What are superfoods, how many tastebuds do we have on our tongue and how antioxidants can help add muscle after exercise. This and more about gold in your body and poisonous levels of banana consumption.

Twinkle Twinkle Twitter Time

Nov 30th, 2015 21m 18s

They love it, answering questions that is. In this episode Dr Karl and Adam Spencer zip their way through the latest batch of audience quesitons via Twitter. They also manage to head off on a shameless book promotion tangent to chat about thei

It’s Xmas and book gifting time

Nov 24th, 2015 26m 8s

Dr Karl and Adam Spencer are back together in a new series of podcasts. They catch up for a chat, and exchange early xmas gifts, a copy of each others latest book. Funny that. Dr Karl’s new book, Short Back and Science is a grab bag of science

Interview with Derek Veritasium Muller

Sep 29th, 2015 20m 41s

With Dr Karl and Adam both out of town, we asked geek by association, Dan Ilic, to interview Derek Veritasium Muller on behalf of leek Geeks. Derek speaks about his PhD, his YouTube success, and his most recent documentary series Uranium.

Interview with Astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield

Aug 21st, 2015 36m 42s

Commander Chris Hadfield has flown test fighters, run the International Space Station and recorded a cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity that has received over 1.5 million YouTube views. But what will he make of Adam's attempt to speak Russian

Risk, Rasin Toast and Complaint Letters

Jun 30th, 2015 17m 12s

A MicroMort is a unit of measurement related to risk. If an activity exposes you to one MicroMort, then you have a one-in-a-million chance of sudden death while engaged in that activity. The very earliest customer-complaint letter goes back so

Does sunlight kill odours?

Jun 9th, 2015 18m 49s

Does sunlight kill odours? Will the dog’s bed smell fresher by leaving it in the sun? Do mobile phones cause cancer? In what order did human senses evolve, and are there more senses on the way? And, Dr Karl and Adam’s ManWashing tips are back

iPhones, Manbags and Computer Hacking Tyres

May 26th, 2015 19m 50s

Dr Karl's iPhone 6+ has caused him to carry a man bag because it won’t fit in bright blue stretch jeans. Adam on the other hand will happily accept any colour iPhone 6 that Apple send his way. Also, just how can a computer hacker access your t

Pat Rafter, Big Data and Space Elevators

May 19th, 2015 16m 4s

Dr Karl and Adam try to get through a series of Twitter questions from their listeners, but what unfolds is everything but that. Topics they blast through include … Galois, Fermat Primes, fear of numbers, Pat Rafter, Big Data and space elevator

Dad jokes, Tumbleweed, Cows and Strawberry Milk

May 12th, 2015 20m 3s

In this episode, Dr Karl and Adam ditch the stories in favour of answering questions from Twitter, like this corker … If you feed cows strawberries, will they produce strawberry milk? To find out, download their latest podcast

Science of Breaking the Seal

May 5th, 2015 15m 6s

When running wheels are set up in the wild, random wild mice will come and run on them. 10,000 year old ancient sea rise stories have been accurately passed down by the Australian Aborigines. Breaking the Seal, why is it after that third beer,

Geeks on Gallipoli

Apr 24th, 2015 21m 55s

The First World War combined modern science and technology in an effort to kill people more efficiently. It saw the advancement of many existing technologies, many of which had a beneficial flow on effect, both during and after the war.

Sneezing, Sex and the ACHOO Syndrome

Mar 17th, 2015 16m 6s

Sexual interest and arousal can lead to sneezing, but only in a very small subset of people. We have found the surprising link between the common cold and cold weather ... and the ACHOO Syndrome, and why sunlight makes some people sneeze.

Counting, Drugs and Smart Cards

Mar 10th, 2015 15m 42s

Why do we count in base 10? Why are there 60 minutes in an hour? Why do kids need more anesthetics than adults, and how do contactless smart cards work?

Plants consciousness, cows milk cancer and lightning

Mar 3rd, 2015 15m 11s

Can a plant be intelligent. Some plant scientists insist they are — since they can sense, learn, remember and even react in ways that would be familiar to humans. Does drinking cows milk cause cancer. Is it possible to harness the energy from l

Breastcancer Breakthrough

Feb 24th, 2015 21m

In this ep, special guest Prof Susan Clarke walks Dr Karl and Adam through her breakthrough research looking at the methylome of breast cancer, finding distinct patterns associated with different types of breast cancer. Working out how to disti

Heatwaves, rubbers ducks and Gershwin

Feb 17th, 2015 25m 12s

This is a hot geeky special .. the science of heatwaves. What causes them and what defines a heatwave? Will heatwaves increase with climate change? While we’re on hot things, did you know it rains on the Sun, and why do yellow rubber ducks fade

Why are veins blue?

Feb 3rd, 2015 27m 33s

Brought to you by the No. 31, but why? What’s so special about the phrase “the five boxing wizards jump quickly” Why are veins are blue, and where does the phrase blue blood come from? In Twitter Time this week ... “If we quantum teleported a

Coconut Water and Paleo Diets

Jan 27th, 2015 22m 36s

Apparently both coconut oil and coconut water will do everything from beautifying your skin to boosting your immunity. What exactly is a Paleo-diet? Fruit, green vegetables, eggs, poultry, meat and seafood — but no dairy, grains, legumes or pro

Do antioxidants actually work

Jan 13th, 2015 14m 22s

What’s the link between the number 13 and anagrams? Are the antioxidants you’re taking just propping up a $23 billion dollar snake oil industry? What happens in the brains of people who see the face of Jesus in a piece of toast? In Twitter Tim

When you lose weight, where does the fat go

Dec 30th, 2014 23m 23s

If you've popped on a few KGs over Xmas and are wondering how to shift them, then take a listen to this fascinating chat with Dr Karl, Adam Spencer and their good mate The Surfing Scientist Ruben Meerman

A Very Geeky Xmas

Dec 16th, 2014 22m 17s

This week's very geeky NERD ALERT Xmas Special is brought to you by the number 78. Now, we all know Santa is real, but what kind of scientific time and motion physics caper is at play here that allows him to achieve his appointed workload and d

Dec 9th, 2014 15m 15s

In a recent UK poll, the number 7 topped the list of people’s favourite or lucky number. But why? What is a mid-life crisis, and does it really exist? Researchers have tracked the happiness levels of thousands of people and confirmed the age-ol

Dr Karl and The Amazing James Randi

Dec 2nd, 2014 21m 2s

In this episode, Dr Karl is joined by none less than the Amazing James Randi. Randi is a magician and scientific skeptic best known for his challenges to paranormal claims and pseudoscience which he collectively calls woo-woo. Randi is currentl

Book Club with Dr Karl and Adam Spencer

Nov 25th, 2014 16m 39s

This week in Book Club, Dr Karl reviews and interviews his good mate Adam Spencer about his latest book, Adam Spencer's Big Book of Numbers. Adam chats to Karl about why he loves numbers so much and he reveals what his favourite number is and