Behind the rise of AI there's big questions about where this technology is going. Is it going to be super intelligent — and if that happens — is it going to kill us all? In our final episode, we're diving into the future and unpacking the full spectrum of expert predictions, from the idea that we're on the brink of creating human-level AI, to fears…

2023 was the year powerful new AI technology went mainstream, with image generators and tools like ChatGPT. And people quickly started wondering where these advances were taking them. This is the story of 2023 in three chapters: the first contact, the backlash that followed, and the new reality. It's the story of actors fighting back against plans …

AI is often portrayed as being all about technology. But it is also about money and control. Because those who control AI, may control the world. In the AI world, there are two names that keep coming up: OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and its CEO, Sam Altman. Who is Sam Altman? How did his tiny company leapfrog the tech giants and win the scra…

When you think about a driverless car future, perhaps your mind goes to being driven around, watching movies from the backseat and drinking martinis. For over a decade, perfect driverless cars have seemed only a few years away. But in reality, they were nowhere close. Now, driverless cars are finally being rolled out in some cities. But (like human…

As ChatGPT shows us, AI can do some amazing stuff. But it does some creepy stuff as well. And it's already been responsible for locking up innocent people. The story of how AI scanned millions of drivers licences and accused Michigan man Robert Wiliams of a crime he didn't commit. When human biases lead to neural networks going rogue.…

The world is experiencing a boom in artificial intelligence (AI). It's everywhere. In just a few years, computers have learned to paint a picture, write a novel, translate languages and consume the entire internet. But how we got here goes back decades to two men who couldn't agree on the best way to teach a thinking machine. The AI world was divid…

2023 has been the breakout year of artificial intelligence. After decades of investment and improvement, the technology suddenly went mainstream. For many, it was as though a miraculous machine was plonked in our midst. But AI didn't come from nowhere. And it hasn't been a smooth and simple process. It's been a story rife with drama, conflict, and …

Episode 40 of Humans of the Trail with Olie Wicks

Two groups of boys on a camp in the wilds of America are pitted against each other. But the camp leaders have only one thing on their minds. Science. The mind-blowing story of a psychological experiment that crossed a line. Big time.Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

What family secrets lie deep inside your cells? A story of survival against the odds, hope after the Holocaust, and the eye-opening new science of epigenetics… Can biology help you transcend the traumas of your ancestors, or forever burden you with their legacy?Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

At the heart of this moving and extraordinary medical mystery is Robbie, a man in a genetic lottery. Two rare mutations made his life uniquely interesting. Then came a third, random event...a chance encounter, a global detective quest and science at the cutting edge.Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In this episode of Humans of the Trail, we sit down with Andrew Terrell, a man who has an incredible story of self-discovery. Andrew walked from the Apennine Mountains in Southern Italy to Arctic Norway, a journey that took him over 7000 miles and two years. Along the way, Andrew faced many challenges, but he also learned a lot about himself. He le…

Tai Poole is a self-described scientist and the teenage star of multi-award-winning podcast Tai Asks Why. Love, climate change, death, dreaming…there is nothing Tai's tenaciously, voraciously hungry mind won't take on. He joins Natasha Mitchell to talk life, the universe, and everything.Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When pioneering Australian RNA biologist Archa Fox was a child, her parents were drawn into the orbit of the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. Her family packed up their life to join the Orange People communes in India and Oregon as disciples. Archa shares her candid, confronting story of what happened when this spiritual movement morphed into a cult.…

This week on Humans of the Trail I have Ali Pretty on the Podcast. I first learned about Ali through a friend of the Podcast Martyn Howe from Episode 1. Beach of Dreams is a visual art journey, community, storytelling and digital art project inspired by the challenges faced by communities who live on our coastlines. I was really keen to learn more …

Nuclear weapons are not toys. But what happens when children get their hands on nuclear know-how? Two explosive stories of two smart kids — both with a radioactive obsession, but with very different outcomes — one celebrated as a child genius and given his own university lab as a teen; the other dead at age 39. Meet Taylor Wilson and David Hahn.…

Natasha Mitchell, presenter and co-producer of Science Friction, has some special news she wants to share with you. Listen in. (Spoiler alert: You can catch her as the new host of the ABC's Big Ideas from April 10 2023. Follow the show on the ABC Listen app or wherever you get your podcasts).Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

How has fusion inspired the imaginations of science fiction writers? In The Expanse blockbuster book and TV series, fusion energy has changed the course of civilisation in extraordinary ways – for better and worse. Ty Franck, one half of the James S.A Corey writing duo behind The Expanse, and Canadian futurist and science fiction writer Karl Schroe…

