Episodios

  • How maths can help us to understand the human brain

    How maths can help us to understand the human brain
    Jul 7 2024
    It’s often said that the human brain is the most complex structure in the known Universe. So how do we go about studying it? You may think that we should leave this to biologists or neuroscientists, but approaching the brain as a mathematical object and investigating its geometry and structure is providing researchers with more and more new insights. In this episode we catch up with mathematician Alain Goriely, professor of geometry at Gresham College, London ahead of his series of free public lectures entitled Mathematics and the Brain. He tells us how the brain’s shape, structure and size relate to intelligence, how mathematical models can help us deepen our understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and how advances in scanning technology have helped us begin to uncover its many mysteries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    31 m
  • Here’s why science says you do have free will

    Here’s why science says you do have free will
    Jul 4 2024
    Did you really choose to listen to this podcast? Or was the decision just the product of neurons firing in your brain, used by biochemical reactions, governed by the laws of physics? Today, it’s become almost fashionable to chalk how we think and behave up to nothing more than the physical sum of our parts. But our guest in this episode is bucking that trend, arguing that we humans do have autonomy over our lives. Kevin Mitchell is an associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin and author of Free Agents – How Evolution Gave Us Free Will. He argues that free will isn’t just an illusion, and that evolution proves that we’re more than mere machines simply responding to the world around us. Will you choose to believe him? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    34 m
  • How triangles are hiding everywhere

    How triangles are hiding everywhere
    Jun 30 2024
    From tortilla chips and ham sandwiches to teepees and the Great Pyramid of Giza, the world is filled with triangles. But why is this seemingly simple shape so ubiquitous and how do we take advantage of its unique properties? In this episode we catch up with stand-up comedian, mathematician and best-selling author Matt Parker to talk about his latest book Love Triangle: The Life-Changing Magic of Trigonometry. He tells us how triangles can be used to erect the world’s tallest buildings, help spacecraft land on distant planets and create realistic CGI images, and explains how we should all fall back in love with the trigonometry we learned in high school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 m
  • The gene therapy future has arrived

    The gene therapy future has arrived
    Jun 27 2024
    Right now, in hospitals around the world, patients are being cured of diseases once thought untreatable. The reason? A gene therapy revolution means that what was once the stuff of science fiction is now becoming a reality. One person who’s been at the centre of this medical revolution is Dr Bobby Gaspar, a professor of paediatrics and immunology at Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London, and CEO of Orchard Therapeutics. Bobby guides us through the complex world of gene therapy, explaining what it is, what it can do and where it’s going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    30 m
  • How to form more meaningful relationships

    How to form more meaningful relationships
    Jun 23 2024
    It’s well established that human beings are social animals who thrive on making connections with others. But did you know that developing and maintaining nourishing relationships is just as vital to our health as eating a nutritious diet or taking regular exercise? In this episode, we catch up with science writer David Robson to talk about his new book The Laws of Connection: 13 Social Strategies That Will Transform Your Life. He tells us how human beings have evolved to crave shared experiences, how lending a helping hand to someone in need can improve our wellbeing and why we shouldn’t be so afraid of speaking to strangers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 m
  • Misophonia: Why some of us can’t bear the sound of chewing

    Misophonia: Why some of us can’t bear the sound of chewing
    Jun 20 2024
    It’s a scene many of us will have experienced: we’re at the cinema, the lights go down, the film begins and then suddenly the person behind us starts rustling a packet of sweets or noisily chomping on popcorn. For most of us this is merely an annoyance and after a while we’re able to tune the sounds out and concentrate on enjoying the cinematic experience. But for some, it can be unbearable and engender feelings of distress, anger and even panic. These people are experiencing misophonia. In this episode, we catch up with Dr Jane Gregory, a clinical psychologist and author of the book Sounds Like Misophonia: How to Stop Small Noises from Causing Extreme Reactions. She tells us what’s going on in our brains when we experience a misophonic reaction, how it can trigger our fight or flight response and why it’s surprisingly common. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    30 m
  • How close are we to discovering aliens?

    How close are we to discovering aliens?
    Jun 16 2024
    Finding alien life could be just around the corner. At least, that’s if the James Webb Space Telescope and other techniques help us discover their extraterrestrial homes. In this episode, astrophysicist Lisa Kaltenegger and author of new book Alien Earths: Planet Hunting in the Cosmos talks us through the ways she and her team are looking for these planets and the kinds of life they might hold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 m
  • The story of human evolution, from the Big Bang to the advent of consciousness and beyond

    The story of human evolution, from the Big Bang to the advent of consciousness and beyond
    Jun 13 2024
    Why are we here? Where did we come from? What are we even made from? These must be some of deepest questions humans can ever ask. But that has never stopped scientists throughout the ages asking them. In this episode we catch up with Professor Tim Coulson, a zoologist based at the University of Oxford to talk about his new book, The Universal History of Us: The science of why we exist. He helps us trace the origins of human beings right back to the Big Bang and the beginning of the Universe itself and goes on to investigate whether our existence was inevitable thanks to the underpinning laws of nature or whether we were just extremely lucky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    34 m