Episodios

  • The truth about the Nazi fascination with alternative medicine

    The truth about the Nazi fascination with alternative medicine
    Aug 20 2026
    It’s widely documented that during the time of the Third Reich, the Nazi Party employed a legion of scientists to aid them in their goals of military superiority and ethnic cleansing – particularly in their pursuit of eugenics and development of cruel nerve agents and chemical weapons. It’s far less known that Heinrich Himmler, one of the primary architects of the Holocaust, considered himself to be a talented scientist and harboured a long-held, and frequently bizarre, fascination with quackery and alternative medicine. In this episode, we’re joined by physician, researcher, and author Edzard Ernst to talk about his latest book, The Leopard Lily Project – A Story of Nazi Pseudoscience. He recounts the story of a sinister plot to sterilise large swathes of the population using a herbal folk remedy, how this project arose from the wider ideology of the Nazi Party, and explains why, ultimately, the whole enterprise was doomed to failure from its inception. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Receive an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    25 m
  • What we’re getting wrong about narcissists

    What we’re getting wrong about narcissists
    Aug 16 2026
    Oftentimes in popular culture we’ll hear the term narcissist used to describe a person who has an inflated opinion of themselves, a big ego or someone who tends to overestimate their own abilities. However, in psychology, narcissistic personality disorder is defined as a diagnosable mental health condition that can cause just as many issues for those living with it as it does for those around them. In this episode we’re joined by neuroscientist and best-selling author Dr Dean Burnett, to talk about many of the misunderstandings that surround narcissistic personality disorder. He explains some of potential triggers that can lead to the development of this complex condition, why it’s innately incredibly difficult to diagnose, and how, paradoxically, many narcissists can suffer from profound feelings of self-loathing. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Receive an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    28 m
  • The latest breakthroughs in Parkinson’s research

    The latest breakthroughs in Parkinson’s research
    Aug 13 2026
    Parkinson’s disease currently affects more than 160,000 people in the UK. It’s a complex, progressive condition that typically develops slowly over many years and causes issues with movement, balance, and quality of life, and currently has no known cure. In this episode, we’re joined by Prof David Dexter, director of research at Parkinson’s UK, to talk about the latest exciting developments in our knowledge of the disease’s progression and look forward to some cutting-edge treatments that may be available in the near future. He tells us how the different types of Parkinson’s disease affect the brain, talks us through the latest thinking on some potential causes of the condition, and shares some of the latest breakthroughs coming out of Parkinson’s labs around the world. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Receive an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    29 m
  • How to harness your brain’s underused superpowers

    How to harness your brain’s underused superpowers
    Aug 9 2026
    For a large proportion of our lives, our brains seemingly work on autopilot – the many processes the brain controls hum away behind the scenes, helping us to carry out our daily tasks. But in certain scenarios, our attention takes over, giving more conscious control of our actions. These processes, such as memory, planning and our emotional responses to the situations we find ourselves in, are known as executive functions. But how exactly do they work and is there anything we can do to train them to perform more effectively? In this episode we’re joined by the neuroscientist and author Dr Adrian Owen, to talk about his latest book, Think Before You Think – Understanding Your Brain’s Mission Control. He shares his insights into how our brains operate when we’re confronted by different situations, points out some of the pitfalls built into the way we observe and respond to the world, and explains how we can all benefit from paying more attention to why we think and act in the way we do. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    35 m
  • How we define intelligent life

    How we define intelligent life
    Aug 6 2026
    What does it mean to be a living organism? What are the driving forces that motivate our thoughts and actions? Are we all simply acting the way we do thanks to the instructions built into our genes and our automatic responses to the environments we live in? In this episode we’re joined by researcher, broadcaster and author Melanie Challenger to talk about her latest book, Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World. She talks us through her ideas about how intelligence emerges from living organisms, explores the connection between the bodies and mind, and investigates the possibility of AI developing genuine intelligence. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    29 m
  • Exploring Darwin’s ideas through a queer lens

    Exploring Darwin’s ideas through a queer lens
    Aug 2 2026
    When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in the mid-nineteenth century, his theory of evolution by natural selection turned many of the scientific ideas of the day on their heads. The influence of the book was so profound that scientists are still studying its many implications to this day. And it turns out that, if we look closely enough, we find that investigating queerness in nature frequently played a central role in Darwin’s research and thinking. In this episode, we’re joined by historian and author Dr Ross Brooks to talk about his latest book, Darwin and the Queer Origins of Life – A History of Sex and Science. He shares some of the fascinating discoveries he made from poring over the many notebooks kept by Darwin, tells us how Darwin himself frequently proclaimed that all men and women are hermaphrodites, and makes a passionate case for the need for more queer perspectives and inclusivity in science. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 m
  • On the frontlines of our fight against dementia

    On the frontlines of our fight against dementia
    Jul 30 2026
    Currently there are around one million people in the UK living with dementia. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the disease over the past several decades an effective cure is yet to be found. However, recent breakthroughs made by researchers around the world are showing great promise in the treatment of this devasting condition. In this episode, we’re joined by Prof Selina Wray, a neuroscientist and researcher based at University College London, to talk about the latest developments in the fight against dementia. She explains exactly what’s happening in our brains as dementia progresses, tells us about her own groundbreaking research on using stem cells to study the disease, and talks us through some of the many exciting developments that are showing great promise in our search for more effective treatments. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    30 m
  • Why the search for life on Mars is far from over

    Why the search for life on Mars is far from over
    Jul 26 2026
    Way back in 1976, NASA’s Viking landers touched down on Mars to search for potential signs of microbial life that could currently exist on the planet’s surface. Despite the mission making a number of promising discoveries, so far, no further landers have returned to the surface of the Red Planet with the aim of repeating these fascinating experiments. As such, many questions still remain as to what organisms, if any, could potentially be living within the Martian soil. In this episode, we’re joined by astrobiochemist and author Steven A. Benner to talk about his latest book, Meet the Neighbours – Life on Mars and How to Find it. He talks us through some of the scientific debates surrounding the Viking data that continue to this day, tells us how our knowledge of the evolution of life on Earth informs our search for life elsewhere in the Solar System, and explains how recent innovations in the democratisation of spacecraft technology may reignite our search for life on Mars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    34 m