Our guest, engineer and storyteller Vikas Bagde, moved from India to Amsterdam for his PhD. He immediately noticed differences in mobility, and especially in the way that people travel the 'last mile'. In this episode, he tells us about how the popularity of the bicycle rose in the Netherlands decades ago, and in which ways that is similar to the rise of the electric rickshaw that is happening right now in India. What role is, or should be, played by the people when tackling mobility challenges? And why is it that the technologically most efficient solution does not always work best? Find out in episode 25 of Talk That Science!

Tracklist:
1. Cymande - Rickshaw
2. Malarians - Rickshaw
3. Mungo's Hi Fi - Bike Rider
4. Slow Nomaden - Rickshaw

This podcast was broadcast by Echobox Radio on February 16th, 2023.

Mobility in Motion @Echobox Radio

When women have breast cancer, they sometimes have to undergo chemotherapy to lower the risk that the cancer will spread out from the breast. This is however not always necessary if the cancer is not so aggressive. Computer scientist Ajey Pai Karakala does research on how we can use deep learning to detect if the cancer is likely to spread through the body or not. We spoke to him about the strange beauty of cell tissue, supervised and unsupervised learning, and about how he thinks AI will augment the doctors’ capability to treat patients.

Tracklist:
1. Benjamin Zephaniah - Genetics
2. Bona Dish - Mutation
3. Maati Baani - Hiye Kaya Mein

Computation Cancer Research @Echobox Radio

Marcel Vélez Vásquez is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in explainable artificial intelligence for playability from musical audio. In this episode, he explains all about what AI for music is, and how it is different from textual AIs like ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence can be of help at many facets in the world of music: write and master songs, mix instruments together, but also predict whether an audio fragment could potentially grow out to be a smash hit, or help a beginner choose the next song to learn on their instrument. We also talk about the more challenging sides of his field, like using someone else's voice and the Western bias in available data.

Tracklist, can you guess which are easy or hard to play on the guitar?:
1. Stevie Wonder - Do I Do
2. Jimmy and David Ruffin - Stand By Me
3. X Ambassadors, Elle King, Wiz Khalifa - Not Easy
4. Can AI Kick It? - Abbus (with AI generated music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbsWkhcJjg4)

Artificial Intelligence for Music @Echobox Radio

Cooperation is everywhere around us, at the heart of nature's most triumphant endeavors. It shows up in the cells that make up complex organisms, in ant colonies, and, of course, in the societies we live in. But it is also a bit of a mystery, because it involves being helpful at a personal cost. So how can individuals be motivated to look beyond their immediate self-interest and embrace the enduring advantages of collaboration? It turns out that game theory, a tool loved by economists, has much to say on this. Joining us for a discussion on the mechanisms underpinning cooperation is Fernando P. Santos, Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam. He guides us through the core concepts of game theory, shows why reputation is important, and gives insights into what to anticipate when engaging with artificial agents.

The tracks played during the episode:

1. Games, by Graham Nash, and David Crosby
2. Tomobiki, by John Zorn
3. All That We've Become, by Society
4. Verdes Anos, by Carlos Paredes

Big thanks to the Echobox Radio team for hosting us and helping out with everything!

Games And Cooperation @Echobox Radio

Coral reefs are the only structures made by a single living organism (apart from humans) that you can see from space, and they are the most diverse and productive ecosystems out there. In this episode of Talk That Science, dr. René van der Zande and Sarah Solomon MSc explain how coral reefs are formed, how corals function and how they are affected by climate change.

The tracks played during the episode:

1. Andrean Sand Dunes, by Drexciya
2. Sea Swallow Me, by Cocteau Twins, Harold Budd
3. Seaweed, by Tindersticks
4. Diving, by Bombay Bicycling Club, Holly Humberstone

Coral Reefs @Echobox Radio

Talk That Science is an Amsterdam-based science show by a group of science and music enthusiasts.  We play the nicest tunes while talking about the coolest research!

Live on echobox.radio every month

New tracks tagged #University of Amsterdam