Instant Genius

Latest Episodes:

How virtual reality is helping patients with phobias, anxiety disorders and more Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

In the New Year issue, we cover the biggest ideas that you need to understand in 2021, and in the past few episodes of the podcast we’ve been talking to the experts who will explain these ideas in their own words.

For the next in the series, we speak to Daniel Freeman, a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. Daniel has been working with VR technology since 2001 and is a founder of Oxford VR, a University of Oxford spinout company.

He tells us about using virtual reality to treat mental health problems.

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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How a scientist used viruses to save her husband’s life from a superbug Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we're joined by AIDS researcher Professor Steffanie Strathdee.

In 2015, Strathdee's husband was infected by superbug that was resistant to every antibiotic that the doctors could throw at it, but she was able to save his life with an experimental treatment made of viruses found in sewage.

In the New Year issue of BBC Science Focus Magazine, we cover the biggest ideas that you need to understand in 2021. This episode is one of a series in which we talk to the experts who will explain these ideas in their own words.

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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Marcus Chown: Does the Big Bang really explain our Universe? Dec 28, 2020

Show notes

In the New Year issue of BBC Science Focus Magazine, we cover the biggest ideas that you need to understand in 2021. Over the next few episodes of the Science Focus Podcast, we’ll be talking to the experts who will explain these ideas in their own words.

In this episode, we talk to science writer Marcus Chown, who tells us all about the major problems in our current understanding of cosmology. We discuss the Big Bang, dark matter, inflation, and what we still don't know about the formation of our Universe.

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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End of year roundup: The non-COVID science that brought us joy in 2020 Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

It’s been a long and strange year, and most of our attention has been focussed on the coronavirus. So, in this bonus episode of the Science Focus Podcast, the team talks about this year’s most interesting science that has nothing to do with COVID.

We start off by talking about our favourite scientific developments of the year, and then we discuss the books and documentaries that we’ve loved.

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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Prof John Drury: The psychology of lockdowns Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we talk to Prof John Drury, a behavioural psychologist based at the University of Sussex who specialises in studying crowds and collective behaviour.

The UK recently came out of the second COVID-19 lockdown, and went into a new three-tier system, with much of the country still in in the strictest tier.

John tells us about why people respond to the restrictions differently, how to ensure people follow the rules, and what the long-term effects the lockdowns will have on our psychology.

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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Dr Pete Etchells: Do video games encourage gambling behaviour? Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

This week on the Science Focus Podcast, we're joined by Dr Pete Etchells, a professor of psychology with a particular interest how video games affect our mood and behaviour.

Pete is also the author of the book Lost in a Good Game which explores why we love video games, and what they do for us.

Today we’re talking about the relationship between gambling and video games: what we know and what don’t. We want you to help us with the research, so if you want to get involved in a real-life scientific study that could shape the conversation around gaming and gambling, stayed tuned and listen in for details at the end.

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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Christmas Lectures 2020: How can we look after our planet? Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

Started by Michael Faraday in 1825, and now broadcast on national television, the Christmas lectures bring a science topic to our screens over three nights every year. The series of lectures has always been held within the Royal Institution in London, but this year, of course, is going to be slightly different.

In this week's episode, editorial assistant Amy Barrett is joined today by three expert scientists, Tara Shine, Chris Jackson and Helen Czerski, who are going to be presenting the 2020 Christmas lectures, titled Planet Earth: A User's Guide.

In lecture one, geologist Chris Jackson will reveal our Earth's climate story through the rocks and the fossil record. In lecture two, physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski will talk about the part our oceans play in the climate crisis. And in lecture three, environmental scientist Tara Shine will talk about carbon emissions and what we're really breathing in.

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 December issue with the BBC Science Focus team Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

In this episode of the Science Focus Podcast, we chat through the December 2020 issue of the magazine, which is on sale now.

The issue is all about the search for extraterrestrial life, so managing editor Alice Lipscombe-Southwell starts us off by telling us about the most promising places in our Solar System to search for alien life.

Commissioning editor Jason Goodyer tells us about a new drug delivery system that draws inspiration from parasitic hookworms, and then editorial assistant Amy Barrett brings us back around to ET by discussing why we want to believe in aliens.

We close the podcast with details of our exciting new competition, judged by comedian and author Dara Ó Briain.

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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Genes and heredity - Everything you ever wanted to know about... the biology of life with Sir Paul Nurse Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

For this instalment in the Everything you ever wanted to know about... series, we’ve sourced questions from Google, our listeners and the Science Focus team to put to experts and help you understand key ideas in science, in short episodes.

This week, we're joined by geneticist Sir Paul Nurse, the Director of the Francis Crick Institute in London and one of the recipients of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Leland Hartwell and Timothy Hunt.

Paul has recently published a book that helps readers understand biology, called What is Life? (£9.99, David Fickling Books). He shared some of the concepts from the books with us over two quick-fire episodes.

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Cells - Everything you ever wanted to know about... the biology of life with Sir Paul Nurse Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

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