Why? with Emma Kennedy

Microplastics are turning up everywhere; in our lungs, blood, even our brains. They’re tiny, toxic, and almost impossible to avoid. So what can we do about them? Today, Emma Kennedy speaks to Dr Antaya March and Prof Fay Couceiro from the University of Portsmouth to find out what this means for our health and the long term consequences of ignoring this tiny problem.  WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnston. Edited by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back and we’ve got some questions. Weight-loss injections are reshaping more than waistlines. They’re changing the world we live in. Drugs like Ozempic were developed to treat diabetes, but now they’re transforming how we eat, fly, dress and maybe how we think about our impulses. This week, Emma Kennedy is joined by Professor Giles Yeo, obesity researcher at Cambridge University and author of Why Calories Don’t Count: How we got the science of weight loss wrong, to help us wrap our heads around how these so-called “skinny jabs” are changing everything. Buy Why Calories Don’t Count: How we got the science of weight loss wrong through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnson. Edited by Dominic Delargy. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back and we’ve got some questions. How does fake news pull us in? From deepfakes to dodgy headlines, we’re constantly navigating a minefield of misinformation. It spreads faster than the truth, plays on our emotions, and can confirm what we want to believe.  This week, Emma Kennedy is joined by Dr. Gordon Pennycook, Associate Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and Dr. David Rand, Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, to find out why it is so hard to combat fake news?  WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnson. Edited by Dominic Delargy. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back and we’ve got some questions. What is laughter? A joyful cackle, a nervous snort, a full-body wheeze. It’s how we react when life gets silly, or sometimes painful, or uncomfortable. We laugh to connect, to disarm and, sometimes, to survive.  This week, Emma Kennedy is joined by Laura Lexx, professional comedian with an actual masters in stand up comedy and host of Lexx Education, to help us decode the giggle. Why do we laugh?  Is it really contagious?  WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnson. Edited by Dominic Delargy. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back and we’ve got some questions. Sex, attraction, identity all bring up strong debates. For years, scientists have tried to pin down why we fancy who we fancy. Genes? Brain chemistry? Vibes? There’s no tidy answer – but could we be on the cusp of a scientific explanation? This week, Emma Kennedy is joined by geneticist and neuroscientist Dr Kevin Mitchell, associate professor at Trinity College Dublin to talk about attraction, the ‘gay gene’, and the universal appeal of prime David Beckham. WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnson. Edited by Dominic Delargy. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back and we’ve got some questions. When Jurassic Park roared into cinemas in 1993, it wasn’t just the dinosaurs that captured our imaginations – it was the idea that science might one day bring the prehistoric creatures back to life. Three decades and seven blockbusters later, the science of resurrection is edging closer to reality. Could we really bring back the dinosaurs? This week, Emma Kennedy talks to Professor Andrew Pask, a geneticist at the University of Melbourne, about his mission to revive the Tasmanian tiger – and why recreating truly prehistoric species remains a scientific riddle. WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnson. Edited by Dominic Delargy. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this engaging conversation, philosopher Alexander Douglas, author of 'Against Identity,' challenges our obsession with individualism amidst modern chaos. He questions how defining ourselves rigidly may do more harm than good. The discussion touches on the pressure to stand out, the complexities of identity shaped by societal norms, and the quest for admiration in the age of social media. Douglas advocates for a more flexible sense of self, emphasizing community and collective wellbeing over fixed identities.

Join Professor Richard Faragher, a leader in biological gerontology, and Dr. Paul Root Wolpe, a neuroethics expert, as they dive into the intriguing world of billionaire immortality. They explore the ethical implications of the ultra-wealthy pursuing life-extending therapies. From the latest advancements in longevity science to the potential societal divide between the rich and the rest, the discussion raises crucial questions about equality in healthcare. Can we ensure that technology serves everyone, not just the elite?

We’re back and we’ve got questions. Are you a doomscroller? Are you endlessly flicking through a feed of memes, photos of your coworker’s holidays and articles you’ll never read? It seems harmless at first – but what if it’s rewiring how we think? This week, Emma Kennedy talks to world leading cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Earl K. Miller, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience at MIT, to find out what scrolling is doing to our brains. WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnston. Edited by Dominic Delargy. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back and we’ve got questions. From misdiagnosed heart attacks to the gaslighting of chronic pain, women’s health has been stuck in triage for far too long. Women are told to trust the system – but what if the system was never built for them in the first place? This week, Emma Kennedy talks to TV presenter and author of It’s Probably Nothing: Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis, Naga Munchetty, to ask: why does modern medicine keep failing women? Buy It’s Probably Nothing: Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund Why? with Emma Kennedy by earning us a small commission for every sale. https://bookshop.org/’s fees help support independent bookshops too. WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Liam Tait and Kathleen Johnston. Edited by Dominic Delargy. Theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production. Image courtesy of the BBC Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices