The Wholesome Show

The Wholesome Show

Boost

Boost

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed.

We are heading back into the lab!

Submit feedback/questions/rebuttals/abuse to cheers@wholesomeshow.com or comment below and you'll be featured/glorified/shamed in the next episode! We are heading back into the wholesome lab to re-jig our format so we are creating the best possible show for you all. Nothing is sacred during this rebuild so we are tearing it all apart! We'll be back under a different name, with a different show, still presented by your two favourite truant beer-wielding academics! See you in the future! MORE FROM

Aug 22, 2024 • 1:09

Red Mercury: Snake Oil, Witchcraft and Nuclear Bomb All In One

In the 1990s, Samuel T. Cohen, the father of the neutron bomb, became extremely vocal about the fact that the Soviets had discovered a new raw material that could potentially spell the end of organised society. Red mercury had hit the market.    Apparently, when detonated in combination with conventional high explosives, it could create city-flattening blasts like a nuclear bomb. And, it would help make nuclear fusion weapons more efficient and considerably smaller. It was an arms dealer’s dream

Aug 8, 2024 • 48:04

Astronomer/Cult Inspiration Hanns Hörbiger and his Cosmic World Ice Theory

Born just outside Vienna, Austria in November 1860, Hanns Hörbiger was an engineer by trade. He invented a steel valve for a blast furnace blowing engine which changed the game for efficient steel production. He also played a key role in the design and construction of the Budapest subway, the third in the world at the time. He was obviously a clever man. A real thinker. And some might say, a complete nut job.  A keen astronomer, one evening Hörbiger pointed his telescope at the moon and suddenly

Aug 1, 2024 • 40:51

The End Of The Human Race: What Will Kill Us At The Finish Line?

Humans love a good apocalypse. Give us a blockbuster about a virus that obliterates the population, an asteroid that wipes out the entire planet, or anything with aliens and we lap it up. But have you ever thought about what will actually kill us at the finish line? Sure, we’d like to think the zombie apocalypse will be the winner, but if we’re talking about plausible ways to exterminate humanity, what’s a good way to go?   The end of the world as we know it isn’t all fiction. Life on Earth has

Jul 25, 2024 • 1:06:39

Boiling Down Jordan Peterson's Lobster Logic

What do humans and lobsters have in common? Apart from the fact that both have social hierarchies and serotonin, not all that much really. Last time we checked, we don’t live underwater or have tasty claws.    But despite the differences, esteemed (and often controversial) Canadian psychologist and Harvard Professor, Jordan Peterson, has become rather well known for his theory linking human social hierarchies to lobsters.    The first rule in Peterson’s book is “Stand up straight with your shoul

Jul 18, 2024 • 42:46

Is the Laugh Track Truly Dead?

No one likes being told what to do. As soon as we can choose for ourselves, humans thrive on the sense of agency to wear what we want, eat what we want, say what we want and do what we want. And that includes laughing.   So why did so many television shows include a laugh track, telling us when to laugh at something? Was it an attempt to manipulate us? Or perhaps the jokes weren’t funny enough to conjure up a genuine guffaw. The Big Bang Theory was the last show to incorporate a laugh track and

Jul 11, 2024 • 42:08

Is Reality TV Just A Guilty Pleasure?

Reality TV is a genre that has wormed its way into our screens, our culture, and—for many of us—our guilty pleasures. While some might dismiss these shows as frivolous entertainment (we’re using the term “entertainment” generously here), maybe there’s more to it than good old fashioned wife swapping, marrying strangers and surviving in the wild with nothing but a six-pack and an epic tan.   Perhaps reality TV is so popular because it holds up a mirror to society, showcasing the full spectrum of

Jul 4, 2024 • 1:03:12

Prison Mathematician Christopher Havens' Redemption Through Maths

Christopher Havens was a smart kid. While it mightn’t have been the best move for his social status in the fourth grade, he was so keen on maths that he even tutored his classmates. Nerd alert! Maybe that’s why he eventually got caught up in the wrong crowd. He just wanted to fit in and be cool like everyone else. And of course, being cool meant smoking weed and drinking alcohol, which led to mushrooms and LSD. And then things eventually spiralled into pain pills and crystal meth, which spiralle

Jun 27, 2024 • 49:11

Bagpipes, Weed, OR Puppets: What's Your Next Degree?

Back in the old days, there were pretty slim pickings about what to do for a career. Basically, people just did what their father or mother did. Then, as education became more available to the masses, every parent’s dream was for their child to become a doctor, lawyer or accountant. Secure a respectable job and make the big bucks.    But what if you didn’t want to drag out your days in an ordinary job, working for the man in a major multinational corporation? What if you were more interested in

Jun 20, 2024 • 54:43

Did Carrots Really Help Us Win World War 2?

World War II pilots ate a bunch of carrots. Back then, people were well aware that vitamin A was critical for healthy eyesight and that carrots were a good source of beta-carotene. So in 1940, versions of high-carotene strains of carrots were being tested on pilots to reduce night blindness. This was pretty important at the time because during the 1940 Blitzkrieg, the Luftwaffe often struck under the cover of darkness. The British government issued citywide blackouts to make it more difficult fo

Jun 13, 2024 • 38:33

Why does Trump cheat at golf and why do people let him?

Besides unnecessary wars, assassinations and scandalous affairs, what comes to mind when you think about American presidents? The Oval Office, the Star-Spangled Banner, Air Force One, the official military salute… and of course golf.   With the exception of three presidents (Hoover, Truman and Carter), golf has been the presidential sport of choice throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. While Hoover avoided golf during the great depression (a bit rude while everyone was starving), others like W

Jun 6, 2024 • 39:46

Book Bowel Syndrome: When Words Truly Move You

We all have our idiosyncrasies, those automatic things we do each day that form the way we are in the world. Whether we scrunch or fold, or leave the toilet seat up or down, these are things we do (or don’t do) automatically. Much like the urgent need to crap your dacks in a Japanese bookstore.    That’s right, there is a significant portion of Japanese people who feel overcome by a heaving sensation in the rectal passage whilst browsing books.    In 1985, 29-year-old Japanese woman, Mariko Aoki

May 30, 2024 • 49:07

Super Recognisers: People with a mug memory like no other!

Have you ever seen someone in public and you swear you know them from somewhere, you just can’t pick where? Are they an old school friend? The guy who delivers bread to your local cafe? You feel like you know them but it would probably be weird if you started a conversation. Well, that’s a glimpse into the life of a small percentage of the population who recognise with freakish accuracy every face they’ve ever seen. People with this extraordinary gift can find themselves in awkward social intera

May 23, 2024 • 40:33

Why Can't Generation Z Queue Properly?

Over the millions of years of evolution, we humans have developed into a highly intelligent species. We’ve developed the ability to communicate, we’ve created social order, and established norms and protocols that facilitate a (mostly) harmonious coexistence. Take, for example, the fact that we all know how to stand in line to order a beverage.   But now, after millennia of humans lining up and waiting their turn, it seems all of a sudden there’s an entire generation that doesn’t know how to que

May 16, 2024 • 40:40

Can You Make Your Own Country? Project Minerva and Libertarian Exit with Raymond Craib

Humans love their independence. Wars have been fought for it, songs have been written about it, and history is filled with examples of individuals and communities seeking to raise a flag towards more liberating ideals. And some have taken the flag very literally.    Project Minerva was an ambitious endeavour led by Michael Oliver in the 1970s to create a libertarian utopia on the coral reefs of the South Pacific. They got some coral, wrapped it in chicken wire, covered it in cement, and dumped i

May 9, 2024 • 50:28

Community or Control: Has There Ever Been a "Good" Cult?

When you think of the word ‘cult’, what immediately comes to mind for most of us are things like hooded velvet robes, secretive gatherings and doomsday prophesies. Then there’s the charismatic yet nefarious leader brainwashing followers, maybe a forced orgie or two, a spot of mass suicide. Generally not good stuff.   Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton outlines three primary characteristics of destructive cults: a charismatic leader, coercive persuasion tactics, and exploitation of members. Well, tha

May 2, 2024 • 1:08:58

Can you get pregnant from oral sex? Where There's a Willie, There's a Way

The teen years can be tough. Let’s be real, it was an awkward time for the best of us. During those tender years, we all did our best to navigate the tumultuous world between childhood and adulthood amidst raging hormones, love triangles and knife fights... the usual teenage stuff.   Ok, perhaps not every teenager gets in a knife fight, but this particular case has all the drama you would expect to find in a daytime soap opera.   The story involves a 15-year-old girl who was employed in a local

Apr 25, 2024 • 7:38

Why are redheads so fascinating? Detangling the science!

What’s the deal with redheads? It sounds like the beginning of a Seinfeld bit but in all fairness (pun intended), for a group of people who make up only 2% of the population, our flame-haired ginger guys and gals have attracted much attention throughout history. Some of that attention is due to the obvious: redheads are babes.   But the fascination with redheads over the centuries hasn’t all been positive. They’ve also received far more hostile attention like being labelled barbarians by the anc

Apr 18, 2024 • 35:21

Singing For Survival: How The Discovery Of Whale Songs Slowed Their Murder

When you think about the Cold War, you immediately think about whale songs right? Okay, maybe not everyone makes that connection, but in a delightfully random way, the political rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s had a lot to do with the discovery of the beautiful whale song, and ultimately, the collapse of the commercial whaling industry altogether.    Back in the 1950s, the United States had gone gangbusters with submarines. Travelling under the Arctic Ocean, t

Apr 11, 2024 • 24:35

"To Demonstrate It Was Safe": Politicians Putting Their Bodies On The Line

Politicians get a bad rap, don’t they? Every mutterance and every action falls under intense scrutiny from the press and the public eye. If they make one wrong move, we’ll know about it and keep talking about it for ages too.   Maybe that’s why politicians go to such great lengths to win the people over. Like when Governor Carey of New York volunteered to drink a glass of PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls - highly carcinogenic chemical compounds) to prove a state building was safe.    It seems tha

Apr 4, 2024 • 41:29

Norjak: The DB Cooper Unsolved Mystery and 2024 Update

On November 24, 1971, Dan Cooper, a quiet, nondescript man (wearing the classic business suit everyone wore back then) wandered into Portland airport and paid cash for a one-way ticket to Seattle. He drank his bourbon and soda in the lounge and boarded the plane like every other passenger.    Cooper was your average guy, at least until shortly after takeoff, when he handed the flight attendant a note. And no, it wasn’t an attempt to flirt his way into the mile-high club. This note said that ther

Mar 28, 2024 • 35:57

The Memory Hole: Why Society Sometimes Draws a Blank

We all forget things sometimes. We leave the car keys in random places. We look all over the house for our sunglasses, only to find them already on our heads. And we’ve all experienced the angst of double booking, completely (or conveniently) forgetting about a dentist appointment booked for the time we were meant to meet up with friends at the pub.   Sometimes our brains just have enough stuff in there and there’s no room for anything new.   Kinda like how the world forgot about the time when m

Mar 21, 2024 • 28:08

What scares people these days and where does your phobia rank?

What are the most common fears and phobias that people have today? Most of us can relate to having a healthy fear of sharks or getting sweaty palms at the idea of being stuck in a tiny space. It’s also pretty socially acceptable for someone to opt out of bungee jumping, or for a fellow aeroplane passenger to need a few deep breaths to calm themselves before takeoff.    Then of course there’s the fear of public speaking - which we all fear more than death, right? Maybe not… This claim seems to li

Mar 14, 2024 • 32:39

The End Of Science: Will We Ever Discover Everything?

It’s the end of the science as we know it! And I feel fine! But seriously though, is it? As a global community, we are investing 10 times more money and resources into scientific research than we did in the 1950s, yet the number of groundbreaking discoveries is dwindling.    We’ve gone to the moon. We’ve discovered massive black holes. We’ve split the atom and peered through high-resolution microscopes to observe those tiny little quarks. Sure, we’re still making advancements, but a lot of scien

Mar 7, 2024 • 32:56

So did you get a root? Tales, definitions and loopholes for defining sex

Everyone loves a good loophole. From a clever workaround that outsmarts the tax man to exploiting a glitch in a video game (Sega Mega Drive all the way), there's something undeniably thrilling about circumventing the system. It taps into our innate desire for freedom, creativity, and that little touch of rebellion. While avoiding tax bills and gaining high scores on Sonic the Hedgehog can certainly get us going, some people have discovered loopholes that arouse a more intimate type of pleasure.

Feb 29, 2024 • 41:36

Workplace Infantilisation: Incompetent Employees or Toxic Management?

Remember as a kid, having to wear that uncomfortable school uniform every single day? We were told when to sit, when to stand, when to eat, when to play, even when we were allowed to go to the toilet. Myriad rules to crush us into oppressive obedience!    Now imagine a similar scenario in your workplace. Employees are given insultingly basic commands and training that even the most sheltered individual would have learned simply in the school of life. There’s a term for it: Workplace Infantilisat

Feb 22, 2024 • 29:18

Does Sheep Murmuration Explain England's 19th Century Sheep Panic?

Mother Nature, in all her brilliance, has birthed some fascinating phenomena. Take the magical skies of the Aurora Borealis in Iceland for example, or the bioluminescent Maldives shores where the ocean lights up like neon blue fairy lights.    Here in Australia, we have Lake Hillier, where the water is the colour of a strawberry milkshake. In England of course, they have the synchronised sheep panic at 8pm. Wait… what?    Although one of the lesser known phenomena (you might even say “un-herd” o

Feb 15, 2024 • 21:36

AI Girlfriend Chatbots, UFO Cosplay Drones, and Dihydrogen Monoxide

Back in the day, before robots and the internet, guys and gals who longed for the company of a significant other had one move up their sleeve: pluck up the courage to leave the house and talk to another human. Nowadays-ish, people search for love from home aided by computers and a social media background check (thanks Wayback Machine). Nowadays proper, the pool from which to select a lover has expanded to include artificial intelligence. In today’s post-ChatGPT age, AI girlfriend chatbots are on

Feb 8, 2024 • 16:55

The Emu War: A Deep Dive Into Australia's Feathered Fiasco

After the horrors of World War I, the Australian Federal Government gave thousands of discharged veterans money, land and the promise of a bright and happy agricultural life in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Life as a farmer wasn’t easy, but at least these veterans had seen the last of the battlefield. Or so they thought.    The war was over but followed soon after by the great depression in 1929. Hoping to ease the pressure and literally put bread on the table for Australians, the F

Feb 1, 2024 • 35:37

John Chau's Fatal Mission For God To Earth's Most Isolated Tribe

In our modern society, most people live their lives lurching from fix to fix from the digital syringe; relying on social media and telecommunication advances to feel connected to the world around them. Facetime, Instagram, LinkedIn, we froth it. Well, most people do. Some people want absolutely nothing to do with not only modern technology but with the rest of the world in general.    Around the globe, there are 100 or more "uncontacted" tribes, Indigenous peoples who avoid all contact with outs

Jan 25, 2024 • 45:29

Mary Shelley, Taphophobia and Life-Preserving Coffins

We’re all afraid of something. Many people live with significant anxiety due to their fear of things such as heights, flying, public speaking, the number 8 for example (Octophobia - it’s a real thing). But one fear puts disproportionately more heebies in our jeebies: taphophobia, or the fear of being buried alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead. To a mad few, it may seem a genuine irrational fear (like omphalophobia - the fear of belly buttons) but at least some solace can be ta

Jan 18, 2024 • 43:41

Jose Delgado's Alternative To Lobotomy: The Stimoceiver Implant

The 20th century was a golden era for ethically dubious brain studies. In 1950, Dr Jose Delgado had a vision to control aggressive behaviour using a device surgically implanted in the brain known as the Stimoceiver. How science fictiony is that?!   Delgado's journey toward creating a peaceful human race started with a bully macaque monkey who had been terrorising his cage mates. After successfully pacifying the angry monkey with the Stimoceiver, Delgado took the bull by the horns, quite literall

Jan 11, 2024 • 32:16

St Lidwina: The Patron Saint Of Ice Skating (and Chronic Pain)

There are a lot of patron saints out there in the Catholic multiverse. They have saints for every day of the year and then some. We’ve all heard of the more famous saints like St. Paul, St. Peter and St. Patrick. What, no Saint Gary? Pfft. But then there are some lesser-known saints, but by no means less holy.    Take St. Bernardino for an example. He travelled all over Italy and preached to the public instead of reading boring sermons in church. He became known as one of the greatest orators of

Jan 4, 2024 • 24:42

Biosphere 2: Sloppy Steve Bannon's Claim To Climate Fame

When we think of champions in the battle against climate change, names like Greta Thunberg, David Suzuki, and David Attenborough come to mind. But would you ever associate former US President Donald Trump with climate action? Probably not. But, his 2016 presidential campaign manager, Steve Bannon - you know the former investment banker, Hollywood executive, the guy who’s continuously being charged and convicted of crimes - well, he played a surprising role in an incredible scientific endeavour w

Dec 28, 2023 • 35:47

A Very Scary Christmas: Fierce Folklore, Macabre Meals and Ghastly Gifts

Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. Festive feasting on sweet delicacies, children filled with wonder, awaiting Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve. Unless of course, you subscribe to some of the lesser-known Northern European traditions. Then Christmas is downright horrifying.    Hans Trapp for example. After being excommunicated from his local catholic church, Hans Trapp roamed the countryside disguised as a scarecrow, obsessed with the idea of tasting human flesh. He lured a young shep

Dec 21, 2023 • 32:32

The Asbestos Coverup: "Let 'Em Work, Then They Can Rest In Peace"

Dr Anthony Lanza had quite an impressive career. Amongst many things, he discovered the cause of the lung disease, silicosis, and founded the discipline of industrial hygiene, making workplace environments more safe for employees. He was also a beloved teacher and researcher at New York University in the final years of his career. What a guy. But when he died in 1964, Dr Lanza's far less laudatory secret career came to light and he had a lot of haters.    Over the last 2 episodes of our asbestos

Dec 14, 2023 • 23:10

Wittenoom: Australia's Asbestos Chernobyl Wiped Town Off The Map

Australia is a wondrous country with endless sights to see. The Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, the vast sunburnt deserts... and a tiny town in Western Australia where, if you breathe, your chances of dying a horrible death will be vastly increased.   Wittenoom, considered Australia's version of Chernobyl, is a site that no one should visit (and yet some still do). Back in the 1930s, before Wittenoom was even a town, a young man named Lang Hancock kicked off a mining boom af

