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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Marcel Danesi: Why do we want to believe lies?
We all love a good story, and sometimes a lie is more interesting to hear than the truth, but there is more to it than spinning a good yarn.According to Marcel Danesi, linguist and author of the book The Art of the Lie (£11.95, Prometheus Books), throughout history certain ‘Liar Princes’ have perfected the art of lying to gain fame, fortune and notoriety.In this week’s podcast, he explains what makes them so effective at this so-called ‘Machiavellian intelligence’, what happens in the brain when we twist the truth, and why we’re all liars in one way or another.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dean Burnett: What’s going on in the teenage brain?Gretchen McCulloch: How has the internet affected how we communicate?Lewis Dartnell: How geology can influence electionsJamie Susskind: How technology is changing politicsJack Lewis: Sin and why we do the things we shouldn'tTrevor Cox: To become Prime Minister, change your voice See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Dr Becky Smethurst: How do you actually find a black hole?
By day Dr Becky, is an astrophysicist, unravelling the mysteries of supermassive black holes, but by night entertains science buffs like us on her YouTube channel.In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast she explains how to find a black hole (and why they’re actually incredibly bright), what an astrophysicist does all day, and why flooding YouTube with scientists is the best way to counteract disinformation and bogus theories.Her book Space: 10 Things You Should Know (£9.99, Orion), is out now and you can read an extract from it here.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Kathryn D. Sullivan: What is it really like to walk in space?Monica Grady: What is the future of space science?Mark McCaughrean: How do you launch a successful space mission?Kevin Fong: Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on?Bruce Banerdt: What NASA's InSight will tell us about MarsNatalie Starkey" What asteroids can tell us about our Solar System See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Hannah Fry: How much of our lives is secretly underpinned by maths?
Hopefully by now the last crumbs of mince pie will be wiped clean and Grandad has woken up from his Christmas day nap.If you’re anything like us, that period between Christmas and New Year means only one thing – lazing in front of the TV and watching the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. This institution has been sharing the wonders of science and entertaining children and adults alike for generations, and this year’s host hopes this year will be no different.Our editorial assistant Amy Barret sat down with Hannah Fry, only the fourth mathematician to deliver one of the lectures, who’ll be showing the audience how maths secretly underpins much of the world around us in her lecture series called Secrets and Lies, broadcast on BBC Four on 26-28 December at 20:00.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Aoife McLysaght: What makes me 'me'?Adam Kay: Is Christmas really the most wonderful time of the year on labour ward?Chris Lintott: Can members of the public do real science?Jim Al-Khalili: Why should we care about science and scientists?Robert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased?Hannah Fry: What's the deal with algorithms? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Adam Kay: Is Christmas really the most wonderful time of the year on labour ward?
If you’re stuffing your face with mince pies this Christmas Day, spare a thought for the hundreds of thousands of people working in the NHS providing vital medical support over the festive period.One person who has seen his fair share of Christmas shifts is comedian and writer Adam Kay, who in a previous life worked as a junior doctor. His new book, Twas the Nightshift before Christmas (£9.99, Harper Collins), is at times, a graphically intimate diary of what happens on a labour ward over the holidays.Our editorial assistant Amy Barrett spoke to Adam over the phone about whether Christmas is more dangerous than other seasons, some of the issues facing healthcare at this time of the year, and life after medicine.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dean Burnett: What’s going on in the teenage brain?Sarah Harper: What does a world with an ageing population look like?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?Robin Ince: Inside the mind of a comedianDara Ó Briain: Finding the fun in science See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Kathryn D Sullivan: What is it really like to walk in space?
Kathryn D Sullivan made history on 11 October 1984 when she became the first American woman to make an Extravehicular Activity, something most of us will know as a space walk, and in this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, she explains how maybe ‘walk’ isn’t the most appropriate way of describing it.She also reveals the importance of planning over plans, the influence of the Hubble Space Telescope, and whether this year’s news story about spacesuits for women was really as problematic as the headlines suggested.Let us know what you think with a review or a rating 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 McCaughrean: How do you launch a successful space mission?Monica Grady: What is the future of space science?Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on? – Kevin FongThe most mysterious objects in the Universe – Colin StuartGaia Vince: What part does culture play in our evolution?Chris Lintott: Can members of the public do real science? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Brian Switek: How did bones evolve?
