Podcasts about nanogirl

Scientists off the coast of south-east Alaska used an underwater speaker to play a recording of a humpback whale greeting call.  A humpback whale broke away from its group and approached the vessel, in which is thought to be the first time humans and whales have communicated with each other in the humpback language.  Nanogirl Dr Michelle Dickinson discussed this and more with Francesca Rudkin.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Ask Me Anything, Paula is joined by science educator, business owner, Science Digest podcast host - it's Nanogirl herself, Dr Michelle Dickinson. They discuss pregnancy and fertility, being a woman in male-dominated areas, and focus on how we should be educating our kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nanogirl, aka Dr Michelle Dickinson's been looking into the phenomenon of problem solving often happening in the shower.

This week we are going to talk about why desk jobs might be just as exhausting as manual labour jobs!  Published this week in the journal Current Biology. the research looked into why we can come home from the office feeling exhausted even though all we have done is sit at a desk all day.  The study split 40 volunteers into two groups and gave them thinking tasks to do for 6.5 hours straight with only two 10 minute breaks in that period.  One group was given easy thinking tasks, the other group difficult thinking tasks.  During this time the researchers used a technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure the biochemistry in the volunteers brain - specifically the levels of glutamate in a region of the brain called the lateral prefrontal cortex.  They also measured the dilation of the pupils of the group along the way.  The study found that the group with the difficult thinking tasks accumulated more glutamate in their brain by the end of the day and their pupils dilated less - both measures suggests fatigue.  Glutamate buildup has been shown to affect your ability to make decisions as you become more and more fatigued.  Intetestingly, when asked to self reflect on how tired they were both groups scored themselves at the same fatigue level, suggesting that we aren't very good at assessing how tired we are or when we need to take a break.  The researchers are now looking into methods that will help the brain to recover from this mental exhaustion, which could include napping, chilling watching netflix or taking a walk outside in nature.    This information could help to provide guidance for those working in high-stakes mental work such as surgeons or air traffic controllers where even a short loss of focus could be potentially fatal.  The main learning is that both office jobs and manual labour jobs can be just as exhausting for your body in different ways.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are going to talk about why desk jobs might be just as exhausting as manual labour jobs!  Published this week in the journal Current Biology. the research looked into why we can come home from the office feeling exhausted even though all we have done is sit at a desk all day.  The study split 40 volunteers into two groups and gave them thinking tasks to do for 6.5 hours straight with only two 10 minute breaks in that period.  One group was given easy thinking tasks, the other group difficult thinking tasks.  During this time the researchers used a technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure the biochemistry in the volunteers brain - specifically the levels of glutamate in a region of the brain called the lateral prefrontal cortex.  They also measured the dilation of the pupils of the group along the way.  The study found that the group with the difficult thinking tasks accumulated more glutamate in their brain by the end of the day and their pupils dilated less - both measures suggests fatigue.  Glutamate buildup has been shown to affect your ability to make decisions as you become more and more fatigued.  Intetestingly, when asked to self reflect on how tired they were both groups scored themselves at the same fatigue level, suggesting that we aren't very good at assessing how tired we are or when we need to take a break.  The researchers are now looking into methods that will help the brain to recover from this mental exhaustion, which could include napping, chilling watching netflix or taking a walk outside in nature.    This information could help to provide guidance for those working in high-stakes mental work such as surgeons or air traffic controllers where even a short loss of focus could be potentially fatal.  The main learning is that both office jobs and manual labour jobs can be just as exhausting for your body in different ways.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are talking self-driving cars and how they might need a gender setting on them!  Anyone who has bought a new car will notice more and more technology and automated functions in them, helping the human driver to drive more safely.  Everything from keeping you in your lane if your drift, emergency braking for you if in danger and even self parking for you!  All of these advances are part of a move to cars becoming fully autonomous, so us humans can sit back and relax while the car does the driving for us.  No computer is perfect, and one of the interim features of self-driving cars will be when they sense a danger in which the human driver will need to take over to keep the vehicle and it's occupants safe.  Now new research finds that these features might need a gender setting, with a study showing that women took over control of a self-driving car much more safely than men did!  The study published in the journal Scientific Reports had 33 female and 43 male drivers to get behind the wheel of a car simulator which recreated the controls and feel of an autonomous vehicle.  They then had the drivers be totally disengaged from the driving by reading out loud from an iPad while the simulator was driving.  The simulator would then notify the distracted driver that there was a parked car blocking the road ahead and requested that the human take over the driving while the car continued at it's current speed.c  The experiment gave the volunteers 20 seconds to spot the parked car, manoeuver around the vehicle by changing lanes and avoid a crash.  The experiment took place in simulated lear, rainy, snowy and foggy conditions.  The results showed that females were much better at taking back control of the vehicle when required to respond to a hazard.  The women in the test exhibited faster reaction times, were less hasty, and had better steering wheel control.  Female participants were also found to veer the steering wheel less sharply after taking over control of the vehicle, maintaining better stability and exhibiting a a smaller percentage of hasty takeovers.  The researchers concluded that car manufacturers might want to compensate for these gender based differences by having gender settings that can be programmed to the driver which may increase or decrease the amount of warning that a car gives in advance about safety hazards.  With so many jokes that men are better drivers than men, this new research not only questions that but also raises the issues around how technology for all might not be the solution and instead we might need technology to be catered to the individual. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are talking burgers….  When you cook a burger do you flip it once, lots of times or never?  There are lots of theories around the perfect burger cooking technique, but mathematics has finally found the answer!  Mathematician Jean-Luc Thiffeault has just published a mathematical model of burger flipping that lets you to cook burgers 29% more quickly.  