Why? with Emma Kennedy

Latest Episodes:

Why do some animals have rhythm? Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

As YouTube videos of bopping parrots and breakdancing baboons show, humans aren’t the only species with rhythm and musicality built in. Even dogs wag their tails to a fixed tempo. But why, and what does it tell us? Plus, research shows us that a sense of rhythm isn’t the rule across the entire animal kingdom. Are different species born with it or can it be learned? Is music and rhythm a precursor to language?

Professor Andrea Ravignani of Sapienza University of Rome introduces Ananyo Bhattacharya to the toe-tapping world of animal rhythm and the neurocognitive patterns that make it happen.

Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on a wild adventure to the edge of knowledge. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.

WHY? is written and presented by Ananyo Bhattacharya. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.

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Is the Force really with me? Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

Science usually rejects the existence of the soul, or any conscious entity that’s separate from our biology. But there’s increasing evidence that plants, air and even inanimate matter exhibit some properties of consciousness. Could everything in the universe be linked by some invisible force, like Yoda taught Luke in Star Wars? This is not just science fiction but the study of panpsychism, the idea that everything in the universe is conscious and interacts.

Today on Why? we’re stepping into the world between particles to discover how consciousness and the physical fit together beyond human experience. It seems absurd… but not too long ago philosophers and scientists were convinced that babies weren’t conscious beings. What else have we got wrong?

Professor Philip Goff of Durham University blows Luke Turner’s mind as they explore whether science can find our souls.

Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on a wild adventure to the edge of knowledge. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.

WHY? is written and presented by Luke Turner. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.

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Should we trust AI to run our lives? Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

Artificial Intelligence already controls complex systems that humans depend on, from keeping thousands of planes safe in the sky to autocorrect saving our blushes when we mis-spell ‘Wednesday’. But are we in danger of handing AI too much control? Could machine learning outgrow its human masters? Researchers recently had to turn off two AI chatbots when they invented their own language that humans couldn’t decipher – and that won’t be the last time AI runs ahead of us. Can we really trust Artificial Intelligence to look after us and not destroy us?

Writer and futurologist Alexandra Whittington explains it all to Emma Kennedy.

Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.

WHY? is written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.

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Why can’t I forget embarrassing memories? Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

Why do we always remember the worst things that happened to us and never the best? Excruciating memories of past mistakes have a tendency to haunt us, popping up uninvited to make us cringe and sweat the way good memories just don’t. Why? If every new experience creates new neural pathways in our brain, could we disconnect the ones we don’t want to revisit?

Neuroscientist Dr Dean Burnett joins Luke Turner to find out whether these toe-curling memories serve a biological purpose beyond basic survival.

Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.

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Are we the first intelligent life on Earth? Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

We like to think we’re the pinnacle of intelligent life, but were humans really the first to evolve conceptual, self-aware, logical consciousness on Earth? Could an advanced technological civilisation have emerged before? If so, what happened to it? And if our planet produces many kinds of intelligence – octopuses have nine brains! – what is it about Earth that makes intelligent life likely to evolve here?

Evolutionary biologist and writer Dr. Henry Gee joins Ananyo Bhattacharya to talk about the so-called Silurian Hypothesis and whether humans really are Earth’s first intelligent inhabitants.

WHY? was written and presented by Ananyo Bhattacharya. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.

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Will living in space mess with my mind? Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

We hear a lot about the technology of space travel, but what about the psychology of leaving Earth for the loneliness of space? If you were strapped inside a rocket hurtling through space, what would it do to your state of mind? Could you still collaborate, concentrate and carry out your vital work? Or would you give in to rising panic as the only home you’ve ever known becomes a tiny blue speck that would take years to return to – if ever?

Space psychologist Dr Nick Kanas joins Anna Machin to discuss his work with NASA astronauts and what lessons we need to learn before venturing further into space.

WHY? is written and presented by Anna Machin. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.

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What's at the earth’s core and can we use it? Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

At the very centre of the earth, scientists have just discovered a new, previously unknown geological layer inside our world’s dense inner core. What is this strange new fifth layer composed of? How could we not know what’s beneath our feet, albeit very far down? And could we use it somehow?

Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić tells Luke Turner how his research group made this discovery and how the inner inner core may be small, but it plays a mighty mighty role in all our lives.

Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow us on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.

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Can we stop our bodies ageing? Nov 23, 2023

Show notes

Could you be forever young? Humans have fantasised about stopping or even reversing the ravages of age for as long as we’ve told stories – but now science is coming closer to making it happen. The global anti-ageing market is worth over $62 billion and the super-rich like Jeff Bezos are pouring billions into research against ageing. Will science soon be able to literally turn back the bodyclock?

Dr Andrew Steeletells Olly Mann about the science of ageing, how biologists are reaching down to the cellular level to stop our bodies from degrading… and how we’re close to finding the Off switch for ageing.

Every Monday and Thursday WHY? takes you on an adventure to the edge of knowledge, asking the questions that puzzle and perplex us, from the inner workings of the universe to the far reaches of our dreams. Follow us on your favourite app so you never miss an episode.

WHY? is written and presented by Olly Mann. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Artwork by James Parrett. Music by DJ Food. Exec Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Lead Producer: Anne-Marie Luff. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.

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How can I travel faster than light? Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

Faster-than-light space travel has been a staple of science fiction since before the Starship Enterprise first went warp-speed. But could it ever really happen? Are we discovering potential ways to get round Einstein’s iron rule about spacetime’s speed limit? And could the secret to travelling at the speed of light be hidden within the underground tunnels at CERN?

Theoretical physicist Dr Sabine Hossenfelder explains the latest thinking on ‘FTL’ to Anna Machin. Please fasten your seatbelts.

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What will humans look like in a million years? Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

Humans now have more control over our long-term evolution than ever before. Developments in DNA research could mean we can by-pass natural selection and dictate our own biological destiny. But where is it leading? We time-travel forward a million years and check in on our (very) distant cousins to see if they resemble us at all. Will they even be recognisably human?

Dr Anders Sandberg of Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute discusses the future of our species with Ananyo Bhattacharya.

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