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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Matt Parker, Helen Arney and Steve Mould: What links coffee, snowflakes and frogs?
Today‘s podcast episode is a special one, with not one, not two, but three fantastic guests. We’ve teamed up with the three spoken nerds – Matt Parker, Steve Mould and Helen Arney – to bring you an episode of unnecessary details all about… ice.Steve explains how instant coffee is made, Matt gets irate about eight-pointed 'snowfakes' and Helen talks cryonic freezing.To hear more from the three spoken nerds, check out their new Podcast Of Unnecessary Detail.The song was “You And Me And Walt Disney”, produced by Helen Arney and Olly the Octopus and you can download it for free along with all the songs from Unnecessary Detail podcasts at helenarney.bandcamp.comLet 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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Andrew Hunter Murray and Dan Schreiber: Is there really no such thing as a fish?Matt Parker: What happens when maths goes horribly, horribly wrong?Helen Russell: What does it mean to be happy? ?Robin Ince: What's inside the mind of a comedian?Dara Ó Briain: Can you Finding the fun in science?Ryan North: How do you invent everything? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Merlin Sheldrake: How have fungi shaped the world?
The fungal kingdom is vast, and yet much of it remains unknown to us – it’s estimated that only about 6 per cent of all fungal species have, so far, been described.But if fungi are all around us, why do we only know the names of a few? We might use yeast in baking, mushrooms in our cooking, or have been treated with penicillin, but biologist Merlin Sheldrake says there is much more wonder to be found in understanding our fungal friends better.His new book, Entangled Life, reveals the complexity of the fungal world. In it, he describes the fungal networks that connect trees and plants in something called the Wood Wide Web, and explains how fungi were crucial to the creation of the world we see around us today.We spoke to Merlin about this strange and wondrous lifeform.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:The Urban Birder: What wildlife can city-dwellers see?Samantha Alger: What can we do to save the bees?Mark Miodownik: Are biodegradable plastics really better than traditional plastic?Neil 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?Brad Lister: Are we facing an insect apocalypse?Neil Gemmell: The genetic hunt for the Loch Ness Monster See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sue Black: What stories do our skeletons tell?
In today’s episode, we’re chatting to Professor Sue Black, an anatomist and forensic anthropologist. You might’ve seen characters doing her job on television, in shows like NCIS or Silent Witness – although, they’re not quite an accurate portrayal, as you’ll find out.Over the course of her career, Sue has worked with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Nations, helping to identify victims and perpetrators from only sections of their bodies – perhaps a finger found in a bin bag, or the back of an assaulter’s hand caught on film. Her work has taken her to places such as Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq.She talks to us about how science helps her piece together fragmented parts of a human jigsaw. This episode contains some graphic content, including descriptions of criminal acts and dissection, that some listeners might find upsetting.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Brian Switek: How did bones evolve?Mark O'Connell: Transhumanism: using technology to live foreverBill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?Nathan Lents: Everything that's wrong with the human bodyRitu Raman: Can you build with biology?Aleks Krotoski: What happens to your data when you die? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Professor Trevor Cox: Was Stonehenge an ancient acoustic chamber?
For decades, Stonehenge, the mysterious prehistoric circle of stones built on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, has left scientists scratching their heads. Who exactly built it and what was it used for?In the latest attempt to get to the bottom of this mystery, a team of engineers based at the University of Salford have 3D-printed a scale model of the ancient monument in order to investigate the effect its unique structure would’ve had on conversations, rituals, and even music.We spoke to Professor Trevor Cox, the acoustic engineer heading up the study, to find out more.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Trevor Cox: To become Prime Minister, change your voiceNatalie Starkey: What asteroids can tell us about our Solar SystemMike Garrett: Is there anybody out there?Colin Stuart: The most mysterious objects in the UniverseDr Lucy Rogers: What makes a robot a robot?Pete Etchells: Are video games good for us? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Dr Julia Shaw: Why do we do bad things?
Everyone does bad things. We know deep down are wrong, but we do them anyway. Sometimes, people do things so bad that we call them evil.Criminal psychologist Dr Julia Shaw says there’s no such thing as evil. In her book Making Evil, she argues that we should ditch the idea altogether, and try to understand so-called “evil” people.In this week’s episode of the Science Focus Podcast, she talks about psychopaths, mental illness and why we do bad things.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Jack Lewis: Sin and why we do the things we shouldn'tASMR science: are 'brain tingles' more than just a feeling?Jesse Bering: What can psychology tell us about suicide?Pete Etchells: Are video games good for us?Helen Russell: What does it mean to be happy?Gary Barker: What does it mean to be a man? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
James Hamblin: Should we all stop showering?