Dec 7, 2023 • 30:45

From Toothpaste To Cigarettes: The Lesser Known Uses Of Asbestos

Asbestos. Do you feel like coughing just thinking about it? Most of us shudder to hear the word - it’s a substance that has caused hundreds and thousands of horrible, painful deaths. And yet it’s one of the most goddamn amazing things on the planet.    We’ve all heard about the horrors of asbestos. But what about the miraculous side of it? Think about it - it’s a rock that you can make clothes out of, and banknotes for that matter. It’s wild. A weaveable, fire-resistant, rot-resistant rock. Ther

Nov 30, 2023 • 23:00

From Baking To Hating: Tradwives and Terrorism with Dr Kristy Campion

Imagine a slower pace of life: Growing your own vegetables, spending more time with the children, the smell of freshly baked sourdough wafting through your well-kept home, no pesky job or financials to worry about. That does sound lovely, doesn’t it? And then while your healthy kids are playing in their mud kitchen, you hop online to chat with your tradwife friends about how to ban immigration, ban abortion, and breed out the blacks. Wait, what?!   To be fair, it’s quite a leap to go from baking

Nov 23, 2023 • 46:09

Nellie Bly Feigned Insanity To Expose Abuse In A Madhouse

What are girls good for? Well, in the 1800s, the answer to that question was plain as day: birthing children and keeping house. In fact, in 1885, the Pittsburgh Dispatch published a column declaring that a woman who worked outside the home was "a monstrosity”!   This outrageously sexist column sparked a fiery response from one hell of a young woman. Born Elizabeth Cochran and known later and more famously as Nellie Bly, at age 21 wrote back a response under the pseudonym "Lonely Orphan Girl”. So

Nov 16, 2023 • 37:45

Radithor: The Jaw-Dissolving Radioactive Energy Drink of the Roaring 20s

Ebenezer “Eben” McBurney Byers was the personification of the Roaring Twenties: Chairman of his own company, private box at the baseball, golf pro, ladies' man - total Great Gatsby vibes.    Unfortunately, Eben had a fall one day leaving him with an injury that dented his athletic prowess. Conventional treatment failed and so his physiotherapist, Dr. Charles Moyar, suggested he try RadiThor, an energy drink advertised as “Pure Sunshine in a Bottle” and accompanied, as quackery always is, by the

Nov 9, 2023 • 28:57

Is Sex With A Robot Cheating? What The Research Shows

The notion of a humanoid machine was developed way back in the early 20th century. We’ve come a long way since then, integrating robots into every crevice of our lives. And we mean, every crevice.   We’ve got robot vacuum cleaners, retail robots, manufacturing robots and military robots. But what about the sexy robots? The masturbots? The love machines? Well, we were asked a stimulating question by a listener about this particular breed of bots: Is sex with a robot cheating? As it turns out, the

Nov 2, 2023 • 17:43

Fired For Slow Travel: A Chat With Climate Scientist Gianluca Grimalda

Picture this: you're on a cargo ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by a vast expanse of water when suddenly, you feel a sharp pain. No, it's not a metaphorical pang of regret for opting for the slow boat rather than the quick and painless intercontinental flight; it's an actual mite bite. Welcome to the wild world of Gianluca Grimalda, a climate scientist with a penchant for slow travel and an unwavering commitment to the environment… machete-wielding gangsters, bed bugs, job lo

Oct 26, 2023 • 30:51

Richard Walter: America’s Dollar-Store Sherlock Holmes

The 1980s had some memorable fads and crazes—hair metal bands, neon leotards, the Walkman… and criminal profiling!   By the mid-1980s, profilers were regularly consulting with the FBI to solve challenging cases and the job was attracting big personalities. Soon after, criminal profiling became a pop-culture sensation, thanks in large part to the 1991 blockbuster, The Silence of the Lambs.    One big name, and even bigger ego, in the criminal profiling world, was Richard Walter. Walter had an imp

Oct 19, 2023 • 41:44

Shit Yourself Healthy: Quack Doctor Prescribed The Squirts For Everything

What do people who have a dull singing voice, contract syphilis, and die suddenly have in common?   Well, according to a book (with the longest title EVER) published in the 18th century by James Morison, the answer was quite simple. Not enough poo.   Born in Aberdeenshire in 1770, James Morison was a bit blocked up. Well, more than a bit. For 35 years, he lived in inexpressible suffering. Having tried every course of treatment known to the medical establishment at the time and still no relief, M

Oct 12, 2023 • 25:41

Accidental Incest: The Lesser Known Consequence Of Prolific Sperm Donation

A lesson every kid needs to learn is how to share. Little ones usually want everything for themselves, but as we grow and mature, we learn that sharing is caring. But there are some who have perhaps taken sharing too far. Sperm donation. It’s a massive industry, helping hundreds of thousands of families enter into the joy of parenthood. Whether it's for altruistic reasons, the inherent desire to spread their wild oats, or just to earn some quick cash (2 minutes is all it takes), many men choose

Oct 5, 2023 • 20:41

The Collapse And Concealment of the "Unbreakable" Banqiao Dam

By the second half of the 20th century, humans were captivated by the idea of taming nature, making their mark on the world with colossal concrete structures. They’d gone absolutely - sorry about this - dam mad.    From democrats to dictators, the latest craze for politicians around the globe was to build dams. And for good reason! Dams are used to produce hydroelectricity, provide irrigation, protect against floods and give more work for more citizens. What could be bad about a dam?   Well, man

Sep 28, 2023 • 25:37

Behind The Ig Nobel Prizes With Founder Marc Abrahams

Every once in a while, somebody does something in the name of science that turns out to be really useful. Their research changes the world, a eureka moment catapults them onto the world stage for making scientific history. They might even be awarded a Nobel prize.   But what about the science we don’t hear about?    We don’t often witness the shock, the surprise, and, most importantly, the humour behind the scenes in moments of discovery. The things people set out to do that really matter to the

Sep 21, 2023 • 41:35

Snap, Crackle, Peep! Cereal box cartoons are watching your kids

Cereal, the food of the gods. Who can resist the crunchy, sugary deliciousness in a box? Kids (admit it - adults too) would eat it for every meal if they had the chance.   But have you ever wondered why you choose the cereal that you do? Did one in particular catch your eye?    See, there’s a heck of a lot of money that goes into marketing, especially products made for kids, and especially cereal. Fruit Loops, Coco Pops, Frosties - what do they all have in common? Those happy spokes characters o

Sep 14, 2023 • 20:12

Dying For It: A Scientific Look At Death During Sex

While some people shuffle off this mortal coil in rather ordinary ways, there are those adventurous souls who seem hell-bent on making the grim reaper scratch his head in confusion. Like drowning in a pool of beer, throwing dynamite out the window of a moving vehicle (but forgetting to roll the window down), tripping on your world record breaking beard, and death during sex. Yes, that’s right. As much as we all like getting it on, there are some people throughout history who literally went out w

Sep 7, 2023 • 18:56

Medical Cannibalism: Biting Into The History Of Corpse Medicine

One question that pervaded the minds of early European physicians was not whether we should eat human flesh, but rather which part and how much. While cannibalism might conjure up images of wild savages, it turns out medical cannibalism was all the rage back in the day... and continues to be (say what?!).   The “healthy” consumption of humans goes a long way back, like in the 11th century when people started eating bits of Egyptian mummies. Nothing like a bit of powdered mummy to upgrade your mu

Aug 31, 2023 • 41:32

From Jazz to Beheadings: Landis' 1920s Psych Experiment

Ahhh 1920s psychology… back when you could do anything in the name of science. Like traumatising a baby or making people believe they'd killed someone. The good old days.    Picture this: It's 1924, and Carney Landis, a psych graduate student at Minnesota University, has an ambitious idea. He wanted to determine if humans had universal facial expressions for various emotions.    Now in order to do this, he needed to recruit his fellow graduates, who were more than willing to be subjected to Land

Aug 27, 2023 • 13:30

Iroquois Theater Blaze: The Tragic Fire That Ignited The Evolution Of Exit Lights

Believe what you will about the Gods, karma, the universe, whatever! There are some rules that even atheists should follow.   Never call your boat “unsinkable”. Don’t call your machine gun “peace-producing”. And DO NOT, for the love of Shakespeare, describe your playhouse as “absolutely fireproof”.   It seems that whenever arrogance takes precedence over public safety, the gods have something to say about this hubris. This episode is as horrific as you might guess, but it does make us wonder jus

Aug 17, 2023 • 33:04

Increase The Productivity of Your Open Plan Office With "The Isolator"

Open plan workplaces. How do we feel about them? Now, we’re all up for modernism and advancement but when it comes to actually being able to get work done, open-plan workplaces SUCK. And there’s a lot of science to back that up. Basically, nobody gets shit done if they’re distracted all day long.    There’s nothing worse than really being in the zone and then your colleague decides it’s an appropriate time to tell you about the annoying wart on their foot. No privacy, no quiet space to actually

Aug 10, 2023 • 46:47

Project Huemul: The First Nuclear Fusion Hoax

Imagine harnessing the power of the sun using nothing more than high school science lab equipment and household ingredients. Desktop cold fusion - it would be the biggest invention of the century! Well, that's exactly what Professors Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann thought they’d discovered in 1989. After experimenting with a palladium cathode in a simple heavy water electrolysis cell, they observed an unexpected rise in temperature. Confusingly, they concluded the solution was nuclear fusio

Aug 3, 2023 • 43:39

Lights, Camera, Olfaction: Smell-o-Vision Actually Existed

If you think cinema is just audiovisual entertainment, hold onto your popcorn folks, because today we're diving into an aromatic abyss of olfactory oddity when Hollywood engaged in the battle of the smellies. This isn't just a whiff of the absurd, but an honest-to-goodness tale of when Hollywood tried to tickle our nostrils along with our imagination. So did cinematic innovation cut the mustard or was it all just passing wind?    Imagine going on a date to the cinemas, delighting your senses wit

Jul 27, 2023 • 48:25

Why The Japanese Coined "Karoshi": Death From Overwork

Everyone loves a good hack these days. It’s all about efficiency and finding ways to be even more productive. Well, that’s great for things like finding a quicker way to fold your clothes but when it comes to the workplace, the quest for more productivity can be taken a little too far. And by a little, we mean a lot.    See, the aftermath of World War II left Japan in an economic disaster. Shigeru Yoshida, Japan’s prime minister at the time, prioritised rebuilding the economy by getting major co

Jul 20, 2023 • 52:55

The Monster Study: Gaslighting Orphans for Speech Science

The history of science is peppered with some pretty dubious research… grafting second heads onto dogs, growing bits of human brains inside mouse embryos, experiments with syphilis, and the list goes on. We have delivered many episodes on some pretty horrific things done in the name of science back in the day which is why we’re suitably discomforted by a study on orphan kids called “The Monster Study”.   Born in 1906, Wendell Johnson stuttered grotesquely. He and his family went to great lengths

Jul 13, 2023 • 41:22

How Your Shower Started As A Torture Device

In the 1700s, hydrotherapy was the panacea. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, wrote in his book that cold water plunges could cure asthma, malaria, blindness, leprosy and even cancer (wait, did that say blindness?).   But by the beginning of the 19th century, well-informed physicians wanted to get more precise about curing the insane. It was believed that one of the causes of mania was ‘hot brain’, a violent heat that boiled the blood and dried out the brain.  Cooling the brain s

Jul 6, 2023 • 46:03

Ellen Langer Teaches Us To Think Ourselves Younger

Picture this: It’s the turn of the millennium. The dust from 9/11 is only just beginning to settle. Shrek, Rush Hour 2 and Donny Darko are packing cinemas. LeAnn Rimes, Shaggy, and Kylie Minogue top the Aria charts. Apple begins their technological invasion with the first iPod and honest little Johnnie Howard is the Prime Minister of Australia.   Can you feel yourself back in that time? Can you picture what and who you used to wear/eat/do? Has immersing yourself in the events of 20 years prior m

Jun 29, 2023 • 40:38

World's Most Kissed Face: Why CPR Doll Resusci-Anne Looks Like A French Girl

What is it with the French and kissing?   They certainly know a thing or two about romance. Imagine being serenaded with an accordion and indulging in a chocolate croissant overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Who wouldn’t want to lean into an old-fashioned smooch?   But not all kissing is romantic in nature. Sometimes it’s necessary to save a life. In fact, one girl has inadvertently saved countless lives by being the world’s most kissed face. It’s our pleasure to introduce to you the beautiful Resusc

Jun 22, 2023 • 23:30

Swill Milk: How Bad Did Old Timey Milk Actually Get?

**Warning, this episode is both very gross and very sad.**   Take us back to the good old days when the air was clean, the grass was green and the cows were happy. The milk tasted better back then. Straight from the cow, gallons of creamy goodness for all to drink. But while Granny’s farm may have been fine, milk wasn’t always some magical pure product.     In fact, there was a time when milk was goddamn disgusting.    Let’s go back to the 1800’s when there were hundreds of whiskey distilleries

Jun 15, 2023 • 41:35

Unexplained Aerial Phenomena! (It's The New Name For UFOs!) (RECAST)

Humans have always been fascinated by the unexplained. Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and, one of the most intriguing unknowns that has captured our imagination for centuries, the possibility of extraterrestrial life.    UFO sightings, crop circles, close encounters with aliens and even abductions have been reported for decades. And until recently, the people making these claims were considered nutjobs. They’d watched too many X-files episodes and had gone bonkers.    But then in 2016, Hillary C

Jun 8, 2023 • 51:41

John Cade's Discovery of Lithium (RECAST)

Lithium. Anyone who had a heartbeat in the 90s knows that Nirvana song backward. Speaking of, Rod’s claim to fame is meeting Kurt Cobain and the boys but that’s a story for another time. The lithium we speak of today is the light, flammable, silvery white metal found naturally in nearly all rocks. It rose to fame as the star ingredient in the first man-made nuclear reaction. But lithium is no one-hit-wonder.   Lithium is also a medication that helps to stabilise the moods of millions of people w

Jun 1, 2023 • 44:24

The Seamen Getting Stuck In A Good Book

19th century industrial revolution times meant brilliant machines, inventions and factories. Workers were leaving rural areas en masse to find work in the city. Bloody hard, low paid and dangerous work mind you. And not only was the work shitty, but there was literally shit everywhere. Pollution, human excrement. Even dead horses on the streets.    But the worst work of all? Well, that was down on the docks where the ships came in. Every day, floods of seamen would wash in from foreign parts. A

May 25, 2023 • 35:46

Gloria “Toxic Lady” Ramirez Evacuates Emergency Ward With Odour

You know how in sci-fi films, there’s always some freak accident in a biotech lab, leaving hundreds of people dead and authorities in a state of pandemonium? Take the highly praised anime short film, Stink Bomb, for example. A flu-ridden lab technician swallows an abandoned pill on his boss’s desk presuming (reasonably, right?) that it could only be flu medicine. Turns out it just so happens to be part of an experimental bioweapons program, causing his body to omit vapours that are lethal to eve

May 18, 2023 • 52:38

Arctic Cold Case Solved: Who Was First To The North Pole?

We all love a good race. The competition, the rivalry, the winner revelling in their victory at the finish line. But some races don’t have a clear winner. In fact, some destinations aren’t all that clear either.  In the early 1900s, the race to the North Pole was in full swing and there were two competing claims as to who got there first. The problem is, the North Pole is tricky to get to, it’s tricky to notice when you’re there and it’s also very tricky to confirm that you’ve been there in the

May 11, 2023 • 1:02:21

The Sexist Science Behind Animal Testing

In very intelligent and intricate ways, scientists can be a bit dumb sometimes.    Imagine a golden retriever as a stand-in for Brad Pitt. They’re both mammals, they’re both beautiful, and they both eat food. We can’t possibly see anything wrong with this situation.    Not too far from this absurd example is how the scientific community has thought about animal testing. Sure, mice and humans are both mammals, and both are beautiful (to their mother) but inside and out, there are some pretty big

May 4, 2023 • 55:56

Quack Eye Doc "Fixes" Eyeballs With Sun And Magnifying Glass

There are some things we know not to do. Crossing the road without looking, not wearing a seatbelt…and looking at the sun. A fairly intrinsic lesson we all learned at some unidentifiable point in our lives.   But some people throughout history have rallied against this fundamental human law. One of them is an orange quack who ruled America for a brief, nightmarish period of time.    Another is an eyeball guy (an actual ophthalmologist) William Horatio Bates, born in 1860. But did this guy start

Apr 28, 2023 • 47:44

Good and Bad Ways to Find A Lost City

Indiana Jones is a cool guy. An archaeologist, an adventurer who tore shit up, stumbled his way through tunnels and over invisible bridges to uncover priceless ancient artefacts.    But that’s Hollywood. In real life, ancient discoveries happen in far less exciting ways…Or do they?    The typical archaeological toolbox includes dental picks, trowels, brushes and measuring tapes. No archaeologist would blow an ancient city to smithereens. Right?   And only in the movies would someone accidentally

Apr 20, 2023 • 39:25

The Body Of Christ, Or Rather, Just The Tip: The Tale Of Jesus' Foreskin

For centuries, religious relics have been the only means by which devout followers could interact with the divine. Let us journey into some of the gross holy relics. The bones of saints, the milk of the virgin Mary, perhaps a little finger of St Thomas.    St Francis Xavier’s toes were a big hit too. This saint died of exhaustion in 1552 after converting communities across Asia and leaving myriad churches in his wake. One devoted woman visiting his corpse bent to kiss his foot, bit off his toe a

Apr 13, 2023 • 50:45

Everyone Loves A Slinky And Other Accidental Toys

Some of the best things in life were never meant to be. Just think of your favourite food, breed of dog or childhood toy - some of these were the result of accidents and batshit crazy experiments.    The good old fashioned slinky was accidental, superficially bland and, yes, a little bit dangerous.   Let’s go back to one particularly scintillating afternoon in the office of Richard James, a mechanical engineer working on his device to monitor horsepower. Boring, right? Until he knocked over a sp

Apr 6, 2023 • 32:57

Smart Toilets, Brain Pics, Corpse Comfort, Nuclear Moon, Space Fashion, and Super Conductivity

The whole of science is stuffed full of delicious stories, and we really want to tell you every damn one of them. But we know our little human brains can’t absorb too much at one time.    So today we’re introducing our new line of Wholesome SnacksTM, where we bring you a selection of new and tasty tales that have been consumed, concentrated and reconstituted just for you.    Get your bib out because, in today’s snack pack, we’ve got some real doozies for you.    Our first short story starts wit

Mar 30, 2023 • 22:54

The History and Future of the Weekend: Where's My Four-Day Work Week?

