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.
Similar Podcasts
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Brian Cox and Robin Ince host a witty, irreverent look at the world through scientists' eyes.
In Machines We Trust
A podcast about the automation of everything. Host Jennifer Strong and the team at MIT Technology Review look at what it means to entrust artificial intelligence with our most sensitive decisions.
Conectando Puntos
El podcast semanal en el que damos una vuelta de tuerca a la innovación y conectamos los puntos que unen a la salud y tecnología
What does our skin tell us about ourselves? – Dr Monty Lyman
The largest organ in the body isn’t the lungs or the brain, but the skin. Our skin performs a vast array of functions for us, from protecting us from disease to helping us make friends.Dr Monty Lyman, author of The Remarkable Life of The Skin (£20, Bantam Press), calls skin the ‘Swiss Army Organ’ because of all the tasks it carries out.Monty talks to BBC Science Focus Online assistant Sara Rigby about what the skin is for, why vanity is good for you, and what kind of creatures inhabit our skin.We now have more than 75 episodes of the Science Focus Podcast, each of which is still well worth a listen. Here are a few that you might find interesting:Is an implantable electronic device the future of medicine? – Gordon WallaceWhat is your brain doing while you sleep? – Dr Guy LeschzinerIs the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk? – Professor Catharina SvanborgIs gene editing inspiring or terrifying? – Nessa CareyCan we slow down the ageing process? – Sue ArmstrongIs body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa DiedrichsFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Are Generation Z our only hope for the future? – John Higgs
If you grew up on a steady stream of Hollywood blockbusters filled with killer robots, alien invasions and apocalyptic natural disasters, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the future looks pretty bleak. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be that way.In fact, according John Higgs, a writer who specialises in finding previously unsuspected narratives hidden in obscure corners of our history and culture, the group of adults of school-leaving age might be just the sort of individuals we need if we’re going to avoid the dystopian future science fiction would have us believe inevitable.In his book, The Future Starts Here (£20, Orion), he explains why this Generation Z have inherited a world apparently on the brink of self-destruction, and why their enthusiasm for wider social networks will be key to a brighter future.He speaks to BBC Science Focus Online editor Alexander McNamara about what Star Trek can teach us about generational attitudes, the desire for meaning over stuff, and why life on Mars would be rubbish, and who kicks things off by asking him why he decided to write a book about the future.We now have more than 75 episodes of the Science Focus Podcast, each of which is still well worth a listen. Here are a few that you might find interesting:How can we save our planet? – Sir David AttenboroughThere is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin ReesWhat we got wrong about pandas and teenagersWhat does a world with an ageing population look like? – Sarah HarperCan we really predict when doomsday will happen? – William PoundstoneIs body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa DiedrichsFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Is an implantable electronic device the future of medicine? – Gordon Wallace
Materials scientist Gordon Wallace is the director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at the University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. He is developing the ‘sutrode’, a medical device made from graphene that combines the electrical properties of an electrode with the mechanical properties of a suture.The device is wrapped around damaged or malfunctioning nerve bundles and used to stimulate them and return their regular function. Though still in its early stages, the technology may one day be used to treat epilepsy, schizophrenia, and in the production of next generation prosthetics.He speaks to BBC Science Focus commissioning editor Jason Goodyer in this episode of the Science Focus Podcast.We now have more than 75 episodes of the Science Focus Podcast, each of which is still well worth a listen. Here are a few that you might find interesting:Is the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk? – Professor Catharina SvanborgIs gene editing inspiring or terrifying? – Nessa CareyCan we slow down the ageing process? – Sue ArmstrongWhat is your brain doing while you sleep? – Dr Guy LeschzinerWhat does a world with an ageing population look like? – Sarah HarperIs racism creeping into science? – Angela SainiFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How accurately can we predict the weather? – Andrew Blum
Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast of the United States in October 2012, causing $65bn of damage. Remarkably, weather forecasters managed to predict its impact on the US eight days in advance, when it was barely even a storm.How did forecasts get to be so good? It’s a story that begins with the invention of the telegraph and ends with supercomputers.We talk to Andrew Blum, author of The Weather Machine (£16.99, Bodley Head), about the history of weather forecasting, why we shouldn’t trust the icons on our weather apps, and whether we’ll ever have an accurate minute-by-minute forecast.He speaks to BBC Science Focus online assistant Sara Rigby.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast which we think you will find interesting:What's going on with the weather? – Dann MitchellCould leaving nature to its own devices be the key to meeting the UK’s climate goals? – Mark LynasCan we really predict when doomsday will happen? – William PoundstoneWhat if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-KhaliliWhy is the magnetic north pole moving? – Ciaran BegganAre we facing an insect apocalypse? – Brad ListerFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and FlipboardImage: Actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio stares at a visual showing Hurricane Sandy using data from Goddard Earth Observing System Model © NASA/Goddard/Rebecca Roth See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What happened at Bluedot festival 2019? – Libby Jackson, Tom Shakespeare and Danielle George
In mid-July this year, science and music lovers alike donned their Wellington boots and rain ponchos and made the journey to Jodrell Bank Observatory for the fourth annual Bluedot festival.The star-studded line-up included Helen Sharman; the first British astronaut, Jim Al-Khalili; science writer and author, an incredible 3-D concert experience from Kraftwerk and the post-punk sounds of New Order.We sent BBC Science Focus’ new editorial assistant Amy Barrett to the festival, where she chatted to a few of the speakers at the event. Not bad for your first week in a new job, eh?First up was, Libby Jackson, Human Exploration Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency, who took to the Mission Control stage to talk about the future of space exploration and the UK’s role in that future. While some looked back across the fifty years since the Apollo Moon Landings, she talked to Amy about advances in the space industry, human exploration and the Bluedot experience.Also in attendance at the festival was Tom Shakespeare, professor of disability research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Tom was involved in three events over the weekend, talking assistive technology, the ethics of genetics and being an activist.Finally, back at Jodrell Bank where she began her career, Danielle George brought the invisible Universe to light. She spoke to us about the Lovell Radio Telescope based at Jodrell, new endeavours such as the SKA (Square Kilometre Array telescope project) and what we can learn from looking at our skies.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast which we think you will find interesting:Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on? – Kevin FongWhat asteroids can tell us about our Solar System – Natalie StarkeyIs there anybody out there? – Mike GarrettCould these gloves be the future of music? – Imogen HeapEverything that’s wrong with the human body – Nathan LentsInside the mind of a comedian – Robin InceFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What does a world with an ageing population look like? – Sarah Harper
We can’t reverse the slow march of time, but thanks to the wonders of technology and modern medicine, we have a lot more of it in our lives. But as people live longer, and the birth rate declines, how are we going to manage a world with an ageing population?That one of the questions Sarah Harper, Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford, has been trying to find an answer for.She talks to BBC Science Focus editorial assistant Helen Glenny about how we cope with dramatic shifts in population, what effect it has on natural resources and climate change, and a quirk in our retirement age that suggests we should start drawing our pension aged 103.How Population Change Will Transform Our World by Sarah Harper is available now (£9.99, OUP)Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast which we think you will find interesting:Can we slow down the ageing process? – Sue ArmstrongHow can we save our planet? – Sir David AttenboroughIs religion compatible with science? – John LennoxWhat does it mean to be happy? – Helen RussellThere is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin ReesHow emotions are made – Lisa Feldman BarrettFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What does it mean to be a man? – Gary Barker
In the past few years, traditional male stereotypes have come under increasing scrutiny.These stereotypes often come under the term ‘Toxic masculinity’, which has been widely used to explain certain male actions and characteristics that conform to established gender roles, which do harm to both themselves or the society that they live in.Gary Barker has a PhD in developmental psychology and studies how we raise and socialise boys and men. In the late 1990s he founded Promundo, which carries out global research into men, boys and masculinities, and recently discovered that that in the UK, this these negative stereotypes could be costing the economy an additional £3.8bn a year.He speaks to BBC Science Focus editorial assistant Helen Glenny about why these stereotypes are harmful, and what a new, progressive form of masculinity could look like.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Is racism creeping into science? – Angela SainiIs body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa DiedrichsWhat does it mean to be happy? – Helen RussellIs religion compatible with science? – John LennoxWhy aren’t there more women in science?What makes me ‘me’ – Aoife McLysaghtFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Dr Guy Leschziner: What is your brain doing while you sleep?
