Heat is one of the most dangerous natural hazards, causing preventable deaths and putting vulnerable communities under increasing pressure. But heat is not experienced equally, with some communities more vulnerable than others.

The University of Liverpool’s Melting Metropolis research is a major Wellcome funded project that explores how people experience urban heat, and how cities can respond. It brings together historians, artists, and community engagement experts to better understand heat and health in London, New York and Paris.

Host Gavin Freeborn is joined in the studio by Professor Chris Pearson, Environmental Historian and Principal Investigator on the project, and Dr Anna Bocking-Welch, Senior Lecturer in History, to talk about the realities of extreme heat, and what cities need to do next. 

The clips are John Nairn, Senior Extreme Heat Advisor, World Meteorological Organization talking at a UN (United Nations) conference, and Dr Chloe Duteil, Melting Metropolis, University of Liverpool. 

More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

Digital media shapes how we communicate, how we access information, and how we understand the world around us. However, it also raises big questions, from social media and artificial intelligence to misinformation and online safety.

The University of Liverpool’s Digital Media and Society Institute, is a research hub that brings together experts to understand how digital technologies shape society and culture, and what impact it has on all of us.

Host Gavin Freeborn explores the impact of Digital Media with experts Professor Simeon Yates, Professor of Digital Culture in the Department of Communication and Media and Joint Director of the Digital Media and Society Institute - and Dr Elena Musi, Reader in Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool. 
 
More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

According to the World Health Organisation, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria and viruses no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. As a result, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death. AMR is now directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths and contributes to 5 million deaths every year. 

So what progress are we making? And what needs to happen next to prevent a future where routine infections become untreatable?

Host Gavin Freeborn is joined in the studio by experts Dr Alex Howard, a consultant in Medical Microbiology, and Dr Nada Reza, a Clinical Research Training Fellow, to discuss AMR, and the critical research taking place in Liverpool. 
 
More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/    

(Includes clips of Professor William Hope, OBE, Dame Sally Davies Chair of AMR Research and Professor Alison Holmes, OBE, David Price Evans Chair in Global Health and Infectious Diseases speaking on the Times Higher Education Podcast)

From lasers used in supermarket checkouts, to the emergence of complex supercomputers, quantum is all around us. Recently the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for quantum breakthroughs, with experiments having implications for computing, sensing, and our understanding of the universe.

At the University of Liverpool, quantum is part of our Particle Physics research frontier, where scientists probe the smallest building blocks of matter, the fundamental forces that govern them, and the technologies that help us study them. How has quantum research helped shape our world, and what could the future of quantum science bring for technology and society?

Host Gavin Freeborn discusses the topic with quantum experts Professor Brianna Heazlewood, who leads the Cold Chemical Physics Group, Dr Jonathan Tinsley, whose work explores gravitational waves and dark matter, and Marina Maneyro, a quantum computing PhD student at University of Liverpool. 

More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

Around the world, 1 in 5 people are experiencing pain, and in the UK over 34% of adults regularly experience chronic pain. In the last decade, our understanding and knowledge in this area has increased exponentially, with academic research contributing to the search for treatments.

The University of Liverpool have recently launched a world leading hub - the Liverpool Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Centre (LINC) - and new research developments in Neuroscience and Pain from LINC , could help reshape how we think about prevention and treatment for millions worldwide.
 
Host Gavin Freeborn is joined in the studio by Professor Benedict Michael, Director of the Liverpool Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Centre, and Professor Michelle Briggs, Clinical Professor of Nursing and part of the Pain Research Institute, to discuss our understanding of Pain, and how research could drive change for people around the world.



More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

Our relationship with food is complex - there are many different health and cost of living challenges connected to food, yet there are also opportunities, to educate and live a better, healthier life through our food choices.

In this Original Ideas Podcast episode we discuss research from the University of Liverpool, explore the impact junk food advertising can have on our children, how our environment shapes what we eat, and the role social media plays on our dietary health. 

Host Gavin Freeborn is joined in the studio by Professor Emma Boyland, Professor Charlotte Hardman, and Dr Rebecca (Becky) Evans from the University of Liverpool to look at these issues, with additional audio clips by @liverpoolworld.  

More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

Researching and delivering effective medicines is something we all depend on, for the prevention, treatment and cure of diseases around the world. There's never been a more urgent need to develop medicines that are both clinically effective, and cost-efficient. 

In this Original Ideas Podcast episode, host Gavin Freeborn is joined by Professor Neill Liptrott, Surgeon Scientist Dr Rajarshi (Rishi) Mukherjee, and Dr Danielle Brain from the University of Liverpool. They discuss the groundbreaking discoveries that have been made at the university, and how they're transforming current research in infectious diseases and global health, into real world medical solutions through the Therapeutics Innovation Research frontier.

More information available at https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

The United Nations have highlighted that businesses are key to achieving their 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Around the world, every business of every size is looking at how they can change, develop, grow and create a more sustainable business for the people they serve.

Investors, employees and customers now consider ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors when they choose to align with a brand or organisation - so what does this mean for a business? How is research helping organisations build a sustainable framework for the future?

In this Original Ideas Podcast episode Gavin Freeborn is joined by Professor Joanne Meehan from the University of Liverpool’s Centre for Sustainable Business to explore the topic, including contributions from Postgraduate Researcher and Graduate Teaching Fellow Clare Wescott, University of Liverpool Management School. 

More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

What does the past tell us about the future? How does Archaeology impact the world we live in? In 2024, the Liverpool Institute of Archaeology celebrated its 120th birthday, and it has developed an international reputation for its quality of teaching and research.

In this Original Ideas Podcast episode Gavin Freeborn is joined by University of Liverpool researchers Professor Larry Barham, Dr Ceren Kabukcu and Rachel Stokes to discuss their work - looking at how they were drawn to Archaeology, and the multi-disciplinary nature of the work, including the UK's Arts & Humanities Research Council funded Deep Roots of Humanity Project in south-central Africa (Zambia).

They aimed to take a slice of time (roughly 500,000 to 300,000 years ago) before the evolution of Homo sapiens, because we know very little about this period as there are few well-dated sites. This led to the Old Wood discovery making worldwide headlines.

For info: NERC facility refers to the Natural Environment Research Council. Learn more: liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/

Dementia is an illness without a cure yet, and whilst it’s more common in people over the age of 65, it can affect young people too. A 2024 report from the Alzheimer’s Society put the number of people in the UK living with Dementia at around 1 million.

So what research is taking place into this debilitating disease? What are the hopes for the future, and what progress is being made in the fight against Dementia?

In this Original Ideas Podcast episode Gavin Freeborn is joined by Dr Clarissa Giebel, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Population Health, where she leads the Dementia Research Group on Inequalities, and Dr Megan Polden, a post-doctoral researcher with a focus on dementia. More information available at liverpool.ac.uk/research/original-ideas/