Instant Genius

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Instant Genius episodes

June 05, 2019Can we really predict when doomsday will happen? – William Poundstone
In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we’re going to try to guess when the end of the world will happen.
Don’t worry, it’s not as gloomy as it might sound. Those people waving ‘The End is Nigh!’ placards are probably completely wrong about an immanent doomsday… Probably.
There is a formula that has circulated for the last 50 years which suggests we can pinpoint the end of something with a reasonable amount of certainty. It has been used to predict any number of things, including successful stock market investments, the run of Broadway shows and even how many Harry Potter books go missing from local libraries.
But since the 1990s, it has sparked considerable debate among theorists about when humanity as we know it will come to an end.
We ask William Poundstone - whose new book How To Predict Everything (£12.99, Oneworld) explains the history of this enigmatic equation - how long we have left as a species on this planet, whether we can shift the odds in our favour, and how we can predict, well, pretty much everything else.
How long do you think we have left, and why? Let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus, and don’t forget to rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-Khalili
How can we save our planet? – Sir David Attenborough
There is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin Rees
The future of humanity – Michio Kaku
Are we facing an insect apocalypse? – Brad Lister
This is how to invent everything – Ryan North
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40 min
May 29, 2019Is body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa Diedrichs
We live in a society that values looks, but only if they fit into a restrictive set of ideals regarding size and shape, age, skin colour, as well as many other features of our bodies.
The result is an immense pressure to look a certain way. According to a recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation, one in five adults in the UK had experienced shame over their body at some point in the last year.
The rise of social media has provided a platform for a rebellion against these ideals in the form of body positivity, which advocates loving your body, even the parts that don’t fit the ideal standards of beauty.
So, is loving your body the key to defeating body image issues? Or is it making the problem worse?
In this podcast we speak to Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, a psychologist at the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England. She takes us through the importance of a healthy body image and the research into how body positivity could help or harm.
Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
What psychology can tell us about suicide – Jesse Bering
The neuroscience of happiness – Dean Burnett
Are video games good for us? – Pete Etchells
Can we slow down the ageing process? – Sue Armstrong
What does it mean to be happy? – Helen Russell
There’s no such thing as Blue Monday – Sir David Spiegelhalter
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30 min
May 22, 2019Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on? – Kevin Fong
If you were to picture the Moon landing in your head right now, you could probably conjure up images of Neil Armstrong’s famous first steps, accompanied by his inspirational (and often misquoted) speech, despite it happening many years before most of us were even born.
But this remarkable achievement did not come easily, and the decade-long mission culminated in the final nerve wracking 13 minutes it took the Moon lander to arrive safely on the surface.
This moment, and the people who contributed to this landmark occasion in our quest to explore space, are the subject of a new BBC podcast series, 13 Minutes To The Moon.
We caught up with the show’s host, Kevin Fong, about the show, and he tells us why the Moon landing still inspires us today, what it was like speaking to the people who ran mission control, and where our next Moon shot will be.
Remember, if you like what you hear then please rate and review the episode wherever you listen to your podcasts. It really helps get the show out there, which means we can bring you even more interviews with the people at the forefront of science.

Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
The mindset behind the Moon landing – Richard Wiseman
What asteroids can tell us about our Solar System – Natalie Starkey
What NASA's InSight will tell us about Mars – Bruce Banerdt
There is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin Rees
The most mysterious objects in the Universe – Colin Stuart
What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-Khalili
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31 min
May 15, 2019Can science explain everything? – Michael Blastland
We know a lot. In scientific studies, we can count data, observe trends, infer links and calculate risks. But we also spend a lot of time ignoring noise – the unexplained variations in our results that we can’t account for. Take smoking for example. We all know that smoking kills, but it doesn’t kill everyone, and we can’t predict which lifelong smokers will be struck down by lung cancer, and which won’t.
In his new book The Hidden Half (£14.99, Atlantic Books), Michael Blastland discusses how, even in the most tightly controllable situations, we often still see variations in outcomes. He argues that our unwillingness to admit uncertainty can affect science, economics, politics and business, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
But it’s not all bad news. New research that shows that admitting the extent to which we’re not sure could make us seem more trustworthy. And he explains that even though we don’t know everything, experts and the scientific method are still the most important places for us to turn to for guidance.
He talks to Helen Glenny, editorial assistant at BBC Science Focus Magazine, in this week’s episode of the Science Focus Podcast.
If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast.
You can also subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast apps. Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.
Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
What happens when maths goes horribly, horribly wrong? – Matt Parker
There’s no such thing as Blue Monday – Sir David Spiegelhalter
What’s the deal with algorithms? – Hannah Fry
Inside the mind of a comedian – Robin Ince
Is the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk? – Professor Catharina Svanborg
Is gene editing inspiring or terrifying? – Nessa Carey
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37 min
May 08, 2019 Is the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk? – Professor Catharina Svanborg
Two decades ago a group of Swedish researchers chanced upon an intriguing compound with tumour-killing properties hidden within human breast milk. Dubbed HAMLET, short for Human α-lactalbumin, the substance has so far come through in vitro and animal trials with flying colours. With human trials currently underway, could HAMLET be the drug to finally give us the upper hand in the war against cancer?
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25 min
May 01, 2019Why is Leonardo Da Vinci’s scientific legacy so often overlooked? – Martin Clayton
It’s been 500 years since the death of Leonardo Da Vinci, and he’s remembered mainly for his great works of art, like The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But he was also a scientist, working across disciplines like anatomy, engineering, and architecture.
Sadly, his scientific research was never published and his engineering ambitions went largely unrealised. However, through his sketches and drawings we can see his anatomical discoveries, his plans for machines, and his investigations into the world around him. We can see what was occupying his mind, allowing us to piece together clues about the mysteries he aspired to solve.
So to mark the anniversary of his death, 200 of those drawings will go on display at the Queen’s Gallery next to Buckingham palace in the exhibition Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing. In this episode, we talked to Martin Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings for Royal Collection Trust at Windsor Castle, about Da Vinci’s lasting scientific legacy. We ask him about the work he was doing, how he influenced the scientific disciplines he experimented with, and what we should remember him for.
He speaks to BBC Science Focus editorial assistant Helen Glenny in this week’s episode of the Science Focus Podcast.
If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast.
You can also subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast apps. Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.
Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
Remembering Professor Stephen Hawking
The mindset behind the Moon landing – Richard Wiseman
Belka and Strelka: Russia’s canine cosmonauts – Vix Southgate
Identifying Jack the Ripper: old clues, new science
This is how to invent everything – Ryan North
Is religion compatible with science? – John Lennox
Follow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard

Image: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019.

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31 min
April 25, 2019Is gene editing inspiring or terrifying? – Nessa Carey
In 2012, scientists developed a method to edit any part of the human genome, and the implications were astounding. Now, we’re starting to see the technology’s potential; we will soon cure previously untreatable diseases, but at the same time, rogue scientists are experimenting in ways considered unethical by the wider medical community. So where does gene editing go from here?
In this week's Science Focus Podcast, Nessa Carey, author of the book Hacking the Code Of Life: How gene editing will rewrite our futures (£12.99, Icon) explains how gene editing was developed, how it works, and why it holds so much promise for medical science. We talked to her about the potential ways this technology could be mishandled, and how we should go about making ethical decisions around when and for whom gene editing is used.
What does a future like where we can manipulate the human genome to any end? Should we be inspired, or terrified?
She speaks to BBC Science Focus editorial assistant Helen Glenny.
If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast.
You can also subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast apps. Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.
Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
Eating for your genes - Giles Yeo
Can we slow down the ageing process?
What makes me 'me'? - Aoife McLysaght
The genetic hunt for the Loch Ness Monster - Neil Gemmell
Everything that’s wrong with the human body - Nathan Lents
Transhumanism: using technology to live forever - Mark O’Connell
Follow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard

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34 min
April 17, 2019What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-Khalili
Theoretical physicist and science communicator Professor Jim Al-Khalili has taken a break from writing popular science books to write his first novel. Sunfall (£16.99, Bantam Press) is a science fiction thriller set in the year 2041, when the Earth’s magnetic field has started to die, leaving life on Earth vulnerable to threats from space.

Scientists and engineers are thrown into a race against time to protect the Earth. All the science in the novel, from the futuristic technology to the apocalyptic event, are based on real science, as we understand it now.

In this episode, Jim explains how the Earth’s magnetic field protects us, how being a scientist helped inform his writing, and why fiction can be a frontier for science communication.

If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast.

You can also subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast apps. Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.

Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
How can we save our planet? - Sir David Attenborough
Why is the magnetic north pole moving? - Ciaran Beggan
There is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin Rees
Why AI is not the enemy – Jim Al-Khalili
Is there anybody out there? – Mike Garrett
Building a base on the Moon, and crafting believable sci-fi – Andy Weir

Follow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard

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41 min
April 10, 2019Are video games good for us? - Pete Etchells
In this week's Science Focus Podcast, we dive into the world of video games. Over the past couple of decades, video games have often got a bad rap, blamed for everything from aggression and violence to addiction and mental health problems.

But what does the research actually say? Dr Pete Etchells is a psychologist at Bath Spa University who researches the behavioural effects of video games. In his first book, Lost in a Good Game (£14.99, Icon Books), he gets to the bottom of our relationship with games, and reveals a more positive side to our game-playing habits.

He speaks to BBC Science Focus staff writer James Lloyd.

If you like what you hear, then please rate, review, and share with anybody you think might enjoy our podcast.

You can also subscribe and leave us a review on your favourite podcast apps. Also, if there is anybody you’d like us to speak to, or a topic you want us to cover, then let us know on Twitter at @sciencefocus.

Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:
What does it mean to be happy? – Helen Russell
Why ASMR gives you tingles – Emma WhispersRed
What we got wrong about pandas and teenagers
What’s the deal with algorithms? – Hannah Fry
Changing our behaviour with virtual reality – Jeremy Bailenson
Project Discovery and its search for exoplanets

Follow Science Focus on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flipboard

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34 min
April 03, 2019 Do you believe in magic? – Gustav Kuhn
Abracadbra! Prestidigitation! We know that these words hold no intrinsic power, but when we hear them, we are instantly transported away to a land of magic and wonder; where the impossible becomes reality right before our eyes.

So why, as rational human beings, are we instantly drawn to magic, and what makes us delight in seeing a rabbit pulled from a hat, despite knowing full well that we are being fooled into thinking it was never already there in the first place?

Those are the sort of questions expert in cognitive psychology, magician, and author of Experiencing the Impossible: The Science of Magic (£20.00, MIT Press), Gustav Kuhn, is currently trying to solve at his Magic Lab at Goldsmith’s University.

In this week’s Science Focus Podcast, he talks to sciencefocus.com editor Alexander McNamara about why we believe in magic, what actually happens in our brain when we watch tricks, and how understanding magic can help us make sense of a world filled with fake news and misinformation.

Image © Getty Images

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32 min

About Instant Genius

From the publisher's feed

Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you two bite-sized masterclasses on a new subject each week.