Instant Genius

Currently, 60 per cent of people in the UK are overweight or obese. It’s likely that many of us would like to drop a few pounds if possible but with so much information on diet and weight loss available separating facts from myths can be something of a minefield.

In this episode, we speak to Prof Giles Yeo, a geneticist and obesity expert based at the University of Cambridge.

He tells us exactly how our bodies extract calories from the food we eat, the real effect that exercise has on our weight, and how the reward pathways in our brains are linked to our appetites.

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Be it a brief power nap to help perk us up, a Sunday afternoon kip after a big lunch, or a traditional daily Spanish siesta, many of us put our heads down for a short period during the day. But where does this habit come from and is it actually good for our health?

In this episode, part of our four-part Better Sleep miniseries, we speak to Valentina Paz, a psychologist based at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay and University College London.

She tells us how taking naps can help to boost our attention and energy, what the ideal time for a nap actually is, and speaks about her research on the long-term protective effects that napping can have on our brains.

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Many of us listen to music or play an instrument for pleasure thanks to the unique effect it has on our emotions. But what exactly is going on in our bodies and brains when we listen to or play music, and can we harness the profound effects it has on us to improve our health and wellbeing?

In this episode, we speak to neuroscientist, musician and author Stefan Koelsch about his latest book Good Vibrations: Unlocking the Healing Power of Music.

He explains exactly what’s happening in our brains when we listen to music, how playing music can help to keep our brains young, and how new research is uncovering the powerful ways in which music can help stroke patients regain their speech and mobility, reduce the amount of anaesthetics needed during surgeries and how music’s ability to bring us together can help us to lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

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Over the past several decades it’s become abundantly clear that getting a good night’s sleep is essential for our health and wellbeing. However, currently around one in three of us often struggle to get enough shuteye thanks to the stress and anxiety caused by our hectic lifestyles. Thankfully, help is out there in the form of cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT.

In this episode, part of our four-part Better Sleep miniseries, we speak to founder of The Insomnia Clinic and Silentnight sleep expert, Kathryn Pinkham.

She tells us exactly what a good night’s sleep looks like, how developing a healthy sleep appetite is vital if we want to wake up feeling fresh and renewed in the morning and shares some psychological techniques we can use to help us sleep more restfully.

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How do our brains help us build up a picture of the world around us? It’s a question that has both beguiled and fascinated scientists for centuries. The latest thinking suggests that the brain acts like a scientist that builds up a database of previous observations and experiences and uses this to make sense of the world around us.

In this episode, we speak to Daniel Yon, an experimental psychologist based at Birkbeck, University of London to talk about his latest book A Trick of the Mind: How the Brain Invents Your Reality.

He tells us about the intimate link between our brains and senses, how our brains create our sense of self and make judgements about others, and how our brains come up with new theories and ideas.

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More than four in ten of us in the UK are snorers. Far from being a trivial condition, snoring can have a significant impact on our ability to sleep, our partners’ ability to sleep and our health in general.

In this episode, part of our four-part Better Sleep miniseries, we speak to Ryan Chin Taw Cheong, a consultant ear, nose and throat and sleep surgeon based at University College London Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic London.

He tells us about the many factors that can lead to us snoring, the difference between regular snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea, and why we shouldn’t be embarrassed to seek medical help if breathing problems during sleep are affecting our lives.

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Humans are enthralled by stories about murder. And the mysteries we tell these days – like in the Glass Onion films or TV shows like The Residence – often follow a blueprint set by the iconic Agatha Christie. It turns out, Christie knew a whole lot about science.

In this episode, we speak to Dr Kathryn Harkup, a chemist who writes about the science behind famous works of literature. Her newest book, V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death, is her sequel to A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie, exploring Christie’s expert use of dark chemistry.

She tells us about some of the poisons Christie used in her books – the brutal, the medicinal and the obscure – revealing Christie’s extensive chemical knowledge.

But be warned: this conversation gets quite dark. Listener discretion is advised.

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We humans spend roughly one third of our time sleeping. For the average person this adds up to around 26 years over our lifetimes. And though to the outside observer it may seem that there’s little going on, several processes are being carried out by our bodies and brains that are vital for our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, part of our four-part Better Sleep miniseries, we speak to Dr Alessio Delogu, a neurobiologist based at King’s College, London, about the intimate link between sleep our memory.

He tells how memories are encoded in our brains during sleep, how sleep deprivation hampers our ability to learn new skills, and shares some tips to help us keep our memory systems working in tiptop condition.

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It’s a little-known fact that we all have two long networks of nerves that run down either side of our necks that pass signals from our brains to all of the organs in our bodies. This is known as the vagus nerve, and cutting-edge research is now uncovering how stimulating this vital part of our anatomy can help us combat a whole range of damaging health conditions.

In this episode, we speak to neurosurgeon and researcher Dr Kevin J Tracey about his latest book The Great Nerve: The New Science of the Vagus Nerve and How to Harness its Healing Reflexes.

He tells us how this nerve network acts as a vital conduit for communication between our brains and organs, talks us through the exciting new therapies being developed using electronic implants that stimulate the vagus nerve, and why we’re only just scratching the surface of the therapeutic potential of this understudied part of our bodies.

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There’s little doubt that music is an integral part of what it means to be human. But how did it first arise, how did musical instruments and compositions become ever more sophisticated and why does listening to or playing music bring us so much joy?

In this episode, we speak to science writer and music producer David Darling about his latest book A Perfect Harmony: Music, Mathematics and Science.

He tells us how the oldest pitched musical instrument found so far is thought to be more than 40,000 years old, the role music has played in the evolution of human culture, and what the impact AI-generated music may have on the work of human musicians and composers in the near future.

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