Instant Genius

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Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you two bite-sized masterclasses on a new subject each week.

New episodes are released every Monday and Friday and you can subscribe to Instant Genius on Apple Podcasts to access all new episodes ad-free and all old episodes of Instant Genius Extra.

Watch full episodes of Instant Genius on BBC Science Focus Magazine's YouTube channel.

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665 episodes
Updated Sunday

Episodes665

Newest first

Jul 4, 2018 · 25 min
Russia's canine cosmonauts
Russian space dogs paved the way to sending humans into the cosmos. By studying how space flight affected dogs, scientists could establish whether it was safe to blast humans into space too. In this episode, we talk to Vix Southgate, who has just writt...
Jun 27, 2018 · 36 min
Sin: Why we do the things we shouldn’t
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 to us about the neuroscience of sin, how we can resist it, and the wacky experiments that test our ability ...
Jun 20, 2018 · 31 min
Solving the plastic problem
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 ocean. Clearly something needs to be done but what exactly should we be doing? We speak to material...
Jun 13, 2018 · 34 min
Everything that's wrong with the human body
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 least half our genome is junk. Biologist Nathan Lents explains what we can learn from our flaws.
Jun 6, 2018 · 23 min
How to keep yourself busy in space
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 his rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity performed aboard the International Space Station. We find ou...
May 30, 2018 · 33 min
The truth about dinosaurs
The image of dinosaurs as drab, slow-witted reptilians is slowly being overturned thanks to exciting new fossil discoveries and advances in the technology used to analyse them. We talk to palaeontologist Steve Brusatte about palaeontology’s emerging go...
May 23, 2018 · 45 min
To become Prime Minister, change your voice
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 human speech, and how technology’s changing the conversation.
May 10, 2018 · 49 min
The neuroscience of happiness
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 ensure we live as happy a life as possible? We talk to neuroscientist, comedian and science writer Dean...
May 3, 2018 · 33 min
Changing our behaviour with virtual reality
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 racism, highlight the impact of climate change, and help us step into the shoes of our sporting heroes....
Apr 25, 2018 · 35 min
What it’s really like to die
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 happening. So we don’t see how gentle the normal process of a life winding to an end can be.
Apr 18, 2018 · 36 min
How to push the limits of human endurance
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 limits.
Apr 11, 2018 · 31 min
Transhumanism - using technology to live forever
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 improve our flawed biology, and to enable us to live forever.
Apr 4, 2018 · 32 min
Nudge theory
How much difference can a small change make? When it comes to changing habits, convincing someone to do something or affecting the behaviour of people without them even knowing about it, quite a lot, as we have seen with the recent Fa...
Mar 29, 2018 · 28 min
Project Discovery and its search for exoplanets
We talk to Bergur Finnbogason, Development Manager for Project Discovery, which uses players of the Massively Multiplayer Online game EVE Online to help search for exoplanets.
Mar 21, 2018 · 57 min
Remembering Stephen Hawking - the Galaxy's best known scientist
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.
Mar 14, 2018 · 25 min
Exploding Head Syndrome
We talk to professor Brian Sharpless about a little-known sleep disorder called Exploding Head Syndrome and the research that hopes find a treatment.
Mar 7, 2018 · 47 min
Adventures in brain enhancement
This week, we chat to author David Adam about his adventures in brain enhancement, finding out whether smart drugs and electrical brain stimulation could really be a shortcut to a sharper, more focused mind.  See acast.com/privacy for pri...
Feb 28, 2018 · 41 min
The future of humanity
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 will change life on Earth, and why aliens probably won't bother to destroy us.  S...
Feb 21, 2018 · 42 min
How emotions are made
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 this means for the future of artificial intelligence.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy an...
Feb 14, 2018 · 43 min
The London Fatberg + Why you should break up with your phone
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 keep it “fresh”. We also talk to author Catherine Price about the science that inspired her to break up wit...