Instant Genius

Latest Episodes:

The future of panda conservation Oct 26, 2023

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There can be few animals as iconic and instantly recognisable as pandas. The black and white bears are beloved the world over thanks to their distinctive appearance, entertaining personalities and relative scarcity.

In this episode we catch up with Kristine Gandia a researcher based at the University of Sterling. She tells us what she has learnt during her time observing and studying these fascinating animals.

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Becoming an artist with robotics and AI Oct 22, 2023

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Sougwen Chung is one of the TIMES 100 most influential people in AI. Through the use of AI, robotics and other forms of futuristic tech, she creates mindblowing artwork. But how does she do it, what are the ethical considerations and where does she see art going in the future?

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How the successful return of beavers to UK rivers is a positive argument for rewilding Oct 19, 2023

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Around a decade ago, beavers were spotted in the rivers of southwest England for the first time in 400 years. But exactly what impact have they made on the waterways they live in during this time?

In this episode we speak to Prof Richard Brazier, a researcher based at the University of Exeter and co-director of the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste.

He tells us what he and his team have learned from studying these charismatic and often misunderstood animals over the last ten years, and how they provide a compelling argument for the reintroduction of other species.

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How learning to fail better can help us to succeed Oct 15, 2023

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Not all failures are equal. In fact, some of them can present us with valuable opportunities to learn new things and make new discoveries. The trick is failing in the right way.

In this episode we catch up with Amy Edmondson, Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and author of the book The Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach us to Thrive.

She tells us how to identify different types of failure, how we can examine their causes and how we can learn to fail better to make our lives richer and more rewarding.

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Will we be able to have babies in space? Oct 12, 2023

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Future human races may indeed live extra-terrestrial lives. But how will we reproduce and continue survival once we’re in space? To find out, we spoke to space gynaecologist – yes, you read that right – Dr Varsha Jain from the University of Edinburgh. We cover everything from the myths about women’s bodies in space that stopped them being allowed on the early missions, right through to the impacts of space on a pregnancy, and the future of space babies.

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Can AI ever really be ethical? Oct 08, 2023

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Artificial intelligence has grown drastically in recent years, entering everything from art to medicine. We talk to Nigel Cannings, an expert in artificial intelligence to better understand the ethics behind AI and copyright, working rights and energy consumption.

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What clean energy will look like after renewables Oct 05, 2023

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When it comes to the climate crisis, energy is one of the biggest and most complex topics. To help us break it down into something more manageable, we spoke to engineer Dr Bart Kolodziejczyk from Monash University in Australia. (Bart has advised everyone from the UN to the World Economic Forum on clean energy technologies).

In this episode, Bart tells us about the surprising energy transition that he predicts will happen after renewables, the research he’s working on that could reduce global carbon emissions by a whopping 10 per cent, and what you can do to help transition our energy towards a sustainable future.

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The future of drug discovery Oct 01, 2023

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If we learnt anything from the COVID-19 pandemic it was that, as a society, we owe a huge debt to the scientists around the world that work, day in, day out, on developing medicines to keep us healthy and to fight disease. But how does this process work?

In this episode we catch up with Prof Simon Ward, Director of the Medicines Discovery Institute at Cardiff University.

He tells us about the journey a new medicine has to take, starting from its initial inception in the lab, through various rigorous clinical trials before it can finally be used in clinics and hospitals around the world to save lives.

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Sustainability Special – Why ‘biodegradable’ doesn’t mean what you think Sep 28, 2023

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We humans depend on the Earth’s natural resources for our very existence so it’s vital that we take as good care of them as we can. However, it’s abundantly clear that the environment isn’t in great shape at the moment.

In this special six-part series we explore the different factors affecting the sustainability of our natural resources, investigate what their current state is and discuss what we could be doing to take better care of them.

And in this episode, we’re delving into the biggest myths of biodegradability, which itself is actually a rather misleading term. To debunk the biggest biodegradability mistruths we’re joined by Mark Miodownik, a professor of materials science at University College London, and author of Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World.

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Sustainability Special - The potential of smart materials Sep 24, 2023

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We humans depend on the Earth’s natural resources for our very existence so it’s vital that we take as good care of them as we can.

However, it’s abundantly clear that the environment isn’t in great shape at the moment.

Smart materials are a tool that have grown in popularity in recent years. Able to change properties back and forth, these materials can be used to revolutionise everything from the clothing industry to the buildings that we live in, making our world both smarter and more sustainable.

We’re joined by Anna Ploszajski, a material scientist and writer to find out more about these materials. She guides us through shape-shifting clothes, heat-absorbing roof tiles and everything in-between.

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