Instant Genius

Dr Michael Mosley: Why is sleep so important?

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If, like us, you love to read a good science book, (and thanks to this podcast we’ve read a fair few over the years), you’ll probably recognise th...

Ritu Raman: Can you build with biology?

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If I asked you to build a robot, the first materials you would probably reach for would be some metal bits and plastic bobs. However, mechanical engin...

Project Discovery: Could computer games help find a cure for COVID-19?

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a previous episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we discovered how a team of scientists harnessed the combined power of hundreds of thousands of pl...

Dr Jacob Bleacher: Why do we need to go back to the Moon?

06 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1969, Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people ever to walk on the Moon, a feat over the next three and a half year...

Subhadra Das: What part has science played in racism?

29 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Not so long ago, English scientists believed that they could study differences between people and that certain ethnicities were ‘better’ or ‘wor...

Brendan Walker: Where is the best place to sit on a rollercoaster?

22 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brendan Walker originally trained and worked as an aeronautical engineer, but now has a far more thrilling job title, quite literally - he’s a thril...

Leonard Mlodinow: How did Stephen Hawking make science accessible?

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two years to the day the great physicist Professor Stephen Hawking was interred at Westminster Abbey, and at the time of his death, we spoke to one of...

Pragya Agarwal: When does bias become prejudice?

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

No matter how open-minded we consider ourselves to be, all of us hold biases towards other people. Dr Pragya Agarwal is a behavioural and data scienti...

Anthony David: Why is there still such stigma around mental health?

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mental health has become a hot topic in recent years, with campaigns asking us to be kind on social media and to reach out to friends who are struggli...

Luck, the paranormal and the Moon landings - Everything you ever wanted to know about…. illusions, magic and the paranormal

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest Prof Richard Wiseman is a spectacularly creative scientist who started off his career as a magician before becoming a psychologist. Over the...

Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac: Has climate change determined our future?

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Christiana Figueres is the former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and it was her work that led to its members si...

Illusions and Magic - Everything you ever wanted to know about... illusions, magic and the paranormal, episode 1

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest Prof Richard Wiseman is a spectacularly creative scientist who started off his career as a magician before becoming a psychologist. Over the...

Elisa Raffaella Ferrè: What happens to the brain in space?

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here on Earth, we take the force of gravity for granted. For years, researchers have neglected to study its influence because of this very reason, but...

Sonia Contera: How will nanotechnology revolutionise medicine?

11 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk to one of the world’s leading pioneers in the field of nanotechnology, Sonia Contera. Nanotechnology is the application of science...

Neil Shubin: How do big changes in evolution happen?

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The first time a fish crawled out of the water and onto land, it was a turning point that led to brand new kinds of life. But this couldn’t happen o...

Your questions – Everything You Wanted To Know About…Physics, episode six

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Jim Al-Khalili answers listeners’ questions about physics, the Universe and everything else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

Mysteries in physics – Everything You Wanted To Know About…Physics, episode five

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Jim Al-Khalili reveals some of the biggest unsolved mysteries. We talk about the plausibility of time travel, whether there are multiple universe...

Energy – Everything You Wanted To Know About…Physics, episode four

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Jim Al-Khalili tackles thermodynamics – the study of energy. Together, we unravel the idea of entropy, talk about the direction of time and mus...

Quantum physics – Everything You Wanted To Know About…Physics, episode three

26 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Jim Al-Khalili demystifies the strange world of quantum physics. We discuss the key experiments, how quantum effects play out in the real world a...

Space & Time – Everything You Wanted To Know About…Physics, episode two

25 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Jim Al-Khalili helps us get to grips with the big concepts in cosmology. We talk space time, relativity and, of course, the end of the Universe. ...

The Fundamentals – Everything You Wanted to Know About…Physics, episode one

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prof Jim Al-Khalili breaks down the building blocks of the Universe and reveals what simplicity, beauty and elegance have to do with physics. Hosted o...

Everything You Wanted To Know About Physics, with Prof Jim Al-Khalili

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Let your curiosity run wild. No question is off-limits in this new podcast series from the team behind BBC Science Focus magazine. In Everything Yo...

Sandro Galea: What is the difference between health and medicine?

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk to the Sandro Galea, Dean of the school of public health at Boston University. His book, called Well: What We Need to Talk About Whe...

Toby Ord: What are the odds civilisation will survive the century?

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk to the philosopher Toby Ord about the end of civilisation as we know it. Ok, it’s not all doom and gloom. As Toby says, he’s an ...

Anthony Warner: Are we really too fat?