Published in the journal Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena   The model makes some assumptions including that:  1 - The burger is 1cm thick flat and infinite in width (the infinite thing makes the maths easier).  2 - The burger is exposed to 200 ⁰C of heat on one side through a heating element and fresh air on the other.  3 - Heat escapes from the burger on the side exposed to the fresh air assumed to be at 25 ⁰C.  4 - The radiation and heat transfer coefficient is 60 Watts per square meter per degree centigrade.  5 - The burger is considered cooked when it reaches a temperature of 70 ⁰C, if you ate this burger you would perceive it as well done.  The conclusion is that you should flip your burger 3-4 times for the most efficient cooking technique.  If you flipped the burger once, your total cook time would come in at 80 seconds.  After three or four flips the total cook time reduces to only 69 seconds.  While you can continue to flip the burger, the benefits are negligible with the study going out to 10 flips (one every 6 - 11 seconds) with no real reduction in cook time.    While for most of us, saving a few seconds cooking a burger probably won't make a huge difference in our lives - if you own a large burger restaurant it could make a huge difference!  While this research is great - I'm not a "well done" type of burger girl and my burgers are always over 1cm thick so I think I'll take it with a pinch of salt! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are chatting about science that I can't personally get involved with - the research that shows that touching your food with your hands then chewing it with your mouth open is the best way to eat!  Professor Charles Spence from Oxford University came out with the statement which claims that this method maximises flavour and squeezes as much enjoyment out of a mouthful as possible.  Now I was brought up to eat with my mouth closed for good manners, but Professor Spence claims that chewing open mouthed may actually help to release more of the volatile organic compounds such as esters, ketones, terpenoids and aldehydes which make up a dish's characteristic aromas and flavours. With these aromatic compounds more likely to reach the pack of our nose when our mouths are open, he states that it will help contribute to our sense of smell, firing up the olfactory sensory neurons which heightens our experience of eating.  He also insists that we should ditch the cutlery and instead just use our hands to eat.  The theory is that touch also plays a major part in how we enjoy what we eat and research shows that what you feel in the hand can change or bring out certain aspects of the tasting experience.  Again, I'm just sharing the science, and not promoting it - but if you feel OK with touching your food and eating with your mouth open, then apparently you will having a much tastier experience than those of us sticking to our manners! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever stood in front of a row of wine bottles at the supermarket wondering which one to buy? Well this week science might be able to help you with your decision, if looking for white or rose wine, don't buy the ones in the clear bottles! It's been known for a long time that light (sunlight and fluorescent supermarket lights) can damage chemcials in wine which change the taste and smell of the wine.  That's why wine cellars are cool, dark spaces. White and rose wine drinkers however seem to like to look at the colour of their wine before they buy so the marketing team of a winery will often bottle their wines in transparent glass bottles to let you look before you buy even though they know that will damage the wine. A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that within 7 days of being stored on a supermarket shelf in a transparent bottle, wines can go from tasting sweet and fruity to having the aroma of wet dog or boiled cabbage! In the study the researchers stored over 1000 bottles of wine in different coloured bottles in an imitation supermarket and chemically analysed them periodically. They found that wine stored in dark or green bottles remained completely stable even after 50 days on the shelf.  However, white and rose wine stored in transparent bottles showed changes in two aromatic compounds - norisoprenoids and terpenes after only 7 days which led to the wine losing it's fruity aroma. So the next time you are looking for some wine - don't pick the one with the fancy label, pick the one in the green or brown bottle!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are talking 'being hangry' because for the first time science has proved that it's a thing! Hangry - a term to describe people who get angry because they are hungry has finally been shown to exist after a study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.In what is thought to be the first study exploring how hunger affects emotions in real-life situations, psychologists found that the more hungry people felt, the more angry (or hangry) they became. The researchers recruited 64 adults aged between 18 and 60 to record their emotions and feelings of hunger five times a day for three weeks as they lived their lives normally.  This was to compare the results to those that had been carried out in a controlled lab environment. The study found that hunger was associated with stronger feelings of both anger and irritability as well as lower levels of pleasure. The researchers believe that being able to recognise the association between irritability and hunger could help people to navigate when they might make big decisions in life or at work and consider not jumping to conclusions if they are close to mealtime.  The research also raised the issues around children who go hungry to school and whether or not they are less likely to learn effectively and more likely to have behavioural problems. The reasons for the hanger are still unknown - one hypothesis is that it's to do with a drop in blood sugar, but while scientists figure out the cause - it's probably worth ensuring you pack that extra snack in your bag to help prevent an emergency hanger attack!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can we talk about the follow up of a story we had previously discussed? A couple of months ago we chatted about the first patient receiving a pig's heart and were super excited about it. Sadly that patient died two months later, hindering the study and creating conversations around whether or not pig's hearts can cope with the needs of a human recipient. This week it was discovered that the heart that was transplanted from the pig was actually infected with a pig virus known as porcine cytomegalovirus. Specialists believe that this infection was a potential contributor to the patients death and a possible reason why the heart did not last longer. The pig that was used in the transplant was a special pig, specifically raised to provide organs are supposed to be virus-free. Because of this the researchers didn't do the assays needed to detect the virus before it went into the patient. Now researchers are discovering that this virus-free assumption was false, and perhaps more testing should have been carried out on the pig and it's heart before the transplant took place. The field of xenotransplantation has lost a lot of ground with the patient dying, and if the pig virus did play a role, asks the question 'could a virus-free heart xenotransplant have lasted much longer?" If the virus had been detected and treated before the heart was transplanted, could the patient have lived longer, or were they so sick that they would have passed anyway? These are some of the big questions and challenges in science and while it's frustrating to see a huge experiment derailed by something completely preventable, shows real research in action and how sometimes the storie we discuss on our Sunday's together don't always go to plan. 