For most of us, switching off the light and curling up in a warm, cosy bed is the welcome reward for a good day done (or much-needed respite from a bad one).But not everybody can soak up their allotted hours in joyful slumber before the alarm goes off. In fact, according to the Mental Health Foundation, it is estimated that 20 per cent of adults suffer from some form of insomnia, while many more of us experience issues like sleep walking, sleep apnoea and night terrors.Dr Guy Leschziner is a world-renowned neurologist and sleep physician, whose new book The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience and the Secret World of Sleep (£16.99, Simon & Schuster) attempts to unpick some of the mysteries around what is happening to your body whilst you doze off in the land of Nod.In this podcast, we find out what is happening in our brain while we dream, how to get a better night’s sleep, and whether sleep tech and apps are all they’re all cracked up to be.He speaks to BBC Science Focus Online Editor Alexander McNamara.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:How to get a good night's sleep – Alice GregoryExploding Head Syndrome – Brian SharplessThe neuroscience of happiness – Dean BurnettIs religion compatible with science? – John LennoxWhat it’s really like to die – Dr Kathryn MannixFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What can the father of Gaia theory tell us about our future? - James Lovelock
This week on the Science Focus Podcast, we spend some time with James Lovelock – the visionary scientist and environmental thinker who this month turns 100 years old.James Lovelock is best known as the creator of the Gaia hypothesis, which proposes that our planet and all the life on it functions as a single self-regulating organism.Less well known is that he also developed scientific instruments for NASA missions to Mars; he invented the electron capture detector, with which he became the first person to detect the widespread presence of CFCs in the atmosphere; and he even carried out influential work in cryopreservation, bringing frozen hamsters back to life.James Lloyd, staff writer at BBC Science Focus, visited Lovelock at his Dorset home to look back at his life and achievements.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 Leonardo da Vinci’s scientific legacy so often overlooked? - Martin ClaytonThere is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin ReesCould leaving nature to its own devices be the key to meeting the UK’s climate goals? – Mark LynasAre we facing an insect apocalypse? – Brad ListerAir pollution is killing us, here's how you can stop it – Gary FullerFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Could leaving nature to its own devices be the key to meeting the UK’s climate goals? - Mark Lynas
The UK government’s official climate advisors recently reported that the country’s greenhouse gas emissions must fall to zero by 2050 in order to tackle the growing threat of manmade climate change.However, it seems unlikely that we will be able to reach this target by simply burning less fossil fuel and cutting down on international travel. So what else can be done?Environmental charity Rewilding Britain thinks that the answer is to let large areas of the country return to their pre-agricultural state to restore natural carbon sequestering environments such as peat bogs, heaths and salt marshes.In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast BBC Science Focus commissioning editor Jason Goodyer talks to environmental researcher Mark Lynas about the potential beneficial effects of rewilding.We now have more than 75 episodes of the Science Focus Podcast, each of which is still well worth a listen. Here are a few that you might find interesting:Can science explain everything? – Michael BlastlandWhat if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-KhaliliHow can we save our planet? – Sir David AttenboroughAre we facing an insect apocalypse? – Brad ListerAir pollution is killing us, here’s how you can stop it – Gary FullerThere is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin ReesFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Is there really no such thing as a fish? – Andrew Hunter Murray and Dan Schreiber
We like to think our Science Focus Podcast is something really rather special (really, you should tell all your mates about it). But let’s face it, it pales in comparison to the hugely popular podcast No Such Thing As A Fish, which bagged Apple’s prestigious ‘Best New Podcast’ award in 2014.Numerous awards later, including the 2019 Heinz Oberhummer Award in science communication, they have amassed a whopping 700,000 subscribers for their irreverent podcast about the weird and wacky things they’ve discovered over the past week.We can’t resist the opportunity to get meta and do a science podcast about doing a science podcast, so we sent Online Editor Alexander McNamara to meet two of the show's stars, Andrew Hunter Murray and Dan Schreiber, where they chewed the ‘facts’ about Isaac Newton lecturing to empty theatres, meeting scientists who suggest putting fake eyes on a cow’s backside, and the logistics around building a statue out of sausages.We also put their fact-checking skills to the test with a little quiz pulled from the Q&A section of BBC Science Focus Magazine. Why don’t you play along as well and let us know how you get by tweeting us @sciencefocus.Please remember to rate and review our show wherever you download your podcasts from.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Do you believe in magic? – Gustav KuhnWhat happens when maths goes horribly, horribly wrong? – Matt ParkerWhat does it mean to be happy? – Helen RussellInside the mind of a comedian – Robin InceFinding the fun in science – Dara Ó BriainThis is how to invent everything – Ryan NorthFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Is racism creeping into science? – Angela Saini
