Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:30:00 +1100

Russian/American scientist and author, Isaac Asimov, once wrote: Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today -- but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all.

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +1100

3-D printing techniques offer a chance to make manufacturing more efficient and flexible, but as we'll hear they also pose challenges to traditional labour relations and to intellectual property rights.

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +1100

What can a Namibian beetle tell us about improving water collection? Or the shape of a Kingfisher's beak tell us about the best way to design a high speed train? The idea of biomimicry—looking to nature to solve human problems—is growing as more organisations try to mimic the best from the natural world.

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +1100

There are lots of examples of how games and a sense of play can engage people. But as the barriers between the gaming world and the real world break down, does that mean we can use more aspects of gaming in our everyday lives? The idea of gamification—using game mechanics to make changes in the real world—is growing. But is it possible to turn everything into a game?

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:50:00 +1100

Literature, film and television have been a strong force for imagining future scenarios. But why is it that there's been less focus on the future (science fiction) in contemporary art? The 2112 Imagining The Future exhibition presents a range of works from contemporary artists about how the world might look in one hundred years time.

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +1100

Adults - big people - messing about with little blocks! They're called AFOLS - Adult Fans of Lego. We look at the strange world of Lego fans and their creations.

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:50:17 +1100

How reliable is common sense in decision making? And do we understand less about the world of human behaviour than we think? Dr Duncan Watts argues that our tendency to use common sense to try and understand the world and to steer a future course often ends in disaster.

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:40:37 +1100

What role can virtual worlds play in education? A new initiative called the Euroversity is interested in exploring that question. The Euroversity project is a partnership between 19 different European institutions, with the ultimate goal being to create a virtual university.

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +1100

The Europeana project is an internet portal - a sort of online library and gateway - to the collections held by over 1500 European institutions. And its role is to ensure that European culture remains visible and accessible.

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:30:00 +1100

In a digital world everything you do online produces data in one form or another. And reading that data and making the best use of it is big business—especially for marketers and advertisers. We look at some of the interesting ways online data is being corralled and used—everything from measuring happiness to monitoring real-time traffic flows.

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:32:22 +1100

We have just upgraded to a new website, and the move has caused some podcast subscribers to download duplicate mp3s. We apologise for this issue and hope you continue to listen to Radio National podcasts in the future.

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:30:00 +1100

We're used to hearing about threats to our outdoor environment. But we rarely think about some of the challenges that we face in our indoor environment.

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:30:00 +1100

The idea of conquering ageing and living forever has been around for centuries. But is it feasible? Do we have, or will we ever have the scientific knowledge to defy ageing?

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:30:00 +1100

The Internet and social media are important tools for those dealing with emergencies and disasters. But without proper coordination is there a danger they'll simply add to the chaos? We'll look at various efforts to put them to more effective use.

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:30:00 +1100

We look at a number of projects aiming to improve access to communication - be it the use of telephones in East Timor or Internet access in the remote interior of Australia.