Instant Genius

We’re no longer living in a world before climate change. Its impacts – from rising sea levels to more extreme weather – are already upon us, and will almost certainly get worse before they get better. But beyond cutting our emissions as fast as possible, what do we need to do to survive, and hopefully thrive, in this new world? 

Today’s guest, researcher and author Susannah Fisher, joins us to explore that question. In her new book Sink or Swim, she lays out two possible futures: one where we fail to adapt and face the mounting chaos, and another where we make the hard choices needed to live in a hotter world. Which one of these we end up with, she says, is up to us.

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Humans’ unique ability to communicate through complex systems of language is one of the key attributes that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom. But how did this complex behaviour arise?

In her latest book, The Origin of Language – How We Learned to Speak and Why, evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman argues that our ability to speak arose due to the need to take care of our children.

She tells us how early human’s anatomy changed dramatically when our ancestors came down from the tress and began walking on two legs, how a quirk of genetics allowed humans to develop such large brains that aided the development of language, and why human’s slow development from helpless infants to functioning members of society gave rise to the need for in-group cooperation and complex modes of communication.

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For thousands of years humans have looked out into the night sky and pondered on the mysteries of the vast cosmos that we find ourselves part of. From Copernicus’ discovery that the Earth revolves around the Sun to Einstein’s revelation that gravity is the result of the curvature of spacetime, we’ve learned much about how the universe operates.

But we’re still only scratching the surface.

In this episode, we speak to Marcus Chown, an award-winning science writer and broadcaster and long-time contributor to BBC Science Focus.

He explains why pinning down the nature of dark matter and dark energy has eluded us for so long, why we can’t get gravity to agree with the three other forces of nature, and discusses the possibility of the existence of multiple universes.

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If most of us were asked what we thought was meant by the word ‘technology’ chances are the first thing that would come to mind are inventions such as cars, medicine and computers.

But economist and author David McWilliams would argue these are all physical technologies and that there’s also a whole world of social technologies out there that have shaped human progress in a similarly profound way that most of us are largely unaware of. Chief amongst these, he says, is the invention of money.

In this episode, we speak to David about his latest book Money – A Story of Humanity. He tells us how the very reason that money has any value at all is based on our collective belief and trust in it as a concept, how money was much more deeply involved in turning points in human history than first meets the eye, and we need to see our relationship with money as an evolutionary process that progresses much like natural selection.

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Dementia doesn’t have to be terrifying. We tend to think of neurocognitive decline as something to be feared and avoided, but as the population ages, more and more of us are being diagnosed with dementia – so it might be helpful to know more about it.

In this episode, we speak to Dr Sabina Brennan, a neuroscientist, psychologist, bestselling author and host of the Super Brain podcast. Her new book, Still Me: a neuroscientist’s guide to caring for someone with dementia, offers practical advice for approaching dementia care in a loving and brain-healthy way.

Sabina tells us about her own experiences caring for her mother, the different ways neurocognitive decline can manifest itself, and how to find joy and fulfilment alongside dementia.

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Every day we all breathe in thousands of litres of air, it is, of course essential for our continued existence. But did you know that the air that surrounds us is filled with a thriving colony of life itself? This is known as the aerobiome – a population of thousands of species of bacteria, fungi and even potentially lethal viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

In this episode, we speak to science journalist and author Carl Zimmer about his latest book Air-Borne – The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe.

He runs us through the fascinating history of aerobiology, outlines the key role the field played in developing the germ theory of disease, and explains how even clouds are filled with life.

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Rapid advances in technology over the past several decades have impacted almost every area of our lives. It could be argued that innovations in medicine and healthcare are one of technology’s biggest success stories. However, many of us are still living in poor health, particularly in our later years. Can technology once again come to our rescue and help us to not only live longer lives but to help us to stay healthier for longer?

In this episode, we speak to technology journalist and author Lara Lewington about her latest book Hacking Humanity: How Technology Can Save Your Health and Your Life.

She tells us how me may soon all have a ‘digital twin’ containing all of the data about our bodies and health that can be used to test the efficacy of drugs before we take them, the increasing role robotics can play in the operating theatre and the huge impact that the AI revolution can have on the future of healthcare.

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Why do some people become radicalised, while others remain resistant to extreme ideas? What makes one mind more vulnerable to harsh doctrines than another? In a world saturated with competing ideologies, it’s tempting to blame it on chance or circumstance. But in her compelling new book, The Ideological Brain, political neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod uncovers a deeper truth: our susceptibility to extremism is shaped by the very architecture of our minds, down to the cellular and genetic level. She explores how our cognitive traits influence ideological thinking, and crucially, why we’re not locked into any one path.

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Be it at school or in the workplace, many of us are under more and more pressure to work harder for longer to ensure that we’re performing at our best. But the latest neuroscience research is discovering that we may all have this idea entirely the wrong way around.

In this episode, we speak to neuroscientist Dr Joseph Jebelli to talk about his latest book The Brain at Rest: Why Doing Nothing Can Change Your Life.

He tells us how overwork is leading to almost 750,000 deaths a year globally, how taking a few minutes to pause and do nothing every now and then can switch on the powerful effect of our brains’ default network, and how simply allowing our minds to wander from time to time can help us to be more creative and more productive.

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Anyone who has studied maths even briefly will no doubt be familiar with the ‘equals’ sign. But there’s much more to this seemingly simple symbol and the concepts that it represents than may first meet the eye.

In this episode, we speak to mathematician and author Dr Eugenia Cheng about her latest book Unequal – The Maths of When Things Do (and Don’t) Add Up.

She tells us why maths doesn’t have to be intimidating, the importance of recognising different viewpoints in maths, and how a gaining a deeper understanding of maths can help us live our daily lives more effectively.

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