Science has just found out that men and women experience pain differently. We can never fully know how somebody else experiences pain – especially when it's caused by something we'll never experience ourselves such as gendered pain like childbirth (or man flu). Now a new study published in the journal Brain – https://academic.oup.com/brain/advance-article/doi/10.1093/brain/awab408/6551129 – concludes that pain is not experienced by male and female bodies equally. Studies have found that women are more responsive to painful stimuli. Women are also much more likely to be impacted by chronic pain with women more likely than men to report back, neck and neuropathic pain. Statistically twice as many women report migraines and headaches. Interestingly when it comes to pain research, almost all of the research has been exclusively carried out on men (or male animals) meaning there is very little information out there that is gender representative. This study was unique in that it included the study of female humans as well as men looking specifically at the superficial dorsal horn. If you didn't know that you had a horn, you do now! It's a region on the outskirts of the gray matter inside your spinal cord. The researchers examined horn tissue that had been donated post-mortem and discovered that there was a difference in the way that the different genders responded to BDNF. BDNF is brain-derived neurotrophic factor and it plays an important role in pain processing, by amplifying pain signals in the short-term and reducing them in the long-term. The technical discovery was of a "pathological coupling between KCC2-dependent disinhibition and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) potentiation within superficial dorsal horn neurons was observed in male but not female rats" In short, male and female bodies process pain differently and it's hormonally (estrogen) mediated. They were able to prove this by removing the ovaries of the female rats in the study and found that the difference in pain signaling between the males and females disappeared. Not only does this open up new research into how pain medication should be prescribed (especially as most pain medication trials are carried out on men) but also helps with the understanding of how to help treat chronic pain. Dr Michelle Dickinson, Nanogirl, joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE 

I don't think any video can top this one by Professor Ronen Segev – lead author on this weeks research. This is hilarious... What would you think if you saw a goldfish driving a mini fish tank down a street – odd to say the least, something of one of those prank shows – but in fact you would be observing a study to see whether goldfish can perform navigational tasks outside their normal environment.  These are clever goldfish!   I am excited to share a new study led by Shachar Givon & @MatanSamina w/ Ohad Ben Shahar: Goldfish can learn to navigate a small robotic vehicle on land. We trained goldfish to drive a wheeled platform that reacts to the fish's movement (https://t.co/ZR59Hu9sib). pic.twitter.com/J5BkuGlZ34— Ronen Segev (@ronen_segev) January 3, 2022 Yes, that's right – you just watched a goldfish driving a fishtank on wheels. Published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research Ronen and his colleagues built a fish tank that could drive in the direction that a fish inside it moved.  We know that animals need navigation skills to find food, seek mates, migrate but are these navigation skills are specific to the environment an animal evolved to survive in? The research was designed to learn more whether a species can perform navigation tasks outside its own environment. Domain transfer methodology is the ability to use navigation skills in unfamiliar settings and the big science question is do animals (or at least goldfish) have it? To find out, first the scientists had to build a driving fish tank and then give the fish driving lessons. The scientist taught the fish that their own swimming movements correlated to the movement of the vehicle and put a pink target board in the room that the tank was in. If the fish made it to the board, they were given a snack. After a little bit of training, they found the 6 fish were highly capable of navigating their tank around a room towards a target, no matter where in the room they started.  So not only can you train a fish to drive a tank car but it seems that fish can totally navigate both in and out of water! Dr Michelle Dickinson “Nanogirl” joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE 

It's the season to be merry, and with the new traffic light system even Aucklanders are back in the bars with Christmas parties to attend. However, if you are thinking about having 'one for the road' it's worth noting that new research in the Harm Reduction Journal found that half of drinkers cannot tell if they are too drunk to drive.The experiment took place over 2 days took 90 volunteers and split them into two groups. Both groups consumed either beer or wine or both until they reached a maximum breath alcohol concentration of 0.11%. This is double the legal amount you can have in you system to drive in New Zealand where our breath alcohol limit is 0.05% The researchers used breathalysers while asking each volunteer to estimate their own breath alcohol concentration. They were asked to come forward when they thought they had reached the legal driving limit. On the first day, 39% of participants who believed they had reached the legal driving limit had in fact already exceeded this threshold. On the second day, this number had risen to 53% with over half of the volunteers thinking they had drunk less than they actually had. LISTEN ABOVE

