Instant Genius

Latest Episodes:

The e-waste dilemma, with Josh Lepawsky Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

Is your smartphone becoming more environmentally friendly? Are tech companies doing enough to reduce their carbon footprint? Josh Lepawsky, a researcher in the geography of waste shares his views on the problem of e-waste.

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COVID in waste, with Dave O’Connor and Marc Johnson Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

In this episode Jason speaks to virologists Dave O’Connor and Marc Johnson from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

For the past year they have been hunting down a heavily mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in a search that has led them to scour through everything from sewage water to dog poo.

In this episode they explain how viruses mutate, how there may be rogue forms of coronavirus still out there and how we can track viruses down.

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Irrational thinking and beliefs, with Steven Pinker Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

Are we innately rational or irrational beings? What’s the common psychology that leads people to be sucked into conspiracy theories? Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker shares his theories about rational thought and how we can overcome psychological biases.

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Flies, with Dr Erica McAlister Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Yes, we moan about them biting us, landing on our food and invading our picnics, but did you know that flies are extremely important pollinators? And they also polish off a lot of the dead and decomposing stuff in nature, making the world a better place for us to live? Dr Erica McAlister, the curator of flies at the Natural History Museum, tells us why we should give these insects a little more love.

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Medical Detection Dogs, Dr Claire Guest Oct 16, 2022

Show notes

Can animals sniff out cancer? Absolutely they can! It turns out that a dog’s incredible sense of smell can sniff out prostate cancer from a urine sample. Indeed, one recent study suggested that a dog can detect lung cancer from someone’s breath. So how do they do it? And how is this incredible talent being deployed in the real world? We talk to the co-founder of the Medical Detection Dogs charity Dr Claire Guest to find out.

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Holding the Universe in your hands, with Dr Kimberly Arcand Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

What if you could hold a supernova in the palm of your hand? Or what if you could listen to a black hole? Dr Kimberly Arcand, a data visualiser for NASA, explains how astrophysics is moving beyond flat 2D images and how you can get involved at home.

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The science of learning music, with Adriana Barton Oct 09, 2022

Show notes

Picking up an instrument is something we’ve all done, or thought about doing. But what is actually going on in our brains when we do? We talk to health writer and cellist Adriana Barton about her book: Wired for Music – A search for health and joy through the science of sound.

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The science and soul of music, with prof Susan Rogers Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

Why do you love the songs that you do? Why does music have such a powerful hold over us? Can you love music without being musical? Neuroscientist prof Susan Rogers, who at one time worked with Prince as the audio engineer for Purple Rain, reveals what science can tell us about our musical taste, what our favourite songs might tell us about ourselves and, of course, what it was like to work with Prince.

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Faecal transplants, with Dr Benjamin Mullish Oct 02, 2022

Show notes

The Food and Drink Administration in the States has recently recommended the use of faecal transplants to treat various bacterial infections. We spoke to Dr Benjamin Mullish, a researcher at Imperial College London’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, about this promising new technique.

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The future of self-driving cars, with Jack Stilgoe Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

Jack Stilgoe, a professor of science and technology policy, talks us through the future of self-driving cars, upcoming changes to the law surrounding them, and how they could change society.

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