In this episode of Humans of the Trail, we talk to Peter Elia, a freelance travel writer who specializes in long-distance walks. Peter has walked some of the lesser-known long-distance trails in the world, and he shares his experiences with us. We talk about why Peter enjoys lesser-known routes, how he slowly quit his job to become a freelance trav…

The promise of nuclear fusion is clean, limitless energy for all. But why do start-up entrepreneurs think they can solve a problem that's perplexed scientists and fuelled the imagination of science fiction writers for decades? Are they kidding themselves, or inching closer to a breakthrough? Big name billionaires like Bill Gates and George Soros ar…

It started with one post on Instagram. What followed was unimaginable. Scientists turned social media giants Darrion Nguyen (aka Lab Shenanigans) and Dr Cindy Pham (aka The Scholar Diaries) share moving stories of trauma, self-discovery, and growth. Superficial shiny stereotypes of social media celebrity ... they are definitely NOT.…

I'm a total sucker for discovering new brands and businesses in our outdoor space. So when I learned Highlander, an events business now has a Highlander Adventure in the Lake District I had to find out more about the brand and the people behind it. Thankfully Ariana, the Global Head of Communications at Highlander was happy to jump on the other end…

Chinese scientist Dr Jiankui He flouted the law and bioethics basics to create the world's first CRISPR gene edited babies. Now out of jail, he's back on Twitter recruiting patients and raising funds for more trials, this time in adults not embryos. A dangerous distraction or a cautionary lesson for the world's scientists? Dr Joy Zhang has an extra…

Dave Thomas started his career on the back of his love of fitness as he launched a personal training business, which spiraled into running a popular London gym chain called The Foundry. But it was Daves's love of the outdoors, and desire to step away from, his words repeatedly 'counting to 10', for his clients that eventually led to a life living i…

Science is political. So let's go straight to the heart of political power in Australia. 10 months into role, the Federal Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic joins Natasha this week. From the muzzling of scientists to stemming the brain drain, from the corporatisation of CSIRO to connecting science to more people — will the state of play for…

Where do I start... Barefoot Backpacker unpacks so much in this episode, from his backstory to traveling to the lesser known destinations around the globe, traveling as somebody who identifies as nonbinary and asexual, to of course long distance trails. This is a fantastic episode with a lot going on which I hope you enjoy listening to as much as I…

Self-proclaimed TikTok mystics, healers, wellness influencers are increasingly turning to quantum physics to give their claims credibility, with potentially dangerous consequences. How do you disentangle the woo from the wow in quantum physics? And can it be deadly?Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Chemist Kim Kwan didn’t realise how much they needed to find their queer crew in science until they did. Rami Mandow threw in a successful career in finance and business to find true love — astronomy. They share frank, fearless stories about coming out as third culture kids and why bringing their whole selves to science - their queer self and their…

Australia is hosting the 2023 World Pride festival and queer botanists are celebrating by bringing their full selves to their science.Ryan O'Donnell is an accomplished opera singer and musical theatre performer turned botanist studying orchids and fungi.Botanist Hervé Sauquet is piecing together the evolutionary history of flowering plants – most o…

Julian is in my opinion an unsung hero of Trails, with his work dedicated to the betterment of our Trail networks. As the Board Member and Vice Chair of the World Trails Network, Chair of National Trails, and Director of the South West Coast Path Association he is a busy man and a fountain of Trail knowledge. Julian humbled me with his clarity and …

From the nomadic world of the Sahara Desert to a fantasy wonderland inside a Melbourne industrial warehouse ... meteorites are a growing business and a controversial one. Are the secrets inside space rocks at risk of being lost to wealthy collectors in the West? And, the battle of the Arab world’s first — and first female — meteorite scientist to s…

A rock celebrity with a wild biography. Saharan nomads, a weight-loss doctor feeding an unusual addiction, scientists seeking the origins of Everything. 'Black Beauty' has it all. The meteorite with a mighty story, with love from Mars.Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Join Davina Farrer in her journey of exploration and liberation as she shares stories from her backpacking trip around the world and her empowering hike on the South West Coast Path. Discover how Davina's intentional work choices have led to a life of time freedom and learn how you too can break free from the 9-5 grind and live a life of adventure …

Scientists Jonathan Napier and Cathie Martin remember when they needed armed guards and high fences to protect their genetic experiments. But the rules around genetically modified crops are rapidly changing. What could this mean for your dinner plate? (REPEAT)Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

