Token Skeptic Podcast

The idea that animals have the potential to talk is an alluring one; from the mathematical stunts of , to research on parrots, dolphins and chimps - . It's interesting, exciting and even cute - but is it really true that animals have language? After the recent passing of , I spoke to about the hopes we have about being the next Dr Dolittle, and just how realistic those hopes are. Daniel is a lecturer in applied linguistics at Edith Cowan University, and at the University of Western Australia, as well as a presenter on the popular language podcast . ****************************** A quick note about supporting the podcasts! Check out – and consider Theme songs “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of Additional ambient music from Jukedeck – create your own at . Tremendous thanks to my Patreon supporters – they are: Stephen, Steven, Andrew, Troy, Jacqueline, Brooke, Gerry, Dr*T, Josh, Linley, Gold and Iggy. Make sure you check out the bonus content on Patreon and as always, you can join them by heading to (and check out the too!). Please leave positive comments and reviews on iTunes and consider supporting the show via visiting – and I’d love to get your feedback via [email protected].

Welcome to episode #214 of the Token Skeptic podcast! ***** Leading scientists protested during a national conference this week to appeal against job cuts at the government’s agency for scientific research in Australia, the CSIRO. The cuts, that will remove about 110 positions from the CSIRO's 140-odd strong Ocean and Atmosphere staff and a similar number from its Land and Water division, were announced in an email from chief executive Larry Marshall on Thursday. I spoke to Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick from the Climate Change Research Centre at UNSW about her response to the cuts. ***** The Perth chapter of Christian group 40 Days for Life plans daily “prayer vigils” outside a Midland clinic during Lent as part of a global anti-abortion campaign. However, these kinds of peaceful protest aren’t without opposition – with Australian Medical Association WA president Michael Gannon saying a woman should not be “further punished” for exercising her right to an abortion. I spoke to the president for the national group Closer to home, Sarah Nielsen-Harvey has begun a counter protest online with a number of other concerned locals, called "" - I spoke to her about what is involved. ***** - and she's performing two shows at the 2016 FringeWorld. She's a transgender woman who has performed nationally and internationally as a renown illusionist and mentalist - and has won WA Magician of the Year a number of times. Sylvia's shows "Zatanna, Magic from Z... to... A’ and ‘Zatanna’s Theatre of the Mind’ are playing in Perth as a part of the FringeWorld celebrations - I spoke to her to learn a little more about the mystery behind the magic. ****** where interviews aired previously, especially producer Peter Barr. A quick note about supporting the podcasts! Check out – and consider Theme songs “Cosgrove” by Pogo, from and “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of Additional ambient music from Jukedeck – create your own at – they include: Steven, Andrew, Dr T, Paul, Gerry, Josh, Kathy, Linley, Gold, Iggy, Lukas, Finch and Andrew. Thanks to everyone who contributes and please consider joining to help continue these shows at Please leave positive comments and reviews on iTunes and consider supporting the show via visiting – and I’d love to get your feedback via [email protected].

It's all happening in town at the moment - It's a yearly celebration of writing, literature, non-fiction and the authors and ideas behind the covers of a massive range of genres. Here's a round-up of some of the interviews that I've conducted; they've been aired on as a part of ArtBeat and The Mag. ***** Sadly, more than a few of us have probably felt like we’ve lost a loved one before they’ve actually passed away and it’s a difficult thing to talk about. Not many people want to talk about topics like Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease, as they can be very scary topics.But that’s where good books can help. has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and has a series of books on what life is like for people and families facing challenges such as autism or the possibility of Huntingtons – you might have seen the film based on one of her books, Still Alice. ***** is a prolific author, most known for a series starring detective Thursday Next, whose adventures in “BookWorld” reflect Fforde’s interest in literary allusion and the intricate craft of fiction.He’s the first Perth Writer’s Festival author in the studio this morning, here to tell us about his new book, panels at the Perth Writers Festival and how he’s managed to create much loved works - and how he's even got his very own Fforde Ffestival! ***** Evidence is a strange substance in modern Australian society and it's a challenge to get difficult scientific concepts across to a diverse audience.In 1996 pioneering research into how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells earned him the Nobel Prize for physiology and medicine. He became the fourth Australian to win the honour and has since written a number of books the importance of living in an evidence-based reality - his newest one is The Knowledge Wars. He's presenting at the Perth Writers Festival on science, climate change and more. ***** has published eight books, including Trace and Exhumed, and judged numerous poetry awards.She’s also held lectureships at The University of Melbourne, The University of Western Sydney and Deakin University, and interviewed a number of American intellectuals including Harold Bloom, Noam Chomsky, Stephen Greenblatt, and Howard Zinn. She's presenting poetry at the Perth Writer's Festival as a part of the celebrations of language and literature. ***** is a popular science fiction author who addresses pressing issues of today by showing readers what not dealing with them might mean for tomorrow.Dystopias where climate change, economic inequality and genetic engineering run rampant are the hallmarks of his work such as The Windup Girl - and The Water Knife - his latest - continues in the same vein. ***** is one of Australia's best known bloggers, launching her writing at "meet me at mikes" and wrote the bestselling book of the same name. She teaches craft and blogging and is the craft contributor for Frankie magazine. Craft for the Soul – How to Make the Most of Your Creative Life is her latest book.She's doing a number of panels at this year's Perth Writers Festival, on the art of crafting - and there's even some tips on making your own "recipe for happiness" ***** For local author, , romantic stories are a best-seller - she's written 23 contemporary romance novels, specialising in nature-based romantic suspense.She was the President of the Romance Writers of Australia and has presented to groups across Australia and in the UK - and now will be appearing at the Perth Writers Festival. ***** A quick note about supporting the podcasts! Check out – and consider Theme songs “Cosgrove” by Pogo, from and “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of Additional ambient music from Jukedeck – create your own at – they include: Steven, Andrew, Dr T, Paul, Gerry, Josh, Kathy, Linley, Gold, Iggy, Lukas, Finch and Andrew. Thanks to everyone who contributes and please consider joining to help continue these shows at Please leave positive comments and reviews on iTunes and consider supporting the show via visiting – and I’d love to get your feedback via [email protected].

