Quick Smart

Summer in the northern hemisphere was the hottest on record. There were unprecedented wildfires and floods resulting in mass destruction and deaths, so what does that tell us about what summer will be like in Australia? And after already experiencing such widespread devastation during the 2019 bushfires, how can we better handle the spike in our collective climate anxiety? Guest: Nate Byrne from ABC News

The term Stockholm syndrome has become a phrase we throw around to describe people in toxic relationships and bad jobs, but originally it was a diagnosis for a young woman who fell for her captor during a week long bank heist. But it turns out the psychologist who first invented the term never even met the woman. So what’s the history of this strange syndrome? Is it an early understanding of what we now call coercive control or is it all just a sexist myth?Guest: Rebecca Armitage

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve heard of the recent hike in RBA interest rates. But let’s face it, with the cost of housing as it is, living under a rock is looking more and more likely. These increases are a measure to curb spending to bring down inflation, but the RBA is secretly hoping something else will happen …. and that’s for you to lose your job. So do we really need inflation to be below 3%? And in a cost of living crisis, why is it better to have higher unemployment?Guest: Richard Aedy from The Money

There's nothing better than disappearing into a good book. You can fall in love with people who have never existed and revel in events that never happened. But how does your perception of that book change when that author isn’t who they made themselves out to be? There's a long tradition of literary fraudsters in Australia, So why are we still so scandalised when this happens? And why is it still so hard to catch an errant author at it – what other hoaxes could be out there?Guest: Sarah L'Strange from The Book Show

Recently, a tiny, pesky parasite called the varroa mite was detected in Australia for the first time, and already they are absolutely wreaking havoc on bee colonies. Bees are fundamental for Australia's produce, without them - we'd lose a third of our fresh fruit and vegetables. So what impact will these mites have on our food supply? And is there anything we can do to stop them wiping out local bees entirely?Guest: Carl Smith from ABC Science

On any night, around half of people aged 10 -17 in detention facilities across the country are Aboriginal or Torres Strait islander, but Indigenous people only make up 3% of the population. So why are so many Indigenous kids ending up behind bars? And what the programs that are trying to stop that from happening? And are they actually working?

Have you ever thought about the origin of the pap test? Admittedly, most people would prefer not to think about pap tests at all, so spare a thought for the woman who endured a vaginal test every day for more than 20 years. So, why on earth would this woman subject herself to such a thing? How did her doctor husband get all the credit? And what groundbreaking medical discoveries can be traced back to her sacrifice? 

The concept of a 15 minute city - where neighbourhoods provide life's essentials in 15 minutes by foot or bike is almost as old as urban planning itself. But recently, this idea has become a flash point for conspiracy theorists. So, while new developments are built at pace to keep up with Australia's housing shortage how should we be thinking about the cities of the future? And is there something sinister about keeping everything in the neighbourhood? 

Within a month of its launch, ChatGPT had 100 million users. Suddenly AI was doing our assignments, proofreading our emails, and planning our holidays. But in the process of absorbing all this information - AI has been learning a great deal about us humans. So how soon will artificial intelligence eclipse human intelligence? And what happens if AI decides that it’s had enough of us? 

Whether it’s theme parks, iconic characters or beloved films, Disney has enchanted millions around the world. But for its biggest fans — sometimes called “Disney adults” — it can be an intense and often spiritual experience, involving weddings, annual pilgrimages to Disneyland, and even ways to mourn loved ones.So, when you put it like that, could Disney be its own kind of religion? And what does this example tell us about what is and isn’t a religion? Some experts say it all comes down to how we think about nostalgia, ritual and the sacred.