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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The bizarre biology of the mantis shrimp
What is your favourite animal? If you know anything about the mantis shrimp, it might well be your top pick. Dwelling in shallow tropical waters, these mysterious predators not only wield one of the strongest punches in nature, but also a one-of-a-kind visual system that scientists are only just making sense of.One of these scientists is Dr Martin How from the University of Bristol. He joins us on this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast to reveal more about mantis shrimp and their remarkable abilities.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Everything you ever wanted to know about… the deep sea with Dr Jon CopleyAndrew Hunter Murray and Dan Schreiber: Is there really no such thing as a fish?Brad Lister: Are we facing an insect apocalypse?Neil Gemmell: The genetic hunt for the Loch Ness MonsterNeil Shubin: How do big changes in evolution happen?Mark Lynas: Could leaving nature to its own devices be the key to meeting the UK’s climate goals? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The creator of Bellingcat on using the internet to investigate global affairs
In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we speak to Elliot Higgins, the founder of Bellingcat. If you haven’t heard that name before, then you might be surprised to know that Bellingcat is behind some of the biggest news revelations of the decade.They use social media and information freely available online to carry out what they call open source investigation.Their work has uncovered the use of chemical weapons in Syria, identified suspects in the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury and identified the people responsible for downing flight MH17 over Ukraine.Eliot speaks to editor Dan Bennett about his new book, We Are Bellingcat (£20, Bloomsbury), which tells the story of how a group of amateur hobbyists ended up taking on Russian spies.Read an edited excerpt of this interviewLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dr Julia Shaw: Why do we do bad things?Marcel Danesi: Why do we want to believe lies?Project Discovery: Could computer games help find a cure for COVID-19?Chris Lintott: Can members of the public do real science?Lara Martin: Meet the computer scientist teaching an AI to play Dungeons and DragonsRana el Kaliouby: What if computers could read our emotions? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Prof Avi Loeb on what 'Oumuamua tells us about the problem with modern physics
In 2017, the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted an interstellar object passing by Earth for the first time. Shortly after, Harvard’s Prof Avi Loeb was met with a backlash from the scientific community for suggesting it could be of alien origin.Now, several years on, he has written a book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, outlining why we still can’t out rule the possibility, and why scientists should always keep an open mind.We speak to Avi on this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast. He tells us why he believes the object, 'Oumuamua, was of alien origin, and what problems this reveals about the way modern physics is conducted.Read an edited excerpt of this interviewLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dr Douglas Vakoch: Should we try to contact aliens?Bergur Finnbogason: Project Discovery and its search for exoplanetsDr Erin Macdonald: Is there science in Star Trek?What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-KhaliliBuilding a base on the Moon, and crafting believable sci-fi – Andy WeirDr Becky Smethurst: How do you actually find a black hole? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Meet the computer scientist teaching an AI to play Dungeons and Dragons
Many of us have had a one-to-one interaction with artificial intelligence. Whether that’s through an automated chat service for customer service, or trying our hand at beating an AI built to play chess. But these experiences aren’t flawless, they’re not as smooth as our interactions with other human beings.One researcher trying to improve the language abilities of AI is Lara Martin, a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania. More specifically, Lara is trying teach AI to tell stories.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Rana el Kaliouby: What if computers could read our emotions?Aleks Krotoski: What happens to your data when you die?Robert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased?Pete Etchells: Are video games good for us?Jamie Susskind: How technology is changing politicsJim Al-Khalili: Why AI is not the enemy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
International Women’s Day: The forgotten female scientists of history
Today is International Women’s Day, and in this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, online assistant Sara Rigby talks to science historians Anna Reser and Leila McNeill, authors of Forces of Nature: The Women who Changed Science (£20, Frances Lincoln).They tell us about the women who engaged in science throughout history but don’t always get remembered – the midwives, the astronomers, and the wives and sisters.Read an edited excerpt from the interviewLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Why aren't there more women in science?Angela Saini: Inequality in scienceCaroline Criado Perez: Does data discriminate against women?Kathryn D. Sullivan: What is it really like to walk in space?Subhadra Das: What part has science played in racism?Kevin Fong: What happened to Apollo 13? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How to maximise your motivation, according to a neuroscientist
