting for the consumer's right to repair 

Gay Gordon-Byrne has been described as the most important political advocate for consumer rights in the United States. In her role as executive director of the Repair Association, she's spearheaded the Right to Repair movement in the US, focusing on some of the world's biggest corporations. Last year, Apple announced that it will finally provide the tools, parts and manuals to repair some iPhones, a major win for the movement. The Repair Association has worked with consumer rights groups across the US, and has now instigated legislation in more than 30 states and is currently is working with state and federal legislators to pass "Right to Repair" bills. 

10:35 Book review: Threads of Caring, A History of the Anglican Trust for Women and Children by Ruth Greenaway and Megan Hutching

Lisa Finucane reviews Threads of Caring, A History of the Anglican Trust for Women and Children by Ruth Greenaway and Megan Hutching, published by the Anglican Trust for Women and Children

10:45 The Reading

The final part of Confrontation by Elizabeth Smither.

11:05 Music with Jess Fu: Angel Olsen, Benny Salvadore, Romie Singh

Music reviewer Jess Fu joins Kathryn to play a track from American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, a track from Benny Salvadore's Family Fruits and German-Indian artist Romie Singh. 

11:30 How to be a good partner
 

Psychologist Karen Nimmo says no matter why people come for therapy, they always talk about relationships. So her book The Good Partner, focuses on relationships and how an individual can understand their own strengths and vulnerabilities. Dr Nimmo says this all contributes to being a good partner.

11:45 Science: Bright lights, counting fish and VR smells

Science correspondent Dr Siouxsie Wiles shares some quirky studies with Kathryn. Today: how bright is too bright when it comes to lighting and its impact on our health? Can you teach a fish to count? Turns out, yes you can. And what impact can including smell in the VR experience have?

 

Music played in this show

Track: Everybody Needs you
Artist: Laura Viers
Time played: 9:32

 

Track: The Ocean (feat Bookend)  
Artist: Anchorsong
Time played: 10:35