Future Imperfect

What we know about the mediaeval period comes, in large part, from what people wrote down about themselves and others. How do we find out about less-literate societies, like the Vikings? Cat Jarman has spent the last few years working on the the remains of the Great Army at Repton and the material artefacts they left behind. In her new book - River Kings she talks about the huge leaps archaeology has made with new technologies and all we can now learn from their teeth, jewellery, and even the metals of the Vikings. Welcome to Future Imperfect!Producer: Natt TapleyAudio: Pete Dennis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason talks to Margaret Heffernan about what use prediction is in an unpredictable world. What can we predict, and what can we just not know?Produced by Natt TapleySound by Pete Dennis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today the law can feel arcane, complicated, and forbidding. In the past - with trial by ordeal and trial by combat - it could be simpler and more direct. Today, Jason talks to Daniel Shen Smith, a barrister and expert in martial arts, about trial by combat, how it worked, and what remnants of it are left today.Produced by Natt TapleyAudio by Pete Dennis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What role do theories of race play in science? For years, we thought that eugenic ideas about race had fallen out of fashion, but recently they seem to be making a comeback. In today's podcast, Angela Saini talks to me about why this is happening. She's speaking to us from New York, so excuse the sound of real Manhattan traffic or the occasional transatlantic internet wobble. Welcome to Future Imperfect!Produced by: Natt TapleySound by: Pete Dennis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason talks to Dr Eleanor Janega about how fascinating and compelling the mediaeval period is. They talk about jousting, battles, and exactly how colourful everyone's trousers were.Produced by: Natt TapleyAudio: Pete Dennis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It seems like we're getting bad news about the planet every day, but one of the most worrying signs is the decline in our pollinating insects. In this episode, Jason Kingsley, OBE, talks to Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex about whether or not we can save the bees, and what might happen if we don't.To find out more visit Dave's Youtube channel or buy his new book.Produced by: Natt Tapley for Gloaming ProductionsAudio by Pete DennisCover Image by Richard Bartz, licensed from Wikimedia Commons on a Creative Commons Share-Alike 2.5 licence Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Elaine Kasket talks to Jason about what ownership means in the 21st century. What happens to our digital possessions after we die? Who is in charge of our data when we pass on? And does privacy end after death?Produced by: Natt Tapley for Gloaming Productions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Snow is a writer, broadcaster, and a historian who's had an incredible career of amazing experiences. In this episode, he and Jason talk about what life was really like on the battlefields of the past, why bullet points are the secret of history, and why showers are amazing.Produced by: Natt Tapley for Gloaming Productions and Rebellion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Kingsley, OBE, talks to historians, scientists, and experts of all kinds about what is was really like in the past, and what that can tell us about what might be to come... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.