After World War II, mainstream science denounced eugenics and the study of racial differences. Yet there remained a staunch group of scientists who continued to research race. For a few decades, these people remained on the fringes of research. Yet now, in the 21st Century, fuelled by a rise in the far right and extremist views, an increasing number of researchers are framing race as a biological construct rather than a social one.Yet even well-meaning scientists continue to use racial categories in genetics and medicine, betraying their belief that there are biological differences between us, and that race can explain differences in intelligence and disease susceptibility.In her new book, Superior, Angela Saini explores the concept of race. She interviews anthropologists, historians, social scientists and geneticists and finds that time after time, the science is retrofitted to accommodate race.Here, she talks to BBC Science Focus production editor Alice Lipscombe-Southwell.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Is body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa DiedrichsIs religion compatible with science? – John LennoxWhat makes me 'me'? – Aoife McLysaghtShould we be worried about sex robots? – Kate DevlinInequality in science – Angela SainiWhy aren't there more women in science?Follow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and FlipboardImage: Nazi officials use callipers to measure an ethnic German's nose. The Nazis developed a system of facial measurement that was supposedly a way of determining racial descent. The compiled results, based on biased samples, were used to back up the Nazi claim that Germans were a pure and superior "Aryan" race © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Can we really predict when doomsday will happen? – William Poundstone
In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we’re going to try to guess when the end of the world will happen.Don’t worry, it’s not as gloomy as it might sound. Those people waving ‘The End is Nigh!’ placards are probably completely wrong about an immanent doomsday… Probably.There is a formula that has circulated for the last 50 years which suggests we can pinpoint the end of something with a reasonable amount of certainty. It has been used to predict any number of things, including successful stock market investments, the run of Broadway shows and even how many Harry Potter books go missing from local libraries.But since the 1990s, it has sparked considerable debate among theorists about when humanity as we know it will come to an end.We ask William Poundstone - whose new book How To Predict Everything (£12.99, Oneworld) explains the history of this enigmatic equation - how long we have left as a species on this planet, whether we can shift the odds in our favour, and how we can predict, well, pretty much everything else.How long do you think we have left, and why? Let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus, and don’t forget to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-KhaliliHow can we save our planet? – Sir David AttenboroughThere is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin ReesThe future of humanity – Michio KakuAre we facing an insect apocalypse? – Brad ListerThis is how to invent everything – Ryan NorthFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Is body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa Diedrichs
We live in a society that values looks, but only if they fit into a restrictive set of ideals regarding size and shape, age, skin colour, as well as many other features of our bodies.The result is an immense pressure to look a certain way. According to a recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation, one in five adults in the UK had experienced shame over their body at some point in the last year.The rise of social media has provided a platform for a rebellion against these ideals in the form of body positivity, which advocates loving your body, even the parts that don’t fit the ideal standards of beauty.So, is loving your body the key to defeating body image issues? Or is it making the problem worse?In this podcast we speak to Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, a psychologist at the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England. She takes us through the importance of a healthy body image and the research into how body positivity could help or harm.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:What psychology can tell us about suicide – Jesse BeringThe neuroscience of happiness – Dean BurnettAre video games good for us? – Pete EtchellsCan we slow down the ageing process? – Sue ArmstrongWhat does it mean to be happy? – Helen RussellThere’s no such thing as Blue Monday – Sir David SpiegelhalterFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on? – Kevin Fong
If you were to picture the Moon landing in your head right now, you could probably conjure up images of Neil Armstrong’s famous first steps, accompanied by his inspirational (and often misquoted) speech, despite it happening many years before most of us were even born. But this remarkable achievement did not come easily, and the decade-long mission culminated in the final nerve wracking 13 minutes it took the Moon lander to arrive safely on the surface. This moment, and the people who contributed to this landmark occasion in our quest to explore space, are the subject of a new BBC podcast series, 13 Minutes To The Moon.We caught up with the show’s host, Kevin Fong, about the show, and he tells us why the Moon landing still inspires us today, what it was like speaking to the people who ran mission control, and where our next Moon shot will be.Remember, if you like what you hear then please rate and review the episode wherever you listen to your podcasts. It really helps get the show out there, which means we can bring you even more interviews with the people at the forefront of science.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:The mindset behind the Moon landing – Richard WisemanWhat asteroids can tell us about our Solar System – Natalie StarkeyWhat NASA's InSight will tell us about Mars – Bruce BanerdtThere is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin ReesThe most mysterious objects in the Universe – Colin StuartWhat if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-KhaliliFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.