It’s simple. We work too much. There’s evidence that shows we work too much and it’s not a fun time for anyone. So what would a world with shortened work hours and no loss in pay look like?   Pretty damn good. You’d be a fool to disagree.   The weekend is a sacred thing. We live for it, we get our rest from it, but the two-day weekend as we know it has only been around for about a hundred years. The history of the work cycle across the globe is actually quite varied and at times, it gets pretty

Mar 23, 2023 • 53:42

Ethics, Homophobia and a Happy Ending: Investigating The Tearoom Trade

Let’s go back to the 1960s. A time of Richard Nixon, moon obsession, hippies, the Vietnam war and… no ethics committees.    Born in Oklahoma in 1930, Robert Allan Humphreys was a man of many disguises. Ordained an Episcopalian priest in 1955, Humphreys changed his name to Laud after William Laud, a seventeenth-century Archbishop of Canterbury (he was very holy).   Humphreys followed the traditional 1960s path…got married, got kicked out of the church and started a PhD in sociology focussing on m

Mar 17, 2023 • 1:03:03

New York Pneumatic Subway Brawl: Alfred Beach vs Boss Tweed

Alfred Ely Beach was a good and decent man. Born in 1826 in Springfield Massachusetts, Alfred loved his family, he loved the opera and he loved inventing. In fact, he invented the world’s first practical typewriter. He was legit.   Hailing from a rich family in the newspaper business, Alfred made his way to New York where he learned the family trade. Heading up Scientific American Magazine, turning it into one of the most successful, powerful, and influential weeklies of its kind, Beach rubbed s

Mar 10, 2023 • 1:03:25

The Gastric Digest: Beaumont's Experiments on Alexis Saint Martin

How far would you go to get to the truth, or perhaps more pertinently, to the bottom of things?    William Beaumont was one dedicated scientist. Some might say ethically… ambiguous, but hey, he was born in 1785, so, old school. Later becoming known as the Father of Gastric Physiology, Beaumont did whatever he had to do in order to understand the juicy details of the digestive system.   But did he go too far?   Although not medically trained in the traditional sense, Beaumont began his career as

Mar 3, 2023 • 56:22

The Great Stork Derby: Posthumous Trolling from Charles Vance Millar

Charles Vance Millar was the greatest troll ever. Born in Aylmer, Ontario in 1854, Charles was a fan of practical jokes. Some might have described him as a cantankerous man, capricious and out to do whatever the hell he wanted to do.  Extremely intelligent, and top of his class in law school, Charles built a silly amount of wealth by investing in companies and real estate. Then he bought some racehorses as wealthy men do.  But he was also an ass. With no love, no living relatives and a fortune w

Feb 23, 2023 • 49:49

How To Sabotage Your Workplace with OG Spy William Joseph Donovan

Is your workplace overrun with unqualified managers, red tape and bureaucracy?   Are you asked to sit in on arduous meetings with no real consequence when you’ve got deadlines coming out of your ears?   Maybe that’s just office politics.   Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a deliberate ploy against you, decades-long in the making with deep roots in espionage and sabotage. Welcome, friends, to the world of citizen saboteurs.    It all dates back to 1883 to the father of American intelligence, William Jo

Feb 17, 2023 • 47:25

Recast - Dmitry Belyaev's Secret Quest To Domesticate The Fox

Our soft, human brains have been bested by 2022 so we are taking a quick break over the Christmas period and will be back assaulting your senses in Jan 2023. But because we don't want your ears to go unentertained, we're digging back into the archives for eps that have made us squirm, think or vomit (or hopefully, all three!). Today, we're separating the lupine from the canine from the vulpine. Or rather, how did wolves turn into dogs and why don’t foxes fit in?   The Soviet Union in the 1930s w

Jan 12, 2023 • 54:15

Recast - The Sugar Experiments of Vipeholm

We all know that sugar is bad for our teeth.   But... how did we come to know that?   It’s fairly common to see a healthy set of pearly whites now, but scroll back just a few decades, this wasn’t the case. A study in Sweden in the 1930’s found that even 3 year old children had cavities in 83% of their teeth.   That’s bad. That’s real bad.   See, the Swedes love their sweets. They even have a special term for Saturday Candy!    With the knowledge we have today, the connection between candy consum

Jan 5, 2023 • 45:32

Recast - What Happened on Easter Island, and Why it Matters

Our soft, human brains have been bested by 2022 so we are taking a quick break over the Christmas period and will be back assaulting your senses in Jan 2023. But because we don't want your ears to go unentertained, we're digging back into the archives for eps that have made us squirm, think or vomit (or hopefully, all three!). Today, we're re-living the horrors of Easter Island.   Easter Island is about as tiny and remote as you can get on the surface of our planet. It’s just 23 kilometres long

Dec 29, 2022 • 58:05

Recast - The People Who Drink Their Own Urine

Our soft, human brains have been bested by 2022 so we are taking a quick break over the Christmas period and will be back assaulting your senses in Jan 2023. But because we don't want your ears to go unentertained, we're digging back into the archives for eps that have made us squirm, think or vomit (or hopefully, all three!). Today, we try and understand why oh why people drink their own urine.   Ok... to people who don't do it, it's weird and gross and wrong. But to people who do do it, it's b

Dec 22, 2022 • 1:18:25

Aliens Told Me Dolphins Can Talk: The John C Lilly Story

Talking with animals and aliens is the stuff of children’s stories and conspiracy theorists. But for John Cunningham Lilly, it was his life's work.   So, who on earth is John Cunningham Lilly?   At the age of 16, most of us can barely organise our way out of a paper bag, hold more than a grunting conversation with our friends, or ask anything intelligent of anyone.    But Lilly wasn't just anyone. See, at 16 he had a pretty profound question: whether the mind could render itself sufficiently obj

Dec 1, 2022 • 1:00:35

The Great Feather Heist

Humans really love a hobby and it seems the more obscure the hobby, the more obsessed we become. But if you’re looking for the gold medal in obscure and obsessive, you need look no further than Victorian salmon fly-tying.   Back in the Victorian era ‘recipes’ for the perfect fly-tying involved the most exotic of materials - fancy threads, unusual bits of fur and, most importantly, exotic and rare feathers.   Of course, you’d imagine the point of creating these elaborate flys is to sucker in the

Nov 24, 2022 • 42:45

How To Hide A Battleship

Battleships are very large, belch smoke and move pretty slowly. If you were tasked with hiding one out on the open water, how would you go about doing it?   This has been a long-standing challenge and the military’s best attempts were all pretty average. Low visibility grey was their answer. Not a great answer, but an answer.   In April 1917, German U-boats were sinking 8 battleships a day! Grey battleships were not cutting it.   The person who came forward with a solution was no less than an ar

Nov 18, 2022 • 53:27

The Heroes and Idiots of Scientific Self-Experimentation!

Have you ever had a curiosity so strong that you’ve considered staying awake for 180 hours, tapping your spinal column with cocaine, consuming deadly parasites or pumping 6L of hydrogen up your bum?   Probably not. And that is most likely because you are not an idiot.   But - there’s a fine line between idiocy and genius, particularly in medical science.   And so today we explore some of the most extreme stories of heroes and scientists who have experimented on themselves in the name of science

Nov 10, 2022 • 1:00:38

The Story Of Viagra - From Side Effect To Fully Erect

Sexual performance, in particular impotence, is something that’s plagued chaps since they first crawled out of the swamp, rose up onto our hind legs, looked down, and bellowed WHY WON’T YOU WORK YOU BASTARD!   If there’s one thing you can rely on history to provide, it’s infinite examples of how men across the ages have laboured to enhance, increase, or at the very least enable performance…   Erectile dysfunction shows up in Egyptian tombs, Greek cup paintings, and even the Old Testament, with n

Nov 3, 2022 • 54:34

Mercaptan, My Captain!

A little bonus episode for you today, and we hope you enjoy the shorter format. Let us know in the comments on YouTube or by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts if you would like more episodes in this bite-sized form.   If you have listened to the previous episode “What The Hell Happened To The Left-Handers?”, you’ll know that National Geographic sent out a survey using scratch and sniff cards back in 1986. The scents they included were: banana, musk, cloves, rose, androstenone (a chemical fou

Oct 31, 2022 • 3:51

What The Hell Happened To The Left-Handers?

If you’re left-handed you're part of a group that makes up about 10% of the population. And this rate of left-handedness has been consistent. Historical and archaeological records, reaching as far back as the Neanderthals, tell us that we’ve had this background rate of left-handedness for quite literally all of human history.   All of human history, that is, except for a small blip between the 19th and 20th centuries.   But before we explore that weird anomaly, one of the most interesting things

Oct 27, 2022 • 46:40

Desperate For Rain, He Bombed The Sky

There is no better way to conquer things than with great big explosions. The thing to be conquered in this episode? Rain (humans just love punching on with nature). This story begins with a strange observation. After the Civil War in America, soldiers of all ranks, abilities and backgrounds often spoke of drenching drain after battles. This apparent connection rose to the level of received wisdom. In essence — many believed the powerful explosions of battle brought rain.   This idea really took

Oct 20, 2022 • 53:08

The Truth About The Cuyahoga River Fire

The way the story goes, the Summer of 69 was when all hell broke loose in Cleveland.   It was the summer the Cuyahoga River caught on fire. Choked with industrial effluent and chemicals it burst into flames. It is said that this is the event that birthed the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Authority. America was galvanised by this shocking event. Things started to change.   But the thing is, this was not the first time the Cuyahoga River had burst into flames.   We feel like the

Oct 13, 2022 • 49:40

Bertha Benz Invents The Road Trip!

The car has been around for over a century, which makes it easy to forget that there were real-life humans behind its invention, not to mention a messy, complex journey of invention.   There are of course some well-meaning gentlemen that were involved in the invention of the automobile. But, possibly one of the most important figures was a woman by the name of Bertha Benz.   Bertha Benz’s husband was a locomotive engineer, Karl Benz. After getting into a good deal of debt in an iron manufacturin

Oct 6, 2022 • 50:27

Why We Forgot The Cure For Scurvy

Scurvy is zero fun. We’re not sure how much you know about this disease but it’s not a walk in the park. Okay, it’s fair to say that not many diseases are a gentle stroll through a pretty field of flower-filled gardens, but scurvy really is an incredible bastard. The only thing going for it is that you’re generally dead pretty quick. You start off feeling a little tired, sore and short of breath. Your gums start to hurt and your legs swell. Then, your darkening, swelling legs develop purple, bla

Sep 29, 2022 • 54:17

Philip Nitschke's Quest to Allow Us To Die

If you were knocking on death’s door and the door wasn’t opening quickly enough, would you want to be able to give it a shove yourself?   To have agency over your death is a tricky subject, but that hasn’t stopped Philip Nitschke from diving into it head first.   To understand why Nitschke felt compelled to go down such an onerous path, let’s first give you a sense of his personality as a young chap.   When he was 18, someone stole Nitschke's car radio. The police weren’t too concerned about it

Sep 22, 2022 • 1:04:12

Chinese Restaurant Syndrome or Why We Panicked About MSG

In August 1968, a rather innocuous letter to the editor was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.   Dr Ho Man Kwok had written in speculating on the reason he felt so ghastly after eating at a Chinese restaurant. Was it the soy sauce or the cooking wine? Or perhaps, he offered up, it was the monosodium glutamate seasoning - MSG.   The prominent symptoms, as he described them, were numbness at the back of his neck, general weakness and heart palpitations.   Surely Dr Kwok hadn’t just

Sep 15, 2022 • 50:06

Laszlo Polgar's Quest To Raise A Chess Genius

Our episode today begins in the 1960s with Laszlo Polgar and his hot and saucy epistolary courtship with a foreign language teacher named Klara. Correction here. Laszlo's letters were less hot and saucy and more….precise and instrumental. There was no time for detailing THE karma sutra. László was on a mission. He wanted to raise child geniuses. So, in his letters to Klara, he outlines the pedagogical experiment he intends to carry out with his future progeny. Laszlo clearly knows how to woo a l

Sep 8, 2022 • 1:03:35

The Martyrdom of Outspoken Hand Washer Dr Ignaz Semmelweis

Our goal here at The Wholesome Show is to make you feel happy, amused and entertained. But a fair warning that we must sometimes journey through a rather astonishing volume of grotesque and sad death to get you there.   We won’t apologise for it. It is our duty.   In this episode, we travel back to the 18th and 19th centuries - a generally dire time to be alive. Infanticide - the killing of unwanted children - was a horrifyingly common reality.    Luckily at the time, there was a relatively libe

Sep 1, 2022 • 53:41

Don’t Be Like Larry Lawnchair

Have you ever had a dream that you just had to do no matter how crazy or how dangerous it might sound to anyone else? A dream so core to your being that nothing was going to stop you realising it no matter the obstacles?   Nail Armstrong sure did. As did Marie Curie. Edmond Hillary too.   But recently, we found out about a human who eclipsed all those wannabes.   That man was Larry Walters.   Even as a very young lad, Larry imagined himself flying.    His inspiration?    Balloons.    His idea fi

Aug 25, 2022 • 1:07:59

Non Fungible Tulips!

Six friends gather around a patch of dirt in the Netherlands.  Cornelis, Dirk, Symon, Reynier, Other Cornelis and Andries (clearly this is not 2022).  They’re digging up something that is meant to be worth 30 guilders. That is, the price of a pretty modest house back in 1637. A whole house worth of value in a small buried item. Gold? Gemstones? An incredibly well bred and fanciful horse?   No dear reader, it was nothing of the sort. It was in fact, a single tulip bulb. You may have heard the sto

Aug 18, 2022 • 50:20

The Race with No Drivers

In this daring episode, Rod and Will take us back to 1894 Paris, when a small newspaper had a brilliant idea to boost circulation.    A wacky endurance race that would take no prisoners.   In this race there were no fewer than 20 different methods of propulsion from steam, petrol, compressed air, clockwork, a system of pendulums through to a mechanical motor. From a four tonne monster tractor right down to a tricycle. With one steering wheel in the whole race (steering wheels were not a thing ba

Aug 11, 2022 • 1:03:03

Why Are the Proud Boys So Obsessed With (Not) Wanking?

There's a whole bunch of reasons to not be fans of the Proud Boys. In the words of the Southern Poverty Law Centre they're a 'general hate' group, their members played key roles in the January 6 attack on the US capitol, and they're pretty goddamn misogynist. But it's rule number two of their by-laws that's just weird. It states “No heterosexual brother of the Fraternity shall masturbate more than one time in any calendar month". Or maybe it's not weird... So here's the question we're asking thi

Jun 17, 2022 • 1:15:46

The Invention of the Puffer Jacket!

In the olden times people used to climb mountains wearing all sorts of odd things - wool, leather, or just in the nude! But George Finch was an ideas man...Rod tells Will the story of the invention of the puffer jacket!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 10, 2022 • 58:50

What Do We Do With The Immortal Quadrillionaires?

Guess what listener - it's possible that people alive today might live a very long life... like 1200 years maybe.That sounds fun, but maybe it might lead to dystopia?Will agonises with Rod about what we should do about longevity treatments!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!Sources:Aeon: What are the ethical consequences of immortality technology? https://aeon.co/ideas/what-are-the-

Jun 3, 2022 • 1:06:03

Le Pétomane!

At the end of the 19th century in Paris there were a range of weird and wonderful acts - but one stood out...Rod tells Will the story of Le Pétomane!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!Le Pétomane By The Wholesome Show is licensed under a Creative Commons License.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 27, 2022 • 1:17:09

Lying with Maps!

Old timey people put a lot of stock in maps, but they didn't always get things exactly right. They joined Tasmania to mainland Australia, got Africa in the wrong place, and moved Siberia a long way to the east. But was this by accident? Or design?Will tells Rod the story of lying with maps!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!SourcesBar News: Review of Lying for the Admiralty by Marga

May 20, 2022 • 1:04:06

Smell-O-Vision!

We all go to the movies right, we see the sights, we hear the sounds! But what if we could smell the smells?Rod tells Will the history of Smell-O-Vision!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 13, 2022 • 1:16:39

The History and Science of Raw Food!

People have been cooking food for as long as they've been people - and for almost as long other people have been pushing against it.Will tells Rod the history and science of raw food evangelists!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!SourcesBismark Daily Tribune: Apostle of Raw Food Explains Sect: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042242/1913-10-09/ed-1/seq-3/Carnivor Aurelius

May 7, 2022 • 1:17:10

The Disappearance of Ettore Majorana!

Ettore Majorana was a physics genius who really could have won the Nobel Prize... but in 1938 he disappeared. The question is, what happened to him? Rod tells Will the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 29, 2022 • 1:06:39

The Soviet Space Tractor!

Ok, the Americans won the race to the moon - but do you know what the Soviets actually did land on the moon? It's something a little bit special.The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 22, 2022 • 50:15

Ozone Therapy!

You might not know this but ozone has a bizarrely 'clean' smell - so much so, there's a long history of people using it to 'clean' things that they really shouldn't...Rod tells Will the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 14, 2022 • 57:39

The Science of Dying on the Job!

We at The Wholesome Show of course want to live forever. But if you have to go, there are a hell of a lot of worse ways than dying in the saddle.Will tells Rod the science and history of dying on the job!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 8, 2022 • 43:53

Who Killed Tycho Brahe?

Tycho Brahe is one of the most important astronomers of all time - but he died under super mysterious circumstances. So who killed him?Rod tells Will and special guest Hans the story of the murder of Tycho Brahe!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 1, 2022 • 1:22:04

The Ethically Dubious Jesus Experiments of Milton Rokeach!

