C B m E & U

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Can Nihilism Improve Your Mental Wellbeing?

2026-11-0245:01

Send us Fan Mail We spend much of our lives searching for meaning. Some of us look for it at work. Some in our families and friends. Some look for it at an overpriced spiritual retreat in Bali where some dude named Jonas judges you for using non-natural deodorant. Dr. Christine Tan has a different suggestion. Drawing on her research in Daoist and Buddhist philosophies, she makes arguments in favour of Nihilism: the view that life need not have an overarching purpose or narrative. ...

Insurance Discrimination: Is it Fair? with Harisan Nasir

2026-09-2448:58

Send us Fan Mail In some insurance scheme, you might be required to pay more because you are more prone to disability. In another, you may have to pay more because you're a woman (and are statistically likely to live longer). But what if you had to pay more because you like suntanning? Or because you spend too much time sitting in an office chair everyday? Where should insurance providers draw the line when it comes to creating individual risk profiles? Together with Research Asst. Prof. Hari...

Genomic Newborn Screening: Where less really is sometimes more with Ainsley Newson

2026-08-2555:20

Send us Fan Mail Did you know that genomic sequencing can now screen newborns for hundreds of rare conditions right at birth? That looking too closely at our DNA might actually cause more anxiety than answers? And is there such a thing as knowing too much about your health before you've even taken your first steps? Professor Ainsley Newson (University of Sydney) joins the podcast to discuss the complex ethics of genomic newborn screening programs. Ainsley shares some delightful anecdotes abou...

The Hidden Side of Birth: Injury, Trauma, and PTSD with Angela Ballantyne

2026-07-0247:36

Send us Fan Mail Did you know that over 80% of people who give birth experience an injury? That anywhere between 30 and 50% of people who give birth find it traumatic? And that up to 15% of people experience PTSD from giving birth? Professor Angela Ballantyne (University of Otago) talks about what birth trauma means, who is at the highest risk for experiencing it, and why so few people talk about it despite how common it is (spoiler: it's only partially because blokes don't get it).&nbs...

Brains in Jars with Insoo Hyun

2026-06-0155:46

Send us Fan Mail Could a blob of cells in a petri dish one day think? Feel? Have rights? In this episode, Professor Insoo Hyun (Harvard Medical School, one of the world's leading experts on the ethics of stem cell and organoid research, joins Sinead and James to discuss what organoids are, why scientists are so excited about them, and why bioethicists are watching very closely. Insoo explains who has rights over donated cells that end up being brain models, whether organoids can have moral st...

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