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For Episode Nine, Evgeny is joined by Michael Pollan, journalist, author, and one of the leading voices exploring the human mind. Drawing on his new book A World Appears, Pollan makes an impassioned case for consciousness as something precious, private, and increasingly under threat. Together, they explore how social media and AI are not just competing for our attention, but beginning to shape attachment, emotion, and even our sense of self.The conversation ranges from chatbots and “AI psychosis” to meditation, psychedelics, and the idea of “consciousness hygiene” - the habits and practices that might help us protect our inner lives. Pollan also reflects on why writing is a form of thinking, why boredom and mind-wandering matter, and how experiences of ego dissolution, art, and nature can deepen our understanding of consciousness. The episode ends on a wider question: whether the real challenge is not only understanding consciousness, but learning how to practise it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al’s on the mic for a quick commute-friendly sprint: London’s hosting a 13-nation quantum pow-wow as the UK tries to help write the rules for the next big tech era. Then up to Sheffield, where researchers say the way we make chips could get a lot greener if supply chains shift closer to home. Also: telecoms firms re-promise to stop the sneaky bill stuff, with legacy inflation-linked rises heading for the exit after April 2026. After the break, Nature delivers a proper AI reality check — chatbots confidently chatting about a disease that doesn’t exist — before we finish with Xbox Game Pass loading April like it wants you to cancel plans. More on everything at standard.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Leer is in with a proper commute-friendly sprint through today’s tech and science. London researchers linked to UCL hit a bonkers fibre speed record — using existing installed cable — while the UK’s Online Safety regime gets sharper as a key reporting duty kicks in today. Then we go brainy with a study teasing out a “neural fingerprint” for psychedelics, before switching to gaming where Starfield finally opens up on PS5 with a big update and fresh story content. Plus, a quick reality check on why your next phone might cost more than your last — and what to do about it. More at standard.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al’s back in your ears with a proper mixed bag: TfL quietly tests smarter detection tech on Tube tracks (eyes peeled at Mile End) and roads with radar cameras, while the UK’s next-gen Skynet military satellite plan sparks a very serious “who controls what” debate. Then we go full cosmic — Artemis II swings behind the Moon and pushes past an Apollo-era distance record — before a clean-energy research result hints at squeezing more power out of sunlight and heat. After that, Xbox FanFest puts London on the global gaming tour… and Evercade’s new handheld waves the flag for physical retro in a world that’s trying to subscription-everything. More on all of it at standard.co.uk — and follow Tech and Science Daily from The Standard for your weekday briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

London Tech Week tees up a new Deep Tech Stage for June, the government names its preferred candidate to chair UKRI, and researchers report something that sounds made-up but isn’t: “trade winds” inside cells that help move proteins as cells migrate. Plus, April gaming season begins — and yes, Goat Simulator 3 is on Switch 2 today. More on all of it at standard.co.uk, and follow Tech and Science Daily from The Standard for your weekday briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UCL teams up on a stem-cell therapy plan to help babies with Hirschsprung disease — the kind of story that actually changes lives. Then it’s the UK CMA poking around Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, because “it’s fine, everyone uses it” is not a competition policy. In the lab, a phonon “sound laser” shows off a wild new way to measure gravity with extreme precision. After the break: Arc Raiders drops Flashpoint and the playerbase immediately starts debating it like Parliament. Plus, CityFibre goes full show-off with an 8.5Gbps wholesale fibre product.More on all of it at standard.co.uk — and follow Tech and Science Daily from The Standard for your weekday briefing.Sound Laser. One more time for the people Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al’s running you through a very modern mix: London Games Festival turns the city into one big playable space, UK genomic science pulls a major epilepsy-linked diagnosis out of the “dark genome”. After the break, space science gets strange — microgravity may mess with sperm navigation — and Apple’s iOS 26.4 UK age checks arrive with equal parts safety intent and privacy drama. More at standard.co.uk — and follow Tech and Science Daily from The Standard for your weekday briefing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.