Instant Genius
Episodes
Finding the fun in science - Dara Ó Briain
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian Dara Ó Briain thinks the word nerd has been co-opted by too many people who don’t deserve it: Infinity Wars fans, for example. Studying ma...
The psychology of suicide - Jesse Bering
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist and science writer Jesse Bering explains the factors that lead someone to take their own life, and how we might be able to help those who...
What we got wrong about pandas and teenagers
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists Lucy Cooke and Sarah-Jayne Blakemore’s books have been shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize. They tell...
How to invent everything - Ryan North
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How helpful would you be if you were stranded in the past? Ryan North imagined telling people how cool computers are, but if they asked him how to mak...
Why aren't there more women in science?
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Girls are not picking as many STEM A-levels as boys, while professional female scientists are dropping out of the field. Is it time for change? In thi...
Identifying Jack the Ripper - David Wilson
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Five violent murders were committed by a man dubbed ‘Jack the Ripper’ between August and November 1888 in Whitechapel. Criminologist David Wilson ...
Why AI is not the enemy - Jim Al-Khalili
30 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Al-Khalili explains how artificial intelligence has changed the world, who benefits from it, and why we probably shouldn’t be afraid of it destr...
Could these gloves be the future of music?
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Imogen Heap has pushed the creative boundaries in the creation of electronic music, but now she is using technology a different way that she hopes wil...
What's going on with the weather? - Dann Mitchell
16 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This summer has been one of the hottest on record, so we asked climate change researcher Dann Mitchell what has caused the summer heatwave, can we exp...
What asteroids can tell us about our Solar System
08 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What asteroids can tell us about our Solar System Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Wildfires: past, present and future
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Geologist Prof Andrew Scott on our complex relationship with wildfires Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about y...
Inequality in Science
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Women are underrepresented in science, and some experts are asking whether there are biological reasons why. Meanwhile, racial studies are creeping ba...
What’s the deal with algorithms?
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Algorithms are everywhere. They can make our lives easier, by curating our Twitter feeds and Netflix suggestions. But they can also be bad. They lack ...
Mike Garrett: Is there anybody out there?
11 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There are 100 billion stars in our Galaxy – surely we can’t be the only intelligent lifeform out there? In this week’s Science Focus Podcast we ...
Russia's canine cosmonauts
04 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Russian space dogs paved the way to sending humans into the cosmos. By studying how space flight affected dogs, scientists could establish whether it ...
Sin: Why we do the things we shouldn’t
27 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it’s cheating on our spouse, slacking off at work, or eating too much junk, we all occasionally do things we shouldn’t. Jack Lewis talks t...
Solving the plastic problem
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It’s estimated that there are currently more than 6 billion tonnes of plastic waste buried in land fill sites or floating on the surface of the oce...
Everything that's wrong with the human body
13 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We like to think of ourselves as highly evolved, well-adapted creatures, but our retinas face backwards, we have too many bones in our wrists, and at ...
How to keep yourself busy in space
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Hadfield has been to space three times, completed two spacewalks and visited two different space stations, but for many, he is best known for hi...
The truth about dinosaurs
30 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The image of dinosaurs as drab, slow-witted reptilians is slowly being overturned thanks to exciting new fossil discoveries and advances in the techno...
To become Prime Minister, change your voice
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Your voice – its pitch, intonation and accent – is a huge part of your personal identity. Trevor Cox is talking to us about the full range of huma...
The neuroscience of happiness
10 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone wants to be happy, it’s an inbuilt part of being human, but what exactly is going on in our brains when we feel happy and what can we do to...
Changing our behaviour with virtual reality
03 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
VR can be used for so much more than cheap thrills and casual gaming. Jeremy Bailenson tells us how he is using VR to change the way we perceive racis...
What it’s really like to die
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
People used to die at home and everybody recognised the process, and now people die in hospital largely with doctors and nurses trying to stop it from...
How to push the limits of human endurance
18 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of the London Marathon, we talk to Alex Hutchinson, author and former long-distance athlete about what it takes to push the human body to its li...
Transhumanism - using technology to live forever
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to Mark O’Connell about transhumanism, a movement whose aim is to use technology to control the future evolution of our species – to impro...
Nudge theory
04 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How much difference can a small change make? When it comes to changing habits, convincing someone to do something or affecting the behaviour of peopl...
Project Discovery and its search for exoplanets
29 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to Bergur Finnbogason, Development Manager for Project Discovery, which uses players of the Massively Multiplayer Online game EVE Online to he...
Remembering Stephen Hawking - the Galaxy's best known scientist
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we chat to four scientists who spent time with Professor Stephen Hawking, to find out more about his life, his work, and his legacy. ...
Exploding Head Syndrome
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to professor Brian Sharpless about a little-known sleep disorder called Exploding Head Syndrome and the research that hopes find a treatment. ...
Adventures in brain enhancement
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we chat to author David Adam about his adventures in brain enhancement, finding out whether smart drugs and electrical brain stimulation co...
The future of humanity
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we chat to theoretical physicist Michio Kaku about the future of humanity, how we're going to terraform Mars, why the modern space race wil...
How emotions are made
21 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we chat to neuroscientist Lisa Feldmann Barrett about what happens in our brains when we create emotions, how to control them, and what thi...
The London Fatberg + Why you should break up with your phone
14 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This month, we’re talking about how the Museum of London acquired a piece of the London Fatberg as their new exhibit, and asked them how they’ll k...
How plants can survive space missions and Chernobyl
01 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The world seems to be going ever more nuclear, but what effect could radiation – from bombs or nuclear meltdowns – have on animals and plants? Ho...
Christmas lectures past and present
21 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Since they were launched by Michael Faraday in 1825, the Royal Institution’s Christmas lectures have become as synonymous with the festive season as...
Building a base on the Moon, and crafting believable sci-fi
08 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you love science fiction then you’re in for a treat. This month, we pick the brain of Andy Weir, author of the best-selling novel and film The Ma...
Why we love pets and why strangers help each other
02 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
When she was 19, a stranger saved Dr Abigail Marsh’s life. Because of that moment, Dr Marsh work studies the psychology of people who help total st...
Psychosis, realism and video games
12 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In the first half of this episode we ask Dr Stephen Hall, a climate and infrastructure researcher, whether the 2040 petrol and diesel car ban will rea...