We all have... unique ways of looking at the world. But what if two mutually contradictory views of the world are put in the same room?Rod tells Will the story of the ethically dubious Jesus experiments of Milton Rokeach!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 25, 2022 • 1:05:37

Live to be Over 100 Using The Secret of the Blue Zones!

There are a few places around the world where a large number of people live to over 100 - do you want to know how? Well, Will tells Rod exactly what the secret is!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 18, 2022 • 45:41

A Modern Hunt for Bigfoot!

What evidence would we need to confirm that Bigfoot exists? Photos? Hair sample? A pool of blood?Rod tells Will the story of Melba Ketchum's quest for the Big Foot! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 14, 2022 • 1:15:16

The Epidemic of Total Tooth Removal!

In the middle of the 20th century it became totally normal - at a 21st, a wedding or a confirmation - to give people the special present of the total removal of their teeth.Was science to blame?Will tells Rod the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!Sources:- Brides.com: The 34 Must-Have Items to Add to Your Wedding Registry: https://www.brides.com/gallery/best-wedding-registry-

Mar 4, 2022 • 1:01:30

Safety Issues at the Los Alamos Lab!

The early days of nuclear science were very much a... move fast and break things world. And some people? They ended up in some dangerous spots. Rod tells Will about the risky world of nuclear science at the 1940s Los Alamos National Laboratory!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 25, 2022 • 1:14:19

Rocket Mail! (Or How Stamp Collectors Got Us To The Moon!)

Do you get sick of waiting for your packages from your online retailers of choice? Have you ever wanted to get your mail just that little bit faster? Yes? Yes! Then might I interest you in... rocket mail?Will tells Rod and special guest CJ Josh the story of rocket mail!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by @cjjosh and proudly brought to by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 18, 2022 • 1:03:51

Spelling Reform!

Is English spelling needlessly complicated? Should we fix it?Som pepl say yes!Will tells Rod the story of the Simplified Spelling Board!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 11, 2022 • 53:14

Muscular Christianity!

Exercise is great. It helps with just about everything! But here's the thing, does it help you... spread the word of God?Rod tells Will the story - and future - of muscular Christianity!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 4, 2022 • 1:10:41

Dozenalism!

We love the metric system - you love the metric system! But... what if it wasn't perfect?Will tells Rod the story of dozenalism!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!Sources:Svalbard: French Revolutionary (Decimal) Time; https://svalbard.watch/pages/about_decimal_time.htmlWikipedia: Units of measurement in France; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Units_of_measurement_in_FranceToday I foun

Jan 28, 2022 • 1:01:50

Training Rats to Save Lives!

The Gambian Pouched Rat - or the African Giant Pouched Rat - can hold heaps of stuff in its awesome face pockets... But it's also very useful in helping humans... Rod tells Will the story, a pocket episode for the holidays!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 12, 2022 • 24:23

Clarence Birdseye Invents An Industry!

Clarence Birdseye Invents An Industry! by The Wholesome ShowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 17, 2021 • 58:00

What Actually Happened on Easter Island, And Why It Matters

Over a few hundred years from the year 1200 on, the people of Easter Island / Rapa Nui built an amazing pocket universe - a flourishing civilisation with their own system of writing and amazing carved stone Moai.But then it collapsed.Will tells Rod what happens, and why the story of what happens matters!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!Sources:Benny Peiser’s ‘From Genocide to Ecoc

Dec 10, 2021 • 56:47

A History and Future of Chatbots!

Chatbots are everywhere these days - your bank, your phone company, your facebook... your therapist? Well actually, they were therapists first... Rod tells Will the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!Sources:https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-eliza-effect/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666827020300062http://www.jabberwacky.com/j2convbydate-N6641par

Dec 3, 2021 • 1:23:42

World Ice Theory!

We all know the Nazis embraced a bunch of dumb - awful - ideas. But their ideas about how the universe worked? Well that was sincerely whackadoo...Will tells Rod the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!SourcesWilly Ley: Pseudoscience in Naziland, http://www.alpenfestung.com/ley_pseudoscience.htmChristina Wessely: Cosmic Ice Theory—Science, Fiction and the Public, 1894–1945. htt

Nov 26, 2021 • 46:29

The Birth of GWG Ferris's Wheel

We've all ridden in Ferris Wheels - including some that are getting really pretty gigantic. But have you ever wondered where they came from? Rod tells Will the story of Ferris's Wheel!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!---------------Sources:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-07-25/what-happens-when-every-city-has-a-giant-ferris-wheelhttps://interestingengineering.com/the-

Nov 19, 2021 • 1:10:36

The Making of Grey Owl!

Grey Owl had a crucial message for the world - but was he the right person to bring it?The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 12, 2021 • 1:04:11

A Brief History of Penis Transplants

You didn't know you needed to know it, but penis prosthetics and penis transplants are both VERY IMPORTANT and VERY SCIENCE. They are! It's true! Rod tells Will the story of where they're up to!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 5, 2021 • 1:20:39

The Story of the Curta - Curt Herzstark's Pocket Calculator!

Curt Herzstark had an invention ready to go... but he never knew it would save his life.Will tells Rod the story of the Curta pocket calculator!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 29, 2021 • 1:01:59

Why We Should Care About Sand Mining!

We use a lot of sand. In fact, it's the number two thing we use as a species after water! But because we use so much, there's some bad things that happen as well...Rod tells Will all about the world of sand mining!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 22, 2021 • 1:01:48

Alfred Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift! With Tanja Pejic!

We all know that even though the ground beneath our feet feels solid, it's actually moving nice and slowly towards somewhere else. But the science underpinning this idea? It was actually a huge fight...Will and Rod explore, joined by Tanja Pejic of Geoscience Australia!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Dr Tanja Pejic of Geoscience Australia!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 12, 2021 • 1:19:44

Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard and The Origin of Performance Enhancing Drugs!

People have taken things to enhance their performance for ages - but the things they've taken, that's what's weird...Rod tells Will the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 8, 2021 • 1:12:59

Why People Worried About Bicycle Face!

Bikes are awesome! But during the biggest bicycle craze of the 19th century, medical opinion on bikes went a little bit weird... Will tells Rod the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 1, 2021 • 1:10:03

How To Spot An Art Forgery!

Art forging - and catching art forgers - is a booming business these days. And on both sides, science has a key role to play...Rod tells Will the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 24, 2021 • 1:07:30

Taylorism, or Scientific Management!

We love science here at the Wholesome Show, but what if you used science to make a workplace more efficient? Would you be a good person? Or is that dangerous?Will tells Rod the story of Taylorism, or Scientific Management!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 17, 2021 • 55:11

A Short History of Electroconvulsive Therapy!

The treatments we have available for various psychiatric issues aren't either vast... or precise. Which is why electroconvulsive therapy is still a regular thing... Rod tells Will and special guest Shaam Al Abed the history!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Shaam Al Abed and this time brought to you by Brain Teaser as well as The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 8, 2021 • 1:25:41

Karl von Frisch and the Waggle Dance!

Symbolic communication is ours! Just for us humans! Or... maybe it's not...Will tells Rod the story of Karl von Frisch and the bee waggle dance!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 3, 2021 • 1:06:13

Apotemnophilia!

So, simple question. If someone says their leg isn't really part of them, how should we help?Rod explains apotemnophilia to Will!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 27, 2021 • 1:09:48

Bitcoin Is A Doomsday Device!

Doomsday devices suck. Just straight up not great. The Soviets built one at the Cold War, and now we've potentially got another one on our hands.Will asks Rod if we can get the bitcoin doomsday device back in the tube!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 20, 2021 • 56:54

Hitler's Seaside Resort!

Would you stay in Hitler's sea side resort? You can if you want, but it's a weird building...The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 13, 2021 • 1:00:07

Mad Cow Disease :(

Prions are freaking horrible. Don't eat them if you can utterly avoid it. @willozap explains to @rodl what happens if you do.The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 6, 2021 • 1:07:49

Karoshi Means Worked To Death (no exclamation mark)

So this is by far our most communist episode ever - and it's about people being worked to death. Cool cool! Rod tells Will all about karoshi!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 30, 2021 • 1:19:05

The Unicorn of Quedlinburg (Or, How We Discovered Extinction)

We're pretty used to the idea of extinction. Species live, species die, it sucks, but... it's kind of a fact of the modern world.But we didn't always think this way. In fact, the idea of extinction took a lot of work to get off the ground. Will tells Rod all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 23, 2021 • 39:50

Surgeons Behaving Badly!

Hey listener, are you having surgery anytime soon? Hugs if you are, it can be scary! Well, Rod is about to go under the knife... and to calm himself, he went and explored three (terrible) stories of surgeons behaving badly. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 13, 2021 • 58:41

Gain of Function Research and the Lab Leak Hypothesis!

Ok listener, this is the big question: did the SARS-CoV-2 virus - you know, the goddamn bug that's making Australians wear masks even now - leak from a lab in Wuhan?Ok I lied. That's not even the big question. The big question is not whether it SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab leak, but whether research like that was opening dangerous doors... The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnyst

Jun 30, 2021 • 55:28

This Is Your Brain, Frozen In Time! (It's About Cryonics)

Ok, this is the question listener: after you die, would you be interested in being frozen for reanimation in the future? Or do you think that sounds like the biggest scam around?Rod tells Will the story of cryonics!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 25, 2021 • 1:21:43

The Mad Scientists of Reddit!

So scientists, what science would you do if ethics were not an issue? We trawl through the mad scientists of Reddit to explore some options!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 19, 2021 • 59:33

Unclenching Climate Communication with Randy Olson!

How scientists communicate is... not historically great. And Randy Olson's got opinions. We sit down to explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, and joined today by Randy Olson!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 11, 2021 • 1:25:26

The Strange Saga of Aerosols vs Droplets

We all know the facts of Covid-19. Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay 1.5m away from the rest of the universe. This is good advice! But the science it's based on... is interesting.Rod tells Will the story of the aerosol vs droplets saga!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 4, 2021 • 1:10:28

The Translation of Hieroglyphics!

The Rosetta Stone is a byword for an amazing tool able to unlock a world... and it did give the modern world knowledge of hieroglyphics. But the translation wasn't exactly easy...Will tells Rod the story of the translation of hieroglyphics!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 28, 2021 • 1:03:08

John Cade's Discovery of Lithium! (Via Urine!)

Lithium is a tiny tiny atom - it's basically the third tiniest! But it also helps enormously with mental health issues. Which is super weird. Even weirder was how it was discovered, and it involved guinea pigs and urine!Rod tells Will the story of John Cade's discovery of Lithium!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 21, 2021 • 1:05:47

The Potato Blight (There Is No Such Thing As A Natural Disaster)

In the middle of the 19th century, Ireland's population declined by about 2 million people over the course of just a few years. Half of that number fled the country, the other half starved. What (or who) caused it? Will tells Rod all about the Great Famine!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 14, 2021 • 47:45

Condoms!

Condoms! What are they? Where did they come from? Where are they going next?Rod tells Will all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 7, 2021 • 1:08:20

Making Risky Decisions! (Like Going Over Niagara Falls In A Barrel)

Hey, would you go over Niagara Falls in a barrel? If you're on the fence, what would tip you the other way? Would it be peer pressure?Will tells Rod the story of teenage decision making, and the first trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 30, 2021 • 52:38

Bandy Xenobia Lee and the Goldwater Rule

Should psychiatrists be able to contribute to political discussion? To considering who is or isn't fit for office? Should they... diagnose from afar?Rod tells Will the story of Bandy Xenobia Lee's fight against the Goldwater Rule!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 21, 2021 • 1:07:23

Understanding Animal Swarms!

There are times when animals... hit the wrong numbers. Like not just hundreds, not just thousands, but millions or billions or even trillions - and everything is ruined. Will tells Rod the story of animal swarms!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 2, 2021 • 50:30

Ethical Issues In A High Tech Society - with Adam Henschke!

New technologies have opened up a whole new range of things we can do - monitor each other from afar, trap our genitals in internet enabled chastity belts, make sex dolls somewhat like real life. But the big question now isn't 'can we', it's 'should we'.Rod and Will sit down for an exploration of key ethical issues in this high tech world, with our senior ethics correspondent Adam Henschke!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National

Mar 26, 2021 • 1:27:43

The Secret Spy Science of Poo!

Ok listener, this is it - right in the centre of the Venn diagram of Wholesome Show topics. We've got nasty racists, bad accents, the Soviet Union, terrible people and a whole lot of spies chasing turds!Will tells Rod a story that doesn't really need to be heard...The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 19, 2021 • 58:36

Barry Marshall Drinks Something Weird!

It's not surprising that an Australian scientist got a Nobel prize for drinking something weird - but how he lined up the ducks to get there, that's the story...Rod tells Will the story of Barry Marshall, Nobel Prize winner!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 12, 2021 • 1:17:44

The Fraudulent Bird of Washington!

In the early 19th Century, John James Audubon achieved something truly amazing - but he needed to commit a stupendous fraud to do it...Will tells Rod the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 5, 2021 • 47:39

A Brief History of Medical Leeches!

People have used leeches in medicine for thousands of years - but the story is not quite what you might think. Will tells Rod all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 26, 2021 • 1:00:12

The Healing Powers of Rat Poison (In Medically Supervised Doses!)

In the 1930s, a blizzard blew through Wisconsin, and some cattle got sick - what happened then is a story of the development of one of the world's most important drugs!Rod tells Will the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 19, 2021 • 51:50

440Hz! (Or, What's Going On With Conspiracy Theories!)

Did you know that the world is controlled by the tuning frequency of our music industry? (It's not). That this was deliberately designed by the Rothschilds and the US Navy and the Nazis to control our bodies? (It wasn't).Ok, this isn't true. But it's a fun conspiracy theory, and it lets us explore how conspiracy theories work with Professor Colin Klein from the ANU Philosophy Gang!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Professor Colin Klein, and brought to you b

Feb 12, 2021 • 1:19:11

Why The Government Made The Sky! (According To Steven Brandenburg!)

The Anti-Vaccination movement is... a broad church. Steven Brandenburg takes a leaf from every pew!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 5, 2021 • 54:41

Thou Art The Man! (Or, The Great Moon Hoax)

Here's a story about things (lies) going viral. It involves moon beavers, 24 tonnes of glass, and a scientist jumping into the air declaring 'thou art the man!'. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 29, 2021 • 55:10

The Weird Thing About Body Temperature!

Here's a question for you - if you're healthy, what temperature is your body? Did you say 37 (or 98.6) degrees? Congratulations, you're kinda right! But also... kinda wrong... It turns out body temperature varies whether you're male or female, whether you're menstruating or not, whether you measure in the mouth or the ear or the forehead or the anus, or even - and here's the strange part - what decade you live in...Rod tells Will the story of body temperature!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lambert

Jan 21, 2021 • 1:02:29

The Year Of Silver Linings

Ok, 2020 sucked. But surely it wasn't 100% disaster?To round off the year, Will explores some of the silver linings of 2020 with Rod and special guest Janie! Thanks heaps to Inger Mewburn, Aparna Lal, Bec Colvin, Anna Raupach, Saul Cunningham, Jill Sheppard, Sharon Friel, Mark Howden and Arnagretta Hunter for additional silver linings!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Janie and proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awarenes

Dec 24, 2020 • 48:55

The Feejee Mermaid!

Real physical mermaids - do they exist? (No). But if they don't exist, where do the fake ones come from?Rod tells Will the story of the Feejee Mermaid!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 18, 2020 • 31:40

IQ!

Listener, it's pretty obvious from here you have an IQ of 158, maybe 159. But what does that mean? Where did it come from? And what percentage of it is bullshit?Rod tells Will the story of IQ!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 11, 2020 • 1:19:39

What Caused The Crime Drop?

From about 1990 onwards, something really, undeniably good happened, on a vast - near global - level.But no one really knows why.Will tells Rod the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 4, 2020 • 1:12:03

A Brief History of Penis Panics

Mass psychotics illnesses suck. Some are about dancing, some are about nervous ticks, some... are about genitals.Rod tells Will the history (and science) of penis panics!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 27, 2020 • 56:03

The Nazi War on Tobacco

The usual history says that the link between smoking and lung cancer was first shown by the British epidemiologist Richard Doll in 1952. But that's not quite true. The first people to show this link were... actually bad people.Will tells Rod and special guest CjJosh the story of the Nazi war on tobacco!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts - joined today by CJJosh! Proudly produced by G'day Studios, and brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness o

Nov 20, 2020 • 1:10:32

The Sverdlovsk Outbreak of 1979!

It's horrible when a lot of people die... but what if they all die in a line?Will tells Rod the story of the Sverdlovsk outbreak of 1979!(Spoiler it's anthrax and it's the Soviet Union)!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 13, 2020 • 1:04:12

Head Transplants! (actually body transplants)

Speculating here listener, but would you swap your body for a younger, hotter, healthier version of yourself? Well, there are a few surgeons out there who are happy to help...Rod tells Will the story of head (body) transplantation surgery!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by G'day Studios and supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 6, 2020 • 1:12:07

The Science of Near Death Experiences!

It's a common trope - you do something catastrophically silly, and next thing you know you're watching your life flash before your eyes. Or you're standing in fluffy clouds that look suspiciously like heaven... or you're being dragged in chains to a pit that looks worryingly like hell. Don't worry, it's just a Near Death Experience! But... what actually are they? What happens? How common are they? And why are they all so... similar?Will tells Rod all about the science of Near Death Experiences!T

Oct 30, 2020 • 1:15:05

Things People Have Done In An MRI!

What is Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and what is an MRI machine? What have people done in them? And are they 100% science? Rod tells Will and special guest CJJosh all about the wonderful world of Magnetic Resonance Imaging!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts - joined today by CJJosh! Proudly produced by G'day Studios, and brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 23, 2020 • 1:09:11

Musical Maladies - And Fakes!

Playing a musical instrument is fun, rewarding, and lets you strut your stuff in front of a crowd of thousands! But it comes with a downside... some injuries unique to the instrument you choose. Or... does it?The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, produced by G'day Studios, and proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 16, 2020 • 53:17

The Science of Daylight Savings Time!

