Kim Hill Wants To Know

The secret to living well for longer is one geneticist Dame Linda Partridge has been trying to uncover for much of her career. In this episode of Kim Hill Wants To Know, she talks with Kim about the scientific breakthroughs that could mean the end to aging as we know it.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Sir Richard Faull, a leading neuroscientist and Director of the Centre for Brain Research, shares fascinating insights about the human brain and his groundbreaking work. He discusses revolutionary techniques in neuroanatomy, particularly in relation to neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's. The conversation delves into the ethical dilemmas of animal experimentation, the significance of the human brain bank in New Zealand, and the personal connections driving his research. Faull also highlights the links between diabetes and dementia, emphasizing community health and genetic complexities.

Kim Hill sits down with linguist and etymologist Anatoly Liberman to talk about words – their meaning, their history and how languages evolve. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Nick Wallis, an esteemed journalist and author of "The Great Post Office Scandal," shares his harrowing insights into one of the UK’s gravest miscarriages of justice. He discusses the profound implications of a faulty computer system that wrongfully accused many sub-postmasters. Wallis highlights the ongoing struggles for compensation and sheds light on racial biases that exacerbated the scandal. He also reflects on the emotional toll of reporting such traumatic stories and the complexities of truth in high-profile legal cases, making for a compelling and thought-provoking conversation.

Caroline Crampton resisted the idea that she was a hypochondriac, but now she's written an entire book on the history of the condition.Is this normal Doctor?The more we know about things, the more there is to worry about. This is especially true of our bodies, where it seems impossible that something isn’t going wrong all the time.Caroline Crampton is a hypochondriac and has written a book on the history of the condition - A Body Made of Glass.Crampton tells Kim Hill it took a long time to even entertain the idea that she might be a hypochondriac.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Historian, author and podcaster William Dalrymple believes it was India's Golden Road - not China's Silk Road - that transformed the world. He tells Kim Hill about his latest book and his own family history in the Empire.Scottish historian and journalist William Dalrymple is renown for his books, television series and podcast Empire - mostly about India, a country he’s been in love with since he was a young man.In his latest, The Golden Road, he argues that it was India and not China which transformed the world between 2050BC and 1300AD.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

If you put Kim Hill and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a room together - this is what you get.  A fiery yet invigorating conversation about Johnson's political career and his new book Unleashed.Watch the video version of the episode here.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

How much money is too much? Belgian-Dutch philosopher and economist Professor Ingrid Robeyns has written a book called Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth and she tells Kim Hill why the uber rich should be forced to give up their cash.Belgian-Dutch philosopher and economist Professor Ingrid Robeyns believes there is such a thing as too much money.Professor Robeyns, who holds the Chair of Ethics of Institutions at Utrecht University, has written a book called Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth and she believes the world would be better off if no one was allowed to have multi-millions of dollars.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Jon Lee Anderson’s life of adventure began when he was a young boy. The veteran New Yorker journalist tells Kim Hill about covering conflicts, doing jail time and his fascination with rebels which led to discovering Che Guevara's body in Bolivia.Jon Lee Anderson’s life of adventure began when he was a young boy. The veteran New Yorker journalist has covered some of the most intractable conflicts in some of the most troubled and chaotic parts of the world. His several books include a biography of Che Guevara, subtitled A Revolutionary Life and it was Guevara who played a part in Jon’s particular focus on people prepared to die for a cause.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Best-selling author, journalist and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell sits down with Kim Hill to explain his latest book and how his perspective has changed last 25 years. He delivers insights into the power in numbers and his surprising interests.Twenty-five years on from the publication of his best-selling book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwell has a new book out. It’s called Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders and the rise of Social Engineering and once again his fascinating case studies illustrate his theories. Gladwell, who also hosts the podcast Revisionist History, talks about being an optimist and power in numbers.Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details