Instant Genius

Latest Episodes:

Here’s why science says you do have free will Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

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

How triangles are hiding everywhere Jun 30, 2024

Show notes

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

The gene therapy future has arrived Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

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

How to form more meaningful relationships Jun 23, 2024

Show notes

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

Misophonia: Why some of us can’t bear the sound of chewing Jun 20, 2024

Show notes

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

How close are we to discovering aliens? Jun 16, 2024

Show notes

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

The story of human evolution, from the Big Bang to the advent of consciousness and beyond Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

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

How thinking about addiction differently can help us find better treatments Jun 09, 2024

Show notes

Addiction can be devastating not only for the addict themselves, but also for their loved ones and anyone around them. But what causes it, and how should we treat it?

According to Dr Elias Dakwar, a psychologist based at Colombia University, New York, we should be looking beyond the commonly held brain disease model of addiction and deeper into its philosophical or existential underpinnings.

In this episode, we speak to Dr Dakwar about the years of clinical research he outlines in his latest book The Captive Imagination: Addiction, reality and our search for meaning.

He tells us about his thinking on how addiction stems from our desire for happiness and feelings of meaningless, how it fits in with the notion of personal freedom, and details some of his work with clinical patients in treating addiction in new ways.

Warning: Recreational drug use can be dangerous to your health and possession of certain controlled substances in the UK can result in an unlimited fine, prison sentence or both. For more information visit talktofrank.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why we shouldn’t be afraid of personal data collection Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

These days, pretty much every move we make online is tracked in one way or another. Whether it’s through our social media accounts or online shopping habits, algorithms are getting better at painting a picture of who we are and how we think. But why do we let this happen?

In this episode we catch up with science broadcaster and writer Timandra Harkness to talk about her new book, Technology is not the Problem.

She tells us how various online agencies keep tabs on us, whether we should be worried about it, and why sometimes it can be too hard to resist buying that expensive pair of shoes you keep getting ads for.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of black holes, with Marcus Chown Jun 02, 2024

Show notes

Black holes are surely one of the most fascinating and mysterious phenomena in the known Universe. But few people know that the story behind their discovery, and the cast of dogged, often ignored scientists behind it, is just as interesting.

In this episode we catch up with the award-winning science writer and long-time BBC Science Focus contributor Marcus Chown. We talk about his new book A Crack in Everything: How black holes came in from the cold and took cosmic centre stage.

He takes us through the gripping story that saw black holes go from being a mere mathematical curiosity to one of the most talked about cosmic objects ever observed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices