The Scientistt Podcast

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen is a cognitive neuroscientist and the Director of the Autism Research Centre, based at Cambridge University. Baron-Cohen was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to people with autism, as well as making major contributions to the fields of typical cognitive sex differences, autism prevalence and screening, and autism genetics. In this episode, we discuss whether autism is a disease, condition or difference ... the importance of neuro-diversity ... the role of pre-natal testosterone in predicting autism ... the ethical questions re screening for conditions before birth ... the lack of relationship between happiness and intelligence and ... invention as an 'if-then' thought process.

Prof Tim Noakes is a South African scientist and former Emeritus professor in division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town. As one of the very highest rated members of the National Research Foundation, it would make sense to listen to what he thinks about sports nutrition right? Noakes is a big supporter of a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, writing books called the Real Meal Revolution and Lore of Nutrition and has been cited more than 21,000 times!

In this podcast we chat about the appeal of ultramarathon running (yes, really), fatigue as an emotion rather than a physical state, the lipid hypothesis being "the biggest mistake in medicine" and a topic very close to Tim's heart; the Noakes Foundation.

Enjoy!

Dr. Mark Miller is an assistant professor at the University of  Hokkaido’s Center for Human Nature, Artificial Intelligence and  Neuroscience. In this episode of The Scientistt Podcast, we break down  Mark's notion of the “predictive mind”, exploring how the brain  constructs its own reality from the top down. Further, we delve in to  hard-hitting topics such as why addiction and depression may be the  cause of an overly 'sticky' expectation model, and the overlap of  philosophy and neuroscience as an area to improve human behaviour.

Chengyu Liang is a world-renowned researcher with almost 17,000 citations. Her research explores basic mechanisms underlying fundamental cellular processes in the development of cancer and infectious disease. In short, Dr Liang is working to understand how to prevent melenomas (skin cancer) - work which has huge implications on the overall goal of defeating cancers. This podcast aims to take Dr Liang's complex research and break it down in to bitesize chunks that you can understand at home. Listen in as we explore the role of melanin in protecting against cancer, the difficulty in establishing risk-factors, and why the issue of skin-cancer doesn't gain as much publicity as it should. 

Enjoy! 

Dr Soshstak is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI institute and author of  'Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.' Seth claims to have developed an interest in extraterrestrial life at the tender age of ten, when he first picked up a book about the Solar System. This innocent beginning eventually led to a degree in radio astronomy, and now, as Senior Astronomer, Seth is an enthusiastic participant in the Institute’s SETI observing programs. In this episode, we discuss the possibility of finding intelligent life by 2036, the Wow! signal we received that was thought to have been sent by extraterrestrials, the risk-reward balancing act of trying to make contact with intelligent extraterrestrials and the surprising lack of funding for this kind of exploration. Enjoy! 

What happened to Pluto and how is today's guest involved? Well...time to find out. 

Dr Brown is a professor of planetary astronomy at Cal Tech, who has discovered or co-discovered 29 minor planets, is the winner of a prestigious Feynman Prize and has appeared in The Time’s Top One Hundred Influential Persons list. Pretty cool right?

In this episode, we delve deeper in to Dr Browns career and wider space. Why is Pluto not really a planet? Why are we reluctant to give it up? How does it feel to discover a planet? How do we find new planets? And, what are the future prospects for Mars exploration? 

Enjoy! 

Today's guest is the quite remarkable Joey Ramp - a neuroscientist, activist and the founder of Empower Ability Consulting. Joey got into neuroscience to understand the changes to her brain after a Traumatic Brain Injury, and found that labs weren't set-up for her. Sampson, her service dog Sampson, was barred. Here, Joey tells the story of how her life has changed since she joined up with Sampson, talks about getting into neuroscience to understand her injuries and explains the process of breaking down barriers, one by one.  

This week, our guests are more special than ever.... you can meet our team! 

In this episode we talk to Jennifer Moussa and Daniela Lazaro, a pair of talented scientists that have travelled across the world to pursue their academic callings, whilst taking every opportunity they can to be more than simply a researcher. Hailing from Lebanon and Mexico respectively, both Jennifer and Daniela have recently joined the Scientistt Team - honing their science communication and outreach skills to help organise events and content for a global audience. 

This conversation goes deep in to Lebanon's economic crisis, the reasons Lebanon is experiencing anti-biotic resistant bacteria, Jennifer's optimism about moving to Copenhagen for her PhD to help address the crisis in the water supply, the transition between Mexico and Sheffield, a lack of diversity in Exeter and pretty much everything you need to know about degenerating spines!

Today's guest is a geologist and adventurer that made history last Christmas, by becoming the first black host of the Royal Institution's Christmas lecturer in 185 years. 

After completing a BSc and PhD in Geology at the University of Manchester, before living in Norway, Professor Chris Jackson is an established geoscientist and world leader in the use of 3D seismic data to understand dynamic processes in sedimentary basins. He has been described by the Geological Society of London as the "leading and most productive interpreter of three-dimensional seismic reflection data of his generation."

Chris' impact goes far deeper than his research however. With a personality that can light up the room, this episode touches on many aspects of his personal and academic life - tackling racism and changing the way we communicate science. Enjoy. 

 "Science, sci-comm, books & gymnastics" ... that's how today's guest describes themselves to a Twitter audience of over 8,000 people. 

Dr Sam Rowe is a scientist and science communicator working on events and marketing for Norwich Science Festival, as well as being a Pint of Science City Coordinator. In this episode, we talk to Sam about being an active voice in the 'Academic Twitter' community, touching on the role of being LGBTQ+ in his journey and how social media has been a largely positive influence on his life. 

It's not all been easy for Sam however. We delve deeper in to the issue of imposter syndrome with PhD candidates and the challenges that come with balancing difficult academic pursuits and maintaining positive mental health.