One in three people born today will develop dementia of some form in their lifetimes. Of these, around 60 per cent will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Currently, there is no cure for this debilitating condition but by raising awareness we can help to reduce its impact until the many researchers working around the world develop more effective treatments.

In this episode, which coincides with this year’s Dementia Action Week, we speak to Dr Richard Oakley, Head of Research at the Alzheimer’s Society.

He tells us what happens in the brain as Alzheimer’s disease develops, points out some early warning signs to look out for and talks us through some of the latest breakthroughs that may one day help us beat dementia once and for all.

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Although we can’t see them with the naked eye, the Earth is populated by vast numbers of tiny living organisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Collectively, these organisms are known as microbes, and they have existed on the planet for billions of years.

But what role did they play in the origin of complex life, how have they stuck around for so long and how can they help us shape a healthier future for the planet?

In this episode, we speak to science writer and author Peter Forbes about his latest book Thinking Small and Large: How Microbes Made and Can Save Our World.

He tells us the role microbes played in the evolution of multicellular life, their deep importance to the world’s ecosystems and how they may help us to produce the food, fuel and materials of the future.

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Be it a pair of wolves that mate for life, a pod of female dolphins that hunt together, or a large colony of honeybees all working together in a hive, the natural world is filled with relationships of all kinds. But some relationships run deeper than others, even to the extent that certain species literally make their homes inside the bodies of others. This is an example of a symbiotic relationship – a long-term bond that exists between organisms of different species.

In this episode, we speak to science writer Sophie Pavelle about her new book To Have or to Hold: Nature’s Hidden Relationships.

She tells us how far from being rare, symbiotic relationships occur practically everywhere in the natural world, how they come in a dizzying array of different forms, and how the fine balance underpinning these relationships that has formed over thousands of years is coming under threat from human activity and climate change.

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The history of the Earth is littered with dramatic events that have shaped the planet itself and the lives of the human beings who live on it in profound ways. Be it floods, famine or disease pandemics. Human beings have so far survived. But what in modern times can we learn from these past catastrophes?

In this episode, we speak to author Lizzie Wade about her latest book Apocalypse: How Catastrophe Transformed Our World and Can Forge New Futures.

She tells us how even though Neanderthals died out many years ago they still live on in human DNA, how ancient civilisations that once thrived fell but their culture persists to this day and how the story of the human race is far from finished.

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It’s commonly believed that the arts and the sciences have little in common with each other. The distinction that’s most frequently made is that the arts are creative in nature whereas the sciences are logical. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

In this episode, we catch up with mathematician and author Marcus du Sautoy to talk about his latest book Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity.

He tells us how, fundamentally, mathematics is the study of patterns, structure and symmetry, how these patterns are found everywhere in music, visual art and architecture, and why we should be teaching students how to spot them in their everyday lives.

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When think about climate change, we may think about global temperatures escalating, extreme weather events occurring more and more and sea levels rising. But what effect is all of this actually having on the everyday lives of the world’s population, especially those that are most vulnerable?

In this episode, we speak to Dr Friederike Otto about her latest book Climate Injustice: Why We Need to Fight Global Inequality to Combat Climate Change.

She tells us how facts and evidence and are vital if we want to combat the effects of climate change on the world’s poorest populations, how the historical effects of inequality are deeply ingrained in the issue, and why the future doesn’t have to be as bleak as some may say.

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Everywhere we look we’re surrounded by materials of all kinds – from the fabrics we use to make our clothing, to the bricks and mortar we use to build our homes and places of work, to the complex transistors and circuits we use to build our digital devices. Life as we known it simply wouldn’t be possible without them. But what will the materials of the future look like?

In this episode, we catch up with Mark Miodownik, professor of materials and society based at University College London, best-selling author and veteran presenter of many BBC television and radio science documentaries.

He tells us how the advent of materials such as paper, bronze and ceramics transformed early humans into a truly technological species, how nano-machines are already showing promising results in several areas of medicine, and how we may one day be living in buildings that can generate their own electricity and repair themselves.

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Like it or not, Earth won’t be our home forever. Whether it’s climate collapse, nuclear war, or the slow death of the Sun, life on this planet is on borrowed time. So, what happens next? If we’re serious about avoiding extinction, we’ll need to look not just beyond Earth – but far beyond our Solar System.

Our guest today believes we not only can do that, but that we must. Christopher Mason is a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine and author of The Next 500 Years: Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds. In the book, he argues that as the only species aware of life’s inevitable end, we have a moral duty to preserve it – not just our own, but all life on Earth. To do that, we’ll need to radically rethink what it means to be human. Because as things stand, our bodies are far too fragile to survive the journey.

Chris lays out an ambitious 500-year plan to reengineer human biology, making us more resilient to space travel and alien environments — and he maps out how we might go about seeding life across the stars.

So, is humanity ready to become an interstellar species? And where on Earth – or off it – do we begin?

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Millions of people around the globe pop a daily pill or live with pieces of metal or plastic inside their bodies, all to avoid getting pregnant. But while we know our contraception works, many of us don’t know much else about it.

In this episode, we speak to Kate Muir, a woman’s health expert, documentary maker, journalist and author, whose book about hormonal contraception – Everything You Need to Know About the Pill (but were too afraid to ask) – inspired this conversation.

She tells us about what the different forms of contraception contain, how they work, how they might be affecting our minds and bodies – and what the future of baby-prevention might look like, for everyone involved.

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Every day we’re presented with hundreds if not thousands of decisions: What do we want for breakfast? Should we call our mothers or spend time with our friends? Should we go out for a workout or watch TV and eat snacks?

Of course, some of the choices we make are more significant than others and can have huge impacts on our lives. But what do these decisions say about us and how can we try to make better choices?

In this episode, we catch up with neuroscientist and professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania Emily Falk to talk about her latest book What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change.

She tells us how certain regions of our brains are involved in the many decisions we make, how we weigh up short and long-term rewards, and how we can all make more thoughtful choices that align with our goals if we just make a few tweaks to our behaviour.

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