The University of Queensland has launched Doomscroll Remedy, a new podcast featuring renowned researchers tackling some of the world's biggest issues.
When your social media feeds are filled with crushing news and existential threats, it can all seem overwhelming, but this new four-part podcast series helps to ease the pressure.
Doomscroll Remedy host and UQ alumnus Stephen Stockwell (Bachelor of Journalism, '08) helps UQ experts share their insights on conducting research and developing solutions to problems like anxiety, plastic waste, natural disasters, and the prevalence of conspiracy theories.
In episode one, hear how UQ and the Minderoo Foundation have joined forces in the Minderoo Centre - Plastics and Human Health to uncover how plastics are making their way into our bodies.
Professor Kevin Thomas, Director of UQ's Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences is leading the team to discover what impact the plastics are having on our health.
"I think society has been quite naive in terms of how we've dealt with plastic and how we've let it contaminate every sphere of the environment - from the highest points of the Himalayas to the deep ocean trenches, we find plastic now," Professor Thomas said.
Professor Hamish McGowan is leading a team at UQ, supported by Google.org, as they develop a world-first, real-time bushfire hazard detection and warning system using artificial intelligence.
"The goal of our work is ultimately to save lives, property and the environment by providing increased accuracy in forecasting bushfire movements and alerting community members and emergency responders before they spread," Professor McGowan said.
Doomscroll Remedy listeners will also get a glimpse into the lives of people affected by these big issues, whether it's a Black Summer survivor tale or a first-hand blow-by-blow of a panic attack.
Listen on your favourite podcast provider, or visit https://alumni.uq.edu.au/podcasts.
