University of Cambridge

Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Michael Kenny, Louis Baktash, and Mathieu Carpentier about the governance challenges in France and the United Kingdom, the impact of recent political protests, and whether devolution might be the answer to address these challenges.

This podcast examines the constitutional challenges in France and the UK. Leading experts from the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Cambridge, and Toulouse Capitole University, France, reflect on recent political protests and movements – including protests over Macron’s pension reforms, the gilets jaunes movement, and Brexit – and the impact these have on policy. The guests discuss how the structure of the UK and French government could be reformed, and whether devolution is the adequate response.

This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features experts Michael Kenny (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Cambridge), Louis Baktash (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Cambridge), and Mathieu Carpentier (Toulouse Capitole University).

Why don’t naked mole-rats feel some kinds of pain and what does this mean for human medicine?

Simone Eizagirre Barker talks to Ewan St John about his work studying pain and the extraordinary biology of naked mole-rats which is helping us learn about all sorts of human diseases and uncover potential cures or forms of symptom management.

Find out more about naked mole-rats and watch an animation about them here: https://www.phar.cam.ac.uk/research/NMRI

Music by Coby O'Brien

Produced by Rebekah King

What is a herbarium and why is it important?

Gregory Miller visits Dr Lauren Gardiner and Dr Edwin Rose at the Cambridge University Herbarium to learn more about this fascinating library of plants, who collected them, and why they are so crucial to the study of more than just the natural world.

Music by Coby O'Brien Produced by Rebekah King

How does nuclear energy work and is it the best way forward for powering out future?

Beth King talks to Susannah Lea, Michael Salvini and Hugh Dorward, three members of the CDT PhD team behind the event ‘the Nuclear Energy Futures Fair: an Insight into the Energy of Tomorrow.’

Music by Coby O'Brien

Produced by Rebekah King

When we say that money is power, what exactly do we mean?

Anna Mahtani talks to numismatist and former curator of coins at the British Museum Joe Cribb about the past and future of money. From ancient Chinese coins to cryptocurrencies, what does the study of money tell us about our world and who has power within it?

Music by Coby O'Brien

Produced by Rebekah King

Leading experts from the Bennett Institute and IAST debate emerging technologies like generative AI tools and the metaverse; why there is so much interest, whether we should be excited or worried, and what are the associated policy implications.

Sam Gilbert Bennett Institute), César Hidalgo (IAST) and Jeni Tennison (Bennett Institute) talk to podcast host Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC) about the latest developments of emerging forms of technologies, their opportunities and harms, and what policymakers can do to mitigate the associated risks.

This episode unpacks the most recent advancements of generative artificial intelligence and the metaverse, their policy implications, and the role of policymaking and legislation in this sphere. Our guests highlight the need for deliberative and participatory governance structures to facilitate the development and use of new technologies.

Season 2 Episode 8 transcript

Listen to this and other Crossing Channels episodes on your favourite podcast platform.

For more information about the Crossing Channels podcast series and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk and www.iast.fr

Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse

Audio production by Steve Hankey

Associate production by Stella Erker

Visuals by Thomas Devaud

Who owns the past and does antiquity really ‘belong’ to anyone?

Ella O’Loughlin speaks to Prof Tim Whitmarsh about an event at the Faculty of Classics which will discuss how the classical past is understood and who feels a sense of ownership over it.

Find out more about the event here: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/past-tense-who-does-greek-and-roman-antiquity-belong

Music by Coby O'Brien

Produced by Rebekah King

Why did a female saint rise from her tomb and slap a bellringer across the face?

Ella O’Loughlin speaks to Prof Rosalind Love about her recent Cambridge Festival event on female saints and hears some of the vivid stories told about their unique kind of power.

Music by Coby O'Brien

Produced by Rebekah King

Who was the Roman Emperor who rejected Christianity?

Amelia Platt speaks to Dr Lea Niccolai from the Faculty of Classics about her talk on Julian the Apostate, an emperor who was raised Christian but rejected the faith and returned to the worship of the Roman gods.

Find out more at the Cambridge Festival 2023

https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/last-pagan-emperor-understanding-julian-apostate

Music by Coby O'Brien

Produced by Rebekah King

Prof David Runciman and Prof Karine Van der Straeten talk to Rory Cellan-Jones about extending voting rights to school-aged children.

This episode unpacks the main objections against lowering the legal voting age, the merits of extending democratic rights to children, and how children’s voices might be better represented in electoral processes. Leading experts explore how the enfranchisement of children could revitalise our democracy and inject a fresh set of perspectives.

This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features guest experts Karine Van der Straeten (IAST) and David Runciman (University of Cambridge).