As the UK enters its 13th month of lockdown restrictions and home-working, many surveys cite a slump in mental wellbeing and general productivity.But are there any scientific ways we can maximise our motivation and prevent procrastination?In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, neuroscientist Dr Gabija Toleikyte, author of Why the F*ck Can't I Change, tells us all about it.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Why you can’t multitask (and why that’s a good thing)Dean Burnett: The neuroscience of happinessDaniel Freeman: How virtual reality is helping patients with phobias, anxiety disorders and moreAnthony David: Why is there still such stigma around mental health?Pete Etchells: Are video games good for us?Sandro Galea: What is the difference between health and medicine?Helen Russell: What does it mean to be happy? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Inside the February issue with the BBC Science Focus team
In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we chat through the February 2021 issue of the magazine, which is on sale now.Managing editor Alice Lipscombe-Southwell opens the episode by telling us why it's so important artificial intelligence learns how to tell stories.Next up is editor Dan Bennett, who tells us about the world’s first airport for drones and flying cars, which is opening in Coventry, UK.Finally, commissioning editor Jason Goodyer tells about the latest developments in the study of dark matter.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastListen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Hannah Fry: How much of our lives is secretly underpinned by maths?Robert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased?Bergur Finnbogason: Project Discovery and its search for exoplanetsRitu Raman: Can you build with biology?Robin Ince: Inside the mind of a comedianFinding the fun in science – Dara Ó Briain See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mental health and your brain: What happens when it goes wrong
In the UK, one in four people experience a mental health problem each year. The reality of living with common problems like depression and anxiety is increasingly well-known.But how much do you actually know about what’s going on in your brain when your mental health suffers?Neuroscientist Dean Burnett, author of the new book Psycho-logical, tells us all about it on this episode of the Science Focus Podcast.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastListen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dean Burnett: What’s going on in the teenage brain?The neuroscience of happiness – Dean BurnettProf John Drury: The psychology of lockdownsHow virtual reality is helping patients with phobias, anxiety disorders and moreElisa Raffaella Ferrè: What happens to the brain in space?Dr Guy Leschziner: What is your brain doing while you sleep? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Why rewilding success stories make us hopeful for the future
There are few places left on Earth that have been untouched by humans, and biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate.Luckily, there are ambitious rewilding programmes around the world that aim to fix this by returning land to nature.In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we speak to Dr Andrea Perino, a scientist from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and an expert on rewilding. She tells us about the benefits of rewilding, whether it's acres of forest or just a tiny patch in your back garden.Read more about rewildingLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastListen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Mark Lynas: Could leaving nature to its own devices be the key to meeting the UK’s climate goals?Merlin Sheldrake: How have fungi shaped the world?Samantha Alger: What can we do to save the bees?Ross Barnett: Why should we be interested in prehistoric animals that aren’t dinosaurs?Sir David Attenborough: How can we save our planet?Brad Lister: Are we facing an insect apocalypse? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The psychology of the sea shanty: Why work songs are such earworms
2021 has got off to a strange start, with a surprising trend sweeping the internet: sea shanties. This ancient genre of music has exploded in popularity in recent weeks, thanks to people on social media singing them, sharing them and adding their own twists.In fact, they’ve become so popular that Bristol-based shanty band The Longest Johns have entered the top 40 in the UK singles chart.Naturally, we here at BBC Science Focus wanted to know what it was about sea shanties that makes them so catchy. So this week, we spoke to Professor Catherine Loveday of the University of Westminster. She’s a neuropsychologist who specialises in music.Read more about the science of sea shantiesLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Could these gloves be the future of music? – Imogen HeapThe neuroscience of happiness – Dean BurnettDr Pete Etchells: Do video games encourage gambling behaviour?Why you can’t multitask (and why that’s a good thing)Phobias, paranoia and PTSD: Why virtual reality therapy is the frontier of mental health treatmentHow a scientist used viruses to save her husband’s life from a superbug See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Team talk: Beating pandemic burnout, the seasons of you and a daring giraffe rescue
