Afternoons

Catherine Ross, the Director of Library at Auckland Grammar School, shares her picks for the tweens and teens in your life. For ages 11+, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. For ages 13+, Ordinary Monsters (Book 1 in Trilogy) by J.M. Miro. For ages 14+, Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor; Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. Click here for more information.

With 18 million downloads, "The Worst Idea of all Time" is one of our most successful podcasts. Ali Ventura shares why she thinks it is so good, plus she looks at podcasts Redhanded and Good Hangs.

New Zealand farmers use well over 3,000 tonnes of pesticide annually. But a new genomic study has discovered a way to potentially cut that by 80%. Using DNA sequencing technology, Lincoln University scientists believe it's possible to stop mass applications and instead switch to a targeted approach. Currently the project - led by Lincoln University Associate Professor Dr Chris Winefield - is focusing on vineyards

While some rugby players choose to wear headgear, those thin, foam caps don't prevent concussions, so many choose not to. But now, research has found isotropic materials may offer more comfort and protection for players. Nick Draper, Professor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Canterbury chats to Jesse.

As you've seen across the news, the Nelson and Tasman Districts have been hammered with adverse weather. Homes flooded, properties ruined, and livelihoods turned upside down. There have been lots of stories about the terrible weather events, but according to Bernard Hickey, none of them mentioned climate change. Bernard Hickey asks why not.

Why is it such a battle to get kids to put on warm clothing? In the middle of winter? We talk to the Parenting Place to find out if it's actually okay to let them go out without a coat on.

Violence in movies and video games normalizes a culture of cruelty says Dr. Henry Giroux, a leading voice on education, media, and democracy. He says modern entertainment packages violence as a product, turning brutality into something exciting, routine, and even justified. Dr Giroux explains how the normalization of violence doesn't just dull us to suffering, it weakens democratic values and discourages us from thinking critically about the world around us.

Dr Chaey Leem is an obesity doctor, so he knows all about the challenges of losing weight. He joins us to answer listener's questions about weight loss drugs.

Each week Jesse cold calls an information centre, today the spotlight is on Auckland!

This week Caitlin Cherry is looking at the new show The Waterfront on Netflix and discusses the growing Slow TV movement on YouTube.