Daylight savings time is beautiful. An extra hour of the day for walking the dog, drinking daiquiris or listening to podcasts that require you to be outside in the sun! But maybe it's a little bit of a guilty pleasure... Will tells Rod the history and science of daylight savings time!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, produced by G'day Studios and proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for pri

Oct 9, 2020 • 42:36

Astrology For the Fortune 500 - The Myers Briggs Type Indicator!

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is used by thousands and thousands of high profile companies... But should it?The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 2, 2020 • 1:05:18

Food Hacks... or P-Hacks? The Dodgy Insights of Brian Wansink!

You've known for years that things like portion size, food availability and the colour of your plates affect your food intake... But it turns out the research it was based on was maybe a little bit bullshit?Rod tells Will the story of Brian Wansink's strange food hack science!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 25, 2020 • 1:00:15

The Myth of the Bee Apocalypse!

Apparently, Albert Einstein once claimed that “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live”... And since 2007, colonies of bees around the world have been mysteriously collapsing... Will (and guest expert Saul Cunningham) get to the bottom of the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Professor Saul Cunningham of the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society! Proudly brought to you by The Australia

Sep 18, 2020 • 1:12:49

A Brief History of Aphrodisiacs!

Ok, we know that old timey people had some weird ideas about medicine... but when it comes to cures for sexual issues, it seems they'll try... anything.Rod tells Will the story of old time aphrodisiacs!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 11, 2020 • 1:08:44

The Hunt for the Fourth Order Island!

We all know about islands... and we all know about lakes. We know we can have islands in lakes, and even lakes on islands.But did you know that there are lakes on islands in lakes? And even more, islands in lakes on islands in lakes?Roger Dickey knew this... And he had a quest, to find the elusive fourth order island!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for

Sep 4, 2020 • 40:31

The Actual Genius of Paul Erdős

A lot of people are held up as geniuses (genii?)... But most of them are just pretty smart and pretty lucky. Paul Erdős though, he was something different.Rod tells Will his story! The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 28, 2020 • 1:23:02

The Strange Things People Have Smuggled Into Space!

As of recording on the 21 August 2020, some 566 have been to space. 345 have been American, 121 Russian Soviet. 65 have been women... And at least 7 have been smugglers. Will tells Rod the story of the secret things people have brought into space!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 21, 2020 • 54:43

Exploring the Carbon Diet with Jo Clay!

Should you 'diet' to reduce your carbon impact? In this episode we discuss the carbon diet with Jo Clay, candidate for the Greens Party here in the current Australian Capital Territory election!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 14, 2020 • 1:13:00

The Science of Swearing!

***Warning, there is a *lot* of swearing in this episode!***Listener, have you always wanted to have a swear word for those people who aren't impressed by amazing things? Well, Rod's got a swear word for you! In this episode, Rod tells Will about the history and science of swearing!***Second warning, there is a *lot* of swearing in this episode!***The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!

Aug 7, 2020 • 1:18:27

Balloonomania!

For a few short months between 1783 and 1785, France went absolutely nuts for balloons. In this episode, Will tells Rod the origin and development of balloonomania!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 31, 2020 • 1:04:44

The Martyrs To The X-Ray

Early scientific labs had a fairly different understanding of workplace health and safety to what we might see in labs today. In this episode, Rod tells Will some of the horror stories of the early work on x-rays!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 24, 2020 • 42:42

The History And Future Of The Death Certificate

No one likes doing paperwork. Even worse when that paperwork is about your own death... Today Will is joined by Dr Arnagretta Hunter to tell Rod the history - and the future - of the death certificate!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Dr Arnagretta Hunter. The Wholesome Show is proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 17, 2020 • 1:14:18

Red Mercury!

In the middle of the Cold War, Soviet scientists apparently developed an explosive so potent it could be used to make nuclear fusion bombs the size of a baseball.But was it real?Rod tells Will the story of Red Mercury!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, and is proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 10, 2020 • 55:29

What Actually Is Stockholm Syndrome?

'Stockholm Syndrome' is a very widely used term, used to describe supposed feelings of affection and love held for a captor by a hostage...But when you dig a little deeper, the story turns into something a little bit different.Will tells Rod the story of Stockholm Syndrome!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 1, 2020 • 38:24

The People Who Don't Get Cancer

What would you trade to never get cancer?Well, that's not a real question, because it's not really an option. But there are a group of people with one hell of a side benefit...The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 19, 2020 • 46:13

White Academics, Trying To Do Better

It's no secret listener, we're part of perhaps the most problematic demographic - white middle aged podcasting academics. And, quite legitimately, we're being asked to do better.So - this is us, going a little bit meta and drawing on the advice of Prof Jasmine Roberts of Ohio State University to try to explore what we can do to help make a better world.The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Sci

Jun 12, 2020 • 38:42

The Biggest Robot Ever Made!

Ok, it's the Cold War in America, and you're building nuclear everything - nuclear ships, nuclear subs, nuclear aeroplanes! But what if there's an oopsie - how do you clean it up? With the biggest robot ever made of course!Rod tells Will the story of the Beetle, the biggest robot ever made!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 5, 2020 • 51:44

A Brief History of the Nanny State Critique!

Ever since people have tried to make our world just a tiny bit healthier - you know, to not be coated in open sewage - idiot libertarians have screamed that it's their freedom to be covered in shit.In this episode, Will hosts Rod and special guest Professor Penny Hawe in a special quiz on the history of the nanny state critique!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Professor Penny Hawe! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awa

May 29, 2020 • 1:15:26

"Earth Has An Anus" - The Weird Ideas of Alfred Lawson

You can be, on the outside, a normal - even successful - person, but still hold a core of quackery on the inside.Alfred Lawson was one such person.A successful journalist, aircraft manufacturer and pilot - and the first person to commute by plane - Lawson also had some intensely weird Ideas about how the world works. Rod tells Will his story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See om

May 22, 2020 • 1:07:51

Henry Cotton's Terrible Psychiatry

Henry Cotton had some interesting ideas about the causes of psychiatric disorders. The problem wasn't the ideas, it was the dogged pursuit of following them through..The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Dr Madeleine Hinwood! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 15, 2020 • 53:00

The Woman Who Felt No Fear

Nobody likes being afraid - but even so, fear is a pretty useful emotion. It protects us from tigers and bad parties and what not. But what if you don't experience it?Rod tells Will the story of S. M., the woman who feels no fear!The Wholesome Show is made by Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 9, 2020 • 54:26

The Eradication of Smallpox

For thousands of years smallpox was the worst virus in the world. It killed more people than any other disease - perhaps as many as half a billion in the 20th Century alone.But then, following a concerted global effort of vaccination, we wiped it out - the only disease threatening humans to have been fully eradicated.Will tells Rod how this happened!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Scienc

May 1, 2020 • 1:11:52

The Made Up Asia Of George Psalmanazar

In the 18th Century the people of Europe had heard of Asia - but they didn't know much about it. And so to fill the information vacuum, some enterprising folk... filled the gap with bullshit. The champion of this was George Psalmanazar... Rod tells Will his story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 24, 2020 • 55:46

Documenting the Infodemic!

While we're living through a pandemic, we're also in the midst of a tsunami of misinformation, a plague of snake oil, a veritable shit-storm of bad communication!And we wanted to document it. So today, Will tells Rod - and special guest Darren Saunders - all about some of the awful people spreading awful lies in this Covid-19 world!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.c

Apr 19, 2020 • 1:14:27

Horace Fletcher, King of Chewing!

We're all told as kids to chew our food properly - but people don't usually go as far as The Great Masticator, Horace Fletcher. As Fletcher held it, food should be chewed until liquefied before swallowing. "Nature will castigate those who don't masticate."Rod tells Will all about him!The Wholesome Show is made by Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, and proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 10, 2020 • 54:42

The Spanish Flu!

In 1918-1919, the Spanish Flu killed perhaps as many as 100 million people. More than anything else ever. But for decades, we barely spoke about it - in fact it was called the forgotten pandemic. Will tells Rod all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 3, 2020 • 1:04:21

Munchausen's, Munchausen's by Proxy, Munchausen's by Internet!

The internet, you may be shocked to learn, is full of lies - half truths, fraud, fakery! Some of the lying may in fact be diagnosable... Rod tells Will about Munchausen's syndrome, Munchausen's by proxy, and Munchausen's by Internet! This is our first social distancing podcast, bear with us while we polish our tech :)The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

Mar 27, 2020 • 46:45

The History and Science of Panic Buying!

Pandemics suck. You know that. You also know that panic buying sucks, particularly when everyone is buying your delicious brand of muesli. But what causes it? Will tells Rod a little about the history and science of panic buying!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science - take care everybody!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 18, 2020 • 1:01:32

The Life and Times of Alfred Nobel

The Nobel Prizes are really pretty famous. But what about the guy who set them up? Rod tells Will the story of Alfred Nobel!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 13, 2020 • 54:08

Weather War!

In 1996 the US Air Force released an 'ideas paper' exploring how "US aerospace forces can ‘own the weather’ by capitalising on emerging technologies and focusing development of those technologies to war-fighting applications."In short, they were looking at making weather a weapon against their enemies!Will tells Rod about the history behind this idea...The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Sci

Mar 4, 2020 • 1:03:00

Bioweapons Testing!

In 1966 a group of US Army scientists wanted to find out just how vulnerable the New York Subway system was to a biological attack.The good news? They found it was... pretty vulnerable.The bad news? The way they found this out was... pretty dodgy.Will tells Rod and Hans all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Dr Hans Thulstrup, and proudly presented by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for

Feb 27, 2020 • 44:12

The Science of Heavy Metal

Kant holds that the fundamental principle of our moral duties is a categorical imperative. For people who listen to Heavy Metal, that means categorising music with the most awesome array of sub-categories you can imagine!Rod tells Will (and Hans!) all about the science of Heavy Metal!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, joined today by Hans Thulstrup! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

Feb 20, 2020 • 1:11:10

The Dunning-Kruger Effect!

It's a sad fact of humanity that people who don't know much about something wildly over estimate how good they are at that thing. Heard about Iran's nuclear program? Then you're basically an expert. Played a video game with a helicopter? You're basically a pilot.This phenomenon is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.But it's not just a reason we should calm down our self-estimation, it has real world consequences. Rod tells Will more!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudl

Feb 13, 2020 • 1:09:13

The Difficult Legacy of J Marion Sims

Can an enslaved person suffering a terrible condition consent to an experimental medical procedure?The short answer is no! The long answer is still no, but with a side order of 'it's complicated'. But can the rest of society benefit?Will tells Rod about the difficult legacy of J Marion Sims!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 5, 2020 • 46:40

Faecal Microbiota Transplants!

Listener you knew it was coming - if you were going to draw a Venn diagram of Wholesome Show topics (juvenile and science being the key circles), then poo transplants would sit right in the middle!So this episode, Rod tells Will the history and science of Faecal Microbiota Transplants!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 30, 2020 • 1:08:37

The Sugar Experiments of Vipeholm

We all know sugar is bad for our teeth.But... how did we come to know that?Rod tells Will the story of the Vipeholm Hospital sugar experiments!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 22, 2020 • 44:26

The Pedoscope!

What's a pedoscope, and why were they banned? Will tells Rod the weird story of this weird invention from the dark ages of the 20th Century...The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 15, 2020 • 7:46

A Weird Marshmallow Experiment

Listener, are you the type to delay gratification? To study for your test now, and save the night of partying till afterwards? To save your pennies for a sensible purchase only when you have the money? To avoid eating one marshmallow now, to get two later? Or do you need what you need/want right now, and consequences be damned?Either is fine, we're not judging. But for years, perhaps the most famous experiment in cognitive psychology has...Will tells Rod and Hannah the story of the weird marshma

Jan 1, 2020 • 47:20

Fighting Big Corpse!

Hey listener, what are you going to do with your body when you die? Like most sensible people, you're going to get turned into a diamond and fired into the sun (of course!) - but if that's not quite for you, what's an environmentally and socially responsible solution for your mortal remains?Rod tells Will and Hannah about the science and politics of Big Corpse! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Hannah Carle and proudly brought to you by The Australian Natio

Dec 26, 2019 • 1:09:20

The Harvard Psilocybin Project!

In the early 1960s a team of Harvard researchers... got high. All good, each to their own!But because they were researchers, they decided to become a little more rigorous on what happens when you take psychedelic drugs. Will tells Rod the story of the Harvard Psilocybin Project!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 19, 2019 • 58:13

Animals in Space!

In 1957 a stray dog was rescued from the streets of Moscow - and then strapped to the top of a rocket and sent into space! She died :(But she paved the way for the rest of us to reach the stars, so that's nice!Hannah Carle joins the Wholesome Show today to tell Rod and Will about the animals who've gone to space!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Hannah Carle from ANU's Research School of Biology! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for

Dec 11, 2019 • 58:40

Drug Smuggling Logistics!

Supply chain logistics is one of the fastest growing and most innovative industries in the world. In shipping companies around the world scientists and engineers are working on robot factories and drone delivery and ways to get your packages to you faster and faster.And the drug industry is keen on this too! Rod tells Will about the innovative ways drug barons are shipping drugs around the world...The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian N

Dec 4, 2019 • 1:00:08

Radioactive Snake Oil!

In the late 19th century Marie and Pierre Curie conducted some groundbreaking work on radioactivity. Their results were exciting - so exciting, we went around putting radioactive ingredients in everything!Will tells Rod the story of radioactive snake oil!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 29, 2019 • 45:37

The Fake Money of JSG Boggs

What even is money? Is it even really real?Money, as all you wise Wholesome Show listeners know, is a social construct. We made it up and we believe in it because it's useful.And so we know making fake money is naughty... But what if you fake it as an art project?Rod tells Will the story of JSG Boggs and his fake money!The Wholesome Show is Will Grant and Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for pri

Nov 20, 2019 • 1:00:28

Phrenology!

The idea of studying the bumps on people's heads to understand their personality is often held up as one of the dumbest mistakes ever made in science... But the story of phrenology is a little more complicated than that.Will tells Rod why!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 13, 2019 • 1:03:22

A Brief History Of Anti-Vaccination!

The first vaccination was invented in 1796 by Edward Jenner.The first anti-vaccination movement was invented mere moments later - and their ideas then parallel strongly with the ideas you see pushed now.Rod tells Will their story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 8, 2019 • 1:05:16

Domesticating The Fox!

How did wolves turn into dogs? Dmitri Belyaev wanted to find out, so he launched a secret experiment in the middle of Stalinist Soviet Union to domesticate the fox!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, joined today by Hannah Carle! Normally brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, today we're also brought to you by the Research School of Biology at ANU as the final Director's Seminar for 2019!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform

Oct 28, 2019 • 52:48

Stats Porn!

PornHub is one of the biggest porn sites on the planet - and every year they release a data dump of what the world watches! Rod tells Will all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 23, 2019 • 1:10:19

The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt!

At the beginning of the 20th Century the French colonisers in Hanoi had a problem with rats. Sure, rats had always been out there in the streets and the Vietnamese neighbourhoods... But something new was happening...The rats were poking their furry noses up in the toilets of the rich and powerful. Ugh! Will tells Rod and Kim Ballestrin how they tried to solve the problem!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, joined today by Kim Ballestrin! Normally brought to you by The Austra

Oct 16, 2019 • 42:34

The Resurrectionists!

In the early 19th Century medical schools in England and Scotland were in a bit of a pickle. They needed a regular supply of bodies to demonstrate anatomy lessons on, but there just weren't enough being produced via 'offical' means... So they turned to some 'grey area' associates to help them out. Will tells Rod their story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/liste

Oct 11, 2019 • 1:09:46

The Death Penalty in Japan, with Mai Sato!

Iwao Hakamada was sentenced to death on September 11, 1968, for a 1966 quadruple murder. On March 10, 2011, Guinness World Records certified Hakamada as the world's longest-held death row inmate.Cool record huh! (Very very not cool).Today we explore his story with Mai Sato, from the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance!The Wholesome Show is Dr Will Grant and Dr Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/

Oct 4, 2019 • 58:27

Isaac Newton, Coin Detective!

Isaac Newton had an amazing career as a scientist. But did you know he also had a secret follow up career as an undercover detective chasing bad guys around London?Rod tells Will the story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 25, 2019 • 1:02:30

The Fake Stanford Prison Experiment!

For nearly 50 years the Stanford Prison Experiment has been held up as the most famous experiment in psychology. Ethically flawed, sure, but at least it told us a whole lot about how bad situations make bad people...But it was bullshit.Will tells Rod why!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!This episode draws on Thibault Le Texier’s Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment, originally

Sep 20, 2019 • 50:31

Is Reality An Illusion?

Edgar Allan Poe once declared that 'all we see or seem is but a dream within a dream'. Poetic thoughts, sure.But what if they're true? What if we're actually living in a simulation? I hate to break it to you, but some people think it's more likely than not - and they're trying to break out! Rod tells Will all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener fo

Sep 10, 2019 • 1:02:58

Asteroid Impact!

You know dinosaurs were killed by an asteroid - but did you know how horrible it was?Spoiler alert, it was very horrible! Anyway, neither of us want to die that way, so we explored what science is doing to stop it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 4, 2019 • 58:54

John Paul Stapp And The Rocket Sled!

A drag racer can accelerate from a dead stop to 160 km/h in 0.86 seconds. That's a horizontal acceleration of 5.3 g. For most of us that would mush our brains to the backs of our skulls and leave us in a state of piddling confusion.But to John Paul Stapp that's baby steps.Rod tells Will about John Paul Stapp's mission to see just how fast the human body can start and stop! The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public A

Aug 28, 2019 • 59:39

Wilhelm Reich And The Orgone!

Have you ever tried to bring together a grand unified theory of character development, proletarian revolution, alien invasion and orgasms? Well, Wilhelm Reich certainly tried, and this is his story!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, joined today by Sam Vilkins! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 21, 2019 • 1:03:55

The Highest Fecal Time Bomb In The World!

I hate to break it to you, but the highest mountain in the world is no longer a wilderness. Far from the distant unclimbable of Mallory and Hillary, Mt Everest is now a heaving festival of the best and worst of humanity, and an oversize garbage dump with its own nightclub. Rod tells Will all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat

Aug 16, 2019 • 43:47

Human Zoos!