In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we chat through the January 2021 issue of the magazine, which is on sale now.Editor Dan Bennett opens the episode by talking about new research that suggests that rather than following a pattern of spring, summer, autumn and winter, our bodies may have their own seasonal fluctuations that don’t match the calendar.Next up is managing editor Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, who tells us about how we can beat the pandemic burnout.Finally, commissioning editor Jason Goodyer tells the story of a daring rescue of endangered giraffes from an island where food is slowly running out.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:End of year roundup: The non-COVID science that brought us joy in 2020Inside the December issue with the BBC Science Focus teamThe Science Focus team: What’s inside November’s issue?Why you can’t multitask (and why that’s a good thing)Prof John Drury: The psychology of lockdownsHow a scientist used viruses to save her husband’s life from a superbug See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Why you can’t multitask (and why that’s a good thing)
Humans' ability to turn thoughts into actions has enabled us to change the world. But we've never been great at getting two things done at once.Understanding how our brain helps us achieve our goals through something called executive function, or cognitive control, can explain why we're so bad at multitasking.According to neuroscientist Prof David Badre, when we're armed with this knowledge we can begin to work together to become a better society. Badre's new book, On Task (£25, Princeton University Press) explains the mechanisms behind cognitive control.In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast we speak to Badre to find out more about how our brains work.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dean Burnett: The neuroscience of happinessDaniel Freeman: How virtual reality is helping patients with phobias, anxiety disorders and moreAnthony David: Why is there still such stigma around mental health?Pete Etchells: Are video games good for us?Sandro Galea: What is the difference between health and medicine?Helen Russell: What does it mean to be happy?Gordon Wallace: Is an implantable electronic device the future of medicine? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How virtual reality is helping patients with phobias, anxiety disorders and more
In the New Year issue, we cover the biggest ideas that you need to understand in 2021, and in the past few episodes of the podcast we’ve been talking to the experts who will explain these ideas in their own words.For the next in the series, we speak to Daniel Freeman, a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. Daniel has been working with VR technology since 2001 and is a founder of Oxford VR, a University of Oxford spinout company.He tells us about using virtual reality to treat mental health problems.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Anthony David: Why is there still such stigma around mental health?Pete Etchells: Are video games good for us?Sandro Galea: What is the difference between health and medicine?Helen Russell: What does it mean to be happy?Gordon Wallace: Is an implantable electronic device the future of medicine?Dean Burnett: The neuroscience of happinessDr Lucy Rogers: What makes a robot a robot? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How a scientist used viruses to save her husband’s life from a superbug
In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we're joined by AIDS researcher Professor Steffanie Strathdee.In 2015, Strathdee's husband was infected by superbug that was resistant to every antibiotic that the doctors could throw at it, but she was able to save his life with an experimental treatment made of viruses found in sewage.In the New Year issue of BBC Science Focus Magazine, we cover the biggest ideas that you need to understand in 2021. This episode is one of a series in which we talk to the experts who will explain these ideas in their own words.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastListen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Marcus Chown: Does the Big Bang really explain our Universe?Sonia Contera: How will nanotechnology revolutionise medicine?Professor Catharina Svanborg: Is the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk?Brian Switek: How did bones evolve?Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?Dr Monty Lyman: What does our skin tell us about ourselves? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Marcus Chown: Does the Big Bang really explain our Universe?
In the New Year issue of BBC Science Focus Magazine, we cover the biggest ideas that you need to understand in 2021. Over the next few episodes of the Science Focus Podcast, we’ll be talking to the experts who will explain these ideas in their own words.In this episode, we talk to science writer Marcus Chown, who tells us all about the major problems in our current understanding of cosmology. We discuss the Big Bang, dark matter, inflation, and what we still don't know about the formation of our Universe.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastListen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Katie Mack: How will the Universe end?Dr Douglas Vakoch: Should we try to contact aliens?Dr Jacob Bleacher: Why do we need to go back to the Moon?Elisa Raffaella Ferrè: What happens to the brain in space?Dr Erin Macdonald: Is there science in Star Trek?Kathryn D. Sullivan: What is it really like to walk in space? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.