The Solutionists, with Mark Scott

Our bodies have an innate ability to tell the time – it evolved so that we were inclined to rest when it was safe, and were keener on travelling or hunting and gathering when food was plentiful. The sun and our body’s ability to perceive its light kept our internal clocks ticking along consistently.   But today, many of us spend most of our days indoors, and much of our nights in artificial light. We’ve confused our internal clocks, and that can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.   Dr Jacob Crouse is on a mission to improve the lives of people living with depressive and bipolar disorders – and it turns out light may be one of the keys to fulfilling that mission. Jake explains why people affected by bipolar disorder tend to have more disrupted ‘circadian rhythms,’ and what his research reveals about everybody’s need for the right light at the right time.   +++  The Solutionists is 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.

Growing food is one of our most fundamental human activities, and it’s the core puzzle underlying our societies. As more people are freed up from farm work, our societies grow and we need yet more food.   Today, that tricky equation also includes robots. Australia faces a labour shortage in the agriculture sector for a variety of reasons, and the already razor-thin margins on many farms are only growing sharper. Enter: AI, sensor drones, self-driving tractors and a whole host of other high-tech tools.   But are they too costly for smaller farms? What happens when a multi-tonne robot dies in the field? And what kind of workers will these robotic farms of the future need to run smoothly?  Professor Salah Sukkarieh, the Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, has been at the forefront of robotics for twenty years. His own machines have been used on Australian farms, and his sights are also set internationally, where he hopes powerful machines will help self-subsistence farmers keep up. He explains what’s happening on Aussie farms already, how farm owners are managing the tech transition, and shines some light on the advancements to come.   +++  The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios [https://www.deadsetstudios.com/]. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/], and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en].  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.

Can you be friends with someone who doesn’t know you exist? It’s a legitimate question for members of fandoms – groups of people brought together by a shared passion for an artist, sports team, celebrity or piece of media. At the centre of these groups is a parasocial relationship: a one-sided connection with a public figure. If you’ve heard the term before, it probably hasn’t been in a positive light... Dr Georgia Carroll, an expert on fan culture and Australia’s go-to scholar on Taylor Swift, says the way we understand parasocial relationships is a bit lop-sided. “Parasocial relationships are just one part of our social worlds, and they can be a really healthy, identity-building piece of the pie.” But that’s not to say they can’t go wrong. Georgia explains what happens at the extreme ends of the parasocial spectrum, and outlines how social media and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the nature of these relationships. She also unpacks Taylor Swift’s highly lucrative marketing strategy and how it purposely leans into parasocial connections with fans. +++ The Solutionists is podcast from the University of Sydney, produced by Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with The Solutionists by following @sydney_uni on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 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.

Your biology’s been hacked. Your naturally evolved appetite would allow you to eat exactly the right amount of food every day, except that most of us live in highly industrialised food environments today. Two of nutrition’s most productive scientists explain how we ended up here, and how you can eat healthier in an imbalanced food environment. ~~~ Why don’t animals need calorie trackers? Baboons don’t know the difference between fats and carbs, don’t follow a keto diet and don’t track what they eat. Yet we humans, who have all this technology at hand, are facing an obesity epidemic when no other animal seems to struggle with healthy eating. How is that possible? Professors Steve Simpson and David Raubenheimer have strived to answer that question for as long as they’ve worked together. By studying the feeding patterns of locusts and paying extra attention to protein, they’ve concluded that humans should be able to eat as well as the animals – but our modern food environment won’t let us. Steve is Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre, and a Professor in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney, and Executive Director of Obesity Australia. David is the Leonard P Ullmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology at the University of Sydney. +++ The Solutionists https://www.deadsetstudios.com/https://twitter.com/Sydney_Uni?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthorhttps://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Andrea Ho. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman. Thanks to the technical staff at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 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.

Loneliness is becoming more common, and it’s making us sick. But why? Professor Melody Ding studies loneliness from a public health perspective, and she wants us to design communities where everyone has access to a flourishing social life. ~~~ There have never been more people living on the planet than now. And yet loneliness has become a major health concern worldwide – it’s serious enough that the World Health Organisation has declared it a public health concern. Professor Melody Ding examines loneliness and social isolation – how they differ, and how they overlap. While everyone’s experience is unique, the way we organise our communities can and does contribute to these problems. This means improvements, too, are within our reach. Melody Ding explains the differences between loneliness and social isolation, examines causes, and looks at what systemic changes we can make to improve connectedness. +++ The Solutionists https://www.deadsetstudios.com/https://twitter.com/Sydney_Uni?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthorhttps://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni/https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/?hl=en This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Jeremy Wilmot. Supervising producer is Andrea Ho. Executive editors are Kellie Riordan, Jen Peterson-Ward, and Mark Scott. Strategist is Ann Chesterman. Thanks to the technical staff at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Media Room. 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.