Sam Harris: reason and science
Racial, cultural, gender and religious differences are only superficial – and the belief that they "really, really matter" is holding humanity back, says neuroscientist and author Sam Harris.
Sam Harris Photo: Samharris.org
Māori scientists Dr Dan Hikuroa and Kristie-Lee Thomas talk about their work
Dan Hikuroa believes the world of science is intimately interconnected with Mātauranga Māori (customary knowledge systems) while Kristie-Lee Thomas has been researching lessons from the 1868 tsunami which hit her family home of Wharekauri (Chatham Islands).
Dr Dan Hikuroa at Rangitoto ki te Tonga holds an aluminum core tube as part of fieldwork research. Photo: Dan Hikuroa
Jurassic World? Bringing back extinct animals with Torill Kornfeldt
Swedish science journalist Torill Kornfeldt has travelled the modern world meeting some of the people working on bringing extinct fauna back to life, including dinosaurs and woolly mammoths.
Torill Kornfeldt with an auroch skeleton at Lund University Photo: Scribe
The neuroscientist who lost her mind and returned to tell the tale
When tumours took hold of Barbara Lipska's brain and she lost her grip on reality, the American neuroscientist had a powerful opportunity to examine mental illness from the inside.
Photo: 123RF
Temple Grandin: kids need to tinker
Tinkering around with things teaches us to be curious, patient and inventive but children don't do it anymore, says animal scientist and autism spokesperson Temple Grandin.
Photo: Public domain
Arthur Aron on love, psychology, and his '36 questions'
To keep your relationship on track, celebrate your partner's successes – big and small – as much as possible, says American relationship researcher Arthur Aron.
Photo: Public domain
Mark Lynas: how we got it wrong on GMOs
In the 1990s, Mark Lynas and his fellow activists would descend on to fields of genetically modified crops in the dark of night and hack them to pieces. But since then his stance has changed – radically.
Photo: 123RF
Myers-Briggs and the 'cosmic laboratory of baby training'
The personality test known as Myers-Briggs Type Indicator continues to be used by employers, the military, educators and churches the world, over despite having no scientific validity. Merve Emre talks about why psychological tests remain so pervasive.
Katharine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers. Photo: supplied
Vera Tobin: why we love a good plot twist
Vera Tobin spends a lot of time considering stories with surprises – not as a literary expert but as a cognitive scientist. Tobin talks about what's going on in our brains when we read a novel or see a film with an unexpected ending.
Vera Tobin Photo: CARRIE GABELLA
Dr Jonathan Lundgren on reforming food production
A "paradigm shift" in agriculture can massively boost farmers' profits and crop diversity, curb pests and eliminate the need for tilling, pesticides and herbicides, scientist Jonathan Lundgren claims.
Photo: 123RF
