How do the harmful effects of chemicals go undetected, and what can we do to better protect against this? Public health expert Professor Tim Driscoll and Walkley Award-winning journalists Kerry O'Brien and Carrie Fellner discuss. This conversation was recorded on Thursday 19 September, 2019 at the University of Sydney and presented in partnership with The Walkley Foundation. Visit the website for more details: http://bit.ly/33SuTNa

How might understanding childhood development lead to genuinely intelligent machines? Young children are actually better at learning unusual or unlikely principles than adults. Professor Alison Gopnik's research relates this pattern to computational ideas about search and sampling, evolutionary ideas about human life history, and neuroscience findings about plasticity. This talk was recorded on Wednesday 11 September at the University of Sydney. For more details, visit the website: http://bit.ly/2kN7CdH

How can we close the widening gap between rich and poor? Political economist Frank Stilwell draws from his new book on inequality to bring this problem into sharp focus. How did we get here, and what can we — as citizens and as a nation — do about it? Although governments are often committed to ‘growth at all costs’ and ‘trickle-down’ economics, Frank argues that alternative public policies could be used to narrow the wealth gap. This conversation was recorded on Tuesday 10 September, 2019 at the University of Sydney during Social Sciences Week. Lisa Adkins, Head of School of Social and Political Sciences, introduced the event. Frank was in conversation with journalist Michael Janda. For more details, visit the website: http://bit.ly/2ZdEFL3

Improving our cities and housing conditions can increase our quality of life, prevent disease, and help mitigate climate change. What does this look like in practice, and how might we get to this place? Hear from experts including: - Dr. David Jacobs, National Centre for health and housing (U.S.) - Associate Professor Luke Knibbs, University of Queensland - Dr Jennifer Kent, University of Sydney - Professor Nicole Gurran from University of Sydney (Event Chair) This conversation was recorded on Monday 9 September, and held as part of The Festival of Urbanism. Visit the website for more details: https://bit.ly/2lUXlwb

The unprecedented challenges on our collective horizon require a shift in thinking from the factional to the civic. Are we as a nation prepared to embrace a bold vision to craft a long-term future for our country? What might that vision look like? The Honourable Kevin Rudd AC and Professor Marc Stears, Director of the Sydney Policy Lab, discuss alternative visions for Australia’s future. This conversation was recorded on Thursday 29 August, 2019 at the University of Sydney. For more details, visit the website: http://bit.ly/2M5wPMm

What are the consequences of the choices we make when we feed our animal companions>? How does this affect other animals, the environment and even our own wellbeing? Hear from experts including: - Dr Michelle Shaw, Taronga Conservation Society Australia - Professor David Raubenheimer, University of Sydney - Dr Roger Bektash, past President of Pet Food Industry of Australia - Dr Andrea Harvey, Independent Veterinary Consultant in Feline Medicine - Dr Anne Fawcett, University of Sydney - (Chair) Dr Bidda Jones, RSPCA Australia This conversation was recorded on Wednesday 28 August at the University of Sydney. The event was presented in collaboration with the Centre for Veterinary Education, in memory of the late Dr Robert Dixon. Visit the website for more details about the event and speakers: http://bit.ly/2MWXomS

Ageing is the main cause of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Given this inexorable link, can we extend our lifespan without risking our health and quality of life? For further reading, Professor Luigi Fontana from the Charles Perkins Centre shares his key tips on how your dietary habits can help you to live longer and reduce risk of heart attack. Visit the website to learn more: http://bit.ly/2m1alAF

What does national security, data security and the changing face of legislation mean for free speech and our right to know? Reporter Vicky Xiuzhong Xu, The Chaser's Julian Morrow and political theorist Professor Tim Soutphommasane examine the state of affairs.

As the online world increasingly spills into the real world, urgent questions are being asked about the need to regulate the world’s digital platforms. How do we govern and enforce internet controls? Where is the cyber frontier, and how is it being weaponised? What big data and privacy issues we should be thinking about? This conversation was recorded on Thursday 15 August, 2019 at a Sydney Ideas event, as part of the ASEAN Forum. Learn more: http://bit.ly/31XAMXm

What is the limit of our brain capacity and how can we translate potential brainpower into powerful discoveries? Fernando Calamante from Sydney Imaging talks about mapping structural networks in the brain. Neurologist Michael Barnett, from Brain and Mind Centre, follows on to explain how these networks can be affected in disease. Physicist Céline Boehm explores the recent images of black holes and dark matter. Philosopher David Braddon-Mitchell brings these ideas together, and to close, is a performance by sound artist Benjamin Carey. This conversation was chaired by Duncan Ivison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Sydney. It was recorded on Tuesday 20 August at a Sydney Ideas event, as part of Innovation Week 2019, which celebrates landmark discoveries and transformative inventions by the University's academics and students. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2Ltpgid