Saturday Morning for Saturday 17 April 2021

8:10 Prof David Nutt: Psilocybin at least as useful as antidepressant, finds UK study

The psychedelic drug psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms, is as good at reducing symptoms of depression as conventional treatment, a small, early-stage trial has suggested.

The study, run by Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research, is among the first to test psilocybin against the usual drug treatment, an SSRI, in this case Escitalopram.

Prof David Nutt is the Deputy Head of the Centre, and co-author of the study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week.

He is the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit at Imperial College London.

8:35 Cal Flyn: Life in post-human landscapes

Cal Flyn's latest book, Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape tells the story of a dozen abandoned places around the world, from Chernobyl to the volcanic Caribbean, and looks particularly at how nature reclaims and rebounds after humans leave.

She explores the peculiar connection humans have to abandoned spaces, as well as the awe and wonder that can be found in the bleakest and most desolate of landscapes.

Cal Flyn is a writer and journalist who lives on Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland.

9:05 Priestdaddy author Patricia Lockwood releases her debut novel

Patricia Lockwood's 2017 memoir Priestdaddy was named one of the 10 best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review.

She's just released her debut novel No One Is Talking About This, which explores the perils of excessive exposure to the internet.

Lockwood has also released two poetry collections and writes for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The New Republic, and the London Review of Books, where she is a contributing editor.

10:05 Nahaja Black: Why the Bahamas is a haven for sexual predation

Attitudes to rape and women's rights in the Bahamas make it an ideal hunting ground for an alleged sexual predator, Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, according to outspoken Bahamian radio host Nahaja Black

Nygard is in custody in Winnipeg and is facing extradition proceedings to New York. His arrest on sex trafficking and other charges came after 10 women sued him, saying he enticed young and impoverished women to his Bahamas estate.

Several women in the suit, which was filed in New York, said they were 14 or 15 years old when Nygard gave them alcohol or drugs and then raped them. Nygard is accused of silencing victims, cultivating political influence and blocking anyone who tried to expose his behaviour.

10:35 Dr Doug Wilson: How to Navigate Life's Journey in Your Later Years

Ageing well is not just about longevity, according to Doug Wilson. It is the art of living well, making the most of the time we have, and finding ways to enhance our happiness and sense of fulfilment.

In Ageing Well: How to Navigate Life's Journey in Your Later Years, he explains what may hinder and what may help enjoyment of life as we grow older.

Doug Wilson is our regular correspondent from the other side of 80. The medical academic and former international pharmaceutical executive was recently recognised as Senior New Zealander of the Year. He also authored Ageing For Beginners.

11:05 Terry Wilson: Antarctica's bedrock rising as ice melts

Terry Wilson is a pioneer in using global positioning systems (GPS) to understand the loss of Antarctic ice.

She says Antarctica's bedrock is rising as the ice melts and this will have implications for rising sea levels and our ability to manage their effect over time.

Terry Wilson is a professor emerita in the School of Earth Sciences and senior research scientist at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at the Ohio State University.

This week she delivered the S.T. Lee Lecture in Antarctic Studies at the Victoria University Antarctic Research Centre.

11:35 Vet Trish Johansen: Eradicating rabies one village at a time

After many years running a veterinary clinic in Cambodia, Trish Johansen is on a mission to eradicate rabies.

More than 100 years after a rabies vaccine was developed, people are still dying horrible deaths from the virus.

She has developed a programme for the Cambodian Government, Eradicating Rabies One Village at a Time, which she says can be used around the world.

Trish Johansen has been heavily involved in veterinary care for mine-sniffing rats and the charity Cows for Cambodia.

Books mentioned in this show:

Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape
By Cal Flyn
ISBN 9780008329785
Published by HarperCollins

No One Is Talking About This
By Patricia Lockwood
ISBN 9780593189580
Published by PenguinRandomhouse

Ageing Well: How to Navigate Life’s Journey in Your Later Years
By Dr Doug Wilson
ISBN 9781877429453
Published by Calico Publishing

Music played in this show

Song: Wasted Youth
Artist: Jenny Lewis
Played at 9:05

Song: Don't Do It
Artist: Courtney Barnett and Vagabon
Played at 9:55