Ri Science Podcast

Throughout history there have been revolutions in technology, in economics, in society, in politics. Now for the first time Yuval Noah Harari argues that humanity itself is likely to undergo a radical revolution as a result of new technologies such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology and brain-computer interfaces. Dr Yuval Noah Harari has a PhD in History from the University of Oxford and now lectures at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specialising in World History. 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind', published in 2014, was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for over six months in paperback, was a New York Times top ten bestseller and has been published in nearly 40 languages worldwide. http://www.ynharari.com/ https://twitter.com/harari_yuval Check out our website: http://www.rigb.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution And Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution

In 1950, Bruno Pontecorvo, one of Britain's brightest atomic physicists, disappeared without trace. He re-surfaced six years later: in the USSR. In this talk, based on unprecedented access to archives, letters, surviving family members and scientists, Frank Close exposes the truth of Pontecorvo’s life behind the Iron Curtain, and reveals why he went so suddenly. Frank Close is a particle physicist, and author. He is Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, and has previously been Head of the Theoretical Physics Division at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Head of Communications and Public Education at CERN. He has written several books, including Antimatter, Neutrino and The very short introduction to particle physics. https://twitter.com/closefrank Check out our website: http://www.rigb.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution And Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution

'Breaking Bad' was a TV show with science at its core. With a genius chemist as its main protagonist, it explored complex themes of morality and what can cause a person to change. Chemist Dave Smith (https://twitter.com/professor_dave) and psychologist Julian Boon delve into the science behind the show, while screenwriter Paul Viragh discusses the challenge of representing science on screen. The discussion is chaired by author, presenter and 'Breaking Bad' fan Claudia Hammond (https://twitter.com/claudiahammond). Image credit: Breaking Bad scene, depicted by Tyler Curtis http://tylercurtis.deviantart.com/art/Breaking-Bad-251805283 Check out our website: http://www.rigb.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution And Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution

This month, three researchers explain how quantum theory is being applied to their own work in this cutting-edge field of scientific discovery. Nigel Scrutton explores proton tunnelling in enzymes, Alexandra Olaya-Castro discusses her latest research in photosynthesis and Jenny Brookes explains her work on a quantum model of olfaction. Nigel Scrutton is Professor of Molecular Enzymology at the University of Manchester and Director of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. His research focusses on the mechanisms, structures and exploitation of enzyme catalysts and light-activated proteins. https://twitter.com/nigel_scrutton Alexandra Olaya-Castro leads a research group on the quantum mechanics of biomolecular processes in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London. They explore the possible roles that quantum phenomena may play in biomolecular functions. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucapaol/ Jennifer Brookes is a researcher at London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL, and carries out computer simulations on the quantum physics at work in biological processes. https://twitter.com/jcbrookes Image credit: Khopkins2010, Ubiquitin-activating enzyme bound to the ubiquitin substrate Check out our website: http://www.rigb.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution And Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution

Style guides set out strict rules for writing well, but how much of that grammar policing is just dogma, and how much is helpful for communication? Drawing on the latest research in linguistics and cognitive science, Steven Pinker uses reason and evidence to tell us how to communicate effectively in this talk hosted by Melvyn Bragg. Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist and one of the world’s foremost writers on language, mind, and human nature. He is Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University and conducts research on language and cognition but also writes for publications such as the New York Times, Time, and is the author of many books, including The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works. stevenpinker.com/ Melvyn Bragg is a broadcaster, writer and novelist. He was made a Life Peer (Lord Bragg of Wigton) in 1998. Since then he has hosted over 660 episodes of In Our Time on subjects ranging from Quantum Gravity to Truth. He was presenter of the BBC radio series The Routes of English, a history of the English language. He is currently Chancellor of the University of Leeds Check out our website: www.rigb.org/ Twitter: twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution And Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution

For centuries we’ve been using chemicals to improve health, but technology is set to transform the way medicine works. This month, five scientists on the cutting-edge of pharmaceutical research talk about the latest in gene therapy, cancer treatment and more. Ijeoma Uchegbu is a professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at UCL. Her research focuses on designing drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier. She won the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Pharmaceutical Scientist of the Year Award in 2012. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pharmacy/people/professor-ijeoma-uchegbu Catherine Tuleu is a professor of Paediatric Pharmaceutics at UCL. The main focus of her research concerns drug delivery systems for neonates, infants and children. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pharmacy/people/professor-catherine-tuleu Sejal Ranmal is Director of Formulation at Intract Pharma, a science-driven licensing and product development company specialising in gastrointestinal models and state-of-the-art formulation technologies for development of advanced therapeutics. https://www.intractpharma.com/about-us Stephen Hart is a professor in Molecular Genetics at UCL. His research focuses on developing gene therapies for cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as cancer. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ich/research/genetics-genomic-medicine/experimental-personalised-medicine/research-groups/Prof-Stephen-Hart Wafa Al-Jamal is a reader in the School of Pharmacy at Queen's University Belfast. Currently, her research focuses on developing smart vectors for delivering a broad range of therapeutic agents, and to fabricate multifunctional nanoparticles to target cancer and other diseases. https://pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/wafa-aljamal(d931b6ec-d950-47da-bfb2-d2a6fd7a6aa7).html Image credit: Sun dazed on Flickr at https://flickr.com/photos/8411191@N07/2277763683 Check out our website: http://www.rigb.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution And Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket? Or to look back on the earth from outer space? Or to repair the Hubble Space Telescope? Join chair Helen Keen for an evening with astronaut Mike Massimino as he looks back on his remarkable 18-year career as a NASA astronaut. Mike Massimino spent 18 years as a NASA astronaut and flew on two shuttle missions. On both occasions he performed spacewalks outside the shuttle to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Since returning to Earth and retiring from NASA, he now works as a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University in New York. https://twitter.com/Astro_Mike Check out our website: http://www.rigb.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution And Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution

Memories give us a sense of who we are. But how can we be sure that what we remember is what really happened? And why is it that some unwanted memories just won’t go away? Vin Walsh is a Professor of Human Brain Research at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL. https://twitter.com/vinwalsh Julia Shaw is a memory hacker and psychological scientist at UCL. She is best known for her work in the area of false memories: memories of things that never actually happened. https://twitter.com/drjuliashaw Jennifer Wild is an Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on why people over-remember what they most wish to forget. She has a special interest in how traumatic memories are formed and how they drive symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. https://twitter.com/drjenwild Check out our website: www.rigb.org/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution Twitter: twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution

This month Kate Jones tells us about the amazing technology being used to monitor wildlife worldwide and how it is helping us to learn about the fascinating world of bats. Kate Jones is Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity in the Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment (GEE) at University College London. She's on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/profkatejones Image credit: F. C. Robiller Check out our website: http://www.rigb.org/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalInstitution

What will the world of tomorrow be like? Kelly and Zach Weinersmith give us a snapshot of the transformative technologies that are coming soon(ish), from space elevators to origami robots, and explain how they will change our world in astonishing ways — maybe for the better, maybe for the worse. Kelly Weinersmith is a Huxley Fellow at Rice University in the BioSciences Department. She studies how host behaviour influences risk of infection with parasites and cohosts Science... Sort Of, one of the top 20 natural science podcasts. Zach Weinersmith is the cartoonist behind the popular geek webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.