Afternoons for Wednesday 18 October 2023

 

1:15 The entire genetic code of a brushtail possum

It's an animal who is both loved and loathed - depending on which side of the Tasman you live on.

After a five year long study, an international group of researchers led by the University of Otago, has mapped the entire genetic code of the brushtail possum.

They say it could help with both predator control here in Aotearoa and conservation programmes in Australia, where possums are a native, nationally protected species.

The secret it seems lies in the smell of its urine.

Jesse talks to Study lead - Associate Professor Tim Hore, of Otago's Department of Anatomy.

1:25 LED lights make many lives a misery 

Championed as more efficient and energy saving, LED lights have been steadily lighting up our world.

They're in our screens, homes and supermarkets and increasingly in our outdoor environment - flashing on billboards, road signs and even car headlights.

For some people that's making life a misery.

In some countries there are even campaigns to ban blinding LEDs.

Kat McAra is one of those badly affected by LED light pollution and she talks to Jesse about what it's like.

1:35 Everyone has a pavlova story

We go back and forth, can New Zealand claim the pavlova, or Australia

But when we all gather round a pavlova at Christmas, there's a collective understanding that it's a dessert that holds a special place in our hearts.

Everyone has a pavlova tale to tell, and that's the idea behind a yet-to-be released book called Pav Deconstructed 

Kathy Derrick from Pavlova Press talks to Jesse about the book and what it's like to be a small independent publisher. 

1:45 Shaun Barnett's life in the outdoors

Shaun Barnett is a tramping guru, author of ten books, photographer, guide, former DOC ranger and former editor of Wilderness magazine.

His latest book Tramping in Aotearoa: New Zealand's Top 45 Tracks is a beautiful book, and his next book Wild Notes is in the works while he's facing the toughest challenge of his life: the diagnosis of stage four brain cancer. 

Shaun Barnett tells Jesse about his passion for the outdoors and what it's like trying to write a book when living with brain cancer.  

Here's the link to Shaun's Give A Little page.

2.10 Podcast Critic: Elliott Childs

Elliott Childs joins Jesse to review two in depth podcasts: The Treatment and The New Yorker Radio Hour.

2:20 Collectors Corner: Postcards with Stanley Fraser

Collectors Corner is where we meet passionate people who've taken their fondness for a certain thing to new heights. 

So far, we've had vintage tools, vintage bottles, antique sewing machines, and clothing. 

And today we have a collector whose chosen curio is certainly easier to store than those previous treasures - because Stanley Fraser collects postcards.

2:30 Bookmarks with Adrian Thornton

Musicians of a feather flock together, especially if they're writing bird music. 

Our Bookmarks guest today is Adrian Thornton, whose band is playing a gig for the Hawkes Bay Arts festival this Friday.

The band is called 'The Machine Wreckers' who Adrian describes as an assembly of "the most disparate group of musicians he could find". Their show pays homage to the unique and enchanting melodies of the native birds of Aotearoa, through sonic, dreamlike musical pieces.

Besides making music, Adrian spends his days behind the counter of The Little Red Bookshop in Heretaunga Street, Hastings, and fixing vintage racing bikes in his workshop out the back. Jesse talks to him about his favourite things. 

3:10 Failing well can lead to important discoveries 

Failure happens. It's not a glitch, but an inevitable part of life. But most of us fail to learn from failure, letting fear and shame get in the way says Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson.

She shares groundbreaking research about the different types of failure and how coming up short reminds us that we are human and fallible. Reframing our missteps can lead to important discoveries and improvement rather than something to beat ourselves up about. Her new book is called Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well.

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

Today on Our Changing World, life in the fast and slow lanes of braided rivers. 

They are rare worldwide, but we have a number of them in New Zealand, mostly in Te Waipounamu. 

With their wide gravel flood plains and different water channels that shift and change across the seasons, they are home to several endemic and endangered birds here in Aotearoa. 

Holly Harris, a PhD student at the University of Canterbury, wants to better understand the entire ecosystem. Claire Concannon joins her, and research assistant Zoe Hamilton, during a week their field work at the Cass River near Tekapo in Canterbury. 

3:45 The Panel with Cindy Mitchener and Steve McCabe