I can't turn this one down - it's ducklings! Have you ever noticed when you see ducklings on the water they all line up in a row behind mum? I had assumed that this was so they didn't get lost and they could all see each other, but no - fluid dynamics has just figured out the ducklings are wave riding to save energy! Published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics. The researchers used computer modelling to look at the wake created by mummy duck when she swims and then calculated the amount of energy a duckling used when swimming on it's own. When alone, a duckling kicks up waves in its wake, wasting energy that could instead be used to move it forwards. This drag slows the ducking down and it needs to use more energy to go where it wants to. However, when positioned correctly behind the wave created by mummy duck, the ducklings experience 158% less wave drag compared to without mum meaning that mum's wake actually helps to push the duckings forwards! Being good siblings, the ducklings share this benefit with each other and each duckling in the line passes along the energy saving waves to those behind them meaning that all of the ducklings get a free ride. The only caveat is that to reap the benefits, the ducklings need to keep up with their mum. If they fall out of position, swimming gets harder, and they have to use more energy to try and get back in line. So there you go - the next time you see a line of baby ducklings, know that they are actually surfing the wave of their mum! 

Who knew, but there is a lack of research on what makes a good hug, so scientists from London decided to do something about it. They took 250 people over two different experiment types and just asked them to hug - they didn't give any instructions on how, or how long.  They then studied their interactions and asked the volunteers to describe their feelings after the interaction. They found that there were a couple of different hug techniques, one was a criss-cross arm hug, the other was a neck-waist hugs where one person's arms were above the other's.  One thing I love about the paper is that there are actual photo's showing the different hug techniques if you need some instructions :) They found that some people only hugged for 1 second while others went as long as 10 seconds. The psychologists conclude that the perfect hug - ie the one that creates the strongest perfection of pleasure to the recipient should last 5-10 seconds and it doesn't matter what style of hug your give, it's the timing that's important. So there you go - if we ever get to see and hug our loved ones again after this pandemic…..5-10 seconds is what you need. LISTEN ABOVE

The key to getting into public events, restaurants and bars under the new traffic light system has arrived. A vaccine certificate for those fully-vaccinated - dubbed "My Vaccine Pass" - will be available later this morning through the 'My Covid Record' app, or by phone. Michelle Dickinson, aka Nanogirl, was part of the pilot group testing the passes. She spoke to Corin Dann.

The key to getting into public events, restaurants and bars under the new traffic light system has arrived. A vaccine certificate for those fully-vaccinated - dubbed "My Vaccine Pass" - will be available later this morning through the 'My Covid Record' app, or by phone. Michelle Dickinson, aka Nanogirl, was part of the pilot group testing the passes. She spoke to Corin Dann.

So this week let's talk milk and sleep. I think most of us associate drinking a glass of warm milk at bedtime as a child as a ritual that helped us to feel sleepy. Previous milk's sleep-enhancing properties were thought to be sure to tryptophan, but scientists have just discovered a mixture of milk peptides, called casein tryptic hydrolysate (CTH), that relieve stress and also enhance sleep (at least in the mice they tested). The research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has identified specific peptides in CTH that might someday be used in new, natural sleep remedies.  Current medical sedatives prescribed for insomnia work by activating the GABA receptor, a protein in the brain that suppresses nerve signaling. Sadly they also come with side effects and the potential to be addictive.  The researchers studies mice who were given different components in milk and found that those that were given a peptide in milk known as α-casozepine (α-CZP) fell asleep  25% more quickly and increased their sleep duration by more than 400% compared to a control group. Now the suggestion is that keeping this ritual of drinking warm milk before bed might also help adults who are struggling with sleep, and it could help to reduce dependence on sedative pills in the long run. Having a glass of warm milk before bed is a tradition that's been passed down through generations as a way to cultivate relaxation, relieve anxiety, and facilitate a more restful night's sleep. Although many people swear by this practice, others say it's nothing more than folklore 

For anyone else looking something different to do this weekend and also a way to take some time away from Earth while helping the future of science - hop over to Mars! Members of the public can now help teach an artificial intelligence algorithm to recognise scientific features in images taken by NASA's Perseverance rover. Because all machine learning algorithms require training from humans, and it's way too big a job for a few humans - NASA has asked members of the public if they can help to label features of scientific interest in imagery taken by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. The project is called AI4Mars and involves looking at photo's taken by the Mars based robot and labelling what you see, like sand and rock.  This helps the robot drivers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to know what to watch out for when planning routes on the Red Planet. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. By helping out, you could help direct the robot to unique places of interest for more research while also helping it to avoid any dangerous rocks or bumps along the way. To join in just visit:  https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/hiro-ono/ai4mars 