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's Science Focus Podcast chef and author of the book The Truth About Fat: Why Obesity is Not that Simple (£9.99, Oneworld), Anthony Warne...

Camilla Pang: How can science guide my life?

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Camilla Pang is a bioinformatician, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when she was eight years old. Her first book, Explaining Humans...

Kevin Fong: What happened to Apollo 13?

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we catch up with Kevin Fong about the new series of his award-winning podcast 13 Minutes to the Moon. Whereas the first series celebrated th...

Aleks Krotoski: What happens to your data when you die?

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What happens to all your digital data once you die? We ask social psychologist, host of BBC Radio 4's Digital Human and BBC Science Focus columnist A...

Professor Fay Dowker: What is the problem of quantum gravity?

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re going on a search for the theory of everything. The two main theories of physics are at odds with one another. Einstein's general ...

Jim Davies: How do you use your imagination?

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine, just for one moment, that you’re flying. What can you see? How high up are you? Can you feel the rush of wind in your face? Keep these tho...

Mark Miodownik: Are biodegradable plastics really better than traditional plastic?

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve probably bought something from a corner shop and taken it home in a plastic bag that says it’s biodegradable, or eaten takeaway food with a...

Dr Erin Macdonald: Is there any science in Star Trek?

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’re boldly going where no Science Focus Podcast has gone before. Dr Erin Macdonald is the new science consultant for the Star Trek franc...

Adam Rutherford: Can science ever be rid of racism?

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Rutherford is a geneticist at the University College London, which has one of the most prestigious population, genetics and evolution departments...

Ross Barnett: Why should we be interested in prehistoric animals that aren’t dinosaurs?

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast we’re investigating long-extinct animals. No, not dinosaurs, they get plenty enough coverage alr...

Samantha Alger: What can we do to save the bees?

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all appreciate the buzz of the humble bee in the garden, however, not a summer goes past without hearing news that our bee population is under thre...

Marcel Danesi: Why do we want to believe lies?

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all love a good story, and sometimes a lie is more interesting to hear than the truth, but there is more to it than spinning a good yarn. According...

Dr Becky Smethurst: How do you actually find a black hole?

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

By day Dr Becky, is an astrophysicist, unravelling the mysteries of supermassive black holes, but by night entertains science buffs like us on her You...

Hannah Fry: How much of our lives is secretly underpinned by maths?

26 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hopefully by now the last crumbs of mince pie will be wiped clean and Grandad has woken up from his Christmas day nap. If you’re anything like us, t...

Adam Kay: Is Christmas really the most wonderful time of the year on labour ward?

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re stuffing your face with mince pies this Christmas Day, spare a thought for the hundreds of thousands of people working in the NHS providin...

Kathryn D Sullivan: What is it really like to walk in space?

12 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kathryn D Sullivan made history on 11 October 1984 when she became the first American woman to make an Extravehicular Activity, something most of us w...

Brian Switek: How did bones evolve?

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Switek, the pen name of science writer and fossil fanatic Riley Black. This year she released a book called The Secret Life of Bones: Their Orig...

Chris Lintott: Can members of the public do real science?

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We’re living in the age of big data. Scientists can collect and store more information than ever before. So how can they manage it all? That’s whe...

Dean Burnett: What’s going on in the teenage brain?

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Why are teens so emotional? Why won’t they listen when adults depart their worldly knowledge? Why won’t they tidy their rooms? Well, there are ple...

Randall Munroe: How do you find the worst solution to any problem?

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you need advice for the best way to move house, predict the weather or take a selfie, Randall Munroe, the creator of the webcomic xkcd, can’t hel...

Gaia Vince: What part does culture play in our evolution?

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Some scientists now believe we are living in a new epoch, the age of invention and human influence on the world, called the Anthropocene. In 2014, sci...

Jim Al-Khalili: Why should we care about science and scientists?

30 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Every Tuesday morning, physicist and science communicator Jim Al-Khalili presents the long-running radio programme The Life Scientific on BBC Radio ...

Bill Bryson: What should we know about how our bodies work?

23 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we hear from renowned travel writer and science communicator, Bill Bryson. Beloved by readers around the...

Gretchen McCulloch: How has the internet affected how we communicate?

16 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Scroll through Facebook or Twitter and you’ll notice that many people type in a particular style: full of lols and emoji, and rarely using punctuati...

Robert Elliott Smith: Are algorithms inherently biased?

09 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s podcast, we speak Robert Elliott Smith, an expert in evolutionary algorithms and researcher of artificial intelligence. His latest bo...

Monica Grady: What is the future of space science?

02 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the Science Focus Podcast, we’re talking to Professor Monica Grady, planetary and space scientist, ahead of World Space Week. World Space W...

Dr Tilly Blyth: How has art influenced science?

25 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Science and art have not always been separately defined. Leonardo Da Vinci studied anatomy, neuroscientist Cajal created beautiful drawings of the cel...

Richard Dawkins: Can we live in a world without religion?

18 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Dawkins is considered one of the top British intellectuals of the 21st Century. He’s known for his opinions on atheism and his books on evol...

Does data discriminate against women? – Caroline Criado Perez

11 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Apple launched its health tracker app HealthKit in 2014, they promised users the ability to track everything from their blood pressure to their c...

How do you launch a successful space mission? – Mark McCaughrean

04 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Launching a rocket into space doesn’t come cheap. That much won’t surprise anybody, but what goes into the planning, construction and the science ...

What does our skin tell us about ourselves? – Dr Monty Lyman

28 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The largest organ in the body isn’t the lungs or the brain, but the skin. Our skin performs a vast array of functions for us, from protecting us fro...

Are Generation Z our only hope for the future? – John Higgs

21 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you grew up on a steady stream of Hollywood blockbusters filled with killer robots, alien invasions and apocalyptic natural disasters, you’d be f...

Is an implantable electronic device the future of medicine? – Gordon Wallace

14 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Materials scientist Gordon Wallace is the director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at the University of Wollongong, New South...

How accurately can we predict the weather? – Andrew Blum

07 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast of the United States in October 2012, causing $65bn of damage. Remarkably, weather forecasters managed to predict i...

What happened at Bluedot festival 2019? – Libby Jackson, Tom Shakespeare and Danielle George

31 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In mid-July this year, science and music lovers alike donned their Wellington boots and rain ponchos and made the journey to Jodrell Bank Observatory ...

What does a world with an ageing population look like? – Sarah Harper

24 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We can’t reverse the slow march of time, but thanks to the wonders of technology and modern medicine, we have a lot more of it in our lives. But as ...

What does it mean to be a man? – Gary Barker

17 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the past few years, traditional male stereotypes have come under increasing scrutiny. These stereotypes often come under the term ‘Toxic masculin...

Dr Guy Leschziner: What is your brain doing while you sleep?

10 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For most of us, switching off the light and curling up in a warm, cosy bed is the welcome reward for a good day done (or much-needed respite from a ba...

What can the father of Gaia theory tell us about our future? - James Lovelock

03 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the Science Focus Podcast, we spend some time with James Lovelock – the visionary scientist and environmental thinker who this month tu...

Could leaving nature to its own devices be the key to meeting the UK’s climate goals? - Mark Lynas

26 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The UK government’s official climate advisors recently reported that the country’s greenhouse gas emissions must fall to zero by 2050 in order t...

Is there really no such thing as a fish? – Andrew Hunter Murray and Dan Schreiber

19 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We like to think our Science Focus Podcast is something really rather special (really, you should tell all your mates about it). But let’s face it,...

Is racism creeping into science? – Angela Saini

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After World War II, mainstream science denounced eugenics and the study of racial differences. Yet there remained a staunch group of scientists who co...

Can we really predict when doomsday will happen? – William Poundstone

05 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we’re going to try to guess when the end of the world will happen. Don’t worry, it’s not as gloomy...

Is body positivity the answer to body image issues? – Phillippa Diedrichs

29 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We live in a society that values looks, but only if they fit into a restrictive set of ideals regarding size and shape, age, skin colour, as well as m...

Why is the Moon landing still relevant 50 years on? – Kevin Fong

22 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you were to picture the Moon landing in your head right now, you could probably conjure up images of Neil Armstrong’s famous first steps, accompa...

Can science explain everything? – Michael Blastland

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We know a lot. In scientific studies, we can count data, observe trends, infer links and calculate risks. But we also spend a lot of time ignoring noi...

Is the cure for cancer hiding in human breast milk? – Professor Catharina Svanborg

08 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Two decades ago a group of Swedish researchers chanced upon an intriguing compound with tumour-killing properties hidden within human breast milk. Dub...

Why is Leonardo Da Vinci’s scientific legacy so often overlooked? – Martin Clayton

01 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been 500 years since the death of Leonardo Da Vinci, and he’s remembered mainly for his great works of art, like The Last Supper and the M...

Is gene editing inspiring or terrifying? – Nessa Carey

25 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In 2012, scientists developed a method to edit any part of the human genome, and the implications were astounding. Now, we’re starting to see the te...

What if the Earth’s magnetic field died? – Jim Al-Khalili

17 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Theoretical physicist and science communicator Professor Jim Al-Khalili has taken a break from writing popular science books to write his first novel....

Are video games good for us? - Pete Etchells

10 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's Science Focus Podcast, we dive into the world of video games. Over the past couple of decades, video games have often got a bad rap, bl...

Do you believe in magic? – Gustav Kuhn

03 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Abracadbra! Prestidigitation! We know that these words hold no intrinsic power, but when we hear them, we are instantly transported away to a land of ...

How can we save our planet? - Sir David Attenborough

27 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We speak to Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and host of the new Netflix show Our Planet, and two of the show’s producers about the essential chan...

Can we slow down the ageing process? - Sue Armstrong

20 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As the size of the ageing population rises, the field of gerontology, the study of ageing, is bursting with discoveries. How and why do we age? What c...

Matt Parker: What happens when maths goes horribly, horribly wrong?

13 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sums are hard, but imagine the consequences when getting the wrong answer leads to disaster. Comedian and maths whizz Matt Parker explains what happen...

Why is the magnetic north pole moving? - Ciaran Beggan

06 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Earth’s magnetic north pole is rocketing towards Siberia at 50 kilometres per year, making the maps of the magnetic field out of date faster tha...

Are we facing an insect apocalypse? - Brad Lister

27 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Professor Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rico to track insect populations, he found he was only catching a fraction of the amount he’d seen 40 ...

Is religion compatible with science? - Professor John Lennox

20 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we delve into the complex relationship between science and religion. Why invoke a god to explain the world, the argument goes, when science...

What does it mean to be happy? - Helen Russell

13 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be happy? The pleasure of doing nothing, the sense of community from performing a haka, or drinking in your pants? Helen Russell,...

How geology can influence elections - Lewis Dartnell

06 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell is here to talk about how the Earth's ancient geography has influenced the development of human civilisations, and how ...

The mindset behind the Moon landing – Richard Wiseman

30 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The men and women of the Apollo program needed a particular mindset to land astronauts on the Moon – Richard Wiseman explains how you can harness th...

How technology is changing politics – Jamie Susskind

23 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Susskind explains how the politics of the future will be shaped by the technology influencing our lives today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

There’s no such thing as Blue Monday - Sir David Spiegelhalter

16 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Statistician and Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge Sir David Spiegelhalter ex...

The most mysterious objects in the Universe - Colin Stuart

09 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

From 'Oumuamua to Planet Nine, astronomy writer and Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society Colin Stuart counts down the five strangest cosmic enigma...

Eating for your genes - Giles Yeo

03 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Giles Yeo studies the relationship between our genetic make-up and how we’re eating, and knows that poor self-control isn’t entirely to blame f...

What makes me 'me'? - Aoife McLysaght

26 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Evolutionary geneticist Aoife McLysaght is joining Alice Roberts as a guest at this year’s Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Together, they’re...

Why ASMR gives you tingles – Emma WhispersRed

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We chat to YouTuber Emma WhispersRed ASMR about how she got into making the videos, why she thinks people find them so soothing, and why she wants to ...

Air pollution is killing us, here’s how you can stop it – Gary Fuller

12 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pollution scientist Gary Fuller explains how bad our air is, what causes it, and how we can stop this invisible killer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

Should we be worried about sex robots? – Kate Devlin

05 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

AI ethicist Dr Kate Devlin has done a deep dive into intimacy with machines for her new book Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots. She’s looked into s...

Filming a Dynasty - Nick Lyon

28 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The latest Sir David Attenborough-narrated BBC Natural History Unit Landmark Series is called Dynasties, and it tracks power struggles within animal g...

There is no Plan B for planet Earth – Lord Martin Rees

21 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees explains how unless we make significant changes now, the prospects for the human species are beginning to look bleak...

What NASA’s InSight will tell us about Mars - Bruce Banerdt

14 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

By drilling into the surface of Mars, NASA’s InSight mission could help us discover more about the structure of the Red Planet, and maybe help us un...

The genetic hunt for the Loch Ness Monster - Neil Gemmell

07 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Neil Gemmell on his project to survey the genetic diversity of Loch Ness using cutting-edge environmental DNA techniques, and maybe find clu...

Robin Ince: Inside the mind of a comedian

31 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Comedians often take to the stage to talk about the quirks of the human race, and comedian Robin Ince has years of experience in that area. In his new...

How to get a good night’s sleep - Alice Gregory

24 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sleep psychologist Prof Alice Gregory on the science behind a satisfying slumber Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn mo...

What makes a robot a robot? – Dr Lucy Rogers

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week we speak to Dr Lucy Rogers, who casts aside any Hollywood depictions of skull-crushing Terminators, and look at the real-life robots that ar...