Between the 1870s and the 1930s hundreds of zoos in Europe and America included people - yes human people - as part of their display collections. Will tells Rod all about it!The Wholesome Show is Will Grant and Rod Lamberts, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 7, 2019 • 51:13

The Vague Silver Lining of Tobacco

I don't want to - ahem - blow smoke up your arse, but tobacco is not 100% satanically evil. Wait wait, before you shoot us, yes - tobacco is 99.9999% satanically evil, and has caused untold cancers and deaths and other bad things. But... there might be a tiny sliver of a silver lining? We explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 1, 2019 • 52:53

Peaceful Nuclear Explosions!

In the 1960s and 70s the United States and the Soviet Union had a shitload of nuclear weapons... and when all you have is a hammer, the whole world is a nail. So they started using their nuclear hammers to solve other... civilian problems!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, joined today by Sam Vilkins! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 26, 2019 • 44:16

Poll Failures - With Kevin Bonham

Political polls... aren't having a good run. After spectacular failures of polling in the UK in the Brexit vote and the US in the 2016 election, the malaise has come to Australia - the recent election was specatularly poorly called.We sit down with poll analyst Dr Kevin Bonham to explore why!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Sam Vilkins! Proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener

Jul 10, 2019 • 31:36

Injected With Plutonium

On May 14, 1945, Albert Stevens was injected with 131 kBq (3.55 µCi) of plutonium - the highest known radiation dose in any human - without his knowledge or informed consent.This is his story.The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 3, 2019 • 30:43

A Brief History Counting People!

Statistics, you might be surprised to learn, is the science of the state. At heart the whole discipline was born from an effort to count how many people your country had, so you could know how many taxes you could collect / armies you could raise / pyramids you could build.But the business of counting people has never been... straight forward. Sam Vilkins tells Rod and Will all about it!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Sam Vilkins! Proudly brought to you b

Jun 26, 2019 • 59:07

Unexplained Aerial Phenomena! (It's The New Name For UFOs!)

In our galaxy there are billions of stars like our Sun, many of them probably billions of years older. In all likelihood, many of these stars will have Earth-like planets, and if the Earth is typical, at last some may have developed intelligent life - perhaps even billions of years more advanced than us. It's just simple probability! But... why is the galaxy so... quiet?Today, we explore the world of people looking for answers...The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined tod

Jun 20, 2019 • 1:01:33

Oceans Of Nuclear Waste!

Between 1946 and 1993 a bunch of countries dumped 85 PBq* of radioactive waste into the ocean. Slurries, solids, reactors - you know, the stuff you find lying around and just want to put in the ocean.** It was terrible, and it seems we've mostly stopped it. But that shit is still down there... So we explore!* I don't really know how much a PBq is, but it's a lot more than 'nothing', and 'nothing' is the correct amount of radioactive waste that should go into the ocean** No, you don't find it lyi

Jun 12, 2019 • 50:34

The Unusual Health Beliefs of John Harvey Kellogg!

Corn flakes are delicious. But did you know they were originally invented to lower sexual desire? (Try it yourself next time you have a bowl, but be careful!) Their invention was part of a quest of John Harvey Kellogg's not only to improve the health of society, but to stop people from a range of other practices, including drinking, smoking, having sex and masturbating. In this episode we explore the weird - and really quite repressive - health beliefs of John Harvey Kellogg!The Wholesome Show i

Jun 6, 2019 • 1:10:29

The Bone Collectors

In the dying days of the Second World War, allied troops entering Strasbourg made a grisly discovery - the purpose built beginnings of a skeleton collection. This pseudoscientific collection was an attempt by the Nazis to showcase - in physical form - the alleged racial inferiority of the "Jewish race" in contrast to the German Aryan Übermenschen.It's both disgusting, and very definitely not science. But Nazis weren't the only ones to collect human bones... We explore the terrible terrible bone

May 29, 2019 • 46:17

Anthropophagy! (It Means Cannibalism)!

Everyone has food they hate eating. For some people it's mushrooms, for others it's onions, for others it's aniseed. (For Will it's watermelon. It's the lamest melon). But if you're starving on a desert island and there's only mushrooms, onions, aniseed or watermelon there, sure, you'll bend your rules.But what about... other humans? How hungry do you have to get to turn to anthropophagy (it means cannibalism)?In this episode, we explore the science, history and anthropology of anthropophagy (it

May 22, 2019 • 1:05:27

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch!

Do you listen to The Wholesome Show in the shower? You can, it's totally fine with us! So... if you're in the shower now, take a look down at the floor. Look at the drain and watch your suds go down... Where do they go? Well, down the pipe, down the river, and all the way down to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench!*So that's fine if your suds are wholesome and non toxic to the environment, but sadly *heaps of garbage* is being washed down our drains all the way to the ocean. This makes us int

May 15, 2019 • 51:00

Poo-In-A-Box!

Listener I distinctly remember being told, when I was about 4, that even the Queen does poos. (It's true, she does!)Well, there's nothing to be ashamed about, it's all part of life. But about 4.5 billion of us don't have access to safe and hygienic toilets, and that is a shame. So for this episode we explore the history and technology of the toilet! Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant - joined today by Assoc Professor Sujatha Raman! Proudly made possible by The Australi

May 8, 2019 • 1:19:35

Piltdown Man and Other Fossil Fakes!

Have you ever wished the made up dinosaurs from the latest Jurassic Park movies were real? Well, you're not the only one! It turns out fossil hunters around the world are ... a little prone to inventing their own dinosaurs!We explore the Piltdown Man and other fossil fakes! Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Rod Lamberts and Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 1, 2019 • 58:20

Transcranial Electromagnetic Stimulation!

Have you ever wanted to be just a little bit smarter? To think a little bit more clearly, to remember better, to have a higher IQ? Well it turns out, people are trying a variety of government approved - and home made - techniques to do just that. But they're not consequence free... We explore Transcranial Electromagnetic Stimulation!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre of the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.c

Apr 25, 2019 • 1:03:01

The Moral Entrepreneurs of The Momo Hoax!

Earlier this year teenagers around the world began* to receive* sinister text messages... from a half bird half woman half ghoul thing from the depths of despair. The messages instructed* these teenagers to do bad things - to hurt themselves - or the creepy ghoul known as Momo would get them!But - you know the story listener - it was all bullshit. Just a scary image and a made up moral panic, whipped into shape for clicks by moral entrepreneurs. But there is something interesting here - who fall

Apr 10, 2019 • 53:54

Dehumanisation!

Human brains are, quite simply, one of the most astounding things in the cosmos. They've written the works of Shakespeare, composed the lyrics to most Tool songs, and put people on the moon!But they've also got... some terrible loopholes. In particular, there's a bizarre loophole in our brains where we can decide if someone we don't like ... isn't really human. And then, we can do awful things to them (sad face emoji).Dehumanisation is a terrible process that has lead to many terrible things - t

Apr 3, 2019 • 1:07:46

Wherefore Art Thou Dinosaur Erotica?

Warning - this episode somewhat less safe for work than normal! Azog is an underappreciated cavewoman in her tribe. The cavemen treat her like a piece a meat, and disrespect her at every turn. Azog cannot change this unless she proves herself as a hunter. But when she discovers a clutch of baby velociraptors and decides to kill them and triumphantly bring them back to her tribe, things start to get a little weird...This episode, we explore the weird world of dinosaur erotica, and the weird world

Mar 27, 2019 • 49:41

The Paradox of Meritocracy!

On first glance, the idea of meritocracy sounds like a pretty sensible way of organising society. Put simply, all the good things - rewards and privileges and crowns and jobs and things - go to the people who work the hardest and are the best at things.Sound pretty fair?Well it probably wouldn't surprise you, intelligent listener, if we told you that the world today isn't 100% meritocratic. We still have monarchs after all... But here's the thing. Not only do we not live in a meritocratic world,

Mar 20, 2019 • 1:11:20

Wandering Teeth!

An adult - if they've been good and brushed their teeth properly and haven't had any removed - can have 32 teeth in their mouth.That's right, 32 teeth in their mouth...We say 'in their mouth', because if they've been good and brushed their teeth *and they're lucky* they can have a fair few more in other parts of their body! We explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Dr Merryn McKinnon and proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Pu

Mar 13, 2019 • 42:33

Phantom Itches!

What do you do if you have an itch? You scratch it! Of course you do, you're only human. But what if the itch is on a limb YOU NO LONGER HAVE? How do you scratch that, smarty pants?We explore the weird (horrible) world of intense, intense itchiness!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 27, 2019 • 1:05:23

Getting to Graham's Number!

Numbers, by definition, go on forever. Whatever number you think of, you can always find one bigger - all the way out to infinity. But have you ever stopped to think about what a really big number is actually like? That there are numbers you can't even write out long form inside this universe? This episode we explore the march of big numbers, all the way up to Graham's Number!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Sam Vilkins and proudly brought to you by The Au

Feb 20, 2019 • 1:09:24

People Who... Drink Their Own Urine!

Ok... to people who don't do it, it's weird and gross and wrong. But to people who do do it, it's basically the golden fountain of youth.That's right, it's Urophagia, or the weird gross quack medicine that is drinking your own urine! You may not have ever wanted to know about this practice, but your intrepid explorers at The Wholesome Show have done the hard yards for you today - so sit back, pour yourself a glass of something delicious, and enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Wil

Feb 13, 2019 • 1:17:17

Animals On Trial!

Bartholomew Chassenée, a distinguished French jurist of the sixteenth century, made his reputation at the bar as counsel for some... rats. That's right, he successfully defended some rats in court.How did he get the rats off? What loophole did he find? These are interesting questions... But perhaps the more interesting question is why were the rats on trial in the first place?We explore the weird habit of the Middle Ages of putting animals in court room trials!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamber

Feb 7, 2019 • 59:04

The 1947 Children's New Illustrated Encyclopedia!

The past - they say - is a different country. They do things differently there... And the best way to see those differences (and laugh and cry at them) is to flick through old time encyclopaedias. So we sat down with the 1947 Children's New Illustrated Encyclopedia, and explored how the world was explained to children in 1947. Join us to find out!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!S

Jan 30, 2019 • 58:12

The Indiana Pi Bill!

The number pi (π) is... rather unwieldy. It starts with a fairly simple '3', but then continues past the decimal place with a collection of basically random digits... Here's the first one hundred or so digits: 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067Edward J Goodwin didn't like this messiness, so he had an idea: legislate a much simpler definition of pi! Instead of that long collection of numbers, just use 3! (Or 3.2, or 4...)Well, tha

Jan 25, 2019 • 41:59

Searching For A Truth Serum!

It's been the stock of movies for decades - and dreams for centuries - but do truth serums exist? Spoiler alert (you already knew this): they don't. But that's not for the lack of trying! We explore the heroes (or villains) of science trying to bring this mythical chemical into being!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 16, 2019 • 58:03

The Pseudo Science of Generations

What 'generation' are you, listener? Too cool Gen X? Permanently bottom of the economic hierarchy Millenial? Or plutocrat Baby Boomer?You may have been born during one of these time periods, but it turns out when you look at any actual science, the idea of 'generations' is pretty damn flimsy. So we explored!The Wholesome Show is normally Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, but in this episode we're led by substitute teacher Sam Vilkins!As normal, The Wholesome Show is proudly brought to you by Th

Dec 26, 2018 • 50:23

Tumblr For Old People!

In recent weeks the popular website Tumblr made radical changes to it's terms of use - basically, banning rude and naughty content! To celebrate / explore / commiserate this milestone, we old science communicators brought in our Senior Generation Z correspondent Sam Vilkins to explain to us what this crazy website is (was) all about...The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU!See om

Dec 19, 2018 • 43:48

The Terrible History of The Lobotomy

For a few decades in the middle of the 20th century, an icepick - inserted moderately carefully through the gap between a patient's eye and their skull into their brain (and then jiggled around a little bit) - was the height of psychiatric medicine. Even though it came with a 15% death rate, it was all the rave! We explore the terrible terrible history of the lobotomy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, joined today by Joe Duggan!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor

Dec 14, 2018 • 1:17:32

The Trial Of The L'Aquila Seven

In April 2009, the Italian city of L'Aquila was hit by a devastating earthquake. 309 people were killed. More than 1,500 were injured, some 20,000 buildings were destroyed and 65,000 were temporarily displaced. Some estimates put the damage at $16 Billion.Less than a year later, six leading Italian scientists and one government official were charged with manslaughter in connection with the case.Did they fail to predict the unpredictable? Were they scapegoats blamed by an angry public? Or were th

Dec 6, 2018 • 52:07

Open Plan Offices!

Listener, how do you feel about your co-workers? Do you love them deeply, or would you describe them like this?"I have inevitably come to despise my co-workers with every molecule of my stressed and wretched being."Well... I hope not the latter. But someone out there does feel this way, and they feel this way because of OPEN PLAN OFFICES. This episode we explore the nightmarish hellscape of our 9 to 5. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The A

Nov 28, 2018 • 53:20

Tabby's Star!

Every now and then scientists hit on something weird - something in the wide world out there behaving not quite as you'd expect. Astronomer Dr Tabetha S. Boyajian discovered one of these weird things: a star with something strange orbiting it. Could it, just possible, be home to super advanced aliens???We explore the potential (but, in all fairness, not super likely) alien megastructures surrounding KIC 8462852, or Tabby's Star!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly bro

Nov 23, 2018 • 38:59

The Chemistry Crimes of Thomas Midgley Jr

If you knowingly put a toxin into the environment at global scales - but it helps your car go faster - is that a bad thing? (Short answer - yes!). Longer answer: we explore the chemistry crimes of Thomas Midgley Jr!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 16, 2018 • 1:02:35

The Murderous Doctrine of Trofim Denisovich Lysenko

Between the 1930s and the 1960s, Trofim Denisovich Lysenko was heralded as a hero of the Soviet Union - a champion of science, a legend of agriculture, a feeder of the nation.But it was all bullshit: Lysenko was a charlatan, a fraud whose pseudoscience saw millions starve to death and legitimate scientists executed. It was a dark time indeed. So we explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of

Nov 8, 2018 • 1:11:26

The Magical (Scientific) World of Ants!

Temnothorax albipennis - or rock ant - has a unique ability in the tiny animal world: to act like a SUPERORGANISM!Here's a description from our friends O'shea-Wheller, Sendova-Franks and Franks:"...removing [Temnothorax albipennis] individuals from directly within the nest causes an evacuation response, while removing ants at the periphery of scouting activity causes the colony to withdraw back into the nest. This suggests that colonies react differentially, but in a coordinated fashion, to thes

Oct 31, 2018 • 1:12:30

Should we regulate the algorithm?

Everyone's using Artificial Intelligence these days! Why if you aren't machine learning your police stats, generative adversarial networking your shark spotting, or automating your video game design, you're just not with it!But not all artificial intelligence is as good as its boosters might argue... and in fact, we should probably start to think about regulating the machine, before it decides to regulate us. We explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported b

Oct 24, 2018 • 1:08:01

Subliminal Messages!

Tiny messages, hidden in screens... Backwards lyrics, instructing you to worship Satan... (rate us 5 stars in the iTunes store)Subliminal messages! Do you think you're immune to them? Or are you deeply worried that the devil is going to get in through a backwards bit of music? (rate us 5 stars in the iTunes store)Whether they work or not, they've certainly made some people stupid - so we explore! (rate us 5 stars in the iTunes store)The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudl

Oct 17, 2018 • 1:02:07

Why Does Australia Gamble So Damn Much?

It's great to be number one at some things - who wouldn't want to have the world's longest toes, the world's fastest pet fish, or the world's grandest collection of wood? For countries it can be great too - the world's craziest TV game shows, the world's most efficient beetroot growing system, or the world's coolest academics!But sometimes being number one sucks... No one wants to have the most murders, the most unhappiness, or the most car crashes... Well guess what Australia: we're number one

Oct 10, 2018 • 53:12

A Million And One Uses For Sperm!

Most people think there's just one use for sperm - making babies, taking part in the miracle of life! But guess what listener, those most people are wrong! There's actually hundreds of weird uses for sperm, including as an awesome suit of armour wearing delivery mechanism for cancer drugs!We investigate these uses, and the weird scientists who are so fascinated by the stuff...The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Publ

Oct 3, 2018 • 1:08:10

The Placebo Effect!

It's an odd thing, but modern scientific medicine depends on doctors occasionally - just occasionally - lying to your face. In this episode we explore the bizarre world of the placebo effect, and its crucial role in modern medicine... The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the Australian National University!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 27, 2018 • 57:16

The Schmidt Pain Index!

OMG it's a Tarantula Hawk Wasp! Quick question, what body part would you get stung on, for science? Or if you're a little terrified of the Tarantula Hawk Wasp, which other stinging thing would you let sting you? Now sensible people would say 'nowhere' and 'none of them', but Justin O. Schmidt ain't sensible people... Instead, he's a hero of science, happy to get stung by every stinging thing that nature can throw at him! We explore the Schmidt Pain Index!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and

Sep 19, 2018 • 1:06:24

Dr Serge Voronoff's Monkey Balls!

In the 1920s something like 2000 men (and at least two women) undertook a bizarre operation to enhance their vigour and vitality. This is their story!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 13, 2018 • 44:10

Capturing Carbon! With Klaus Lackner

I hate to break it to you, but if we're going to keep this world even vaguely liveable, we not only need to stop pumping carbon into the atmosphere (though we should definitely do that), we're going to need to suck it back out. We explore how, with 'the grandfather' of negative emissions solutions to climate change, Professor Klaus Lackner!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the A

Sep 9, 2018 • 32:39

The Best Years Of Your Life!

Listener, have you had the best years of your life - or are your best years still ahead of you? Sure, our language learning peak (when we were 7 or 8) or our strength peak (25) might be behind many of us, but it turns out no matter what age you are, there's still good things to come... For many of us, we're still going to get better at arithmetic!Want to know when you're going to peak? We explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian Na

Sep 5, 2018 • 54:56

World's Best Academic Fraud!

I hate to break it to you, but in the world of science and research there are some... bad apples. Folk who'll bend the rules to get ahead, get their research out there, make a stellar career.Well, some of them get caught - and we investigate those villains out there giving good hard working academics a bad name!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at the Australian National University

Aug 29, 2018 • 41:16

Brain In A Jar / Connectome In The Cloud!

