Afternoons for Wednesday 4 September 2024

Announcing Critter of the Week T Shirts 2024!

Preorders are now open! Head on over here to claim your sweet T! 

Forest and Bird's CEO, Nicola Toki, Joyya, and Jesse Mulligan team up to bring you Critter of the Week – an awe-inspiring tribute to the lesser-known native critters and plants of Aotearoa. Illustrated by the incredible Giselle Clarkson and guided by science consultant Mike Dickison, each item showcases New Zealand's unique biodiversity our local conservation experts are striving to protect. 

With $5 from every product going directly to Aotearoa-based conservation efforts, your purchase supports heroes on the ground protecting our natural treasures. Together we've raised over $31,686! Join us in celebrating the wild beauty of Aotearoa while giving back – now that's something to be proud of!

Crafted from premium organic cotton, ethically manufactured by our World Fair Trade Organisation certified production facility in India – showcasing Joyya's commitment to sparking good in places of extreme poverty and modern slavery.

1:15 the new sex gene?

The Y chromosome is in decline and there have been fears that humans could become extinct unless we evolve a new sex gene. But in positive news for all of us Japanese researchers have discovered that spiny rats have lost their Y chromosome and managed to survive. This discovery actually happened back in 2022, but has been all over the internet this week. Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow from La Trobe University in Melbourne Jenny Graves joins Jesse to discuss the discovery.

1:25 Australia's giant sea scorpion (historic)

1:35 try strumming this giant guitar 

Gore is well-known as the Country Music Capital of New Zealand, and nothing encapsulates that better than the iconic 'Gold Guitar' sculpture in the town centre. It was unveiled in 1988 to commemorate the annual Gold Guitar Awards and has been a local landmark ever since. Now people have a chance to own this slice of Kiwi music history as the sculpture is up for sale on Trademe! The current owner, Frank Wilson, bought it on a whim five years ago, and he tells Jesse why it's up for grabs.

1:45 Heading Off: the Himalayas - what to know

2.12 Podcast Critic: two podcasts about the Polkinghorne trial 

Evie Ashton reviews two competing podcasts about the Polkinghorne trial: Stuff Extra's The Trial and NZ Herald (NZME's) The Accused.

2:20 Easy Eats with Sam Parish: Shake and Bake Kimchi Chicken Burgers

These burgers take shake and bake to a whole new level. Get the recipe here. 

2:30 Bookmarks with Jack Cashmore

Jack is the executive chef and co-owner of award winning restaurant The Chef's Table at Blue Duck Station. Jack first volunteered at the station in 2011 whilst here on an OE before returning home to train as a chef. In 2021 - the perfect time to open a restaurant! - he returned to the station where he's been cooking ever since.

3:10 Feature interview: why do conspiracy theories thrive?  

If you make it trend you make it true says Renee DiResta, the former technical research manager at the Stanford university Internet Observatory.  She herself as been the subject of a conspiracy theory gone viral, accused by Republican lawmakers in America of working with the government to suppress conservative speech online. DiResta says conspiracy theories and misinformation thrive because Influencers, algorithms, and crowds shape reality today. 
 She pulls back the curtain to reveal how the new system of persuasion works, how its' altering so much of our lives, and what we can do to understand it.  Her book is called Invisible Rulers, The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality.

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

Claire Concannon visits the Australian synchrotron in Melbourne where intense beams of x-ray light are created for use in science, including some New Zealand research.  

3:45 The pre-Panel