KYTOS Biology

In May 2017, the Brazilian government declared an end to the public health emergency posed by the Zika Virus. Now, a new disease is threatening Brazil. An outbreak of yellow fever in rural parts of the country is spreading towards urban areas, creating a risk to neighbouring countries in the Americas. Yellow fever is a haemorrhagic disease, spread by mosquitoes. In this podcast, I discuss the symptoms of the condition, the role of vectors in transmitting disease and how yellow fever can be controlled. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

We might perceive attraction as a free choice, but scientists have provided a number of different explanations about how attraction happens. Physiological theories can be divided into evolutionary explanations, which are based on primitive instincts to mate and be looked after, and biological explanations, which examine the role of hormones and neurotransmitters in the process of attraction. Other explanations focus on psychological concepts such as perceived similarity, while social explanations examine the role that vicinity and experience can play in attraction. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

Meningitis is an acute inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. As there are numerous causes of meningitis, there is no one vaccination to offer protection because, for example, the HiB bacterium will have different surface molecules to the MenB bacterium so won’t stimulate an immune response. In this podcast, I discuss the different types of conjugate and non-conjugate vaccines currently used to prevent meningitis, and other related infections. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

One theory of addiction (and one that has popular appeal outside of psychology) is that of the addictive personality. This theory states that some people have a personality type that predisposes them towards addictive behaviour. This personality is caused by differences in the biological make up of individuals. It has been argued that people with this personality type are prone towards addictive behaviour, and are more likely than people with other personality types to become addicted to a substance or behaviour. In this podcast, I aim to give an overview of the theory of addictive personality, explaining the three parts of personality as identified by Eysenck, including their biological basis. I provide research evidence that both supports and contradicts this theory,  with an evaluation of whether it can account for addictive behaviour. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

In order to understand forgetting, we must have an understanding of memory. According to the Oxford English Dictionary memory is “the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.” Forgetting therefore is our inability to retrieve information from our memory. Some argue that when emotions impact on memory, then forgetting is an unwillingness to remember information rather than an inability to do so. The main consideration in exploring the impact of emotion on forgetting is whether we forget for a reason. It has been suggested that when we forget, the information is not lost forever; it is simply inaccessible to us for a number of reasons. One suggestion is that forgetting serves a purpose, to protect us emotionally. In this podcast, I explore this fascinating concept. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

The view that we are born with a certain level of fixed intelligence is outdated. The environment plays a role in the way children are nurtured and it contributes to their development of intelligence. Children develop on their existing intelligence through numerous factors in their environment namely the positive relationship with their primary caregiver, opportunities to explore, play, learn and rehearse. Perhaps the way to look at it is that our intelligence is like a seed that is implanted in us and how that seed of intelligence is fed, watered and nurtured determines how well the intelligence grows. Who we are as adults is shaped by our childhood experiences and attachments; this has to include our intelligence too! (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

Many would argue that until we can develop ways of empirically demonstrating how alleged telepathic communication occurs, research into telepathy will always rely on disputable methods, almost entirely reliant on controversial ways of judging probability and significance. It is perhaps for this reason that mainstream science regards the field of parapsychology as a pseudoscience and the subject almost never appears in mainstream science journals. In this podcast, I explore the techniques and procedures researchers have employed to prove the existence of telepathic communication - extrasensory perception taking place outside of the known sensory realm. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)

An adult organism is not a static being but continues to change and develop, until the developmental processes are brought to an end by death. The word ‘ageing’ describes the developmental changes that lead, over time, to the deterioration of the mature organism. Ageing is a complex process which involves interactions between a number of biochemical mechanisms. The effects of these act at the molecular, cell, tissue and whole   organism levels. (With thanks to our sponsor 'Curriculum Press' for providing content for this podcast)