Brian Switek, the pen name of science writer and fossil fanatic Riley Black. This year she released a book called The Secret Life of Bones: Their Origins, Evolution and Fate (£9.99, Duckworth), which as well as explaining how and why we evolved bones, explains the relationship us humans have with these sturdy struts of osseous tissue.In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast, she helpfully explains what a bone is and how they turn into fossils, as well as how they revealed Richard III’s diet, were historically used to justify scientific racism, and why Hollywood is getting aliens all wrong.Let us know what you think with a review or a rating 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:Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?Gaia Vince: What part does culture play in our evolution?Angela Saini: Is racism creeping into science?Neil Gemmell: The genetic hunt for the Loch Ness MonsterNathan Lents: Everything that's wrong with the human bodySteve Brusatte: The truth about dinosaurs See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Chris Lintott: Can members of the public do real science?
We’re living in the age of big data. Scientists can collect and store more information than ever before. So how can they manage it all?That’s where citizen science comes in. Members of the public can log in to the Zooniverse, the world’s largest citizen science platform, and do the hard work of sorting through the data.Whether that’s searching for alien planets or spotting penguins, the project’s co-founder Chris Lintott says that the public aren’t just helping out, but doing real science.In his new book, The Crowd and the Cosmos: Adventures in the Zooniverse (£20, OUP), Chris explains how, in just a few minutes in your lunch break, you can contribute to fields from astronomy to zoology.He speaks to BBC Science Focus online assistant Sara Rigby.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Jim Al-Khalili: Why should we care about science and scientists?Randall Munroe: How do you find the worst solution to any problem?Dr Tilly Blyth: How has art influenced science?Does data discriminate against women? – Caroline Criado PerezHow can we save our planet? – Sir David AttenboroughMonica Grady: What is the future of space science? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Dean Burnett: What’s going on in the teenage brain?
Why are teens so emotional? Why won’t they listen when adults depart their worldly knowledge? Why won’t they tidy their rooms?Well, there are plenty of parenting books out there that attempt to answer these questions, but in the new book Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up the Wall and What To Do About It (£8.99, Penguin) by neuroscientist, comedian and science writer Dean Burnett, for the first time, it’s teens who are getting an insight into their parents’ minds.The book is all about reverse parenting, and offers teens an answer to why their parents are always dragging them out of bed, why they’re so obsessed with asking ‘How was school?’ and other common complaints.He speaks to BBC Science Focus editorial assistant Amy Barrett.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies workAre Generation Z our only hope for the future? – John HiggsRandall Munroe: How do you find the worst solution to any problem?What we got wrong about pandas and teenagersHow emotions are made – Lisa Feldman BarrettThe neuroscience of happiness – Dean Burnett See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Randall Munroe: How do you find the worst solution to any problem?
If you need advice for the best way to move house, predict the weather or take a selfie, Randall Munroe, the creator of the webcomic xkcd, can’t help you.But if you’re willing to get creative, Randall’s book How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (£16.99, John Murray Press) will show you the worst ways to solve your problems, with some help from tennis star Serena Williams and astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield along the way.In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, Randall talks to online assistant Sara Rigby about why the worst solution to a problem can be the most interesting.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?Jim Al-Khalili: Why should we care about science and scientists?Dr Tilly Blyth: How has art influenced science?Gretchen McCulloch: How has the internet affected how we communicate?Richard Dawkins: Can we live in a world without religion?Are Generation Z our only hope for the future? – John Higgs See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Gaia Vince: What part does culture play in our evolution?
Some scientists now believe we are living in a new epoch, the age of invention and human influence on the world, called the Anthropocene.In 2014, science journalist and broadcast Gaia Vince took readers on a journey through this new world in her award-winning book, Adventures in the Anthropocene. Documenting the startling impacts of human’s growth on Earth, Gaia opened eyes to the future that we have all but set in stone.Her new book, Transcendence (£20, Allen Lane), looks instead to our past, and how humans have evolved as much through our culture as through our genes. How did Homo sapiens out-live our hominin relatives, and what made us so different from the other primates?Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Richard Dawkins: Can we live in a world without religion?Does data discriminate against women? – Caroline Criado PerezAre Generation Z our only hope for the future? – John HiggsIs racism creeping into science? – Angela SainiWhat does a world with an ageing population look like? – Sarah HarperIs religion compatible with science? – John Lennox See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Jim Al-Khalili: Why should we care about science and scientists?
