In this episode we’re immersing ourselves in extended reality (XR), and testing the hypothesis that, ‘in the future, wellbeing will be XR's doing.’

XR is evolving, and there’s a growing body of research suggesting it’s benefits for our wellbeing. XR is now used to support mental health and treatment, rehabilitation, pain management, and to help reduce stress – even prior to and during operations and treatments. 

We’ll explore the potential of XR in the future of wellbeing, and the nuances attached to cultural ideas of wellbeing itself. While also addressing the challenges around accessibility and universality that stand between us and this brave new reality.

Guest experts featured in this episode include:

• Professor Raelene Wilding, sociologist, La Trobe University
• Associate Professor Jenny Waycott, Human-Computer Interaction expert, University of Melbourne
• Trent Clews-de Castella, cofounder and CEO at immersive technology studio, PHORIA

Be sure to check out the Scipothesis website for blog posts, recommended reads and resources relating to episode topics.

In this episode we’ll dig down into the afterlife, more specifically the digital afterlife, and test the hypothesis that: in the future a digital afterlife will become part of life. 

With the development of AI’s such as ChatGPT, and extended reality technologies such as VR, we are now entering an era where the living could have reasonably realistic interactions with the dead. We’ll uncover what digital afterlives might look like, the questions and problems that might arise as we navigate this new territory, and how this might impact grief, remembrance and our relationship to death. 

Guest experts featured in this episode include:
Associate Professor Margaret Gibson, sociologist, Griffith University 
Associate Professor Patrick Stokes, philosopher, Deakin University 
Dr Josh Andres, researcher in Cybernetics, Australian National University

Host: Dr Renee Beale

Be sure to check out the Scipothesis website for blog posts, recommended reads and resources relating to episode topics.

In this episode let’s taste the future of food, exploring the hypothesis that: in the future, food will be grown in the lab not on the land.

Are we moving away from getting our hands dirty to lab coats and petri dishes? We’ll find out more about lab grown produce and the potential for it to fill more of our plates in the future, and along the way discuss flavour profiles, ethical and nutritional considerations, and food sustainability.

Guest experts featured in this episode include:

Dr Kim Johnson, plant biologist, La Trobe University

Katie Bashant-Day, research scientist, Vow Food

Sophie Lamond, food culture and politics PhD student, the University of Melbourne 

Host: Dr Renee Beale

Be sure to check out the Scipothesis website for blog posts, recommended reads and resources relating to episode topics.

In this episode we dig up information on Moon mining as we test the hypothesis - we should mine the Moon. 

We’ll discover more about the resources on the Moon that might be worth mining and why, what new innovations might need to be developed, and finally examine whether the economics makes the enterprise viable.

Guest experts featured in this episode include:

Dr Kate Selway, earth scientist, (at the time of recording at Macquarie University, now at the University of South Australia)

Professor Rachel Webster, astrophysicist, the University of Melbourne

Nicholas Bennett, a space resources researcher, the University of New South Wales 

Host: Dr Renee Beale

Be sure to check out the Scipothesis website for blog posts, recommended reads and resources relating to episode topics.

In this episode we investigate the power of de-extinction science and ask ‘Can resurrecting extinct species ensure biodiversity?’ 

We will discover more about what de-extinction actually is, how the technology is currently developing, whether this might present a solution to biodiversity loss, and finally tackle the ecological and moral challenges to resurrecting extinct species.

Guest experts featured in this episode:

• Professor Andrew Pask, developmental geneticist, the University of Melbourne; 
• Professor Marcel Klaassen, ecologist, the Centre of Integrative Ecology, Deakin University; 
• Tristen Derham, PhD student, the School of Natural Sciences, the University of Tasmania.

Host: Dr Renee Beale
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Be sure to check out the Scipothesis website for blog posts, recommended reads and resources relating to episode topics.

This episode we move between laboratory and catwalk diving into the relatively new world of circular fashion testing the hypothesis: All fashion could be circular in the future.

We’ll discover more about more about the concept and challenges of circular fashion, how science is helping to advance the industry, and finally tackle the potential for circular fashion to strut into mainstream markets.

Guest experts featured in this episode:

Dr Nolene Byrne, materials scientist, Deakin University; 

Dr Stacey Konash, circular economy technology leader, Swinburne University of Technology; 

Courtney Holm, founder of the circular fashion label ABC.H;

Josh Handcock, research and technology leader, HARA The Label.

Host: Dr Renee Beale

Be sure to check out the Scipothesis website for blog posts, recommended reads and resources relating to episode topics.

In this episode we attempt to crack the deepfakes code, exploring the hypothesis:  ‘In the near future, due to improvements in deepfake technology, humans will be unable to determine what is real and what is fake.’

We’ll find out more about the creation of deepfakes, possible future developments in the technology, how well humans can detect them versus AI detection systems, and finally tackle the potential for deepfakes to influence our sense of reality.

Guest experts featured in this episode:

Dr Thanh Thi Nguyen, artificial intelligence expert, Deakin University; 

Dr Simon Cropper, neuroscientist, the University of Melbourne;  

Dr Robbie Fordyce, lecturer in Communications & Media Studies, Monash University. 

Dr Abhinav Dhall, lecturer in the Department of Human Centred Computing, Monash University

Host: Dr Renee Beale

Be sure to check out the Scipothesis website for blog posts, recommended reads and resources relating to episode topics.