Science teaching expert Michelle Dickinson says a lot of those she has spoken to are confident about getting a Covid-19 vaccination once their questions have been answered. Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, has has been running virtual Q and A sessions about the vaccine for teachers and school staff. She said some teachers were so alarmed about an incoming vaccine mandate they were considering sacrificing their careers. But most of them just needed to hear more about how the vaccine was made. "What we do in some of these workshops is literally break down the real basics. What is mRNA? How does the vaccine work? What clinical trials have been done? What do they do in those trials? When did those trials end? How many people were in them? " she said. 'Then we compare that to previous vaccines and people then go, 'oh, actually, it's gone through all the steps. We thought they skipped some because it came out so fast'. "When you have these conversations, just explaining how vaccines are made, which most people don't know how any of their vaccines have ever been made, that they've ever taken, but now they have an interest, they go, 'Oh, this is interesting. I didn't know this, now I can take this information and make decisions based on this evidence that I now have'." Using the example of somebody who would wait for Novavax instead of taking the Pfizer-made Covid-19 vaccination currently available in New Zealand, Dickinson said some may be nervous about mRNA technology. "Because it sounds new they feel like it hasn't been tested yet, and therefore, they don't want to be a guinea pig. "They don't think the safety testing has been done yet, and therefore, they'll wait for the old method, not understanding that the Novavax is actually still a new vaccine, it's just based on old technology." Dickinson noted the Pfizer vaccine has gone passed all the necessary safety trials.

Science teaching expert Michelle Dickinson says a lot of those she has spoken to are confident about getting a Covid-19 vaccination once their questions have been answered. Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, has has been running virtual Q and A sessions about the vaccine for teachers and school staff. She said some teachers were so alarmed about an incoming vaccine mandate they were considering sacrificing their careers. But most of them just needed to hear more about how the vaccine was made. "What we do in some of these workshops is literally break down the real basics. What is mRNA? How does the vaccine work? What clinical trials have been done? What do they do in those trials? When did those trials end? How many people were in them? " she said. 'Then we compare that to previous vaccines and people then go, 'oh, actually, it's gone through all the steps. We thought they skipped some because it came out so fast'. "When you have these conversations, just explaining how vaccines are made, which most people don't know how any of their vaccines have ever been made, that they've ever taken, but now they have an interest, they go, 'Oh, this is interesting. I didn't know this, now I can take this information and make decisions based on this evidence that I now have'." Using the example of somebody who would wait for Novavax instead of taking the Pfizer-made Covid-19 vaccination currently available in New Zealand, Dickinson said some may be nervous about mRNA technology. "Because it sounds new they feel like it hasn't been tested yet, and therefore, they don't want to be a guinea pig. "They don't think the safety testing has been done yet, and therefore, they'll wait for the old method, not understanding that the Novavax is actually still a new vaccine, it's just based on old technology." Dickinson noted the Pfizer vaccine has gone passed all the necessary safety trials.

This is a short excerpt of my conversation with Joe Davis who is a co-founder and the CEO of Nanogirl Labs.  In it he talks about the impact of Covid on Nanogirl Labs as well as the book that has resulted called "Silver Linings".  We also talk about what it is that we can learn from the experience and ask whether we go back to "normal" or we actually change the way we act in the future - "what is really essential?".  Check out the full interview soon and there is more content at www.theseeds.nz  Nanogirl Labs: https://www.nanogirllabs.com  The book: https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/silver-linings-9780143775478 National Youth Theatre Company: https://nyt.nz  Coastguard NZ: https://www.coastguard.nz   

Michelle Dickinson is a national treasure. She is, by trade, a PhD in biomedical materials engineering, and set up New Zealand's first and only nanomechanical testing lab at the University of Auckland. But kids know her better as Nanogirl, the superhero alter-ego she created to engage children of all ages with science. And this is her real superpower - communicating science in a way that makes it simple and fun, and inspiring people to learn about, and even fall in love with the sciences and what they can mean to us in everyday life. She's the author of two bestselling books, she was this 2020's Hi-Tech Inspiring Individual of the Year, she's been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, she's kite-surfed with Richard Branson, explained Covid to kids with Jacinda Ardern, and designed dresses for Icebreaker. And she doesn't drink…

Kia ora and happy Monday, TOMORROW IS DECEMBER, HOW WEIRD. Today on the show we chatted with you guys about who is going to the most Christmas dinners this year, and also who has had the longest engagements, there were some goodies! Dr Michelle Dickinson aka Nanogirl aka genius scientist gave us an update on the Covid vaccines and answered some of your questions, man she raises the IQ of the show whenever she's on! And Jono told a story about the lengths he went to to avoid bumping into someone in public. Something rather innovative! Enjoy!

Today we chatted to Michelle Dickinson who you may know as Nanogirl, she's a scientist but we talked to her about when she MET Joe Biden! He was in the country in 2016 and she was lucky enough to hang out with him & his family, and she dished all the goss! We also wanted to know the bizarre things that turned up in your backyard and my lord we got some weird stories. Paul Henry joined us to talk about his new wine (and how he felt when Ben's wife Amanda took a bottle to a BYO!) and his new book that's out. And do you remember Keith and Sally from a while ago? They're an adorable couple from Kerikeri, and Keith spends a lot of his time picking up rubbish around town, by choice! (Bless.) We talked to them a few months ago and now Keith has been nominated for our "Good Bugger" award. We always love talking to them! Enjoy the podcast & have a great weekend!

Juggling education and sharing equally in household chores: two sources of headaches for any family in lockdown. In this episode Alex talks to Dr Michelle Dickinson about getting kids excited and involved in learning when they’re in the house, and what lockdown has done to highlight gender inequalities in housework and childcare.

Going remote and still making people feel included can be really difficult, never mind when you're scattered all over the world! In this episode Alex talks to Dr Michelle Dickinson about her company Nanogirl Labs and how she tries to make people feel included and able to share in failure as well as success.

Michelle Dickinson MNZM, also known as Nanogirl, is a nanotechnologist and science educator based in New Zealand.Michelle said that she used to be painfully shy and afraid of public speaking. On the advice of a speaking coach, she invented the alter-ego "Nanogirl" as a way to overcome her nerves. Initially Dickinson used the name "Nanogirl" to write a science blog, then as it became more popular she started a YouTube channel and began to speak at schools and events.Nano Girl :See yourselves as superheroes In this conversation: Start of Nanogirl & the motivations beneath the start.Keeping your kids during the lock down is important and how can parents can help kids to be engaged Concept of super heroes inventing super powers Future of education and digital humans Introvert Vs Extrovert in workspaceMindset of young women as creators and engineersSupport the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BDL59C3CUWGXS&source=url)

Covid. It ain't going away, and that is a hard thing to explain to kids.  Co-founder and creator of Nanogirl, Dr Michelle Dickinson, was an integral part of New Zealand's COVID response, working as an educator and advisor for the NZ Prime Minister, helping the NZ public, especially children, understand the science behind the virus and the different regulations. She joins us with some advice to help guide Aussie parents - especially families doing it tough in Victoria.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Michelle Dickinson, AKA Nanogirl, joins the show to answer all your questions on masks.

It's a story that would be familiar with many business owners: Covid-19 hits, the borders close and business and revenue vanishes.With Nanogirl Labs, the loss was a world tour and $2.5 million of business disappearing virtually overnight.But their story is one of a pivot that not only changed their entire business model, but pushed the owners down a path that has made them “more global than ever”.Founders of Nanogirl Labs Dr Michelle Dickinson and her husband and CEO of the business Joe Davis joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss how they changed their business model and adapted to the pandemic.LISTEN ABOVE

Aucklanders are being asked to wear a face covering when outside the home, and the rest of the country is advised to wear one when in a confined public space, like when using public transport or a supermarket. Whilst some people have dusted off their sewing machine to make their own, others are buying masks and using them as a fashion statement. Nanotechnologist and science educator, Dr Michelle Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, says research shows masks are highly effective if worn properly. Particles from masked mouths will only travel six centremetres rather than two metres if no mask is worn. There are three main types of masks: N95 respirator masks, surgical masks and cloth or home-made masks. Popular New Zealand fashion labels have been selling masks like hot cakes with some designers reporting more than 300 orders daily. Otara-based Designer Tasha Lee made the switch from making ball and bridal gowns to masks. She says during the first ever lockdown they sold about 5000 masks and looking fashionable was front of mind, but this time she's only making them in plain black. Dr Dickinson says N95 masks should be used and reserved for frontline staff, but that quilt or cotton fabric make the best masks if you are looking to buy or make your own. She says holding up your material to the light is a way good test the effectiveness of a mask whether buying or making. If you can see through it - it's ineffective. Also using a mask with a valve is a big no no she says and people should stay away from using and buying these.

On today's podcast: Nanogirl on the the Do's and Don'ts for wearing and making masks; we find out why ticket purchasers for the 50 million dollar Lotto draw spent much of Sunday locked out of their online accounts; the government's plea to the public as covid misinformation and racist abuse spreads like wildfire and could the election be delayed - law professor Andrew Geddis explains how electoral date changes work.

It’s official: scientists are the new celebrities – which is why I’m so delighted to have one as my remote guest for the second special COVID-19 episode of the Alonement podcast. British-born nanotechnologist Dr Michelle Dickinson, a long-term friend to Jacinda Ardern, has been working with New Zealand’s Prime Minister to help communicate the science behind COVID-19 to the public. Day to day, Michelle runs Nanogirl’s Lab – under her alter-ego of Nanogirl – to teach children STEM skills. Self-identifying as ‘a weird socially-awkward introvert’, Michelle has nevertheless established herself as a household name and shared with me how she has harnessed her quiet superpowers in order to effectively communicate the science behind the COVID-19 virus to the public. Michelle is also, believe it or not, loving lockdown: an opinion that has been whispered by some introverts over the past few weeks. Despite this – she also speaks about the huge toll that the health crisis is taking on the public’s mental health, and why it’s important to her to communicate the psychological toll on those feeling scared and alone at this time. Whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or you haven’t made your mind up yet, I hope you find our conversation just as fascinating and eye-opening as I did. Did you enjoy this episode? Let me know what you think with a written review on Apple Podcasts. You can also get in touch on press@alonement.com. Twitter: @ChezSpecter @medickinsonInstagram: @ChezSpecter @alonementofficial @medickinson

Streamed live on Mar 31, 2020 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/robett/message

Nanogirl finds out why bees buzz.

Nanogirl crash lands at Whenuapai Airforce Base with Juanita and some friends from Papakura Intermediate, to find out how planes fly. Handy information for keeping her Jetvolt in the air...

Hold onto your hats - Nanogirl discovers where some of our electricity comes from and it's blowing a gale.

Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Dr Michelle Dickinson (Nanogirl) about her new online learning platform.There are a lot of businesses right now looking at a completely changed future. Many people working in events or in industries relying on travel and tourism especially. What do you do when you look at the next six months and all your revenue is gone?For some, there will be no easy answer, and we really feel for you. For others there may be ways you can change your offering and do something new with your skillset. On Business is Boring today we speak with one of New Zealand’s top science communicators, who you may have recently seen working and talking with the Prime Minister to help share awareness and information around COVID-19.Dr Michelle Dickinson is well known as Nanogirl, her science communicating, experiment making, science cookbook authoring alter-ego. With a PhD in engineering specialising in nanotechnology, and a love for sparking interest in science, Dickinson has worked to increase the quality of our national conversation through media appearances, a Herald column and live events, events that can’t happen for the foreseeable future.Faced with this drop in income and uncertainty for her team, this spirit of invention and experimentation kicked in. The team pivoted over the course of three days to create an online learning platform that can help kids stuck at home experiment with items found around the house and learn through doing. With a lesson every weekday, for only a dollar a day, and a buy one give one model, it’s already finding a great audience.To talk the journey to here, changing everything, and getting the new venture up while also stepping up to share quality information in the media, Dr Michelle Dickinson joined the podcast, recorded on the first day of level four lockdown restrictions in New Zealand.You can find her new venture here: https://nanogirlslab.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Now the kids are learning from home, the prospect of helping to teach science, no matter their age, is a little daunting. Science educator Michelle Dickinson, also known as Nanogirl, has started 'Nano-girls Lab', an online series to teach science for 7 to 11 year olds. She's created 50 instructional videos and worksheets for hands-on learning - plus a cheat sheet for us parents.She joined Kate Hawkesby to explain how it all works.LISTEN ABOVE

Nanogirl goes in search of a conversation with some fish.

This is a short episode with some insights on how we can talk about Coronavirus with our kids. This episode I chat with a nanotechnologist and materials engineer Dr Michelle Dickinson, aka Nanogirl, who has a passion for making science more accessible.

Nanogirl finds out if we can make plastic that's not so bad for the environment.

Nanogirl goes on an adventure to find out what would happen if a person got sucked into a black hole.

Michelle has made it her life mission to make science and engineering fun and accessible for all through many different media platforms including: authoring bestselling books The Kitchen Science Cookbook and No 8 Recharged. Hosting and co-creating TV shows Nanogirl and the imaginauts and The Kitchen Science Cookbook. Creating and hosting top charting podcasts Nanogirl’s Great Science Adventures and Stupid Questions For Scientists. With a PhD in Biomedical and Materials Engineering Michelle has combined her interests to give her a unique insight into how nature and technology can learn from each other for scientific developments. As co-founder of Nanogirl Labs Ltd and an honorary academic in Engineering at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, Michelle has always followed her dreams and never let traditional stereotypes scare her. Awarded Member of New Zealand Order of Merit Michelle was winner of the Women of Influence award for science and innovation, awarded the Sir Peter Blake Leadership award and was winner of the Prime Ministers Science Media Communication Prize and the New Zealand Association of Scientists Science Communicators Award.

Nanogirl visits Orakei School to discover how fast Santa's sleigh would have to go to deliver all his Christmas presents in one day.

One small step for mannequins, one giant leap for mannequin kind?NASA will send two dummies into space to orbit the moon next June.Helga and Zohar will be used to test new equipment designed to protect astronauts from cosmic radiation.The science educator known as Nanogirl, Michelle Dickson, says that's because the plan is to send the first woman to the moon in 2024."Women are very different to men around risks of cancer. Your sending women to the moon or a long term space program, it is not as easy. It's quite restrictive, actually, as we have a lot more risk. We have to be in space for less time."Dickinson says the amount of radiation the female mannequins are exposed to around vital organ areas will be measured.LISTEN ABOVE 

Nanogirl and her nanobot CLAIR are getting ready for their latest science adventures...  Drop into the lab and see what they're up to - it's noisy and explosive!

In the pod today - how cruise ships deal with their waste; Nanogirl is grateful that robbers returned some of the items they stole; and two Samoan cousins face each other in opposing teams at the Rugby World Cup.

It's tea time as new research shows that tea made with plastic tea bags (which is most of the big brand ones) release 11.6 billion micro-plastics into your cup.While there is still no evidence for health risk to humans according to the WHO it may be a good time for people to take a look at their tea bags if they want to try and reduce the amount of microplastic that they consume.Dr Michelle Dickinson - also known as Nanogirl - joins Francesca in the studio to discuss the findings. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO ABOVE

Nanogirl is off on more great adventures so we can answer your science questions. In the meantime...

Nanogirl is another science podcast for kids! It answers your burning questions and shows you the wonders of discovery, made with school students who live in New Zealand.  It's made by RNZ and Nanogirl Labs. Tap here to subscribe to Nanogirl's Great Science Adventures wherever you're listening to this podcast: https://podfollow.com/1462120464 

Nanogirl takes some students from St Thomas' Schol in Auckland to Kelly Tarlton’s to meet a very slippery creature and find out what a hagfish is and why it’s so slimey.

In this week's episode, Nanogirl blasts off in her jetvolt with Jasper and his friends from Mt Cook School as they seek to find out how high birds can fly. Luckily, Gary Miskelly from Te Papa is all aflutter to help them find the answer.

Nanogirl, Emma and her friends from Breens Intermediate visit ESR in Christchurch where they meet expert Olga Pantos and find out all about microplastics.

