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Join us as our festival concludes with an investigation into what dietary supplements really contain, whether your brain is sharper than a magpie's, and a discussion into the history and legality of cultural heritage in Western Australia.
Dietary supplements: what are you really taking?
Garth Maker
(Murdoch University)
Herbal and dietary supplements are increasingly popular in Australia and considered ‘natural’ and ‘safe’. Focusing on weight loss supplements, our research has used chemical and biological analysis to understand what is in these complex mixtures, and how they affect the human body.
Testing the intelligence of birds
Grace Blackburn
(The University of Western Australia)
Animal cognition is a growing area of research. Grace's lab at UWA has been conducting cognitive tests on magpies for over a decade - but how do we test intelligence in a wild bird? In this talk, I'll discuss some of the cognitive tasks we use, and even put you to the test to see if you're smarter than a magpie!
Who Owns the Past? Cultural Heritage and the Law in Western Australia
Sven Ouzman
(University of Western Australia)
WA has some of Australia’s best heritage – and worst legal protections, especially for Aboriginal heritage. This talk covers the destruction of Juukan Gorge; the confusion of juggling three State heritage laws, and acknowledges Aboriginal ‘First Law’, in order to map a pathway to prosperity, truth-telling, and a more inclusive national identity.
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