Eureka!

Rick’s getting heated about animal conservation this week! We explore some of the problems with conservation, including how organisations allocate funding, how colonialist attitudes are impacting local communities, and the lazy attitudes people have towards ‘protected areas’. We also find out how human instinct affects our decision making and wonder whether animals going extinct might just be a fact of life. Special thanks to today’s expert, Rebecca Nesbit.@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael’s absolutely beside himself, because this week we’re diving into the world of physics! We talk about the limitations of rockets, how technology could change the way we’re exploring space and whether warp drives could be in our future… Special thanks to today’s expert, the fascinating Sabine Hossenfelder.@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a time where global poverty rates are rising, your knee jerk reaction to billionaires might be that they shouldn’t exist, but could they play a fundamental role in solving global crises?  In this episode we’re exploring how billionaires could be taxed in order to address wealth disparity, whether our next global leader could be a tech billionaire and if we’re all going to lose our jobs to AI. Special thanks to today’s expert, Professor of International Relations and Global Risk: Maha Aziz.@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we’re examining ghosts through the lens of science and asking why someone might believe in the paranormal! With the help of Professor Chris French, we discuss the evolutionary advantages of getting spooked, why haunted houses feel so creepy and we find out whether science might soon eliminate ghosts from our culture altogether...@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rick’s got a cold, so we’ve enlisted immunologist Professor Sheena Cruickshank to tell us all about the immune system! She’s unpacking what it does, the impact your diet has and she’s debunking some common myths about home remedies and enemas. There’s also some fascinating examples of how the brain and our mood affects the immune system and some amazing facts about vaccines!@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They’re plastered across pop culture and we’ve all wondered at some point if somebody we know could be a psychopath, but what makes somebody psychopathic in the eyes of science? Today we’re speaking to Dr Mark Freestone about the psychopathy checklist and brain differences in psychopaths. We’re also finding out how many psychopaths there are in the general population and whether it’s possible to cure psychopathy…@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Rick’s sleep pattern is all over the place! He’s desperate to hear from one of the UK’s leading sleep experts, Dr Maja Schaedel. She’s sharing a fascinating insight into what makes a good kip - including how sex can affect your sleep and whether technology or hormone supplements can help us out. We’re also discussing the sleep cycle, insomnia and how harmful caffeine can be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since records began, humans have been finding ways to intoxicate themselves - but that doesn’t always come without a cost. Today, we’re exploring how recreational drugs affect the brain, whether alcohol is more harmful to society than heroin, and the science of addiction.We’re also exploring the ways illegal drugs could be effective in treating mental health conditions, the impact the war on drugs has had on research and this week’s expert, Professor David Nutt, is telling us about the new, hangover-free, non-addictive alternative to alcohol he’s developing!@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bloody hell, it’s a big one this week! We’re doing a deep dive on all things blood, as we ponder whether we could live without it. We’re going back in time to learn about a gruesome, blood-sucking tradition in ancient Rome and the very first blood transfusions, which involved some very unusual (hilarious) ingredients. Plus, the story of the very first scientific fraud recorded, could your blood type really determine your personality, and we find out just how close we are to creating synthetic blood...Special thanks to this week’s expert, the legendary Professor Ashley Brown, whose work at the Advanced Wound Healing Lab is breaking the boundaries of what science thought was possible.@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The more we learn about the universe, the harder it is to believe we’re alone. But if aliens do exist, how likely are they to pay us a visit? And if they did, would it be such a bad thing? The answer to this week’s question is either going to be a great comfort, or a terrifying prediction!On today’s episode we’re joined by Professor Avi Loeb, who’s offering us a detailed insight into all things extra-terrestrial. We’re discussing what the current global protocol is if an invasion occurs, what proof we may already have that aliens exist and why we might be easier to find than we think…@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re getting under the skin of one of Rick’s pet peeves: people being proud to say they’re bad at mathematics! We’re discovering if some people are just born bad at numbers, whether gender has any effect on our ability to manage sums and if any of this is even important in the age of calculators?!As always, we've got an expert on the show to help us. Enter Director of Cambridge Mathematics, Lynne McClure OBE. She'll help us answer the question 'does it matter if you can't do maths?'@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Human fascination with animals dates back to our earliest known history - but just how close are we to breaking the communication barrier? This episode features an animal menagerie, as we examine the communication methods of prairie dogs, sea creatures and more! We’re even learning about a fascinating ape, who’s rumoured to have learnt American Sign Language... As always, we’ll also be asking one of the leading experts on animal communication, Professor Barbara King, to answer our question: 'will we ever talk to animals?’@EurekaPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Eureka!, the show that gets under the skin of the science questions that really matter! Join science enthusiast Rick Edwards and actual real-life scientist Dr Michael Brooks every week, as they dissect some of the universe’s most puzzling questions with the help of the world’s leading experts. Subscribe now and catch the first episode on Wednesday 16th March, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday! Find us on Twitter @EurekaPod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.