A pair of twin girls is born in the late 1980s and their mother, Chris, is told a series of ‘facts’ about them.Each born with their own placenta, Chris is told it’s extremely unlikely that her twins are identical, but, if they were, they’d be a perfect DNA match. She’s also told that her daughters have a much higher likelihood as adults of conceivi…

Science journalist, biologist, podcaster, teacher and activist Dr Ilya Kolmanovsky is a superstar science communicator.He hosts one of the biggest Russian language podcasts. Bigger than podcasts on sex or politics.But he's no stranger to the brutality of Russia's political leadership.Now, with Putin's violent invasion of Ukraine and as a new Iron C…

In this week's episode of the Distance Hiker Podcast, we spoke with Emma, a coast walker who blogs about her journey on her site. Emma is currently on a journey to walk around the coast of the United Kingdom, with the goal of improving her mental health. During the conversation, Emma shared with us the various reasons why she decided to take on thi…

Leading computer scientist and co-founder of Black in A.I, Dr Timnit Gebru, was hired by Google to co-lead its Ethical AI team with another tech industry trailblazer Dr Margaret Mitchell. The team investigated the ethics of artificial intelligence to understand and prevent its potential harms. Timnit was the first Black woman the company had employ…

What does it take to reimagine your life?In this occasional Science Friction series, scientists who end-up their lives and strip themselves of their professional identity to become artists.Kolkata-born engineer Nishant Jain flew in the face of expectations, threw in a PhD in biomechanics, and reinvented himself as a cartoonist, writer, and self-tau…

It started with an idea. Then came the university car park full of tonnes of fish heads. Now this extraordinary 20-something couple have deployed a mighty maggot army to turn 50 tonnes of food waste a week into … well, you'll want to listen to find out. A story of science, ingenuity, and revolution. We throw out a third of the food we produce, and …

In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Steph Wetherell, one of the co-founders of Every Body Outdoors. Steph is a trailblazer in the outdoor community, working to promote representation and accessibility for people of all sizes in the great outdoors. As we talked, Steph shared her personal journey of falling in love with the outdoo…

Two teams. Scientists and science journalists. Brains vs brains. Boys vs Girls. From the small (bed bug sex) to the big (er, the whole cosmos), it's the year in science with a tongue firmly in our cheeks.Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The long prison sentence given to Sydney climate protester Deanna 'Violet' Coco for blocking traffic on the Sydney Harbour bridge has surprised many, including her fellow protester Jay, who spent 42 days under house arrest. Are new laws suppressing fundamental human rights to protest, or a proportionate response to disruptive blockades? Note: Since…

Dartmoor's a special place. Not just for the fact that it's the largest open moor in Southern England and home to various dark skies designated areas. Or that it's a beautiful tapestry of stone walls, tors and outcrops, woven with history, folklaw and some of the most rugged and beautiful uplands in the UK. It's also special because it also offers …

We make machines, but do our machines make us? And who's in control really? Superstar anthropologist, technologist, futurist, cyberneticist, and Silicon Valley insider Genevieve Bell and guests talk machines, minds and messing with the code to make the world so much better.Kirjoittanut Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In Episode 29 of the Distance Hiker Podcast Matthew is joined by Stefan Durkacz and David Lintern, authors of the newly published Cicerone Press guidebook Scottish Wild Country Backpacking. Stefan and David share a bit of their background and interest in the outdoors before deep diving into the behind the scenes of making the guidebook, and backpac…

If the universe began with a big bang, how will it end? This question has suddenly got very personal for acclaimed science poet Alicia Sometimes.Physicists have got some hair-raising ideas, from the Big Crunch to the Big Rip. The personal, the poetic, and the physical of endings this week on Science Friction.Hear Part 1: What Came Before the Big Ba…

Should solving climate change be left to politicians? What if YOU could drive policy without ever running for an election?WHO'S GONNA SAVE US? is an ABC podcast about the people who are trying to map out a better future in the face of the climate crisis.France gave so-called 'deliberative democracy' a crack, where lay citizens are assembled to deli…

In this weeks episode I talk with Kerry, who is a YouTuber and long distance hiker from the channel Drunk On Wanderlust. We learn Kerrys story from global traveller to long distance hiker, and how she hasn’t looked back since.

Saul Griffith has an ambitious plan to save the planet. It all begins at home and it's completely electrifying! WHO'S GONNA SAVE US? is an ABC podcast about the people who are trying to map out a better future in the face of the climate crisis. Catch up on the whole series HERE, or wherever you get your podcasts.Guests: Saul Griffith, Andrew Davies…