Propelled by a massive fandom community online, podcast exploded into popularity almost overnight, launching to the top of the iTunes charts in 2013. It’s about a community radio station for a friendly desert town, where conspiracy theories and the paranormal are real – including ghosts, aliens and angels... and the woman with no face who lives in your house. Creators Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor have kept Night Vale independent, expanding to a touring live show and spinoff novel. The live show is touring Australia in February – and I spoke to Joseph Fink about the origins of the show and more. ***** A collaborative study led by Curtin University has found high rates of adulteration, substitution and mislabelling of traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), with the undeclared ingredients rendering many of the tested samples either illegal or potentially hazardous to consumers. 92% of the TCM had some form of adulteration or substitution – including in 26 products tested, element such as arsenic, cadmium and lead; medications such as paracetamol, antihistamines, anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, and stimulants such as pseudo ephedrine. Of particular concern were heavily regulated drugs such as warfarin and sildenafil (Viagra). Researchers from Curtin, Murdoch University and the University of Adelaide employed a three-pronged method involving highly sensitive DNA sequencing, toxicology and heavy metal testing which, when combined, allowed them to assess the true composition of the TCMs. The findings have just been published in the journal I spoke to Dr Murdoch University biochemist Dr Garth Maker – about what really may be hiding in your alt med. ****** where the first interview aired previously, especially producer Peter Barr. A quick note about supporting the podcasts! Check out – and consider Theme songs “Cosgrove” by Pogo, from and “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of – they include: Steven, Finch, Josh, Linley, Gold, Paul, Dr T, Iggy, Lukas and Andrew. Thanks to everyone who contributes and please consider joining to help continue these shows at Please leave positive comments and reviews on iTunes and consider supporting the show via visiting – and I’d love to get your feedback via [email protected].

Welcome to Episode #217 of the Token Skeptic podcast! Dr Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist working as a tutor and lecturer based at Cardiff University's Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences. His Guardian Science blog, 'Brain Flapping', has been viewed over 13 million times in the last three years - and now he has a new book out, called Unpredictable and entertaining, Burnett's account gives us up-to-date research and the principles of neuroscience along the way. Looking at memory, intelligence, observation, social interaction and personality, Burnett explains why: memory is like a doting mother; tall people are more intelligent; criticism is more powerful than praise and much more. ******* This has been a great month for science communication in Australia. is professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University. He's written one of the great popular science books of the 20th century – The Elegant Universe, which is about String Theory. He followed it up with a look at the nature of reality – from Newton to Einstein and beyond in The Fabric of the Cosmos. As if all that wasn’t enough, he and co-founder Tracy Day established the World Science Festival (the first Brisbane offshoot of the festival just concluded this month). It’s an event that celebrates science on a world stage, with over a million visitors since 2008. I began my interview with him, just before the Perth show of his tour, by asking how he got started in space. ******* A quick note about supporting the podcasts! Check out – and consider Thanks to RTRFM for their support, especially producer Peter Barr. Theme songs “Cosgrove” by Pogo, from and “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of Additional ambient music from Jukedeck – create your own at . – they include: Steven, Andrew, Dr T, Paul, Gerry, Josh, Kathy, Linley, Gold, Iggy, Lukas, Finch and Andrew. Thanks to everyone who contributes and please consider joining to help continue these shows at Please leave positive comments and reviews on iTunes and consider supporting the show via visiting – and I’d love to get your feedback via [email protected].