We know how important good hygiene is. It protects us from viral infections and diseases, but what if, by washing, soaping and scrubbing, we’re actually damaging our health?Dr James Hamblin, journalist and professor of public health, stopped showering five years ago. In his new book, Clean (£16.99, Bodley Head), he reveals how our skin is affected by the products we apply. The overuse of soap and cosmetic products – sold to us with the promise of caring for our skin – might even be causing some of the ailments we’re using them to try to treat.It hasn’t always been this way. Historically, humans have gone from seeing bathing as something vaguely sinful and reserved for the wealthy, to a daily necessity that, if neglected, is a huge social blunder.According to James, it’s time for a whole new perspective on cleaning. One that starts with a personal reflection of our relationship with our body.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dr Monty Lyman: What does our skin tell us about ourselves?Phillippa Diedrichs: Is body positivity the answer to body image issues?Dean Burnett: The neuroscience of happinessPete Etchells: Are video games good for us?Sue Armstrong: Can we slow down the ageing process?Helen Russell: What does it mean to be happy? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Katie Mack: How will the Universe end?
The end of the Universe may be a common feature in science fiction, but this one isn’t a crisis that can be averted by a team of superheroes. The Universe really will come to an end one way or another, and we have an idea how – five ideas, actually.In this week’s episode of the Science Focus Podcast, astrophysicist Dr Katie Mack talks to us about the future of the cosmos. She dives into these five possible apocalypses, from the Universe gradually fading out to the ‘quantum bubble of death’.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dr Jacob Bleacher: Why do we need to go back to the Moon?Colin Stuart: The most mysterious objects in the UniverseProfessor Fay Dowker: What is the problem of quantum gravity?Dr Erin Macdonald: Is there science in Star Trek?Dr Becky Smethurst: How do you actually find a black hole?Mark McCaughrean: How do you launch a successful space mission? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Rana el Kaliouby: What if computers could read our emotions?
For many, the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown restrictions has isolated us from the people we love, reducing our social life to screens and Zoom meetings. But even with the added visual, communicating online still isn’t as straightforward as being in-person. It can feel like jokes fall flat when everyone has their microphone off, and the jittering of poor signal can make anyone’s face hard to read.But what if our computers could read and respond to our emotions? If the engagement of a virtual meeting could be shown on-screen to generate a buzz like the one of a live audience?That’s just one possibility of a future with emotionally intelligent machines. Researcher and CEO Rana el Kaliouby believes that by teaching computers to read facial expressions, they could detect early signs of Parkinson’s, prevent drivers from getting behind the wheel when tired, or help teachers design educational programmes that keep kids engaged.Rana speaks to us about making machines empathetic, being named by Forbes as one of America's top 50 women in tech, and how her research into human emotions has affected her personal life.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead the full transcriptionThis podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Jim Al-Khalili: Why AI is not the enemyLisa Feldman Barrett: How emotions are madeAleks Krotoski: What happens to your data when you die?Jim Davies: How do you use your imagination?Caroline Criado Perez: Does data discriminate against women?Robert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Dr Rachel Brown: Why are some COVID-19 patients suffering from neurological complications?
A recent study carried out at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCLH, on confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients has found neurological complications of the virus can, in some rare cases include delirium, brain inflammation, stroke and nerve damage.We spoke to Dr Rachel Brown, an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellow involved with the study to find out more.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastRead an edited version of the interview belowThis podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Project Discovery: Could computer games help find a cure for COVID-19?Elisa Raffaella Ferrè: What happens to the brain in space?Sandro Galea: What is the difference between health and medicine?Nessa Carey: Is gene editing inspiring or terrifying?Dean Burnett: What’s going on in the teenage brain?Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?COVID-19 could cause delirium, brain inflammation and strokeA study carried out on a small number of confirmed or suspected Covid-19 patients at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery has linked the coronavirus to a number of neurological conditions.Can you tell us about your research?COVID-19 is still predominantly a respiratory illness, but in a small subset of patients we’ve been seeing neurological symptoms and syndromes.Some of the early studies from Wuhan showed that around a third of patients were having neurological symptoms. In those early descriptions a lot of the symptoms that people were describing included things like headache and dizziness, loss of smell and things that could just really be attributed to viral illness.As we gained more experience, we noticed other cases appearing that looked a little bit different. We have information from... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The Urban Birder: What wildlife can city-dwellers see?
Many of us have found solace in nature over the last few months, relishing our time outdoors, especially when it was limited to one form of exercise a day. A recent report by the RSPB found that people see access to nature as being important for health and wellbeing during and in recovery from the coronavirus crisis.One man who has always been connected to the natural world is David Lindo. Known by most as the Urban Birder, David is a champion for the wellbeing benefits of wildlife, encouraging us all to get outside and see what we can find, be it in the garden, the city, or the countryside.In this week’s episode of the Science Focus Podcast, David tells us about the human benefits of biodiversity, the need for conservation education, and diversity within the birding community.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Samantha Alger: What can we do to save the bees?Mark Miodownik: Are biodegradable plastics really better than traditional plastic?Neil 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?Andrew Hunter Murray and Dan Schreiber: Is there really no such thing as a fish?Brad Lister: Are we facing an insect apocalypse? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Dr Michael Mosley: Why is sleep so important?
