Little Atoms

Martin Rees is Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics and Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. He was the President of the Royal Society until 2010, and is the Astronomer Royal. A member of the House of Lords, he is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His awards include the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, the Einstein Award of the World Cultural Council and the Crafoord Prize (Royal Swedish Academy). He was the recipient of the 2011 Templeton Prize. Martin's latest book is From Here to Infinity: Scientific Horizons, which expands on hIs 2010 BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures.THIS PROGRAMME WAS THE 200TH EDITION OF LITTLE ATOMS.First broadcast on 3rd June 2011. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vanessa Potter spent 16 years as an award-winning broadcast producer in London's advertising industry, before one day fate conspired to turn the lights out on her. Suddenly losing then slowly regaining her sight led Vanessa to change direction, turning the camera upon herself to tell her story via immersive art and storytelling. Vanessa's collaborations have led to some exciting partnerships, and she is currently working on developing an interactive EEG science-art project that allows the public to see and understand the effects of mindfulness on their brains. She is also involved in several other scientific research projects. Her speaking engagements include a June 2016 TEDx talk in Ghent, Belgium. Vanessa is the author of Patient H69: The Story of My Second Sight.Pía Spry-Marqués gained her PhD in archaeology from the University of Cambridge, where, following post-doctoral research, she now works in communications. Her research took her across Europe and across time, from the late Iron Age back to the Ice Age, identifying, classifying and decoding the meaning of animal remains in human-associated deposits. Originally from Spain, Pía is predisposed to a keen understanding, awareness and love of the pig and the many tasty pork products that are so much a part of Spanish cuisine. Pia is the author of PigPork: Archaeology, Zoology and Edibility. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan Gattis is the author of Kung Fu and All Involved, which won the American Library Association’s Alex Award & the Lire Award for Noir of the Year in France. Gattis lives and writes in Los Angeles, where he is a member of the street art crew UGLARworks & a founding board member of 1888, a Southern California literary arts non-profit. Ryan’s latest novel is Safe.Zinzi Clemmons was raised in Philadelphia by a South African mother and an American father. Her writing has appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, the Paris Review Daily, Transition and elsewhere. She is a cofounder and former publisher of Apogee Journal and a contributing editor to Literary Hub. Clemmons lives in Los Angeles and teaches at the Colburn Conservatory and Occidental College. Zinzi’s debut novel is What We Lose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Sparrow is a writer, editor, and broadcaster. He writes a fortnightly column for The Guardian and contributes regularly to many other Australian and international publications. Jeff is a member of the 3RRR Breakfasters team and the immediate past editor of literary journal Overland. He is the author of a number of award-nominated books, including Money Shot and Communism: a love story. Jeff's latest book in No Way But This: In Search of Paul Robeson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elena Lappin is a writer and editor. Born in Moscow, she grew up in Prague and Hamburg, and has lived in Israel, Canada, the United States and – longer than anywhere else – in London. She is the author of Foreign Brides and The Nose, and has contributed to numerous publications, including Granta, Prospect, the Guardian and the New York Times Book Review. Elena is the author of a memoir, What Language Do I Dream In? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel McCormack is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4s The Kitchen Cabinet, and has also broadcast on the station's From Our Own Correspondent, the Food Programme and appeared as an expert guest on BBC Radio 2 on both the Simon Mayo show and the Chris Evans show. Rachel is the author of Chasing the Dram: Finding the Spirit of Whisky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jean Hanff Korelitz was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Dartmouth College and Clare College, Cambridge. She is the author of the novels A Jury Of Her Peers, The Sabbathday River, The White Rose and Admission. A film version of Admission starring Tina Fey, Paul Rudd and Lily Tomlin was released in 2013. Jean’s latest novel is The Devil and Webster.Kanishk Tharoor is a writer based in New York City and the author of the short story collection Swimmer Among the Stars. His stories and essays have appeared in publications in India, the US, the UK, and the Middle East. He has been nominated for the National Magazine Award. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Grindrod grew up on 'the last road in London' on Croydon's New Addington housing estate, surrounded by the Green Belt. He is the author of Concretopia: A Journey Around the Rebuilding of Postwar Britain, described by the Independent on Sunday as 'a new way of looking at modern Britain'. He has written for the Guardian, Financial Times, Big Issue and The Modernist and has worked as a bookseller and publisher for over twenty-five years. He runs the popular website dirtymodernscoundrel.com and his latest book is Outskirts: Living Life on the Edge of the Green Belt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anthropologist Jason Hickel discusses global inequality, critiquing traditional development narratives and exposing economic injustices like pharmaceutical patents impacting HIV medication access. He explores historical inequalities, challenges colonial benefits, and analyzes the impact of neoliberal policies in Chile under Pinochet.

Beau Lotto is Professor of Neuroscience at University of London Goldsmiths, and a visiting scholar at NYU, where he specialises in the biology and psychology of perception. He has conducted research on human perception and behaviour for more than 25 years. In 2001 Beau founded Lab of Misfits, which had a two year residency at the Science Museum, London. Beau is the author of Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.