Why? with Emma Kennedy

We like to think we’re the pinnacle of intelligent life, but were humans really the first to evolve conceptual, self-aware, logical consciousness on Earth? Could an advanced technological civilisation have emerged before? If so, what happened to it? And if our planet produces many kinds of intelligence – octopuses have nine brains! – what is it about Earth that makes intelligent life likely to evolve here? Evolutionary biologist and writer Dr. Henry Gee joins Ananyo Bhattacharya to talk about the so-called Silurian Hypothesis and whether humans really are Earth’s first intelligent inhabitants.Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.WHY? was written and presented by Ananyo Bhattacharya. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We hear a lot about the technology of space travel, but what about the psychology of leaving Earth for the loneliness of space? If you were strapped inside a rocket hurtling through space, what would it do to your state of mind? Could you still collaborate, concentrate and carry out your vital work? Or would you give in to rising panic as the only home you’ve ever known becomes a tiny blue speck that would take years to return to – if ever?Space psychologist Dr Nick Kanas joins Anna Machin to discuss his work with NASA astronauts and what lessons we need to learn before venturing further into space.Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.WHY? is written and presented by Anna Machin. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the very centre of the earth, scientists have just discovered a new, previously unknown geological layer inside our world’s dense inner core. What is this strange new fifth layer composed of? How could we not know what’s beneath our feet, albeit very far down? And could we use it somehow?Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić tells Luke Turner how his research group made this discovery and how the inner inner core may be small, but it plays a mighty mighty role in all our lives.Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow us on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.WHY? is written and presented by Luke Turner. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could you be forever young? Humans have fantasised about stopping or even reversing the ravages of age for as long as we’ve told stories – but now science is coming closer to making it happen. The global anti-ageing market is worth over $62 billion and the super-rich like Jeff Bezos are pouring billions into research against ageing. Will science soon be able to literally turn back the bodyclock?Dr Andrew Steele tells Olly Mann about the science of ageing, how biologists are reaching down to the cellular level to stop our bodies from degrading… and how we’re close to finding the Off switch for ageing.Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow us on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.WHY? is written and presented by Olly Mann. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Faster-than-light space travel has been a staple of science fiction since before the Starship Enterprise first went warp-speed. But could it ever really happen? Are we discovering potential ways to get round Einstein’s iron rule about spacetime’s speed limit? And could the secret to travelling at the speed of light be hidden within the underground tunnels at CERN?Theoretical physicist Dr Sabine Hossenfelder explains the latest thinking on ‘FTL’ to Anna Machin. Please fasten your seatbelts.Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.WHY? is written and presented by Anna Machin. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Humans now have more control over our long-term evolution than ever before. Developments in DNA research could mean we can by-pass natural selection and dictate our own biological destiny. But where is it leading? We time-travel forward a million years and check in on our (very) distant cousins to see if they resemble us at all. Will they even be recognisably human?Dr Anders Sandberg of Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute discusses the future of our species with Ananyo Bhattacharya.Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.WHY? is written and presented by Ananyo Bhattacharya. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time seems pretty reliable in our everyday lives – but is it as dependable as we think? According to Einstein, both gravity and speed can warp time. Some think time is just a product of our consciousness. Is it even real… whatever “real” is? Sam Baron, Professor of Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University and co-author of Out Of Time, tells Anna Machin how we all have our own ‘clock’ which doesn’t tick at the same pace as anyone else’s… and whether time is just a construct after all. Guest: Professor Sam BaronEvery Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an edition.WHY? is written and presented by Anna Machin. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who hasn’t looked up at the stars at some point and thought maybe there are other intelligent creatures out there? Astronomers scan the cosmos and they’ve found plenty of intriguing but inconclusive signals so far. Are they no more than magnetic waves from far off dead planets, or something more?Dr. Franck Marchis, Senior Planetary Astronomer at the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), tells Luke Turner about the groundbreaking research the institute is doing and how you can play your part in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.Guest: Dr Franck Marchis Resources: SETI, A Sign In SpaceEvery Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an edition.WHY? is written and presented by Luke Turner. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While the human race’s ploughs, tunnels and cities have rewritten the face of the planet, an even more fundamental force has been shaping our story: the single-minded focus of our DNA. Research scientist and author of Being Human Professor Lewis Dartnell tells Olly Mann how the hidden flaws and idiosyncrasies of our own bodies produced some of human civilisation’s most influential phenomena – from royalty to the Mafia. Guest: Professor Lewis Dartnell, author of Being Human; How our biology shaped world historyEvery Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an edition.WHY? is written and presented by Olly Mann. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter | Tiktok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Memory is critical to human function. We simply can’t do anything without it. Yet most of us have memories of events that never occurred. How can that be? Where do these false memories come from and what do they mean? Psychologist Dr Sarita Robinson walks Emma Kennedy down the avenues of the mind to find answers to this strange and disturbing phenomenon. If we can’t trust our own memory, can we trust ourselves?Guest: Dr Sarita RobinsonEvery Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an edition.WHY? is written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter | Tiktok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices