Instant Genius

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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These days many of us have a bucket list, a set of experiences we’d like to have at least once in our lives. Seeing the Northern Lights with our own eyes is likely top of many of these. But what is the best way to ensure that when we do take a trip to see this mysterious, ghostly phenomenon we have a genuinely once-in-a-lifetime experience?

In this episode we speak to Tom Kerss an aurora chaser, astronomer and author of the book Northern Lights: The definitive guide to auroras about the best way to see the breathtaking phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis.

He tells us when and where to go to have the best chances of seeing the Northern Lights, what we should take and wear to have the best experience, and why often it’s a better idea to put down your camera and simply enjoy the spectacle.

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The ocean covers more than 70 per cent of our planet’s surface. Thanks to its ability to absorb the excess carbon and heat generated by climate change, its potential to generate clean energy and the bountiful source of food it provides to both humans and animals, there’s little doubt the ocean is vital for the continued survival of the human race and of the planet itself. But all is not well. Ocean temperatures are climbing, coastal water levels are rising, and extreme weather events are becoming more and more common.

In this episode we speak to special advisor on ocean issues to the United Nations Sturla Henriksen about his latest book The Ocean: How It Has Formed Our World – And Will Shape Our Destiny.

He tells us about the many challenges we are facing to keep the ocean healthy and why we need to take a more holistic approach to combat them.

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Humans have been fermenting foods for millennia, due to the process’s ability to enhance the flavours of what we eat and preserve it for when times are lean. Now, new science is uncovering how eating fermented food is beneficial for both our physical and mental health and how it may possibly play a key role in the food of the future by creating a source of alternative protein.

In this episode we speak to Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, Director of the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein and the Microbial Food Hub at Imperial College London.

He tells us how we all eat more fermented food than we may think, why it’s so good for our guts and how cutting-edge science can help us to create tasty fermented food that is also kind to the environment.

This episode is brought to you in association with EIT Food https://www.eitfood.eu/

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The Northern Lights are surely one of the most awe-inspiring phenomena anyone can be lucky enough to witness occurring on planet Earth. But how exactly do solar winds breezing out of the Sun and hitting our planet’s atmosphere create the enchanting phosphorescent display that dances across the night sky?

In this episode we speak to Tom Kerss an aurora chaser, astronomer and author of the book Northern Lights: The definitive guide to auroras about the science behind the breathtaking phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis.

He tells us how the colours of the Northern Lights are created by particles ejected from the Sun hitting the Earth’s magnetic field, how auroras also exist on other planets within the Solar System and talks us through the many things we can learn from studying this fascinating cosmic phenomenon.

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Baking can be hard. Measurements need to be exact and techniques perfected. But with the right tricks and by understanding the science of baking, you can become the envy of your friends with the perfect loafs and cakes. Part of our Food Science series, we spoke to Cristiana Solinas. She is the head of the National Bakery School at London South Bank University. She talks us through the science of how to make good sourdough, why your loaves are coming out too dry and busts the biggest science myths in daily baking.

This episode is brought to you in association with EIT Food https://www.eitfood.eu/

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This year quantum physics celebrates its 100th anniversary. And while we’ve made great progress in understanding its many intricacies and quirks, it’s likely that quantum behaviour will continue to fascinate and beguile scientists around the world for years to come.

In this episode we speak to Prof Jim Al-Khalili, a theoretical physicist based at the University of Surrey, author of several best-selling books and the long-time presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific.

He tells us about the many disagreements that have surrounded quantum theory over the past century, how the theory raises deep scientific and philosophical questions about the nature of reality itself, and why we still have so much to learn.

Watch the episode here.

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