We travel downunder to meet one of Australia’s most unusual creatures: Ornithorhynchus anatinus, better know as the Platypus. Few animals have caused such debate as our duckbilled friend, for nearly a century leading scientists across Europe (maybe they should travel a bit closer to their subject) debated exactly what this paradoxical animal was – mammal, lizard, something entirely new? What are the eggs all about, and where are the nipples? And don’t get us started on the penis! The Platypus is one very strange animal indeed. We explore the folklore, tell the history, look at the science of how we came to understand Ornithorhynchus anatinus. Along the way there are epic arguments and a secret WW2 mission, finally we top it off with a rap written and performed by Anton!
51: 🪄🃏The Devil’s Picture Books and Wild West Magic
50: ♠️♥️ Magic and Playing Card History with Magician Lee Asher ♣️♦️
49: 👁️The Curiosity of Sight. How eyes work and how we discovered that.
Bonus: 🎙️ Intelligent Speech 2023 and Takarajima
48: 🪙 Tales of treasure. Cocos Island, the Centurion and a Hermit
Bonus: 👵 Re-release: Margaret Ann Neve (fixed!)
Bonus: 🥔 The Potato Boom!
47: 👾 Interview with Paul Mayze: Cards, the Universe and Everything
46: 🥔 Potato, Potato, Potato, foundation of the modern world
45: 🤖 Artificial intelligence, creativity and talking to animals
44: ⚛️ Elementary my dear Anton - atoms and elements
43: 🔮 The History of Magic
42: 🧒22 Orphans to Save the World - Intelligent Speech 2022
41: 🦜 William Dampier, explorer, pirate, privateer, navigator, and naturalist
40: ⌛ What is time?
Bonus: 🍫 Guilty Chocolate, Anton’s prize winning short story
39: 🎈The ‘True History’ of Flight
😍 Announcement: We’re at Intelligent Speech 2022!
37: 🏰 Anton Investigates: Norman Castles
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