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Prof Avi Loeb on what 'Oumuamua tells us about the problem with modern physics Mar 22, 2021

Show notes

In 2017, the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted an interstellar object passing by Earth for the first time. Shortly after, Harvard’s Prof Avi Loeb was met with a backlash from the scientific community for suggesting it could be of alien origin.

Now, several years on, he has written a book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, outlining why we still can’t out rule the possibility, and why scientists should always keep an open mind.

We speak to Avi on this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast. He tells us why he believes the object, 'Oumuamua, was of alien origin, and what problems this reveals about the way modern physics is conducted.

Read an edited excerpt of this interview

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Meet the computer scientist teaching an AI to play Dungeons and Dragons Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

Many of us have had a one-to-one interaction with artificial intelligence. Whether that’s through an automated chat service for customer service, or trying our hand at beating an AI built to play chess. But these experiences aren’t flawless, they’re not as smooth as our interactions with other human beings.

One researcher trying to improve the language abilities of AI is Lara Martin, a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania. More specifically, Lara is trying teach AI to tell stories.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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International Women’s Day: The forgotten female scientists of history Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Today is International Women’s Day, and in this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, online assistant Sara Rigby talks to science historians Anna Reser and Leila McNeill, authors of Forces of Nature: The Women who Changed Science (£20, Frances Lincoln).

They tell us about the women who engaged in science throughout history but don’t always get remembered – the midwives, the astronomers, and the wives and sisters.

Read an edited excerpt from the interview

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How to maximise your motivation, according to a neuroscientist Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

As the UK enters its 13th month of lockdown restrictions and home-working, many surveys cite a slump in mental wellbeing and general productivity.

But are there any scientific ways we can maximise our motivation and prevent procrastination?

In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, neuroscientist Dr Gabija Toleikyte, author of Why the F*ck Can't I Change, tells us all about it.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Inside the February issue with the BBC Science Focus team Feb 21, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we chat through the February 2021 issue of the magazine, which is on sale now.

Managing editor Alice Lipscombe-Southwell opens the episode by telling us why it's so important artificial intelligence learns how to tell stories.

Next up is editor Dan Bennett, who tells us about the world’s first airport for drones and flying cars, which is opening in Coventry, UK.

Finally, commissioning editor Jason Goodyer tells about the latest developments in the study of dark matter.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Mental health and your brain: What happens when it goes wrong Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

In the UK, one in four people experience a mental health problem each year. The reality of living with common problems like depression and anxiety is increasingly well-known.

But how much do you actually know about what’s going on in your brain when your mental health suffers?

Neuroscientist Dean Burnett, author of the new book Psycho-logical, tells us all about it on this episode of the Science Focus Podcast.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Why rewilding success stories make us hopeful for the future Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

There are few places left on Earth that have been untouched by humans, and biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate.

Luckily, there are ambitious rewilding programmes around the world that aim to fix this by returning land to nature.

In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we speak to Dr Andrea Perino, a scientist from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and an expert on rewilding. She tells us about the benefits of rewilding, whether it's acres of forest or just a tiny patch in your back garden.

Read more about rewilding

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The psychology of the sea shanty: Why work songs are such earworms Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

2021 has got off to a strange start, with a surprising trend sweeping the internet: sea shanties. This ancient genre of music has exploded in popularity in recent weeks, thanks to people on social media singing them, sharing them and adding their own twists.

In fact, they’ve become so popular that Bristol-based shanty band The Longest Johns have entered the top 40 in the UK singles chart.

Naturally, we here at BBC Science Focus wanted to know what it was about sea shanties that makes them so catchy. So this week, we spoke to Professor Catherine Loveday of the University of Westminster. She’s a neuropsychologist who specialises in music.

Read more about the science of sea shanties

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Team talk: Beating pandemic burnout, the seasons of you and a daring giraffe rescue Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we chat through the January 2021 issue of the magazine, which is on sale now.

Editor Dan Bennett opens the episode by talking about new research that suggests that rather than following a pattern of spring, summer, autumn and winter, our bodies may have their own seasonal fluctuations that don’t match the calendar.

Next up is managing editor Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, who tells us about how we can beat the pandemic burnout.

Finally, commissioning editor Jason Goodyer tells the story of a daring rescue of endangered giraffes from an island where food is slowly running out.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, Overcast
Read the full transcription of this episode [this will open in a new window]

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Why you can’t multitask (and why that’s a good thing) Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

Humans' ability to turn thoughts into actions has enabled us to change the world. But we've never been great at getting two things done at once.

Understanding how our brain helps us achieve our goals through something called executive function, or cognitive control, can explain why we're so bad at multitasking.

According to neuroscientist Prof David Badre, when we're armed with this knowledge we can begin to work together to become a better society. Badre's new book, On Task (£25, Princeton University Press) explains the mechanisms behind cognitive control.

In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast we speak to Badre to find out more about how our brains work.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.