Just wondering: at the end of your long glorious life, would you store your brain in a freezer with the hope of being thawed out - or uploaded to the cloud - in future centuries? Well we've explored the science... and this weird world is getting closer!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 22, 2018 • 44:31

The New Flat Earthers!

"Something happened in 2015," he says, "...it was then that many people on the internet became flat earth adherents."I don't mean to alarm you listener - you are, after all, a lover of science, a lover of sensible, well produced knowledge - but flat eartherism (or globular denialism, if you want to flip it around) is SO HOT RIGHT NOW. If there was a chart tracking weird anti-scientific beliefs,* it'd be number one with a bullet. What we want to know is do people actually believe it? And if they

Aug 15, 2018 • 40:34

Pollen Pollen Pollen - With Professor Simon Haberle!

Here in the Southern half of the universe it's coming up to spring - and you know what that means: lambs frolicking in meadows, teenagers frolicking in meadows, people with hay fever sneezing! To celebrate the oncoming season of the sneeze, we explore the world of pollen with ThatPollenGuy, Professor Simon Haberle - we talk ancient roadways, 3d printing, huge sneezes and excellent pollen collections! The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australia

Aug 14, 2018 • 34:24

Big Impact Impact! With Professor Mark Reed!

Back in the olden days we beard stroking eggheads used to sit around in our ivory towers, picking buttercups of wisdom, musing deep thoughts about the nature of the cosmos. Profound, but a little bit... useless. But that's all gone now! These days, we're creators of impact - making a difference to the world - changing lives for the better! Well, maybe. Or at least, we're trying to... So to help make The Wholesome Show the highest impact podcast it can possibly be, we sat down for a chat with the

Aug 10, 2018 • 36:07

PREDATORy journals!

It's a jungle out there in the academic world... and stalking in the midst of that jungle is a threat - to knowledge, to trust, to our very lives! That's right, it's the PREDATOR! (Predatory journals that is). We explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 8, 2018 • 37:09

Death By Selfie!

Listener, we love selfies at The Wholesome Show - we've taken photos with every z grade celebrity we can get our hands on!... But I have to confess, I didn't know they were so dangerous...That's right, 10 times as many people die of selfies every year as die of shark attack! It's terrible, so to save you from a terrible selfie related death, we've explored...The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Sc

Aug 1, 2018 • 23:05

Polarised by Disgust!

Imagine dancing through the forest, barefoot and fancy free. But shoeless, your foot lands... on a slug... and the slug squelches like jelly between your toes.Disgusted?Well it turns out, this is not only objectively gross, but it can make you more politically conservative! We explore the political psychology of disgust!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for p

Jul 5, 2018 • 50:36

Night of the Living Mummies: The Sokushinbutsu!

How's your yoga game listener? Do you have a pretty wicked warrior two? A solid downward dog? A blissful savasana? You may be pretty awesome... But could you hold your lotus pose UNTIL DEATH?That's right listener, this week we explore the Sokushinbutsu - Buddhist monks who took their asceticism to the point of death, even becoming mummified while STILL ALIVE...The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly brought to you by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awarenes

Jun 28, 2018 • 49:34

The Dancing Plague of 1518!

In July 1518, Frau Troffea stepped out into the streets of Strasbourg and began to dance a fervent dance. She danced through the day - and through the night. In fact, she wouldn't stop dancing for somewhere between four and six days - and during that time 34 other people would join her. Over the course of the month, some 400 people would dance in the streets of Strasbourg.But this wasn't fun. They couldn't stop. They writhed in pain, they screamed for help, they begged for mercy. But still, they

Jun 21, 2018 • 42:06

In Blockchain We Trust!

You can't go anywhere on the internet these days without someone launching something new on the blockchain - a new social network, a currency based on selfies, or a way to fund a trip to the moon! Is the blockchain the greatest new technology since podcasts? Or just the latest crazy snake oil to come out of the fevered imagination of the techno-mafia...? We explore!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awarenes

Jun 13, 2018 • 1:02:52

Artificial Intelligence and the Black Metal Basilisk - with Genevieve Bell!

Should we be worried about the coming world of artificial intelligence? Some people (ie Will) worry about Skynet and doombots like Roko's Basilisk, but Professor Genevieve Bell from the Autonomy, Agency and Assurance Institute reckons there's far more concrete things here in the now that we should be paying attention to...The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant, proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for

Jun 7, 2018 • 1:16:01

Welcome To The Atomic Gardening Society!

The phrase NUCLEAR RADIATION conjures up pretty fearful images these days - reactor meltdowns at Chernobyl and Fukushima, the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the three-eyed fish of The Simpsons.But for a brief window in the 1950s a movement of people sought to harness the power of the atom not for weapons or energy - but for ever better... garden crops! We explore the Atomic Gardening Society!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts (@rodl) and Dr Will Grant (@willozap), proudly supported by th

May 30, 2018 • 1:31:13

Life in a Herd Part 7 - What's It All Mean?

Welcome to part 7 of Life in a Herd! In this series we're journeying with our picnicking epidemiologist upstream to find out who it is who's chucking the bodies of our modern world into the river. In this episode we wrap up - what does it all mean, what do we do from here?Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts (@rodl) and Dr Will Grant (@willozap), proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (@ANU_CPAS)! This series has been produced with some res

May 23, 2018 • 25:49

Life in a Herd Part 6 - Can Big Junk Food Go Straight? With Don Nutbeam

Welcome to part 6 of Life in a Herd! In this series we're journeying with our picnicking epidemiologist upstream to find out who it is who's chucking the bodies of our modern world into the river. In this episode we talk with Professor Don Nutbeam, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney.Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts (@rodl) and Dr Will Grant (@willozap), proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (@ANU_CPAS)! This series

May 23, 2018 • 41:52

Life in a Herd Part 5 - Let's Make Health Cool (Ironically) with Cynthia Webster

Welcome to part 5 of Life in a Herd! In this series we're journeying with our picnicking epidemiologist upstream to find out who it is who's chucking the bodies of our modern world into the river. In this episode we talk with Associate Professor Cynthia Webster, from the Department of Marketing and Management at Macquarie University.Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts (@rodl) and Dr Will Grant (@willozap), proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Sc

May 23, 2018 • 29:33

Life in a Herd Part 4 - Sharon Friel And The Manufacturers Of Disease

Welcome to part 4 of Life in a Herd! In this series we're journeying with our picnicking epidemiologist upstream to find out who it is who's chucking the bodies of our modern world into the river. In this episode we talk with Professor Sharon Friel, Professor of Health Equity at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at the Australian National University.Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts (@rodl) and Dr Will Grant (@willozap), proudly supported by the Australian Nationa

May 23, 2018 • 36:44

Life in a Herd Part 3 - Racism Is A Public Health Issue, with Summer May Finlay

Welcome to part 3 of Life in a Herd! In this series we're journeying with our picnicking epidemiologist upstream to find out who it is who's chucking the bodies of our modern world into the river. In this episode we talk with Summer May Finlay - Yorta Yorta woman, Croakey journalist, Cancer Institute consultant and Phd student at the University of South Australia.Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts (@rodl) and Dr Will Grant (@willozap), proudly supported by the Australian National Centre

May 23, 2018 • 35:03

Life in a Herd Part 2 - Why Focus on Populations? With Professor Penny Hawe

Welcome to part 2 of Life in a Herd! In this series we're journeying with our picnicking epidemiologist upstream to find out who it is who's chucking the bodies of our modern world into the river. In this episode we talk with Professor Penny Hawe, from the Menzies Centre for Health Policy at the University of Sydney.Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is Dr Rod Lamberts (@rodl) and Dr Will Grant (@willozap), proudly supported by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (@ANU_CPAS)

May 23, 2018 • 28:40

Life In A Herd Part 1 - Introduction!

Three doctors sat down for a picnic by a river. An emergency physician, an intensive care specialist, and an epidemiologist. Suddenly they notice a body in the water! They rush into the current to pull the man ashore, clear his airways and start giving CPR. But then they see another person in the water, face down. They rush out, and drag her in. They clear her airways and do CPR. But then a third body comes floating by! Suddenly the epidemiologist gets up and starts running. “Hey! Come back! Whe

May 23, 2018 • 15:56

Extrasensory Perception And The Replication Crisis!

Do you believe in the paranormal? In ghosts? In spoon bending? In the ability to move objects with your mind?If you're like most rational science minded folks, then - wait for this - I can read your mind and your answer is 'hell no!'But what if we told you that science itself... might not be so sure... We explore the world of extrasensory perception and the replication crisis!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS!--------------------------Sources:· https://en.

May 16, 2018 • 1:05:11

The Taste of F Sharp - A Journey into Synaesthesia with Stephanie Goodhew

Do you experience a salty taste when your elbow touches things? Or the aroma of oysters when you listen to Brahms? If it's not hallucinogenic drugs, then it's probably synaesthesia! We sat down with Dr Stephanie Goodhew to explore all the different flavour and dimension combinations under the sun!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 9, 2018 • 25:35

Rod's Umbrella Rentals and the Chinese Social Credit System!

Your phone rings. But instead of your normal ringtone*... it's a weird voice saying "The person calling you is dishonest! The person calling you is dishonest!"Welcome to the brave new world of China's rapidly developing Social Credit System - where trustworthy citizens earn points they can convert into free umbrella rental, and the untrustworthy find themselves blocked from flights, loans, houses and decent ringtones. We sat down to explore - also learning about a finance system based on dick pi

May 3, 2018 • 53:24

We Get A Work Healthiness Inspection!

Should your boss by you some trainers? Ruthless capitalists probably say no, but they're dickheads and wrong about a lot. Sensible people are starting realise more and more that the answer is probably yes - it'll make you healthier, and make their workplace more productive!We sat down for a workplace health and wellbeing inspection (not an audit) with the awesome Christine and Michael from Healthier Work ACT.As well as the benefits of a running shoe subsidy scheme, we also learned that scorecard

May 2, 2018 • 25:13

Hey Scientists: Let's Not Research Eugenics!

Does a huge head correlate with intelligence? No listener, of course it doesn't! But people used to think that, and wanted to craft society on that basis...But here's the strange thing. While you might be thinking eugenics is just a historical topic, I hate to break it to you listener, there's still some folk out there who truly believe... Rod and Will sit down for a beer to explore!Also: We explore the problems that occur when your research participants speak to the press! Also economic eugenic

Apr 25, 2018 • 1:03:27

Prosthetic Giraffe Legs! Professor Margrit Shildrick!

Simple question listener, but would you cut your arm off and add a totally awesome prosthetic snake arm thing instead? Because people are doing that now and that's ***totally radical***!Or a complicated ethical leap for society to take.You know, one of the two.We sat down for a beer with Professor Margrit Shildrick, Professor of Gender and Knowledge Production at Linkoping University, Sweden, to talk all things prostheses!Also: Will admits to feelings that are right but wrong but weird but right

Apr 18, 2018 • 34:53

The Importance of Whispering In Science Communication - Kate Hannah!

When I say the word 'hypervisibility', do you think of those awesome t-shirts in the 1980s that changed colour when you sweated? You probably should, but then you should also think of the problems faced by high profile women scientists and science communicators. They're hypervisible, which means trolls, attacks and threats...Kate Hannah of Te Pūnaha Matatini (which means 'The Meeting Place of Many Faces') tells us more...Also: Will pronounces something pretty good for an Australian!This week The

Apr 6, 2018 • 14:41

There's No Luck At The End Of Your Bed! Professor Maja Horst!

Lots of us think of science as a provider of solutions - but you know what? It's also - no matter how careful we might be - a provider of problems too. Professor Maja Horst of the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication at the University of Copenhagen is fascinated in this, and the ways tabloid newspapers explore the problems and heroes of science. We had a chat to hear more!This week The Wholesome Show is reporting from the Public Communication of Science and Technology (Network) Confe

Apr 6, 2018 • 11:53

Stopping Wars With Science Communication! (Maybe!) - Karen Brounéus!

I hate to burst your bubble, but it turns out Freud was wrong! Reliving the past is not a universal panacea - particularly if your past involves hyper traumatic conflict situations...Associate Professor Karen Brounéus is a peace and conflict researcher, exploring how the ideas of science communication can help in post conflict situations...This week The Wholesome Show is reporting from the Public Communication of Science and Technology (Network) Conference in Dunedin New Zealand - exploring the

Apr 5, 2018 • 14:15

Evidence Based Radicals! Ayelet Baram-Tsabari

Hey there listener, do you use evidence in your everyday decisions? Of course you do! For some of them at least... But how evidential is your evidence? Do you test it? Or do you actually use your gut a whole lot more than you think?... We had a chat with former bitter journalist - and now naive and happy academic Ayelet Baram-Tsabari from Technion - and here's the evidence!This week The Wholesome Show is reporting from the Public Communication of Science and Technology (Network) Conference in Du

Apr 5, 2018 • 13:51

An Eggplant's Not Always An Eggplant - Lulu Mateos!

How's your emoji game? Do you know your wild eye face from your eyeroll? Your tears of laughter (straight face) from your tears of laughter (angle face)? Which can you use to communicate science?We sat down for a (coffee cup emoji) with Dr Lulu Mateos from BUAP's Facultad de Ciencias de la Comunicación in Mexico to talk emoji use in communicating science!This week The Wholesome Show is reporting from the Public Communication of Science and Technology (Network) Conference in Dunedin New Zealand -

Apr 5, 2018 • 13:54

The Department of Organisation - Professor Alan Irwin!

Listener, do you know what a doyen is? We don't, but if there's an international doyen of science communication, then that doyen would probably be Professor Alan Irwin of the Copenhagen Business School - Department of Organisation!We had a great chat with doyen Alan at the Public Communication of Science and Technology (Network) Conference in Dunedin New Zealand, talking the invention of citizen science, Danish Consensus Conferences and book covers!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, prou

Apr 4, 2018 • 19:18

BREAKING: Sexism Not Solved! (But Christine O'Connell Is Working On It!)

Sexism continues to present massive barriers in science. But can science communication training get scientists to think differently about the behaviours and structures that shape our scientific world? We had a chat to Dr Christine O'Connell of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University to explore more...We also found out that American people have never heard of fruit toast! And they have puny electricity!This week The Wholesome Show is reporting from the Public Comm

Apr 4, 2018 • 13:24

A Gaffer, A Best Boy and Two Scientists - Prof David Kirby at #PCST2018

Hey listener, are you one of those people who sits in science fiction movies grumbling about the inaccurate physics, or are you happy with the magical properties of vibranium? Well, if you're one of the first group, it may please you to realise that Hollywood is getting better at science. We talked to someone who studies this, Professor David Kirby of The University of Manchester!This week The Wholesome Show is reporting from the Public Communication of Science and Technology (Network) Conferenc

Apr 4, 2018 • 12:35

Does Audible Farting Increase Learning? A Beer With Cognitive Psychologist Eryn Newman!

Hey listener - do you reckon you're easy to persuade or do you resist persuasion? If a totally hot bank teller tries to convince you of a dodgy credit card, are you a total sucker?Well we, dear listener, are probably suckers. But happily, according to Dr Eryn Newman of the Research School of Psychology at ANU, we wouldn't know it! We had a beer to find out more...The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 28, 2018 • 31:36

Now Only 30% Slavery! A Beer With Assoc Prof Jo Ford!

Modern slavery eh - you know what the big problem is? There's not enough jokes in it! (No, that's not the problem. The problem is that somewhere between 21 and 44 million people around the world are currently enslaved and we're all potentially contributing to the problem. But what do we do about it? Is it regulation? Is it culture change? We sat down with Associate Professor Jo Ford who knows all about it it find out more!)The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS

Mar 22, 2018 • 32:05

Don't Be The First Adopter? Assoc Prof David Caldicott Talks Pill Testing!

Party drugs - these days, they're all the rave! (Sorry, terrible 1990s joke there).But seriously, party drugs are getting more diverse and more complicated every single year. To deal with the complexity, people like our guest in this episode Associate Professor David Caldicott reckon the best thing to make people safe is to arm them with knowledge. You know, test the drugs, and give them advice on that basis. But conservative types don't agree...We sat down with the dark knight of the emergency

Feb 28, 2018 • 30:50

You're Going To Bloody Say Yellow - A Beer with Vanessa De Kauwe!

What's your thoughts on disability education. Reckon it's great? Or are we just doing minimal compliance education not far from the institutional model of the 1950s?We talk with Vanessa de Kauwe who's finishing up a Phd on bringing science into disability education! We talk frogs, knives and acid, and why it's important to teach people about yellow...The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS. New chiptunes theme song by chriswk210! https://www.fiverr.com/chriswk21

Feb 21, 2018 • 29:24

A Bunch of Pseuds! - A Beer with Steve Fuller, Founder of Social Epistemology

Ok, explainer challenge: how do you explain social epistemology to a bunch of real estate agents at your neighbourhood barbecue? You know who knows how? Professor Steve Fuller, Auguste Comte Chair in Social Epistemology at the University of Warwick, that's who!We talk with Steve about advice for Zuckerberg, the crucial role of the 'we' and when is the best time to throw down the Popper!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS!See omnystudio.com/listener for priva

Feb 12, 2018 • 30:50

LIVE SHOW! Licking toads for science at CitSciOz18!

You know what? If you ask nicely, it’s amazing the things people will volunteer to do. Or at least that's what some of the world's leading thinkers on citizen science reckon! We took a trip to the Australian Citizen Science Association Conference to find out more, including: Are scientists’ jobs in danger? Can you hide things in easter eggs? Should you stop children licking toads? Why should you take your camera with you when you poo in the woods?Awesome guests in this episode: - Ellie Downing (

Feb 9, 2018 • 1:27:04

Don't Spill Beer on The Supercomputer! Dr Leaf Lin, Supercomputer Wrangler!

They said it couldn't be done.They said it shouldn't be done! But guess what listener - we did it! That's right, your intrepid team at The Wholesome Show went and recorded a podcast inside the thrumming chamber of Australia's biggest supercomputer. And we didn't spill any beer on it!This week we chat with Dr Leaf Lin, Senior High Performance Computer Systems Specialist at Australia's National Computational Infrastructure. We learn about cassette tapes making a comeback, being able to hear the di

Jan 31, 2018 • 22:00

What's The Magic Wand Bullet? Benny Wilson of the National Centre for Indigenous Studies!

