Ockham’s Razor

We're getting pretty familiar with hearing people talk about AI and what it could mean for our future.Luckily we humans still have the power to shape how that will look.Rashina Hoda is one of those humans and she's hoping to make sure AI is used in an ethical way. 

Researchers have a lot of unanswered questions about female reproductive health.Today's speaker has a story of a discovery that will hopefully advance this area of science, but found in a very unlikely place.We have some live shows coming up, and we'd love to see you there! Get your tickets here. 

How are your knees feeling? There's a pretty good chance one or both of them are sore — after all, knee osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability globally, and Australia's no exception.Trouble is, we don't really have any way of treating it. But never fear — this week we're hearing from someone who's bringing her engineering background to take a peek inside dodgy knees and see what it might take to fix them.We have some live shows coming up! We're heading to Sydney and the Huon Valley in Tasmania. Check out details here. This episode was first broadcast in 2022.

Do you think we're alone in the universe? Could there be other life out there?And, whether there is or isn't, how does life come to be, anyway?(Is this sounding a little like your mate on a camping trip getting a bit too deep while looking up at all those stars?)Well, this time we're hearing from someone who's trying to unpick the origins of life — here on Earth, and maybe other places too.We've got a bunch of live shows coming up! You can find more details here.  

What does it take to survive on the driest inhabited continent on Earth? Indigenous people have tens of thousands of years of knowledge about this, but their place in the conversations about water planning and management are often tokenistic at best, or worse, completely absent.Bradley Moggridge wants to change that. He's a Kamilaroi man and hydrogeologist, and he knows Indigenous knowledge needs to be central to Australia's water future.Want to join the audience at our next live show? We're heading to Melbourne, Tassie and Sydney. Check out details here. 

To protect our heads in a crash or collision, we wear a helmet.But what about if we need to protect a building?That's probably too big for a helmet…Engineer Tatheer explores creative solutions to these big problems.We have some upcoming live Ockham's Razor shows!We're heading to Melbourne, Huon Valley and Sydney.Check them out and join the audience here. 

When it comes to conservation, it's easy to get excited about protecting creatures that make you go "aww". Like, "aww, what a fluffy koala!", or "aww, what a cute lizard!"

What’s the most important human invention from history? The wheel? Fire? How about… language and culture?Archaeologist Sam Lin takes us on a tour of very early human history, featuring an item that crops up too regularly to be an accident: an almond-shaped piece of sharpened stone.Sam's talk was first broadcast in February 2022. 

No one likes having their ideas taken for granted, without recognition or pay.For First Nations Australians, their expansive knowledge is often used without proper consultation or respectful communication. So how do we tackle the problem? Tahlia, a Ballardong Whadjuk and Wajarri Yamaji engineering student, shares her thoughts. 

Here on Ockham's Razor, our soapbox for science, we try to bring you science that's deeply applicable to your daily life.