Instant Genius

Every cell in our body – bones, skin, muscle, nerves – has a tiny voltage, like a battery. This bioelectricity enables our brains to send messages, but can also help us heal from injury and develop in the womb. In her new book, We Are Electric, science journalist Sally Adee explores our body’s electrome, and reveals the ways it could help us treat cancer, regenerate cells, and even halt ageing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From 27-29 January the RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) will invite the nation to count the birds in our green spaces. Adrian Thomas, the RSPB’s chief expert on gardening for wildlife, joins us to explain what one of the world’s biggest crowd science projects has taught us so far and he shares the simple steps you can take to make your back garden more welcoming to birds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever wondered what is happening in your body and brain when you feel an emotion? How to better cope with negatives ones? Or why we even have them in the first place? We speak to neuroscientist and author Dr Dean Burnett about the surprising discoveries he made when writing his new book: Emotional Ignorance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December 2022, representatives from governments and other official bodies from around the world met in Montreal for COP15: The UN Biodiversity Conference. Amongst the many things discussed was the so-called 30 by 30 target – the pledge to conserve 30 per cent of the planet’s terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030. In this episode, Terry, tells us about the significance of the target, the current state of the Earth’s biodiversity and what role we can all play in reversing its devastating loss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Struggling to form a new habit? Or kick an unhelpful one? While behaviour change is doubtlessly difficult, it can be made easier with a few simple psychological tools. To explain this and the neuroscience of habit formation, we speak to Dr Gabija Toleikyte, lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will we be eating lab-made meats in the future, or will vegetarianism be the new norm? And what will happen to the world’s thriving farming culture? We spoke to Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ever heard someone say: “I know them like the back of my hand”? It turns out the back of your hand can actually provide a forensic scientist with enough information to identify you. In this episode, forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black explains how the new science of digital identification works and discusses what we can expect from her upcoming Christmas Lectures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world’s polar regions are melting. Beneath the ice lurks all kind of microbes, but how much of a threat do they really present? Microbiologist Dr Arwyn Edwards of Aberystwyth University joins us to explore the threat of so-called ‘zombie viruses’ and he explains where the real danger lies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Controlling machines with brain waves sounds like something ripped from a science-fiction book, and yet this is something happening today. We spoke to Tom Carlson about the rapidly expanding world of brain-machine interfaces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

During winter months, over 15% of UK adults are estimated to have a vitamin D deficiency. But what exactly does vitamin D do in our bodies? And is it technically a vitamin anyway? Dr Gail Rees, senior lecturer in human nutrition at the University of Plymouth, reveals all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This year around the globe, an estimated 160 million domestic birds have died as a result of avian flu. But why has the virus spread so widely? And could humans be at risk? Dr Alastair Ward, associate professor of biodiversity and ecosystem management at the University of Leeds, explains all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Mars will be lit up by our Sun, providing astronomers and amateur stargazers a wonderful chance to study the Red Planet. Astronomer and author, Dr Stu Clark joins us to explore how our image of Mars has evolved over the last 150 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor of Statistical Science at the University of Oxford, and founder and CEO of Genomics PLC, Sir Peter Donnelly tells us about exactly what genetic screening can tell us about our health and what we can do to stay healthy regardless of our genes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christmas is just around the corner, and what bird is more associated with the festive season than the robin? In this episode, we chat to Helen Wilson, an associate professor of human geography at the University of Durham, to delve into the natural history and cultural impact of one of the nation’s favourite birds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether you’re learning a new skill, trying to get healthy or simply progressing at work, you’ve likely experienced gamification. We speak to Adrian Hon, an author and games creator about why we should be cautious of gamification and its risks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Kuh is the Exploration Technology Manager at the UK Space Agency. He explains the UK’s involvement with NASA’s Artemis 1 mission and the exciting future that lies ahead for UK space science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The collective misery as the nights draw in and the days feel impossibly short is palpable at this time of the year. But it doesn’t have to feel this way. Kari Leibowitz, a researcher, writer and speaker who studies how our mindset influences our health and wellbeing, joins us to explain what studying the national Nordic psychology can teach us about getting through winter (and even maybe enjoying it!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Instant Genius, McGuire explains why it is now practically impossible for us to keep climate change on the right side of the 1.5-degree target set by the Paris Agreement, what the Earth could look like in 2100 and what we can still do to mitigate the worst impacts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of Instant Genius, Dr Vernon speaks to us about sleep disorders, or parasomnias. She tells us how scientific attitudes towards sleep disorders have changed over the years, what the latest thinking on treatments is, and what she learnt about her own sleep disorders while writing her latest book – Night Terrors: Troubled sleep and the stories we tell about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, the world can feel like a bit of an unkind place. But according to Claudia Hammond, a psychologist and BBC Radio 4 presenter, that isn’t necessarily the case. There are easy ways to introduce more kindness into your life, which could even make you happier and healthier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With energy bills skyrocketing of late, many of us are thinking twice before putting the heating on, or maybe not even putting it on at all. But what effect could living in a cold home have on our health? We speak to Dr Radha Modgil, an NHS GP and BBC Science Focus columnist to find out more. In this episode of Instant Genius, Dr Radha explains what the cold does to the human body, who is most at risk and if the solution really is to heat the human, not the home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is your smartphone becoming more environmentally friendly? Are tech companies doing enough to reduce their carbon footprint? Josh Lepawsky, a researcher in the geography of waste shares his views on the problem of e-waste. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Jason speaks to virologists Dave O’Connor and Marc Johnson from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. For the past year they have been hunting down a heavily mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in a search that has led them to scour through everything from sewage water to dog poo. In this episode they explain how viruses mutate, how there may be rogue forms of coronavirus still out there and how we can track viruses down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are we innately rational or irrational beings? What’s the common psychology that leads people to be sucked into conspiracy theories? Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker shares his theories about rational thought and how we can overcome psychological biases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Yes, we moan about them biting us, landing on our food and invading our picnics, but did you know that flies are extremely important pollinators? And they also polish off a lot of the dead and decomposing stuff in nature, making the world a better place for us to live? Dr Erica McAlister, the curator of flies at the Natural History Museum, tells us why we should give these insects a little more love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can animals sniff out cancer? Absolutely they can! It turns out that a dog’s incredible sense of smell can sniff out prostate cancer from a urine sample. Indeed, one recent study suggested that a dog can detect lung cancer from someone’s breath. So how do they do it? And how is this incredible talent being deployed in the real world? We talk to the co-founder of the Medical Detection Dogs charity Dr Claire Guest to find out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if you could hold a supernova in the palm of your hand? Or what if you could listen to a black hole? Dr Kimberly Arcand, a data visualiser for NASA, explains how astrophysics is moving beyond flat 2D images and how you can get involved at home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Picking up an instrument is something we’ve all done, or thought about doing. But what is actually going on in our brains when we do? We talk to health writer and cellist Adriana Barton about her book: Wired for Music – A search for health and joy through the science of sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do you love the songs that you do? Why does music have such a powerful hold over us? Can you love music without being musical? Neuroscientist prof Susan Rogers, who at one time worked with Prince as the audio engineer for Purple Rain, reveals what science can tell us about our musical taste, what our favourite songs might tell us about ourselves and, of course, what it was like to work with Prince. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Food and Drink Administration in the States has recently recommended the use of faecal transplants to treat various bacterial infections. We spoke to Dr Benjamin Mullish, a researcher at Imperial College London’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, about this promising new technique. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jack Stilgoe, a professor of science and technology policy, talks us through the future of self-driving cars, upcoming changes to the law surrounding them, and how they could change society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sian Harding, author of The Exquisite Machine: The new science of the heart, explains how the heart works, how to keep it healthy and the future of research into this essential organ. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Monday 26 September, Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth for 59 years, giving astronomers and stargazers a unique opportunity to observe and study the planet. To mark this moment, we spoke to planetary scientist Dr Jonathan Nichols from Leicester University, to understand the significance of this cosmological event and find out how new research is rewriting what we know about the enigmatic giant in our midst. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s that time of year again when we start to notice spiders coming into our homes. But what is the cause of this so-called ‘spider season’ and can any UK spiders actually cause us harm? Entomologist Prof Adam Hart from the University of Gloucester gives us the lowdown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Geologist and chemist Tim Gregory tells us what to look out for when NASA’s DART spacecraft completes its year-long journey and crashes into an asteroid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dung beetles are incredibly important insects. They keep fields clean by munching through dung, help aerate soil, and act as a food source for various animals. Dung beetle expert Sally Ann Spence tells us all about these little insects, reveals where you can find them, and explains why we should look after them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last couple of weeks Artemis has had two failed attempts at its first launch. Libby Jackson, the Exploration Science Manager for the UK space agency explains what went wrong, why failures are all part of the process and what’s in store for us all when we finally make it back to the moon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason Goodyer talks with Sean Elvidge on everything you need to know about weather in space. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we bring back a species after it’s gone extinct, are we bringing back the real thing? Would we create a woolly mammoth or a hairy elephant? Biologist Helen Pilcher explains whether we can really bring back species from the dead, and how the research could help us protect species under threat of extinction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kathryn Harkup, author of Superspy Science, talks us through the science of the craziest gadgets, schemes and fatalities in the James Bond series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can’t escape plant matter. It’s everywhere. That’s why forensic botany – the study of plants to help investigate crime – is so powerful. Professor David Gibson explores how true crime cases have been solved using plants, algae, fungi and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Kate Darling, a researcher specialising in human-robot interaction at the MIT Media Lab talks to us about artificial intelligence and tells us why we don’t need to worry about a robot uprising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lewis Dartnell, an astrobiologist and research scientist and the University of Westminster, explains what we might find in the search for life on Mars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prof Dann Mitchell, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol, reveals what has caused the current heatwave and drought, and what the future outlook could be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kevin Hiscock, a professor of environmental sciences at the University of East Anglia, unpacks the problems the UK is facing with drought and how to tackle them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are now giving you double Instant Genius each week! From Monday 8th August 2022 you'll get a new episode from us every Monday and Friday. For those subscribed via Apple Podcasts Subscription service you will now receive all new Instant Genius episodes completely ad free. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marine biologist, broadcaster and author Dr Helen Scales tells us all about seashells, where to find them, and what they can reveal about their inhabitants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How smart can an insect be? Lars Chittka, a professor of sensory and behavioural ecology and Queen Mary, University of London unpacks the incredible depth of intelligence exquisitely packed into the mind of a bee. Once you’ve mastered the basics with Instant Genius, dive deeper with Instant Genius Extra, where you’ll find longer, richer discussions about the most exciting ideas in the world of science and technology. Only available on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Technologist Sam Gregory explains what deepfakes are and why they have seen a sudden rise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthropologist Brenna Hassett, author of Growing Up Human, explains why our super-long childhood is so weird compared to the rest of the animal kingdom. Once you’ve mastered the basics with Instant Genius, dive deeper with Instant Genius Extra, where you’ll find longer, richer discussions about the most exciting ideas in the world of science and technology. Only available on Apple Podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices