Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

At the turn of the 20th century, one American became obsessed with the idea of life on Mars. He carried his obsessions into a public movement that may have sparked actual space exploration and scientific advancement.Guest: David Baron, author, journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who writes about astronomy and other sciences. His latest book is 'The Martians: A True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America'Producer: Alex TigheOriginally broadcast on 1 October, 2025

In the last decade, courts around the globe have granted legal personhood or explicit rights to rivers, largely driven by environmental activism. In his new book, 'Is a River Alive?', renowned nature writer Dr. Robert Macfarlane tracks the progress of that movement, in addition to visiting some of the world’s most pristine (and not so pristine) environments.Guest: Dr Robert Macfarlane, Professor of Literature and the Environmental Humanities at Cambridge UniversityProducer: Ali BentonOriginally broadcast on 14 May, 2025

For millennia, wool has been more than just a textile fibre for cold climates—it has played a strategic role in warfare, both supporting armies with essential clothing and fuelling conflicts through control and manipulation of its supply.GUEST: Trish Fitzsimmons, co-author of Fleeced, Unravelling the History of Wool and War published by BloomsburyPRODUCER: Ali Benton *This story originally aired on 21 August 2025

Dr Samah Jabr is a world-renowned psychiatrist who has spent over twenty years practising in the West Bank and Gaza. In a powerful interview, she describes the psychological impact the war in Gaza is having on Palestinian children and their families. Dr Jabr says in a place where there are few resources and constant bombardment, collective approaches grounded in the community are the most useful ways to help a traumatised people. She also says maintaining a belief in the fundamental goodness of people is what gives Palestinians a sense of hope and resilience. Guest: Dr Samah Jabr, psychiatrist, former Director of Mental Health Services at the Palestinian Ministry of Health and author of Radiance in Pain and Resilience - The global reverberation of Palestinian historical trauma, published by Wakefield PressProducer: Catherine Zengerer*This story originally aired on 21 August 2025

On a warming planet, heatwaves are proving increasingly deadly. But in the cities where most of us live shade can be hard to come by. In ancient times, shade was prioritised for urban comfort, but in the age of the air-conditioner its value is often overlooked. Guest: Sam Bloch, journalist and author of Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural ResourceProducer: Jack SchmidtOriginally broadcast on 9 October, 2025

This nation’s past can be understood a whole lot better if Indigenous perspectives on history are listened to. It means considering rock art and other forms of storytelling, and the experiences that First Nations people have when they walk on country. Guests: Jackie Huggins, historian, author, Bidjara Elder of the Carnarvon Gorge area of Central QLD, and director of Indigenous Research at the University of QLD; and Ann McGrath, WK Hancock Chair of History at the ANU, where she also leads the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Laureate Program on Deep History. Ann and Jackie are the co-editors of ‘Deep history: country and sovereignty’ (UNSW Press)Producer: Ann ArnoldOriginally broadcast on 10 July, 2025

Emily Kam Kngwarray, from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory, picked up a paintbrush in her 70s for the first time, and now her work will be exhibited at the Tate in London. A new film has been made about Emily, and will premiere at the Sydney Film Festival – called Emily: I Am Kam.Guests: Screenwriter and Producer Danielle Maclean, and Producer Anna GrieveProducer: Ali BentonOriginally broadcast on 12 June, 2025

Author Chris Sweeney tells the remarkable story of Roxie Laybourne, the Smithsonian ornithologist who became the nation's leading expert in feather forensics. Laybourne investigated thousands of aeroplane bird-strikes, but was also called as an expert witness at trials for murder, poaching and even a Ku Klux Klan hate crime. Guest: Chris Sweeney, author of The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem and the Magnificent Life of Roxie LaybourneProducer: Jack SchmidtOriginally broadcast on 11 September, 2025

The QWERTY keyboard wasn't designed to be fast or logical. It was created in the 1870s to stop typewriter keys from jamming - and to suit telegraph operators working in morse code. Since then, more efficient layouts like Dvorak have been invented, but none have stuck. So how did QWERTY become "locked in" to our machines, our workplaces, and even our muscle memory?Guest: Gianfranco Di Giovanni, Content Director for ABC Radio Perth and consumer technology journalistProducer: Rebecca Metcalf*This show originally aired on 15 September 2025

In recent years, a number of states and cities in the US have decriminalised 'jaywalking', relaxing laws that campaigners argue have been disproportionately enforced on black and Latino residents. Jaywalking first emerged as a traffic offence in the US a century ago, when radical new ordinances gave priority to high-speed vehicles on the roads. Australia followed suit. A campaign of public ridicule shamed pedestrians into following the rules, but are (jay)walkers now reclaiming the streets? Guest: Peter Norton, Associate Professor of History at the University of Virginia, author of Street Rivals: Jaywalking and the Invention of the Motor Age Street*This show originally aired on 10 February 2025