Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know in under 30 minutes with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you a bite-sized masterclass on a new subject each week.Then when you’ve mastered the basics with Instant Genius. Dive deeper with Instant Genius Extra, where you’ll find longer, richer discussions about the most exciting ideas in the world of science and technology. Only available on Apple Podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
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What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-Khalili
Theoretical physicist and science communicator Professor Jim Al-Khalili has taken a break from writing popular science books to write his first novel. Sunfall (£16.99, Bantam Press) is a science fiction thriller set in the year 2041, when the Earth’s magnetic field has started to die, leaving life on Earth vulnerable to threats from space.Scientists and engineers are thrown into a race against time to protect the Earth. All the science in the novel, from the futuristic technology to the apocalyptic event, are based on real science, as we understand it now.In this episode, Jim explains how the Earth’s magnetic field protects us, how being a scientist helped inform his writing, and why fiction can be a frontier for science communication.If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast.You can also subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast apps. Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:How can we save our planet? - Sir David AttenboroughWhy is the magnetic north pole moving? - Ciaran BegganThere is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin ReesWhy AI is not the enemy – Jim Al-KhaliliIs there anybody out there? – Mike GarrettBuilding a base on the Moon, and crafting believable sci-fi – Andy WeirFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Are video games good for us? - Pete Etchells
In this week's Science Focus Podcast, we dive into the world of video games. Over the past couple of decades, video games have often got a bad rap, blamed for everything from aggression and violence to addiction and mental health problems.But what does the research actually say? Dr Pete Etchells is a psychologist at Bath Spa University who researches the behavioural effects of video games. In his first book, Lost in a Good Game (£14.99, Icon Books), he gets to the bottom of our relationship with games, and reveals a more positive side to our game-playing habits.He speaks to BBC Science Focus staff writer James Lloyd.If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast.You can also subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast apps. Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:What does it mean to be happy? – Helen RussellWhy ASMR gives you tingles – Emma WhispersRedWhat we got wrong about pandas and teenagersWhat’s the deal with algorithms? – Hannah FryChanging our behaviour with virtual reality – Jeremy BailensonProject Discovery and its search for exoplanetsFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Do you believe in magic? – Gustav Kuhn
Abracadbra! Prestidigitation! We know that these words hold no intrinsic power, but when we hear them, we are instantly transported away to a land of magic and wonder; where the impossible becomes reality right before our eyes.So why, as rational human beings, are we instantly drawn to magic, and what makes us delight in seeing a rabbit pulled from a hat, despite knowing full well that we are being fooled into thinking it was never already there in the first place?Those are the sort of questions expert in cognitive psychology, magician, and author of Experiencing the Impossible: The Science of Magic (£20.00, MIT Press), Gustav Kuhn, is currently trying to solve at his Magic Lab at Goldsmith’s University.In this week’s Science Focus Podcast, he talks to sciencefocus.com editor Alexander McNamara about why we believe in magic, what actually happens in our brain when we watch tricks, and how understanding magic can help us make sense of a world filled with fake news and misinformation.Image © Getty Images See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How can we save our planet? - Sir David Attenborough
We speak to Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and host of the new Netflix show Our Planet, and two of the show’s producers about the essential changes we need to make to save our home. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Can we slow down the ageing process? - Sue Armstrong
As the size of the ageing population rises, the field of gerontology, the study of ageing, is bursting with discoveries. How and why do we age? What can be done to slow the ageing process, and how do we improve our health spans, rather than our life spans? Sue Armstrong discusses what she found when writing her book Borrowed Time: The Science of How and Why We Age. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Matt Parker: What happens when maths goes horribly, horribly wrong?
Sums are hard, but imagine the consequences when getting the wrong answer leads to disaster. Comedian and maths whizz Matt Parker explains what happens when rounding errors and miscalculations get the better of our equations. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Why is the magnetic north pole moving? - Ciaran Beggan
The Earth’s magnetic north pole is rocketing towards Siberia at 50 kilometres per year, making the maps of the magnetic field out of date faster than expected. Why is it moving, what does this mean for us, and what can we expect it to do in the future? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Are we facing an insect apocalypse? - Brad Lister
When Professor Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rico to track insect populations, he found he was only catching a fraction of the amount he’d seen 40 years ago. When he analysed what he’d caught, he saw a 98 per cent decline in insects on the ground. What’s causing this huge loss, and what does it mean for the future of our planet? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Is religion compatible with science? - Professor John Lennox
This week, we delve into the complex relationship between science and religion. Why invoke a god to explain the world, the argument goes, when science does a perfectly good job? Professor John Lennox, however, begs to differ. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What does it mean to be happy? - Helen Russell
What does it mean to be happy? The pleasure of doing nothing, the sense of community from performing a haka, or drinking in your pants? Helen Russell, author of The Atlas of Happiness, explains what happiness means to different people around the world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How geology can influence elections - Lewis Dartnell
Astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell is here to talk about how the Earth's ancient geography has influenced the development of human civilisations, and how it still affects our behaviour today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The mindset behind the Moon landing – Richard Wiseman
The men and women of the Apollo program needed a particular mindset to land astronauts on the Moon – Richard Wiseman explains how you can harness this mentality to achieve your own Moon shots. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How technology is changing politics – Jamie Susskind
Jamie Susskind explains how the politics of the future will be shaped by the technology influencing our lives today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
There’s no such thing as Blue Monday - Sir David Spiegelhalter
Statistician and Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge Sir David Spiegelhalter explains the pseudoscience behind Blue Monday, the power of numbers, and how to spot a dodgy stat. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The most mysterious objects in the Universe - Colin Stuart
From 'Oumuamua to Planet Nine, astronomy writer and Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society Colin Stuart counts down the five strangest cosmic enigmas. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.