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Cosmologist Roberto Trotta - How the Stars Shaped Civilisation Jan 10, 2025

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Both infinitely larger than ourselves and one of humanity's greatest commonalities, the night sky has shaped millennia of human history. Cosmologist Roberto Trotta joins us to reveal what the mysteries of the stars can illuminate about the mysteries of humankind, from our earliest origin myths to our methods of timekeeping which formed around the visibility of stars around the globe. From Babylon to the North Pole, from the beginning of time to the Neanderthals, from our own backyards to imaginations of Venus, this is a voyage across space and time.

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Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk – A Life in Writing Jan 07, 2025

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Orhan Pamuk has traveled far and wide, around the world, across the page, and in the landscapes of his mind. Now he joins Erica Wagner to illuminate his craft. From his travels around the world to his reflections on fellow writers, from journal entries scrawled across the span of over a decade to the beginnings of his creative process, Orhan joins us to explore not only his artistic method, but also how daily happenings and larger currents have shaped his oeuvre.

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Neuroscientist Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston - How and Why We Should Abolish Death Dec 17, 2024

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Can scientists now preserve human minds beyond death - and if so, should they? Australian neuroscientist and science communicator Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston joins us to explain the cutting-edge of his field.

The dream of immortality has existed for as long as the human imagination and until now remained just that: a dream. But neuroscientist and science communicator Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston believes that neuroscientists can, and should, use cutting-edge tools to help cheat death by preserving us until such time that we can be brought back to life. He joins us on the podcast to make a provocative case both for this nascent technology and for a future that will be worth living in, where our descedants will not scorn us but welcome us with open arms.

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Vanity Fair’s Lili Anolik - Joan Didion v. Eve Babitz Dec 13, 2024

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‘Could you write what you write if you weren’t so tiny, Joan?’ -Eve Babitz, in a letter to Joan Didion, 1972

One was the New York name on literary lips. The other, a Los Angeleno fireball with a ferocious wit and writerly ambitions. But what started off a relationship of nurture and collaboration quickly became one of the sourest relationships in literature.

This is the golden age of Hollywood, where artists and movie stars mix with writers and rock-n-rollers in drug-fuelled parties on Franklin Avenue.

Drawing on never-before-seen correspondence between Joan and Eve – letters so intimate you don’t read them so much as breathe them – Vanity Fair’s Lili Anolik reveals to Daisy Buchanan the untold true story of these two truly iconic writers.

This is a tale of Los Angeles vs New York, hedonism vs constraint, and a rivalry that burned blisteringly hot in pursuit of success.

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Lucy Hughes-Hallett - The Brief & Brilliant Life of the Duke of Buckingham Dec 10, 2024

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George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham: never had King James I's court seen a man of such exquisite beauty. Capturing the heart of the King, becoming his lover and right-hand man, Villiers thus found himself at the heart of court politics too. But along with his angelic face he also had a brilliant mind.

Renowned historian and biographer Lucy Hughes-Hallett reveals the life of this astonishingly beautiful and clever young lord, and illuminates the tender relationship he shared with the prudent King which history has mischaracterised as a coward. From Villiers's spectacular rise, to his ultimate fall, Hughes-Hallett reveals this enigmatic life in full colour.

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Andrew Roberts - 150 Years of Winston Churchill Dec 06, 2024

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Few historical figures in the British political landscape have been as monumental as Winston Churchill. By the time of his death at the age of 90 in 1965, many thought him to be the greatest man in the world. But what was his life really like? And what might he make of the world today?

Churchill's definitive biographer Andrew Roberts joins Matthew D'Ancona to illuminate Churchill in his full complexity, from his childhood to his closest relationships, to even his financial troubles. He also shares what Churchill might make of the greatest political crises we face today, from Ukraine to Gaza.

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Dr Guy Leschziner - A Neuroscientist's Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins Dec 03, 2024

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The seven deadly sins are the vices of humankind that define immorality, the roots of all evil in the world. But do these sins really represent moral failings, or are they important and useful human functions that aid us?

In this episode of the podcast, neurologist Dr Guy Leschziner shares the evolutionary benefits of gluttony, greed, sloth, pride, envy, lust and anger. From continuing the existence of the human race to protecting against famine, he reveals a new perspective that engenders compassion and removes judgement from our interactions with each other.

Explaining why pathologising behaviour stops individuals getting the support they need, this conversation also dives into hubris syndrome, how stress during pregnancy affects brain development, and many more relevations from the cutting edge of modern neuroscience.

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Rory Stewart Meets Saad Mohseni - The Fight for a Free Press in Kabul Nov 29, 2024

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In the Kabul offices of Moby Group, Afghanistan's largest media company, hundreds of men and women continue to bring programmes and news to the country even after the return of the Taliban. From talk shows to breaking news to educational programmes for young girls, the television empire that began as a small radio station continues to brave the country's shifting political landscape.

Now Moby's CEO Saad Mohseni joins Rory Stewart to reveal the dedication and complexity of maintaining a free press, and traces his own journey in the wider history of Afghanistan in peace and in war. Exploring a nation in turmoil, a country poised between despair and hope, Saad reveals a moving portrait of the Afghan people and illuminates how resilience remains.

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Dr Mithu Storoni - How To Transform the Way You Work Nov 26, 2024

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We are expected to operate with industrial-era efficiency at work. But creativity and high-quality ideas can't be generated on the assembly line. So how can we curate the best mental ecosystem for learning, creativity, and problem-solving? From adapting the pace of our work to optimising moments of discovery and illumination, Dr Mithu Storoni explores the gears of our brain and what we can do to make the most of our brain power.

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Cambridge Professor David Spiegelhalter - How to Navigate Change, Ignorance, Risk and Luck Nov 22, 2024

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We live in a world where uncertainty is inevitable. How should we deal with what we don’t know? And what role do chance, luck and coincidence play in our lives?

Cambridge statistician and beloved broadcaster David Spiegelhalter has spent his career dissecting data in order to understand risks and assess the chances of what might happen in the future.

In this episode of the podcast, recorded live in London with live examples with the audience, he guides us through the principles of probability, showing how it can help us think more analytically about everything from medical advice to pandemics and climate change forecasts, and explores how we can update our beliefs about the future in the face of constantly changing experience.

Tune in to find why we can be so confident that two properly shuffled packs of cards have never been in the exact same order, what it means to be mathematically lucky, and how a classroom of people will result in a shared birthday in this essential guide to navigating uncertainty while also having the humility to admit what we do not know.

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Can scientists now preserve human minds beyond death - and if so, should they? Australian neuroscientist and science communicator Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston joins us to explain the cutting-edge of his field.

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