Saturday Morning for Saturday 24 August 2024
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Eggs, Evolution, and Life on Earth
8:10 AM.Zoological correspondent and author Jules Howard on the revolutionary story of eggs. Read more Audio
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Mpox 101 with Dr Chris Smith
8:45 AM.A severe outbreak of a new variant of mpox with a death rate of 10% triggered the WHO to declare a global health emergency last week. Cambridge University clinical virologist and naked scientist Dr… Read more Audio
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Can music policy transform cities?
9:05 AM.Does music have the power to make a cities economy, tourism, and quality of life better? Shain Shapiro is a leading music and cultural policy thinker. In his book This Must Be The Place he examines… Read more Audio
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Surviving and thriving after a break-up
9:40 AM.Journalist Sarah Catherall has written the book she wishes she had when her own long-term relationship imploded. Read more Audio
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Playwright Dennis Kelly
10:05 AM.Award-winning British playwright Dennis Kelly's work is both funny and confronting. His play Girls and Boys is being performed by the Auckland Theatre Company and opens next month. Read more Audio
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Olympics photographer David Levene
10:30 AM.More than 1500 photographers covered the Olympic games. One of them was award-winning photographer David Levene.
Read more Audio, Gallery
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Danyl McLauchlan: Why internet searches are serving up "AI slop"
10:45 AM.Many of us are concerned about the harm that might result from AI being too smart, but Danyl McLauchlan thinks it's worth considering the damage caused by AI being not smart enough. Read more Audio
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Playing Favourites with Jan Hellriegel
11:05 AM.West Auckland singer-songwriter Jan Hellriegel talks her upcoming tour 'If Not Now, When?' and plays favourites. Read more Audio
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Saturday morning listener feedback
12:00 PM.Saturday morning listener feedback Read more Audio
Colin Peacock is hosting this week's show
8:10 Eggs, Evolution, and Life on Earth
Without an egg, we and all other creatures wouldn't exist.
More often than not the focus has been firmly on the outcome of the egg - what it produces - but zoological correspondent and author Jules Howard has turned the tables.
In his book Infinite Life: A Revolutionary Story of Eggs, Evolution and Life on Earth Jules tells the exceptional story of the egg.
Jules Howard's new book 'Infinite Life'. Photo: Elliot & Thompson
8:45 Mpox 101 with Dr Chris Smith
A severe outbreak of a new variant of mpox with a death rate of 10% triggered the WHO to declare a global health emergency last week.
Formerly known as monkeypox and closely related to smallpox, the virus has killed over 500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the outbreak is centred.
Cases of the new varient are now being reported outside of Afica but widespread transmission is considered unlikely by epidemiologists.
To give us the low down on mpox we're being joined by Cambridge University clinical virologist and naked scientist Dr Chris Smith - who was our go-to guy as the Covid pandemic unfolded.
Photo: SERGII IAREMENKO/SCIENCE PHOTO L / SIA / Science Photo Library via AFP
9:05 Can music policy transform cities?
Does music have the power to make a cities economy, tourism, and quality of life better? Shain Shapiro is a leading music and cultural policy thinker. In his book This Must Be The Place he examines the impact music can have on how cities are developed, built, managed and governed.
Shain is the founder and chairman of economics consultancy Sound Diplomacy.
Shain's currently in New Zealand for his book tour.
Photo: Headshot: James E Drury/ Book cover: Repeater Books
9:40 Surviving and thriving after a break up
Journalist Sarah Catherall has written the book she wishes she had when her own long-term relationship imploded.
In How to Break Up Well Sarah shares her own story, and seeks advice and guidance from divorce coaches, lawyers and reationship psychologists.
She joins Colin to talk about how you can grow in strength and confidence after a break-up.
Photo: Bateman Books
10:05 Playwright Dennis Kelly
Award-winning British playwright Dennis Kelly says he's drawn to including the best and worst of human behaviour in his work.
Dennis has written more than 20 plays, numerous TV series including the conspiracy thriller Utopia and the sitcom Pulling, and he co-wrote the book for Matilda the Musical.
His play Girls and Boys is being performed by the Auckland Theatre Company and opens next month.
He talks with Colin Peacock about creating a work that's funny but also shocking and confronting.
Photo: Playwright Dennis Kelly : Supplied
10:30 Olympics photographer David Levene
Photo: David Levene
More than 1500 photographers covered the Olympic games. One of them was award-winning photographer David Levene, whose images appeared in the Guardian.
David says he was surprised to find the weightlifting incredibly hard to shoot but was in his element beside the pool.
He chats with Colin about what it takes to get that magic shot.
10:45 Danyl McLauchlan: Why internet searches are serving up "AI slop"
Many of us are concerned about the harm that might result from AI being too smart, but Danyl McLauchlan thinks it's worth considering the damage caused by AI being not smart enough.
From gibberish articles to recipes for pizza that include glue as a key ingredient, low-quality mass-produced AI content is filling up our social media feeds and polluting our internet searches.
Danyl McLauchlan joins Colin to examine the impact of this "AI slop".
photo of Danyl McLauchlan created using openart.ai Photo:
11:05 Playing Favourites with Jan Hellriegel
West Auckland singer-songwriter Jan Hellriegel has lined up a string of shows around the country for her new tour 'If Not Now, When?', heralded as a mix of piano tunes, comedy, and stories.
Kicking off late September, the tour will see Jan unveiling her new project which follows on the heels of her 2019 multimedia venture Sportsman of The Year.
Jan's love affair with music started as a youngster when she learned classical piano. From there she took vocal coaching from Dame Sister Mary Leo, whose protégés included Kiri Te Kanawa. Jan has always forged her own sonic path, and has her own unique approach to music that didn't always fit with the view of her label.
In anticipation of Jan's upcoming tour she joins Colin to share some yarns and play some favourites.
Jan Hellriegel Photo: Kendal Simich
Books featured on the show
This Must Be The Place
By Shain Shapiro
Published by Repeater
Infinite Life: A Revolutionary Story of Eggs, Evolution and Life on Earth
By Jules Howard
Published by Elliott & Thompson
How to Break Up Well
By Sarah Catherall
Published by Bateman
Music played in this show
Song: Farmhouse
Artist: Phish
Time played: 9.10
Song: This Must Be The Place
Artist: Talking Heads
Time played: 9.38
Playing Favourites with Jan Hellriegel
Song: A Thousand Years
Artist: Christina Perri
Time played: 11.11
Song: Don't Let me Be Misunderstood
Artist: Santa Esmeralda
Time played: 11.20
Song: Pyromaniac
Artist: The Verlaines
Time played: 11.32
Song: Now and Then
Artist: The Beatles
Time played: 11.41
Song: 'So Happy' from Sportsman of The Year
Artist: Jan Hellriegel
Time played: 11.52
Song: Ace of Spades
Artist: Motörhead
Time played: 11.58