If, like us, you love to read a good science book, (and thanks to this podcast we’ve read a fair few over the years), you’ll probably recognise the feeling of having more questions about its subject at the end of the book than before you even turned page one.It’s because of this that we decided to launch the Science Focus Book Club, where we pick out what we think is an excellent, thought provoking science book and ask your questions to its author.You can sign up for the newsletter to find out which book is coming up next, but to give you a taster, in May, our legion of science book fans read Fast Asleep, by Science Focus columnist and BBC presenter Dr Michael Mosley.In this week’s podcast we’ve selected a few of our favourite Q&As where he explains everything you need to know about sleep; from what it is, why we need it and how to get more of 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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dr Guy Leschziner: What is your brain doing while you sleep?Alice Gregory: How to get a good night's sleepBrian Sharpless: Exploding Head SyndromeDean Burnett: The neuroscience of happinessJohn Lennox: Is religion compatible with science?Emma WhispersRed: Why ASMR gives you tingles See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Ritu Raman: Can you build with biology?
If I asked you to build a robot, the first materials you would probably reach for would be some metal bits and plastic bobs.However, mechanical engineer Ritu Raman designs machines made with biological material, and has created all manner of wonderful machines, including a walking robot made with muscle tissue.In this week’s episode of the Science Focus Podcast, she tells us about how to integrate biology into engineering and what these remarkable devices can do that traditional machines can’t.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Sonia Contera: How will nanotechnology revolutionise medicine?Sandro Galea: What is the difference between health and medicine?Gordon Wallace: Is an implantable electronic device the future of medicine?Professor Catharina Svanborg: Is the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk?Nessa Carey: Is gene editing inspiring or terrifying?Dr Lucy Rogers: What makes a robot a robot? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Project Discovery: Could computer games help find a cure for COVID-19?
In a previous episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we discovered how a team of scientists harnessed the combined power of hundreds of thousands of players of the massively multiplayer online game Eve Online to help in the search for exoplanets.Now, the next phase of this programme, called Project Discovery, is turning its sights from the stars to the coronavirus pandemic.This week we speak to scientists Ryan Brinkman and Jerome Waldispuhl, and Project Discovery’s creator Atilla Szantner about why they intend to turn gamers into citizen scientists to help find a cure for COVID-19.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 transcriptionThis podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Sonia Contera: How will nanotechnology revolutionise medicine?Chris Lintott: Can members of the public do real science?Dr Erin Macdonald: Is there science in Star Trek?Jim Al-Khalili: Why should we care about science and scientists?Dr Tilly Blyth: How has art influenced science?John Higgs: Are Generation Z our only hope for the future? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Dr Jacob Bleacher: Why do we need to go back to the Moon?
In 1969, Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people ever to walk on the Moon, a feat over the next three and a half years only 10 other space explorers would go on to achieve.Now it has taken nearly 50 years, but NASA once again has ambitions to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024.The Artemis Program is a wide-reaching effort by numerous space agencies and led by NASA, with ambitions to not only put human feet on the lunar surface but to build a permanent base there, with a lunar space station in orbit around the Moon.To find out more, this week we speak to Dr Jacob Bleacher, Chief Exploration Scientist for human exploration at NASA, about how we are going to get there, what effect deep space will have on the astronauts, and why now is the time to go back to the Moon.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 transcriptionThis podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Elisa Raffaella Ferrè: What happens to the brain in space?Everything You Wanted To Know About… Physics with Jim Al-KhaliliDr Erin Macdonald: Is there science in Star Trek?Kevin Fong: What happened to Apollo... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Subhadra Das: What part has science played in racism?
Not so long ago, English scientists believed that they could study differences between people and that certain ethnicities were ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than others – of course, white Europeans were put at the top of any list.In the 19th Century, anthropologist and statistician Francis Galton took this even further when he coined the term ‘eugenics’, the idea that science could better the human race by promoting the spread of certain genes, deemed ‘good’, and by halting the distribution of those deemed bad.While these Victorian ideas have since been refuted and discarded by the scientific community, there are those in society that turn to race science in an attempt to justify their bigotry and racism.Subhadra Das has spent the last eight years as a museum curator for the science collections at University College London, specialising in the history of scientific racism and the history of eugenics.She tells us how Francis Galton’s idea spread through Victorian society, and why it’s important to understand science’s racist history in order for us to move forward.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 [this will open in a new window]This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Adam Rutherford: Can science ever be rid of racism?Pragya Agarwal: When does bias become prejudice?Robert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased?Caroline Criado Perez: Does data discriminate against women?Angela Saini: Is racism creeping into science? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.