You don't need qualifications to teach your children about science. The founder of Nanogirl, aka Dr Michelle Dickinson, who set up a nanomechanical testing lab in New Zealand has created a cookbook to teach children about cooking and science at the same time. Michelle joins Jenni to talk about the significance of nanotechnology and easy ways for non-scientific parents to get their children into it.

We look at the prospects for the two women in the race for the Conservative Party leadership. Is there a chance the UK may see its third female Prime Minister? We hear from Rachel Sylvester, the award winning journalist who has interviewed them both and from Jessica Elgot, chief political correspondent for the Guardian about the view from the parliamentary lobby as MPs make their minds up ahead of the first ballot on Thursday. You don't need qualifications to teach your children about science. The science blogger Nanogirl, aka Dr Michelle Dickinson, who set up a nanomechanical testing lab in New Zealand has created a cookbook to teach children about cooking and science at the same time. Michelle talks about the significance of nanotechnology and easy ways for non-scientific parents to get their children into it.Emilie Pine, an associate professor at University College, Dublin has written her first non-academic book, Notes to Self, a collection of essays about what it is to be a woman. She talks to Jenni about the taboo subjects she explores including infertility, miscarriage, menstruation and the effects of alcoholism in a family.Kenya's High Court has ruled against campaigners seeking to overturn a law banning gay sex. Gay sex in Kenya is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, although it is not clear whether there have ever been any convictions. Two women talk about the impact of this ruling on them and other queer women in Kenya.

On this week's science adventure, Nanogirl and some friends find out what goosebumps are and whether all animals get them - especially animals that live in very, very, very cold places.

On this week's science adventure, Nanogirl visits a superbugs lab in Auckland to discover whether all bacteria is bad.

On this week's science adventure, Nanogirl visits Te Papa and finds out whether we could bring dinosaurs back to life... And whether we would actually want to.

In this week's science adventure, Nanogirl takes Chloe and her friends from Royal Oak Primary to Auckland’s Stardome Observatory to meet expert Josh Kirkley and find out why stars twinkle.

Come on a great science adventure with Dr Michelle Dickinson - aka Nanogirl - as she travels around the country answering your burning science questions.

Presented by Kathmandu We close the festival with an inspiring event that brings together our theme of adventure, and our celebration of 125 years of women’s suffrage in New Zealand. Four extraordinary women tell stories from their adventurous lives and talk about what drives them to take risks, in their life and work. Hear Hollie Woodhouse, extreme sports star and editor of Say Yes to Adventure magazine; Lilia Tarawa, who grew up in Gloriavale and escaped as a teenager; Michelle Dickinson aka Nanogirl, science communicator and adventurer; Margaret Austin, Palmerston North Sunday school teacher turned Paris showgirl. Hosted by broadcaster and author Miriama Kamo. #suffrage125 #WhakatuWahine #SuffrageDay

Conversation from the actor Stephen Mangan, pop-up beach organiser Scott Barton, nanotechnologist Dr. Michelle Dickinson, and The Madonna of Bolton - Matt Cain. With Orla Kiely's Inheritance Tracks. Presented by Aasmah Mir and the Rev. Richard Coles. The actor Stephen Mangan talks about his hair, his 52 cousins and his new Channel 4 series Hang Ups! in which he plays a therapist, who has his own therapist. Sean Randell shares his story of Thanks, to the couple who fostered him before he was adopted. Scott Barton organises pop up urban beaches around the country. He describes what's happening today in Northfield, Birmingham; and we find out why he was once Lady Mayoress of Sheffield! Dr. Michelle Dickinson - aka Nanogirl - is a nanotechnologist who shares her passion for nanobots, and reveals her Chicken in a Cup experiment. JP Devlin meets Catherine Geddes who explains why she became homeless and how she transformed her life, helping other youngsters in the process. Matt Cain - aka The Madonna of Bolton - on growing up gay in Bolton in the 1980s. He describes how Madonna's music and videos inspired him, and her fierce determination to succeed gave him the confidence to do the same - and to find his own voice. And the designer Orla Kiely chooses her Inheritance Tracks - Night and Day by Cole Porter and 7 seconds by Youssou n'dour & Neneh Cherry. Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Beverley Purcell.

The first of our episodes recorded in New Zealand saw Robin and Josie joined by nanotechnologist, science communicator and writer Dr Michelle Dickinson (who you might better know as Nanogirl). Michelle's first book is out in October so they chat about that as well as the work of Michael Crichton, Atul Gawande, Barbara Baynton and more. There's also a quite gross story about scratching one's head... Support the show at patreon.com/bookshambles

International sales of drones is expected to soar from fewer than 4 million in 2015, to nearer 20 million this year and beyond. Many are for personal use but today we're looking at the way scientists are using them in research projects over difficult terrain. One of New Zealand's experts in drones is Dr Barbara Bollard-Breen. To talk science Lynn Freeman also spoke to Barbara's colleagues: Professor Steve Pointing who's the Director of the Institute for Applied Ecology and Dr Michelle Dickinson who heads the Nano-mechanical Research Laboratory and writes and performs as Nanogirl.

We discuss an autonomous truck approval, Apple’s force touch technology, a $9 computer Netflix data impact, tax changes for online services, new smartphones from Microsoft, a very robust Samsung tablet and finally a stylish wearable device. Running time : 0:55:00