Every Tuesday morning, physicist and science communicator Jim Al-Khalili presents the long-running radio programme The Life Scientific on BBC Radio 4. On 5 November 2019, the show celebrates its 200th episode, so we caught up with Jim just after recording this landmark show.He talked to us about what it’s like to work on The Life Scientific, he fights the corner for creativity in science, and reveals why research and scientists keep him optimistic about the future.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Dr Tilly Blyth: How has art influenced science?Richard Dawkins: Can we live in a world without religion?Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?Gretchen McCulloch: How has the internet affected how we communicate?Monica Grady: What is the future of space science?Jim Al-Khalili: Why AI is not the enemy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?
In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we hear from renowned travel writer and science communicator, Bill Bryson.Beloved by readers around the world, his works have included Notes from a Small Island, an observation of life in England, and the best-selling science book A Short History of Nearly Everything.His new book is called The Body: A Guide for Occupants (£25, Doubleday), where he turns inward to look at the mechanisms that keep us alive.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:Does data discriminate against women? – Caroline Criado PerezWhat does our skin tell us about ourselves? – Dr Monty LymanIs an implantable electronic device the future of medicine? – Gordon WallaceWhat does a world with an ageing population look like? – Sarah HarperWhat does it mean to be a man? – Gary BarkerIs gene editing inspiring or terrifying? – Nessa Carey See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Gretchen McCulloch: How has the internet affected how we communicate?
Scroll through Facebook or Twitter and you’ll notice that many people type in a particular style: full of lols and emoji, and rarely using punctuation or capital letters.Does this mean that we’re losing the ability to use our language correctly? Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet (£12.99, Penguin Books), says absolutely not: in fact, internet users have collaboratively developed a style of language that makes communication much richer.Here’s Gretchen talking to BBC Science Focus online assistant Sara Rigby about how sarcasm and humour drive our use of language, the value of emoji, and the history of lol.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:To become Prime Minister, change your voice – Trevor CoxDr Tilly Blyth: How has art influenced science?Why ASMR gives you tingles – Emma WhispersRedRobert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased?Monica Grady: What is the future of space science?How do you launch a successful space mission? – Mark McCaughrean See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Robert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased?
In this week’s podcast, we speak Robert Elliott Smith, an expert in evolutionary algorithms and researcher of artificial intelligence.His latest book, Rage Inside the Machine: The Prejudice of Algorithms, and How to Stop the Internet Making Bigots of Us All (£20, Bloomsbury), explores how the harmful effects of bigotry, greed, segregation and mass coercion are finding their way into the AI that runs our lives, without us even realising it.He tells us how powerful algorithms have been manipulated to divide people, why algorithmic bias has a dark history in the field of eugenics, and what we can do to fight back against the insidious influences of social media.Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, OvercastLet us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:What's the deal with algorithms? – Hannah FryDoes data discriminate against women? – Caroline Criado PerezIs racism creeping into science? – Angela SainiWhat happens when maths goes horribly, horribly wrong? – Matt ParkerHow technology is changing politics – Jamie SusskindThere'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.
Monica Grady: What is the future of space science?
Today on the Science Focus Podcast, we’re talking to Professor Monica Grady, planetary and space scientist, ahead of World Space Week.World Space Week runs from 4 to 10 October, and this year’s theme is ‘The Moon: Gateway to the Stars’. Events to celebrate World Space Week are being held in the UK and across the world, including Monica’s talk at the Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh.Monica’s research spans to the Moon and beyond, and Asteroid 4731 is named Monicagrady, in honour of her contributions to the field.Here, she speaks to editorial assistant Amy Barrett about working in the industry and the challenges faced by current and future space scientists.Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:How do you launch a successful space mission? – Mark McCaughreanWhy is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on? – Kevin FongThe mindset behind the Moon landing – Richard WisemanWhat if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-KhaliliThe most mysterious objects in the Universe – Colin StuartWhat NASA’s InSight will tell us about Mars – Bruce BanerdtFollow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.