Discovery

Anosmic Kathy Clugston shares her experience living without a sense of smell, exploring the impact on memory and daily life. The podcast delves into the emotional and social struggles faced by anosmic individuals, the intricacies of taste and smell, and the absence of smell in brain anatomy. An interesting journey into the forgotten sense of smell.

The podcast explores the transformation of healthcare facilities in Sierra Leone post-Ebola crisis, including the development of advanced labs for detecting various viral diseases. It delves into the challenges faced by healthcare workers, the stigma endured by Ebola survivors, and the importance of international support in rebuilding the healthcare system. Additionally, it highlights the ongoing struggles with poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and the necessity of improving healthcare infrastructure for better disease detection and treatment.

The podcast explores how being bilingual can protect our brains and delay diseases like dementia. It discusses the cognitive advantages of bilingualism, including improved memory and attention. The episode also covers studies on stroke recovery and the benefits of learning challenging languages at a young age.

The podcast discusses the cognitive advantages of bilingualism, such as the ability to switch between languages and filter out irrelevant information. It explores how bilingual education enhances attention abilities in children and promotes academic success. Additionally, it highlights the benefits of bilingual art lessons and immersion programs in enhancing language proficiency and overall academic performance.

The podcast explores how human activities like hunting, fishing, and habitat alterations are driving evolutionary changes in species. From trophy hunting impacting big horn sheep populations to fishing practices leading to smaller fish, it highlights the unintended consequences of human-driven evolution.

Aristocrat writer and thinker Margaret Cavendish visited the Royal Society in 1667, intriguing and irritating the male elite. The podcast explores her life, ambitions, and perspectives on experimental philosophy. It also delves into the dynamic between theorists and experimentalists in science, technological and financial constraints in scientific testing, and the unexpected discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider.

The podcast delves into the intriguing story of the Orgueil meteorite that fell in rural France in 1864, sparking debates about the origin of life on Earth and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. It explores Pasteur's investigation into the meteorite and the idea that life may have originated elsewhere in the universe. The podcast also discusses the implications of interplanetary contamination and the historical significance of the meteorite in the search for life in space rocks.

Discover the dangers of rhino poaching in South Africa, driven by the high demand for rhino horn in traditional Chinese medicine and as a status symbol. Explore the ethical dilemma of dehorning rhinos for protection and the controversial debate around legalizing the trade of rhino horns. Learn about the challenges faced by conservationists in safeguarding these endangered animals and the frontline struggles in protecting rhinos from poachers.

Exploring the quest for African Einsteins, the podcast highlights young African scientists leading in their fields. The Next Einstein Forum celebrates scientific achievement in Africa, advocating for more investment in research. Chapters discuss the impact of African scientists in groundbreaking projects and the importance of enhancing scientific training across the continent.

Professor Kathy Willis from Kew Gardens discusses the need to breed better crops for an expanding population. Topics include enhancing rice photosynthesis, improving plant root architecture, and re-evaluating resilient crops like sorghum and cassava. Can we achieve necessary crop varieties in time?