Quick Smart Podcast
1) Why does everyone you know suddenly have ADHD?
Something weird happened in the last 12 months or so - it's the fact that all your friends - and perhaps you as well - have ADHD now. So where did this ADHD spike come from? Just how big is the gap be...Show More
2) Why some politicians want us to feel 'ripped off'
Democracy dates back to the ancient Greeks and is meant to give us a say on who’s in charge. But lately, some democratically elected leaders are acting more like kings than politicians. So, does democ...Show More
3) Jane Austen wrote plenty of classics, but do we really need to read them?
From a muddling Mr Darcy to Clueless diva Cher Horowitz, some of the most iconic characters in books, films and TV were conceived by Jane Austen — or based on her works. So, who was she, really? And w...Show More
4) Why Google’s entering its AI era, and what it means for all of us
Google gets billions of searches every day. But now, the tech giant wants to be AI-fuelled “answer engine”, rather than a gateway to other sites. It poses a massive threat to journalism, but it’ll als...Show More
5) Australia has a shortage of life-saving organs. Pigs might be the answer
If you needed a life-saving transplant, would you take a gene-edited organ from a pig? It sounds like science fiction, but this procedure has been researched for decades, and it could help solve the m...Show More
6) Why your partner’s religious beliefs don’t matter as much as they used to
A Catholic and a Satanist walked into a bar ... and managed to fall in love? During the past two decades, more of us have become non-religious, but we’re also increasingly up for dating and marrying a...Show More
7) Our last soft plastic recycling scheme flopped. Could a new one work?
Remember when you could drop off soft plastics at the supermarket and feel a little smug, because you knew they’d be recycled? Turns out that scheme was secretly stockpiling rubbish, not recycling it....Show More
8) How a Pokémon-loving teen became the first millennial saint
When you think of a saint, who do you picture? Chances are it’s not a tracksuit-wearing, video game playing teen, but that's exactly who the Catholic Church canonised recently. So, why was Carlo Acuti...Show More
9) Is Trump using Charlie Kirk’s death to start a ‘spiritual war’ against the Left?
At a stadium in Arizona, 63,000 people gathered to remember Charlie Kirk. Among them was President Donald Trump, who called the controversial right-wing figure a “martyr”. Who exactly was Kirk? Are po...Show More
10) Nuns, crosses and exorcisms. Why horror films love religious imagery
While cinemas struggle to fill seats, horror films are bringing in billions. So, why do we enjoy being scared? And how come horror flicks are filled with nuns, crosses and other Christian imagery? ---...Show More