You're about to enter a discipline that genuinely has to account for time-travel in its computations. Welcome to the wonderful, if initially bewildering, world of quantum computing.

Gillian's guide through the hypothetical yeses, nos and maybes of quantum is Dr David Arvidsson Shukur, the Senior Researcher of quantum algorithms at the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, a Bye-Fellow at King's College and a Fellow at Girton College, Cambridge.

David's work is at the forefront of the race to develop quantum computing which, in itself, should be of interest to many of you. However, even if you're not quite sure quatum is your thing, David's ability to communicate the complexities of quantum in a clear and simple manner really is something else. David would also like it to be known that just because there is a tiny bit of time-travel adjacent thinking involved in quantum computing, this does not mean it will result in timetravel.

Further reading:

Cambridge launches major strategic partnership with IonQ to 'supercharge' quantum research in the UK

Simulating "backwards time travel"

Recorded and Produced by &Friends Content studio (www.andfriends.world)

Each day brings new stories about the possibilities and the threats of AI and the dominance of Silicon Valley. But what if there were other voices and points of view shaping these technologies and their influence on the world? How differently would these tools work for us? Our guests this week come from very different worlds but their work on understanding the impacts of AI and tech intersects in fascinating ways.

Alice Hutchings is a professor of Computer Science and Technology who focuses on cybercrime and how to prevent it. Jude Browne is a political scientist whose most recent book focuses on how society might respond to the rise of technologies from AI to robotics to genetic engineering.

Jude Browne on AI and Political Responsibility

Alice Hutchings on the risks of war in Iran triggering a cyber insurgency

Since recording this episode, Action Fraud has been replaced by Report Fraud. UK residents who experience cybercrime can report it here: https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/

Recorded and Produced by &Friends Content studio (www.andfriends.world)

This week we welcome historian Peter Frankopan and anthropologist Professor Dame Caroline Humphrey to the show. Both work on very different aspects of areas across Asia now described as the Silk Roads; Peter has written a bestselling history of the Silk Roads, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and Carrie has spent several decades as an anthropologist in Mongolia, China and Russia.

Gillian recalls her days of anthropological field work in Tajikistan as the Soviet Union began to break up, and Carrie reveals a new way of looking at the Great Wall of China. All are involved with the Silk Roads Programme at King's, which brings together researchers who work on the past and present of a part of the world which continues to shape global trade and cultures today.

The Silk Roads Programme at King's College Cambridge

Peter Frankopan

Caroline Humphrey

Recorded and Produced by &Friends Content studio (www.andfriends.world)