Hi there international listeners,You may not realise this but Australia has some issues with... how we came to be what we are right now. You know, mass appropriation of indigenous lands, attempted genocide, long centuries of deprivation. The usual colonial lot!Anyway, we're trying to be better! And we at The Wholesome Show are part of that too. So we sat down with Benny Wilson from the National Centre for Indigenous Studies to talk reconciliation, welcomes to country, and how we all can do bette

Dec 6, 2017 • 36:22

Magnificent Mundane Governance! Steve Woolgar, Simone Dennis, Kate Henne!

Mundane governance doesn't sound too interesting, huh?But it's actually crazy fascinating! In this week's episode we crashed this Mundane Governance Conference and had not one, but three beers with three interesting people.And look, we admit it we laughed a little at the the conference tite at first, but then we found it was chock full of intriguing people and ideas. Seriously, check this out:First we yacked with Professor Simone Dennis about 'governance of the tongue', how there are rules about

Nov 23, 2017 • 1:02:03

Tax Breaks For Good Sleepers! We talk work with Dr Huong Dinh!

Hey there listener - personal question, but how many hours do you work each week? Are you one of the 19% (of Australian full time workers, if you're Australian) who work 50 hours or more? Well you should probably stop it, because it's going to make you sad - and Dr Huong Dinh has the research to prove it!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 15, 2017 • 30:38

Can You Arrest People Over the Phone? We ask Superintendent Cath Grassick of the AFP!

Here's a police question for you...How many Superintendents do you reckon it takes to run the Australian Federal Police's:bomb squaddog squadnegotiatorssearch and rescue ANDwater policeThe answer is one.Seriously, just one woman.Her name is Superintendent Cath Grassick, and she's one impressive policing individual!In our jaw-floppening, eyebrow-bouncing beer with Cath (don't worry, she was off duty), we asked the big questions. You know, like: do Pomeranians make more dextrous police dogs; can y

Nov 8, 2017 • 38:49

A Dream in Plywood! We talk with our philosopher builder Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington!

What skillset would you put in charge of a $262 million dollar construction project - an engineer? An architect? A philosopher? We had a chat with Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington, a philosopher historian driving a massive construction project...The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPAS!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 1, 2017 • 31:38

LIVE SHOW: Greens - Funnier Than You'd Expect!

It's time for the Greens Institute conference - but what even are Greens anyway today? We sat down with Tim Hollo, Christine Milne, Robyn Lewis and Samantha Ratnam to find out about what they really reckon they are. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 27, 2017 • 1:29:47

Sunday Night Mutation Diagnoses! Professor Carola Vinuesa of the Centre for Personalised Immunology

Cancer is really just a terrible thing. Up there with the worst things in the world. But do you know it's... given us something back? We had a beer with Professor Carola Vinuesa of the Centre for Personalised Immunology!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 25, 2017 • 30:43

Strap On An Extra Carbon! A Beer With Photosynthesis Turbocharger Ben Long

Did you know that blue green algae isn't an algae and in fact is pretty much cows? Well, not quite. But blue green algae is providing a secret to help us turbo charge photosynthesis... Ben Long tells us more!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, comms manager is @ellageebee. Check out @ANU_CPAS!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 11, 2017 • 32:31

Modular Mobile Multilevel Maggot Management - A beer with Goterra's Olympia Yarger

Listener, we'll let you in on a secret. Sometimes you record a podcast episode that's just chockablock with potential episode titles. For example, for this episode we could have gone with:- A Smell That's a Little Less Offensive- Crickets: Little Land Prawns- The Perfect Podcast Recording Temperature- Crickets Are Just Smaller Chicken- Maggot Lady to Maggot Maven.We decided to go with Modular Mobile Multilevel Maggot Management. Listen to find out why!Will n Rod!See omnystudio.com/listener for p

Oct 4, 2017 • 28:56

The Curious Case of the Designer Vagina! A Beer With Dr Bethany Jones

What's the most awkward thing you can imagine two blokey idiots like Rod and Will discussing? Is it the emerging world of DESIGNER VAGINAS? Yes that's it, you got it right away!Rod and Will had a beer with Dr Bethany Jones, the research detective staring in The Curious Case of The Designer Vagina. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl, @willozap and @ellageebee, brought to you by the amazing people at @ANU_CPAS.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 27, 2017 • 32:48

Even Hitler liked clean water! A beer with Adam Parris from @SRIatJB

How do we get interdisciplinary research to work? Adam Parris from the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay New York reckons it's all about the hugs! We think that's very practical advice, please do it more if it is at all possible. Consider it. The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, Comms Manager is @ellageebee!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 11, 2017 • 26:27

Weird blooms of echidnas! We chat with Jason Cummings from the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust

Do you prefer woodland or wetland? Jason Cummings doesn't have to choose, he's looking after both! Jason's the General Manager of the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust, and he's very very pro-betong!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, Communications Manager and Puppy Wrangler is @ellageebeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 6, 2017 • 31:39

The Great Juniper Shortage! A beer with The Canberra Distillery's Tim Reardon

If you want to go and set up your own hipster backyard gin distillery (and lord knows who doesn't) here's the two things you gotta think about: - How to get your junipers- Securing bottles for years to comeWe had a beer with The Canberra Distillery's Tim Reardon to discuss the world of backyard (legal) alcohol sales! The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, Comms Manager @ellageebee!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 30, 2017 • 32:48

The Stark Vacuum of Purpose - A beer with Rescope Project Director Anthony James

Ok we have to admit, we just had the most hippy conversation we've ever had, about live, love, laughter... and how we get our society to where we want it to be. We sat down and had a beer with @RescopeProject Director Anthony James as he heads off to the New Economy Network Conference. THERE WILL BE SO MANY HIPPIES THEREThe Wholesome Show is @rodl, @willozap, comms manager @ellageebee.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 28, 2017 • 32:39

Should compromise be our middle name? A beer with Professor Frank Jotzo

Frank Jotzo's a climate economist who's lived a decade of fights over carbon pricing, but... he's also a total optimist about solving climate change. The only problem is that to get there, economists have to grapple with (ugh) compromise and (double ugh ugh) politics.We had a beer with an academic economist people actually listen to. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show @rodl and@willozap, Comms Manager is @ellageebeeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 23, 2017 • 35:30

Live Show - Scientists who bloody love their jobs!

It's a Live Show!We talk with scientists all the time, and we often hear how happy they are. Well we wanted to explore this in more detail, so we did a Live Show with four of the happiest scientists we could find - Dr Niru Mahendran, Professor Susan Scott, Dr Erin Walsh and Dr Brad Tucker. Enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 17, 2017 • 1:36:30

Anti-love... enhancements? A beer with ethicist Dr Adam Henschke!

If we gave soldiers an anti-love pill, would that help them win the war? Would it be ethical? But would a love pill be more ethical, or less?We had a beer with Dr Adam Henschke, an applied ethicist from the National Security College at ANU to find out! The Wholesome Show is @rodl, @willozap, Ella Barnett (get a twitter handle Ella), brought to you by @ANU_CPASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 9, 2017 • 34:57

Picking fights Down Under - a beer with The Wall Street Journal's Mary Kissel

What's a Fox News correspondent doing down under, talking to two lefty shits like us? Well, as we all know, The Wholesome Show is Here For Society(TM), and we'll talk to everyone to make this world a better place. (Even you Cory).This episode brought to you by the extremely well dressed people at @TheIPA, @USAembassyinOZ, the Ben Franklin Club of Canberra, the Pentaverite and the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science.The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, Communicati

Aug 7, 2017 • 32:16

Do emergency room doctors ever get tips? A beer with Dr Mike Hall

Do emergency room doctors ever get tips?Look not really, though sometimes people might leave them a half bag of chips. Sweet.OK maybe that doesn't make you want to be an emergency room doctor. But what if we told you that it's actually fun, that you don't really have to do 100 hour days and 15 day weeks, and that it's perfect for smart people with short attention spans?Getting curious now, eh?In this episode, we chewed the fat with real life emergency department doctor Mike Hall, who let us us p

Jul 26, 2017 • 31:17

The most pass-ag upper-middle class dinner party ever - with Thesis Whisperer Inger Mewburn

Academia... you don't often hear it described as like the most passive aggressive upper middle class dinner party ever, but it's pretty much true. We sat down for a beer with a fascinating thinker on the world of academia, Associate Professor Inger Mewburn - or as she's more widely known, The Thesis Whisperer! Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, proudly supported by @ANU_CPASSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 19, 2017 • 39:11

Getting loose exploring politics in Iraq - a beer with Damian Doyle

Ok, so social movement theory might be, as our guest in this episode describes it, "the rotting carcass of a whale on a beach"... But at least it can help you understand modern politics in Iraq. Or at least that's what our guest Damian Doyle reckons - listen in!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozapSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 12, 2017 • 37:37

A wee discussion about cake smuggling - a beer with professional caker Rachel Spangaro!

OMG I really really want some cake right now. Do you? Well here's the next best thing - a delicious chat over a beer with Forty-Two Cakes' professional caker Rachel Spangaro! Bon appétit!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 5, 2017 • 36:35

Cyber criminal help desks - a beer with Fifth Domain's Matt Wilcox

Ok so apparently cyber criminal outfits - those bad folk who put ransomware on your computer to steal your money - run businesses based on trust. In fact, they care so much about their trusted image they have help desks and customer service departments to facilitate you paying them the ransom. We had a beer with Fifth Domain's Matt Wilcox to find out more!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 28, 2017 • 40:18

Let's eat the carbon! A beer with carbon utiliser Marcus Dawe!

Hi there listener, I'm going to explode your mind: instead of treating carbon as a waste, we need to utilise as a resource (and then it's worth a trillion dollars!). We talk with Marcus Dawe, who's doing just that. The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap. Ella Barnett is Communications Manager!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 21, 2017 • 33:17

There's nothing that wrong with incest - a beer with Dr Crid Fraser!

So if a pregnant monkey gets on a raft and is blown by a hurricane to a new island, is it an invasive species? Apparently you can get shouted down at a biology conference for saying maybe it is... We have a beer with award winning scientist and Kelp Girl Dr Crid Fraser!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 14, 2017 • 34:14

56 Shades of Worm Farm - a beer with Cid Riley from Global Worming!

Did you know that worms help each other out when they're stressed? We have a chat with the world's first vermi-economist Cid Riley from Global Worming. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap! Brought to you by @ANU_CPAS.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 7, 2017 • 35:39

Comics and political fisticuffs - a beer with comicer Stuart McMillen!

You can't push knowledge into a brain, the brain has to suck. We sat down with science comic maker Stuart McMillen to hear how he turns on the brain suck button. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, we record at the Wig and Pen Canberra, and we're driven by @ANU_CPAS!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 31, 2017 • 32:11

Summer camp for military bioethics! A beer with military bioethicistist Rev. Dr. Nikki Coleman!

Should soldiers obey every command? It depends on if they're about to kill Hitler, or clean out the inside of a fuel tank... We explore the world of military ethics and moral injury with military bioethicistist Rev. Dr. Nikki Coleman!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap. Communications Manager Ella Barnett!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 24, 2017 • 40:51

Like a book club for climate change! A beer with The Neighbourhood Effect's Lily Dempster

Lily Dempster's got an idea for fixing climate change - yay! But you've got to talk to your neighbours to make it work (sad face). We sat down for a beer with her to hear how it works! Enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 18, 2017 • 36:29

Co-parenting a river! We have a beer with river-person-whisperer Julia Talbot-Jones

In New Zealand there is now a river (the Whanganui) that's a person - that means technically it can sue and be sued, even though it's only water! But it's also a lot more than that... We had a beer with Julia Talbot-Jones to find out more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 10, 2017 • 33:35

Looking for Plu-two! A beer with citizen astronomer wrangler Dr Brad Tucker!

Ok we all have to know the names of the 8 planets. There's like Earth and Jupiter and the one that sounds like your bottbott. But do you know the names of the 9 dwarf planet and the possible new planet 9? We don't, but we learned some of their names! We sat down for a beer with Dr Brad Tucker from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and citizen science wrangler extraordinaire! Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 3, 2017 • 38:38

Not The Arch Nerd of Wizardville - a beer with Australian Quidditch Captain James Mortensen

What happens when you cross rugby with basketball with ice hockey with American football with dodgeball with wrestling with Harry Potter? You get the booming sport of Quidditch (spoiler, no flying!). We sat down for a beer with the Australian Quidditch Captain James Mortensen to find out more. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 26, 2017 • 43:27

LIVE SHOW! Post Fact Alternative Truthiness

It's a LIVE SHOW! We're discussing everything POST FACTY ALTY TRUTHY with this awesome panel of Brian Schmidt (Nobel prize winner and ANU VC), Katharine Murphy (Guardian Australia Political Editor), Anna-Maria Arabia (Australian Academy of Science CEO) and Joan Leach (Director of the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science)! (Also lol, this panel involves our boss and our boss-boss-boss, fingers crossed we don't get fired after this).The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willoz

Apr 20, 2017 • 1:53:00

Hugging the curtain - a beer with Dr Sara Quinn, developmental psychologist

Ok sometimes as a legit researcher you're required to hide behind a curtain and watch while kids play! We sat down with Dr Sara Quinn who did just that, to find out when and how and why and where kids learn to do the language thing. Enjoy!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 12, 2017 • 41:35

The Chi of the Insect Hunter - a beer with Dr Bryan Lessard

I don't mean to alarm you, but some insect hunting entomologists (in the 1960s mind you) hunted horseflies with 10m long bug nets in the nude. Yep, butt nekkid. We sat down for a beer with CSIRO's Dr Bryan Lessard, AKA Bry The Fly Guy, AKA namer of the Beyonce Fly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 5, 2017 • 42:18

A cloud of laser cooled atoms on a skateboard - a beer with Dr Nick Robins

Have you ever seen a fat physicist? It's ok if you have, but geez some of the physicists we've seen know their way around a sledgehammer. We had a beer with Dr Nick Robins today, who's as happy with laser cooled atoms as he is with smashing concrete for science. Enjoy! The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozapSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 29, 2017 • 32:11

Bicycles are a feminist instrument! A beer with our local Commissioner for Sustainability Kate Auty

We sat down for a beer with our local commissioner for sustainability and the environment, and learnt that bicycles are a feminist instrument, foldable spendable are Irish money and there's a fuckload of solar panels in Wonthaggie!The Wholesome Show is @rodl and @willozap, this time with @EnvComm_ACT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 22, 2017 • 38:49

Coming Out As An Alien! A Beer With CEO Of Science Technology Australia, Kylie Walker

We sit down for a beer with CEO of Science Technology Australia Kylie Walker to talk science advocacy, if prayer works for cancer treatment (spoiler it's probably science that works) and coming out as an alien!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 15, 2017 • 44:48

Can You Actually Kinda Speak Bird? A Beer With Ornithologist Professor Rob Magrath

If you could talk to an animal, what would you say? Well, we sat down for a beer with Professor Rob Magrath, who kinda actually can talk back to birds! Listen to find out more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 8, 2017 • 22:07

Like an atom after six beers - a beer with Professor Daniel Shaddock

We sit down for a beer with Professor Daniel Shaddock, one of the team that discovered gravitational waves, and also now CEO of a start up that measures things to within a millionth of the width of an atom! Yay measurement!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 1, 2017 • 41:22

Racist Theme Tune? A Beer With ANU School of Music Director Ken Lampl

Is our theme song racist? We sit down for a beer to find out with total music expert Professor Ken Lampl!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 22, 2017 • 42:45

Infinity, get over it - a beer with Matthew Colless

How good are you at infinity? We talk infinity, space, launching satellites and Hilbert's Hotel with Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at ANU, Professor Matthew Colless.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 15, 2017 • 42:50

Sailing To Antarctica with Merryn McKinnon

Have you ever been to Antarctica? Rod and Will haven't, but they spoke to Merryn McKinnon, who's just back! Also, we talk women and leadership in science because it's 100% related, and Rod is sad because he doesn't get a cabin boy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 8, 2017 • 35:34

Introducing The Wholesome Detective Agency

The Wholesome Show is back, and we've got a ... strange thing to announce!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 1, 2017 • 26:11

Is the rhythm gunna get ya? With Tim Hollo!

Part 1 of our live show 'Is the rhythm gunna get ya?', we sit down and explore the world of classical music with Tim Hollo. An environmentalist and musician, Tim Hollo is founder of Green Music Australia and Executive Director of The Green Institute. He served as communications director for Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne, has been a board member of Greenpeace, and has worked for organisations including 350.org, Lock the Gate and Greenpeace. With FourPlay String Quartet, he has performe

Nov 24, 2016 • 44:09

Live show: Hey America, what just happened?

The Presidential Election is over, but OH BOY IS THERE A LOT TO DISCUSS.We sit down for an intelligent beer with Professor William H Chafe, Dr Christine Wallace, and CJ Josh / Deb Mewett and explore everything that happened that made Donald Trump king. Enjoy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 17, 2016 • 1:49:57

Live show: Can You Handle The Truth?

You’ve probably already worked out that we at Team Wholesome have a lot of time to wonder about things. As independently mega-wealthy gentlefolk-of-learning, we often spend weeks lying around the Wholesome Luxury Resort and Day Spa® just wondering.But what do we wonder about?Well recently we’ve been wondering if there was any knowledge that humanity doesn't need. Or shouldn't have. Or does need but is too risky to find out about. Or that some people should have but others shouldn’t. And also, we

Sep 28, 2016 • 1:43:08

Live show: What's The Worst That Could Happen?

At The Wholesome Show, we refuse to just sit around and not find out everything we can about how bad things can get. So we've spoken to the clued-up people who can tell us things that will properly and thoroughly liquefy our bowels. But that’s not enough is it? It can’t all be doom and gloom. Luckily we’re also the kind of plucky investigative journalists* who want to uncover what the world is doing to prepare for all the pending icks. We don't just want to know about worst case scenarios, we wa

Aug 23, 2016 • 1:33:58