Instant Genius

Latest Episodes:

Why being cynical is harming your health Nov 15, 2024

Show notes

While being cynical can feel safe, and prepared for the worst outcome, it could actually be harming your health. We spoke to Jamil Zaki, author of the new book Hope for Cynics to better understand the dangers of cynicism and how to break out of it.

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How to Hack Your Sleep: How not getting enough sleep affects your health Nov 11, 2024

Show notes

Lots of us will have at some points in our lives woken up feeling groggy after getting a poor night’s sleep. But what causes us to have trouble sleeping, what effect does it have on our health and what can we do about it?

In this episode, we catch up Prof Matt Jones, a neuroscientist based at the University of Bristol.

He tells us how our sleep needs vary across our lifetimes, how not getting enough sleep can affect our ability to think straight and form memories, and why a lack of sleep can leave so many of us feeling cranky and impulsive.

This episode is presented in partnership with Lumie. https://www.lumie.com/

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The genetic evolution and future of humankind Nov 08, 2024

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Understanding who we are and where we came from is one of the most fascinating questions in science. But it’s also one of the most difficult to answer. Putting all of the pieces together requires research across several different disciplines such as genetics, anthropology and medicine.

In this episode, we catch up with Professor of Human Genetics and Evolution at College de France in Paris Lluis Quintana-Murci to talk about his latest book Human Peoples: On the Genetic Traces of Human Evolution Migration and Adaptation.

He tells us how the characteristics of different human populations have been shaped by the environments they live in, how our genes can protect us against disease and what we learn can from all of this about our future health and wellbeing.

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How to Hack Your Sleep: The science of bizarre sleep phenomena Nov 04, 2024

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Research over the past few decades has proven that getting a good night’s sleep is essential for our health and wellbeing. But sometimes strange things can happen in our brains while we’re asleep.

In this episode, we catch up with Dr Dan Denis, a sleep researcher and lecturer at the University of York’s department of psychology.

He tells us what happens in our brains and bodies when we dream, why some of us are prone to sleepwalking and even sleep eating, and talks about the strange phenomenon of lucid dreaming.

This episode is presented in partnership with Lumie. https://www.lumie.com/

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The fascinating history of science Nov 01, 2024

Show notes

We may pride ourselves on our intelligence, but humans perhaps actually have to thank our ability to process and communicate information for our species’ success. In this episode, we speak to ‘The History of Information’ author Chris Haughton about the evolutionary adaptations, technologies and moments in our history that propelled us forward – and what he thinks is coming next.

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How to Hack Your Sleep: What to eat to get better sleep Oct 28, 2024

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We all know we should be eating a good diet to keep ourselves healthy, but did you know your diet can have a significant impact on how well you sleep?

In this episode, we speak to Dr Piril Hepsomali, a psychologist and sleep researcher based at the University of Reading.

She tells us how consuming caffeine affects our sleep, why we feel tired after eating a big Sunday lunch and what actually happens if you eat cheese before going to bed.

This episode is presented in partnership with Lumie.

https://www.lumie.com/

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How the James Webb Space Telescope is peering deeper into the cosmos than ever before Oct 24, 2024

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Since its launch on Christmas Day 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope has delivered some of the most stunning images of space we’ve ever seen, peering deeper into the cosmos than ever before. But as awe-inspiring as these images are, data about the history of the Universe being collected by the telescope are perhaps even more mind-blowing.

In this episode, we catch up with Sky at Night Presenter Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock to talk about her new book Webb’s Universe: The Space Telescope Images that Reveal our Cosmic History.

She tells us how the telescope is shedding new light on what we know about the birth of stars and galaxies, how it’s teaching us more about the structure and atmospheres of distant exoplanets and what she’s most excited about it discovering in the future.

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How to Hack Your Sleep: Optimising your body clock Oct 20, 2024

Show notes

Our bodies have in-built clocks that allow us to sync our daily activities to a roughly 24-hour cycle. This determines everything from our sleep patterns to our appetites and even dictates the time of day we are most likely to perform at our best.

However, not all of our body clocks keep the same time – some of us prefer early mornings while some of us prefer late nights. What’s more, alterations in external time, such as crossing time zones or changes to and from daylight saving time can play havoc with this finely tuned internal system.

In this episode, we catch up with Dr Beatriz Bano, a neuroscientist based at the University of Manchester.

She tells us the role exposure to daylight plays in setting our body clocks, how they change over our lifetimes and how we can set up our daily routines to ensure we are well rested and performing at our best.

This episode is presented in partnership with Lumie.

https://www.lumie.com/

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How the history of all life on Earth is written in DNA, with Richard Dawkins Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Since the discovery of the double helix by Francis Crick, James Watson and Rosalind Franklin in the 1950s, human knowledge of DNA and genetics has grown almost immeasurably.

We now know that genes affect every aspect of our lives, from our appearance, our health and even our personality. But more than this, our genes are a living document of our evolutionary past, an ancient document that, if read properly, can reveal almost everything about how we came to be how we are.

In this episode, we’re joined by the evolutionary biologist and multi-million selling author Richard Dawkins to speak about his latest book The Genetic Book of the Dead: A Darwinian Reverie.

He tells us how different species of animals hit on the same evolutionary strategies despite being separated by multiple continents, how natural selection doesn’t necessarily always follow the perfect path and how a scientist of the future may one day be able to read the genetic code of any living animal like a book to uncover its entire evolutionary past.

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Don't miss the upcoming How to Hack Your Sleep miniseries! Oct 15, 2024

Show notes

Do you find it hard to get out of bed first thing in the morning? Maybe you feel your energy levels starting to wane in the afternoon? Or perhaps you struggle to fall asleep in the first place?

Why not tune into the Instant Genius How to Hack Your Sleep miniseries, brought to you from the team behind BBC Science Focus.

It's still the same show, with the same great guests. We’ll just be spending a little extra time to go deeper into the science of all things related to sleep.

Starting on Monday 21 October, this four-part special series will feature interviews with some of the leading figures in sleep research to give you everything you need to get the most out of your shuteye.

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