The Solutionists, with Mark Scott

The quantum threat – why our digital world needs a new kind of security

What if the simple act of tapping your card could put your identity at risk?  Every day, we trust encryption to protect our money, data, and digital lives. But quantum computers are advancing fast, and soon they could crack today’s security in seconds, making our current “digital locks” obsolete.  So how do we protect ourselves in a quantum world?  On this episode of The Solutionists, host Mark Scott explores the race to reinvent cybersecurity for the quantum age.  He speaks with leading mathematician Nalini Joshi, 2025 NSW Scientist of the Year, who’s bringing together some of the world’s brightest minds to develop new forms of encryption powerful enough to withstand quantum computing. She explains why maths is central to our digital future, and how mathematical thinking can unlock entirely new possibilities.  Plus, PhD researcher Prachi takes us inside a quantum control lab for a rare glimpse of a quantum computer in action.  +++  The Solutionists is a podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios [https://deadsetstudios.com/]. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en], and @sydney.edu.au on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/sydney.edu.au].  This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Sarah Dabro. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman.  This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The smart insulin pill that could change how diabetes is managed

"I can't just grab my keys and leave the house. I have to make sure I have something with me in case my glucose levels go too low. I have to make sure that I have spare insulin pump consumables. There's lots of parts of having type one diabetes that isn't just what we eat."  Michelle's lived with type 1 diabetes for 31 years. She has to plan everything: what she eats, when she drives, whether she can try new foods. Sophie, diagnosed as a teenager, spent years hiding her condition, injecting herself in secret in her school bathrooms.  For the millions living with type 1 diabetes, insulin is lifesaving. But it's also relentless. Multiple daily injections, or a pump worn 24/7, and constant vigilance of everything from how you exercise to how hot it is on a given day.   Professor Victoria Cogger is working on something scientists long thought impossible: smart insulin delivered orally as a single daily pill.  Victoria explains how oral delivery could make insulin management much easier, what's made oral delivery so difficult thus far, and what exactly makes this new pill ‘smart.’  +++  The Solutionists is a podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios [https://deadsetstudios.com/]. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en], and @sydney.edu.au on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/sydney.edu.au].  This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Sarah Dabro. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman.  This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

What are ultra processed foods doing to your body?

Walk down the cereal aisle. Pick up a box of cereal. The front says "real nourishment" and shows a 4.5-star health rating. Flip it over. It's 25% sugar, packed with emulsifiers, flavors, and protein isolates – it’s full of ingredients you probably can’t even pronounce if you’ve ever heard of them before.  Welcome to Australia's national diet: ultra-processed.  Associate Professor Phillip Baker is the co-lead of a major Lancet series on ultra processed foods, one of the biggest global health challenges of our time.   He says over half of what Australians eat is now ultra processed, and our diet is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and mental health problems.  Phil explains why these foods are why these foods are so ubiquitous now, examines what they’re doing to our health, how policy needs to change to protect real food, and how individuals can fight back with their forks.  +++  The Solutionists is a podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios [https://deadsetstudios.com/]. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en], and @sydney.edu.au on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/sydney.edu.au].  This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Sarah Dabro. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman.  This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

TB isn't history – why millions still die from a curable disease

You probably think TB is a disease of the past. But that’s not because we’ve beat it. It’s because we’ve moved it elsewhere. Every year, over 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis and it's concentrated where people are poorest, where overcrowding helps it spread, and where a six-month treatment course can mean losing your job, or even your social life.  Professor Greg Fox is an infectious diseases physician who treats TB patients in Sydney and leads research across Southeast Asia.   Greg outlines Australia’s responsibility to its neighbours in battling TB, and explains why cultural barriers like stigma make treatment so difficult in countries like Vietnam.   Read more about tuberculosis in Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. [https://everythingistb.com/]  +++  The Solutionists is a podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios [https://deadsetstudios.com/]. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en], and @sydney.edu.au on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/sydney.edu.au].  This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Sarah Dabro. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman.  This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Hooked again – why a new generation is addicted to nicotine

A new generation has become addicted to nicotine.   Australia almost had smoking beaten. Thanks to decades of education, regulation and cultural change, smoking rates plummeted. And then: vaping.   Lily started vaping at 17 and hasn't been able to stop. Social vaping quickly became a daily dependency, and now it affects every aspect of her life - from her health, sleep and appetite to her bank account.  Professor Becky Freeman from the University of Sydney School of Public Health has spent 25 years working in tobacco control. Now she's tackling vaping, and she says this disruption wasn't accidental.  Becky reveals how a loophole during the pandemic allowed vapes to flood Australian retail stores, why enforcement has been so difficult, and what's finally starting to work. The good news? School vaping rates are coming down thanks to targeted education programs and tighter regulations.  Learn more about Becky's work with Generation Vape [https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/cancer-prevention/smoking/generation-vape/] and Our Futures [https://ourfuturesinstitute.org.au/vaping-program/].  +++  The Solutionists is a podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios [https://deadsetstudios.com/]. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en], and @sydney.edu.au on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/sydney.edu.au].  This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Sarah Dabro. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman.  This podcast was recorded on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. For thousands of years, across innumerable generations, knowledge has been taught, shared and exchanged here. We pay respect to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.