Start the Week

Blood, guts and swearing robots


Listen Later

Victorian hospitals were known as 'houses of death' and their surgeons, who never washed their hands, were praised for their brute strength and speed. Lindsey Fitzharris tells Andrew Marr about the pioneering British surgeon Joseph Lister who transformed his profession. Anaesthesia was discovered in the 1840s but Professor Lesley Colvin says we're still learning about the complex relationship between the brain and the perception of pain, as well as understanding the potential harm of the increased use of strong opiates. Pain is common to all humans, but could - and should - robots feel pain? This is the question Dr Beth Singler poses in a new film exploring the limits of Artificial Intelligence. And if they are programmed to feel pain, should they also be taught to swear? Dr Emma Byrne looks at the science of bad language and why it can also be harnessed to reduce pain.

Producer: Katy Hickman.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Start the WeekBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

152 ratings


More shows like Start the Week

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,406 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

383 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,852 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

135 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,829 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

288 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

310 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

105 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

492 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,764 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,068 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

900 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

277 Listeners

A Point of View by BBC Radio 4

A Point of View

74 Listeners

The Reith Lectures by BBC Radio 4

The Reith Lectures

152 Listeners

Books and Authors by BBC Radio 4

Books and Authors

380 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,973 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,063 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,895 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

245 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

76 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

80 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

779 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,026 Listeners