How has the world changed since I was born?
Today is my birthday. On this day, 36 years ago, planet Earth welcomed forth one more small human. What was the world like back then? Which things have improved since that day? And which things h...
Existential risks
Imagine that an American bomber jet has an accident whilst flying over the coast of Andalusia. Imagine that the plane has thermonuclear bombs on board, each one with a destructive power 100 tim...
The end of the Universe
Everyone knows that the Universe began with the Big Bang. But what is seldom spoken about is the end of the Universe. In this episode, we’re going to answer one of the most profound questions w...
The radiation we should be worried about
Every second you are being bombarded by various types of radiation. One of them should concern us. You live in a sea of radiation. If you use a mobile phone, you're being irradiated by micro...
The most important pixel in History
What a day... After a long day of work, I head out to do the shopping. I'm dragging a trolley and several bags to my house when it starts to rain. And to top it off, just as I'm about to reach ...
This is Altruphysics
A bit of astrophysics and a bit of altruism. Welcome to this space which I've called "Altruphysics". In this episode, I'll explain where the name comes from, and why I created this channel. ...
How to choose our contribution to the world – presentation
“How to choose our contribution to the world” is a talk I gave about effective solutions to human and animal suffering on a global scale, from the perspective of effective altruism.
Interview at Data for Future Podcast
I was recently interviewed at Data for Future, which is an interesting, new podcast about the intersection of data scienc...
Is a career in industry less noble than a career in academia?
In academia, you worked to expand the limits of human wisdom. Now, in industry, your goal is to make a company richer. Is that less noble?
Is it possible to go back to academia?
Are thinking of leaving academia to work in industry? You may be wondering if it’s possible to go back to academia if you change your mind.
Real world problems
People say industry tackles “real world” problems. Does it? Let’s talk about what we should call “real world” problems, and what they actually are in industry.
UTMOST: The Upgraded Molonglo Telescope
Here is a gallery of pictures I took at Molongo (Australia).
Swinburne Astronomy Public Lecture
Rumours were getting louder, something had happened, possibly a big discovery... At the beginning of 2016, I was invited to give a public lecture at Swinburne University, were I was working ...
Pint in the Sky: Aliens
Join Alan Duffy and Katie Mack in a new episode of Pint in the Sky. This episode is about... Aliens! Well, actually, it's about the search for planets outside of our Galaxy, also called "exopl...
Pint in the Sky: Zone of Avoidance
Join Alan Duffy and Katie Mack in a new episode of Pint in the Sky. This episode is about the Galaxy's 'Zone of Avoidance'. In particular, we talk about a recent study that has revealed lots o...
Battling Bird Flu
The avian influenza virus is still a major global problem. However, the most common victims are actually birds, not humans. What do we know about bird flu, and how can we control it?
The Invisible Colours of the Universe
Take a look into the depths of the universe with scientists from the Albert Einstein Institute in Hanover, and discover amazing astrophysical objects like neutron stars and supermassive black h...
The FRB Enigma
In 2001, a radio telescope detected a very short and strange signal. It seems to come from a very distant galaxy. It was the first 'Fast Radio Burst' (FRB) observed, a mysterious signal that can te...