Instant Genius

Tim Coulson, a zoologist at the University of Oxford, delves into the essence of human existence in his illuminating discussion. He traces our origins back to the Big Bang, questioning if our emergence was a cosmic certainty or mere luck. Coulson explores what defines humanity, including consciousness and social living’s evolutionary advantages, while reflecting on our relationship with technology from primitive tools to modern science. He also tackles the age-old debate of determinism versus randomness, pondering if we are merely products of chance or governed by the universe's laws.

Dr. Elias Dakwar challenges the brain disease model of addiction, delving into existential roots and philosophical aspects. He discusses addiction's link to happiness, personal freedom, and innovative treatment strategies, emphasizing the need for new perspectives and creative engagement in addressing addiction.

These days, pretty much every move we make online is tracked in one way or another. Whether it’s through our social media accounts or online shopping habits, algorithms are getting better at painting a picture of who we are and how we think. But why do we let this happen?In this episode we catch up with science broadcaster and writer Timandra Harkness to talk about her new book, Technology is not the Problem.She tells us how various online agencies keep tabs on us, whether we should be worried about it, and why sometimes it can be too hard to resist buying that expensive pair of shoes you keep getting ads for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Award-winning science writer Marcus Chown delves into the captivating history of black holes, from their humble beginnings to cosmic stardom. Explore the contributions of lesser-known scientists, Roy Kerr's discoveries on spinning black holes, and the intersection of black holes with physics and the creation of galaxies.

Dr. James Kinross from Imperial College London discusses the impact of microbiomes on brain health, emotions, and even potential for love potions. Topics include microbiome diversity, fecal transplants for addiction, microbial sample administration methods, microbiomes in mate selection, hormone production, fertility, and the effects of Westernized diets and pollutants on microbiomes.

The existence of flight in the animal kingdom is something that many of us take for granted. But on closer inspection, it can perhaps be thought of as one of the miracles of nature.In this episode we catch up with the writer Lev Parikian about his book Taking Flight: How animals learned to fly and transformed life on Earth, which was shortlisted for Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize.He tells us about how flight has evolved independently in four separate groups of animals, how bats became the only mammals capable of powered flight, and how some birds ended up losing the ability to fly altogether. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Edmans, author of May Contain Lies, discusses how to spot and fight misinformation. Topics include biases, critical thinking, fact-checking, navigating the maze of misinformation, and the impact of misinformation and AI on truth online.

In the short time since its launch in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope has produced some absolutely breathtaking images of the cosmos. And there’s much more to come.In this episode I speak to the head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency Dr Caroline Harper about her new book Unseen Universe: New secrets of the cosmos revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope.We talk about some of the highlights of the telescope has delivered so far, including incredibly detailed images of Jupiter, its Moon and some of the most distant stars and galaxies ever observed, how it can look for extra-terrestrial life on exoplanets, and also about some of the future space missions that Dr Harper is most excited about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever had a difficult decision to make and after much thought and deliberation decided that you should sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning? I’d venture most of us have at one point or another. But is there any science to back up this common habit?In this episode, the second of a two-part series, I speak to neurosurgeon and bestselling author Rahul Jandial about his new book This is Why You Dream: What your sleeping brain reveals about your waking life.We talk about the strange phenomenon of sleep paralysis, how the dreaming brain can work alongside the waking brain to help us solve problems, and what we can learn from the weird and wonderful phenomenon of lucid dreaming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The chances are most of us will remember at least one dream we’ve had recently. But where do dreams come from, why is their content often universal across different cultures, and what can we learn from studying nightmares?In this episode, the first of a series of two, I speak to neurosurgeon and bestselling author Rahul Jandial about his new book This is Why You Dream: What your sleeping brain reveals about your waking life.We talk about what’s going on in the different areas of our brains when we dream, how the dreaming brain differs from the waking brain, and the intimate links that exist between our emotions, imagination and ability to dream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices