Explore every episode of the podcast Ri Science Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The search for Earth 2.0 - with Elizabeth Tasker | 26 Sep 2024 | 00:48:07 | |
What makes a planet habitable? What are we looking for to find Earth 2.0? And how do you get a chunk of an asteroid through airport security? This month, astrophysicist Elizabeth Tasker discusses the latest missions at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and explores how our knowledge has progressed since she last spoke at the Ri back in 2018. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Producer: Lia Hale Music: Joseph Sandy | |||
| The brain on exercise - with Dr Flaminia Ronca | 28 Aug 2024 | 00:46:30 | |
Today marks the beginning of the Paralympic Games, and nearly 3 weeks since the end of the Olympic Games in Paris. But what actually happens to your brain when you exercise? What’s the science behind ‘runner’s high’? And why isn’t there enough research on women in sport? This month, we’re joined by exercise neuroscientist Flaminia Ronca, from UCL and the Institute of Sport Exercise and Health. She shares with us which chemical and physiological systems are involved when we exercise, and how regular exercise can decrease our chances of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Producer and presenter: Lia Hale Assistant producer: Isla Nakano Music: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Tales from my PhD: Fighting rice blast fungus – with Camilla Molinari | 20 Aug 2023 | 00:11:19 | |
How do you fight a fungus? In this episode of ‘Tales from my PhD’, Charlotte Collingwood talks to Camilla Molinari about her work in plant pathology, studying the mechanisms and genetics of the rice blast fungus in order to limit its impact on food crops.
Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Charlotte CollingwoodMusic by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Tales from my PhD: Researching anxiety and depression through computational models – with Sophie Shang | 10 Aug 2023 | 00:11:46 | |
How can maths and computational models help us treat anxiety and depression? In this episode of 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood talks to Sophie Shang about her research in the field of computational psychiatry. A hallmark symptom of anxiety and depression is an intolerance of uncertainty. Sophie's work involves designing studies to test people's response to changes in their environment, analysing the data mathematically and then coding computational models in order to reveal patterns in human behaviour and mental health that are otherwise invisible.
Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think.
Produced by: Charlotte Collingwood Music by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Tales from my PhD: Saving manta rays – with Jessica Savage | 02 Aug 2023 | 00:13:17 | |
There are an estimated 5 trillion plastic particles in the oceans, spelling trouble for marine ecosystems. Manta rays are one group of species at risk – how can we protect these animals? In this episode of 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood talks to Jessica Savage about her work analysing the species distribution of manta rays and global plastic pollution maps to aid marine science and conservation.
Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Charlotte Collingwood Music by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| How to hear gravitational waves – with Tessa Baker | 31 Jul 2023 | 00:48:09 | |
How can we detect massive objects in space when we can't see them by light? On 14 September 2015, scientists opened a new window to observing the Universe when, for the first time, they directly detected gravitational waves, rippled out through spacetime from the merger of two black holes. In this episode, astronomer Tessa Baker explores how Einstein’s theory of gravity predicted the existence of gravitational waves, how delicate experiments eventually confirmed their existence, and how we cantranslate this experimental data into sounds, allowing us to hear the Universe. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 19 May 2023.
Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Sarah Dick Music by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Tales from my PhD: What is galaxy evolution? – with Rohan Varadaraj | 26 Jul 2023 | 00:16:04 | |
Astrophysicists grapple with the Universe's big questions, but what does their day-to-day research actually entail? In the first of our new mini-series, 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood sits down with Rohan Varadaraj to discuss his work discovering new galaxies billions of light years away. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Charlotte Collingwood Music by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| How did patriarchy develop across the world? – with Angela Saini and Julia Gillard | 13 Jun 2023 | 01:20:19 | |
How did societies develop across the globe and how did gender become so enmeshed in them? In this episode we join award-winning science journalist, Angela Saini, in conversation with former Australian prime-minister, Julia Gillard, as they go in search of the roots of gendered oppression. By looking at cultures throughout human history and in the modern day, they overturn simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far back it goes really depends on where you live. Get Angela Saini's book: The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 2 March 2023. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Sarah Dick Music by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Can science explain emotions? – with Dean Burnett | 30 Apr 2023 | 01:13:08 | |
Did you know that there is no widely agreed upon definition of what emotions actually are? After losing his dad to Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic lockdown, neuroscientist Dean Burnett found himself wondering what life would be like without emotions. In today’s episode, Dean combines his personal story with expert analysis, humour and powerful insights into the grieving process, to uncover how emotions make us who we are. Get Dean's book: 'Emotional Ignorance: Lost and Found in the Science of Emotion' Subscribe to Dean's podcast: 'Why does this thing exist?' Follow Dean on Twitter: twitter.com/garwboy This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 30 January 2023. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Sarah Dick Music by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Tackling climate change with innovation – with Alyssa Gilbert and Katherine Mathieson | 22 Apr 2023 | 00:26:54 | |
How could we use shower wastewater to clean our clothes? To celebrate Earth Day and its specific focus on investing in the planet, we wanted to introduce you to ‘Undaunted’ - our partnership with Imperial College London that supports climate-positive startups tackling the climate crisis head on. We hear from Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Undaunted, and Katherine Mathieson, Director of the Ri, about the exciting work Undaunted is doing, alongside a sneak peek into some of the innovations. Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help more people discover the podcast. Contact Katherine: kmathieson@ri.ac.uk Contact Alyssa: a.gilbert@imperial.ac.uk Learn more about Undaunted: imperial.ac.uk/climate-change-innovation/about-us/ Learn more about Greenhouse startup accelerator: climateinnovators.uk/startup-accelerator/ Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Lia Hale Music by: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Existential physics: Exploring life's big questions – with Sabine Hossenfelder | 31 Mar 2023 | 00:36:22 | |
Are particles conscious? Can information be destroyed? Do we live in a computer simulation? Are we part of a multiverse? In this episode, theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder draws on research in quantum mechanics, black holes and particle physics to explore what modern physics can tell us about life's big, existential questions. Watch the video version of this episode: youtu.be/fl9oDJzfg58 This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 19 August 2022. Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help more people discover the podcast.
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| Bad statistics: How not to be misled – with Jennifer Rogers | 28 Feb 2023 | 00:34:07 | |
You might have heard that vending machines are more likely to kill you than a shark, but they aren’t the only deadly object out there. You’re also more likely to be killed by falling coconuts, lightning strikes, bathtubs and your own bed. Swimming in shark-infested waters might actually be safer than hiding in your own house. In this episode, statistician Jennifer Rogers delves into the numbers to show you how statistics can help you to make better decisions about risky activities. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 11 March 2019. Produced by: Charlotte Collingwood Music by: Joseph Sandy Thumbnail image credit: Javaistan via Pixabay | |||
| How women drove evolution - with Cat Bohannon | 31 Jul 2024 | 00:44:44 | |
Why is there less medical research on women? How did humanity reach 8 billion despite the dangers of childbirth? In this episode, Cat Bohannon explores these questions and reveals insights from her book, Eve: How Women Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution, to highlight women’s pivotal role in our species’ history. This talk was recorded at the Royal Institution on 8 June 2024. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Producer: Eloise Ross Executive producer: Lia Hale Music: Joseph Sandy | |||
| How Peter Higgs proposed the Higgs boson – with Frank Close | 31 Jan 2023 | 01:02:16 | |
On 4 July 2012, one of the longest-running mysteries in physics was finally clarified. The ATLAS and CMS collaborations at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider announced that they had produced and observed the elusive Higgs boson. This unstable elementary particle was theorised back in 1964 by 6 scientists – one of them was the particle’s namesake, Peter Higgs. In this episode, physicist and former Ri Christmas Lecturer, Frank Close, explores the life of Peter Higgs, a Nobel prize-winning scientist and the only person in history to have an existing single particle named after them.
This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 7 July 2022. Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help more people discover the podcast. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Sarah Dick Music by: Joseph Sandy Thumbnail image credit: Garik Barseghyan via Pixabay | |||
| How to handle heart disease – with Samer Nashef | 23 Dec 2022 | 00:50:13 | |
Do Diet Coke and salt cause heart disease? How do you transport a heart to be transplanted? How can you learn to live with angina? In this month's talk, we hear from world-renowned cardiac surgeon Samer Nashef. Samer discusses his book, ‘The Angina Monologues: Stories of Surgery for Broken Hearts’, with journalist Sathnam Sanghera. Together they explore a collection of Samer’s stories that are sure to get your heart racing – from driving a donor heart up the motorway to Samer's personal experience with angina. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 8 May 2019. Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help more people discover the podcast. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Lia Hale Music by: Joseph Sandy Thumbnail image credit: Fran Malley via Scribe Publications | |||
| CHRISTMAS LECTURES special: Inside forensic science – with Dame Sue Black & Katherine Mathieson | 16 Dec 2022 | 00:28:21 | |
In this Christmas-special we go behind-the-scenes of our 2022 CHRISTMAS LECTURES, presented by Professor Dame Sue Black. Katherine Mathieson, Director of the Ri, managed to steal Sue away from rehearsals for a quick chat about her CHRISTMAS LECTURES memories, science communication and what we can expect to learn about forensic science. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Produced by: Sarah Dick Music by: Joseph Sandy Thumbnail image credit: Paul Wilkinson Photography | |||
| How does proton beam therapy treat cancer? – with Simon Jolly | 21 Nov 2022 | 01:08:07 | |
An advanced form of radiotherapy, proton beam therapy enables tumours to be targeted with greater precision, reducing the collateral damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Physicist Simon Jolly sheds light on this leading-edge technique and the technology needed to deliver it. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 12 October 2018. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8YnQkUWTS64 Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help more people discover the podcast. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| How did females evolve? – with Lucy Cooke | 05 Jul 2022 | 01:18:19 | |
Did you know that zoologists have only found 5 species of mammals that go through the menopause? That's 4 species of toothed whale, plus us humans. The animal kingdom reveals a lot about female evolution and this month, Lucy Cooke explores evolutionary biology through an array of animal examples and research stemming from Darwin's time. Get Lucy Cooke's book 'Bitch: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal': www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/111196…80857524133.html This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 8 March 2022. Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help more people discover the podcast. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Is the multiverse possible? – with Sean M Carroll | 31 May 2022 | 01:24:42 | |
If you're a fan of multiverse movies, this episode is for you. The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics says that an infinite number of universes exist in parallel to eachother, each having branched off in a moment of divergence before following its own unique timeline. Theoretical physicist Sean M Carroll guides us through the strange and sometimes daunting topic of quantum mechanics – from Einstein and Bohr to Schrödinger's cat and the many-worlds interpretation. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 22 January 2020. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| How we got to the climate crisis – with Alice Bell | 30 Apr 2022 | 01:26:33 | |
Our exploration of the Earth’s fluctuating environment is an extraordinary story of human perception and scientific endeavour, which began much earlier than you might think. This month we hear from Alice Bell as she explores climate change science’s earliest steps in the 18th and 19th centuries, through the point when concern started to rise in the 1950s, right up to the modern day. You can learn more in Alice’s latest book 'Our Biggest Experiment: A History of the Climate Crisis’. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 22 July 2021. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| How to design a rollercoaster – with Brendan Walker | 28 Mar 2022 | 01:09:41 | |
Do you consider yourself a ‘thrill-seeker’? If so, you may have a variation in the DRD4 dopamine receptor gene which makes you less able to process dopamine, a neurotransmitter that's responsible for how we feel pleasure. This month we hear from thrill-engineer Brendan Walker as he explains how he designs rollercoasters to induce thrill, priming our bodies’ innate responses through sounds, visual cues, virtual reality and much more. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 28 February, 2020. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/edT9bUbKId4 Get tickets for upcoming talks: www.rigb.org Twitter: twitter.com/Ri_Science YouTube: youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution Patreon: patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution Thumbnail image credit: Jonny Gios via Unsplash | unsplash.com/photos/ljN0zTXf7tQ | |||
| What is love? – with Laura Mucha & Kate Devlin | 07 Feb 2022 | 00:57:33 | |
Does love at first sight exist? How does your attachment style influence how you love? This month we hear from lawyer-turned-poet and author, Laura Mucha, and artificial intelligence expert, Kate Devlin, about love and relationships. They share real love stories, explore what companies learn about you through online dating and discover what the future holds for sexual companion robots.This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 14 February 2019.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| How to make a universe – with Harry Cliff | 06 Jan 2022 | 01:19:48 | |
Physicist Harry Cliff explains how the Universe is made, drawing on experimental data from the Large Hadron Collider and labs around the world. We hear how the basic building blocks of matter and four fundamental forces of nature make up The Standard Model of particle physics.
This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on the 10 August 2021. Watch the video version on YouTube: youtu.be/bzV4O85n2y8
Learn more in Harry Cliff’s book, ‘How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch’: geni.us/harrycliff
Website: www.rigb.org
Twitter: twitter.com/Ri_Science
YouTube: youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution
Patreon: patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution
Thumbnail image credit: Lucas Taylor/CERN via Wikimedia Commons | cdsweb.cern.ch/record/628469
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| The science of cheese - with Bronwen Percival | 26 Jun 2024 | 00:28:46 | |
To celebrate National Cheese Day earlier this month, we sat down with biochemist and cheese expert Bronwen Percival to look under the barrel at the science of one of the nation’s favourite foods. From the basics of cheese production to the biochemistry underlying its notorious smell, and even some cheese tastings, this episode guarantees to open your eyes to the captivating world of cheese. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Producer: Freddie Rodgers Interviewer: Isla Nakano Music: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Solving crimes with forensic anthropology – with Sue Black | 06 Dec 2021 | 01:16:33 | |
This episode is about forensic anthropology. Please be aware that due to the nature of the topic, this talk includes discussions of violence, child sexual abuse, death by suicide and mass-fatality events, which some listeners may find disturbing.This month, we hear from Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist who has led teams across the world to identify the victims and perpetrators of various conflicts and cases. Sue shares examples of her breakthrough work on real-life events, and examines how our life’s history is written into our anatomy.The talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 22 February, 2019. Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9Jrd5kJ-vTURi Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Handprints on Hubble – with Kathryn D Sullivan | 01 Nov 2021 | 01:07:25 | |
The Hubble Telescope has revolutionised our understanding of the Universe. It has, among many other achievements, revealed thousands of galaxies in what seemed to be empty patches of sky and measured precisely how fast the universe is expanding. In this talk, the first American woman to walk in space, Kathryn D Sullivan, recounts how the team of astronauts, engineers and flight controllers helped launch, rescue and maintain Hubble, the most productive observatory ever built. Her book, 'Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention' is available now. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on the 6th of March, 2020. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| How advertising works – with Rory Sutherland | 04 Oct 2021 | 01:36:34 | |
How does advertising influence us? This month, we hear from advertiser and behaviour expert Rory Sutherland, as he uses case studies from the world’s biggest brands to show how advertising makes us act against reason.This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 10 May 2019.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Medical cannabis – with Mike Barnes, Hannah Deacon, Peter Carroll and Susie Mesure | 06 Sep 2021 | 01:22:57 | |
What makes up a cannabis medicinal product? How do the active ingredients work in our bodies? What conditions can it treat, and how can doctors prescribe it? We’re joined by neurologist and medical cannabis expert Mike Barnes, and ‘End our Pain’ campaigners, Peter Carroll and Hannah Deacon. Hannah fought to obtain cannabis oil to treat her son Alfie’s epileptic seizures, and the campaign succeeded in changing UK law – as of November 2018, NHS doctors can legally prescribe cannabis. So why is it still hard for doctors to do so? Mike, Peter and Hannah discuss these issues with journalist, Susie Mesure. This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 21 January 2019 Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Einstein on the run – with Andrew Robinson | 02 Aug 2021 | 01:22:40 | |
In autumn 1933, Albert Einstein found himself living alone in an isolated holiday hut in rural England. There, he toiled peacefully at mathematics while occasionally stepping out to chat with the locals and play his violin. But how had Einstein come to abandon his Berlin home and go ‘"on the run"?Andrew Robinson tells the story of how Britain became the a refuge for Einstein from rumoured assassination by Nazi agents.This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution, on 29 October 2019. If you want to hear more like this, head over to rigb.org to sign up for our upcoming talks. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Conspiracy theories – with Miriam Frankel, Türkay Salim Nefes, Aleksandra Cichocka and Harry T Dyer | 05 Jul 2021 | 01:23:13 | |
This month a panel of psychologists and sociologists discuss why conspiracy theories arise, how they can affect people’s political beliefs, and how we might better communicate with the people who believe in conspiracies. Conspiracy theories have been around for a long time, but in recent years they appear more frequently in public discourse. From increasing attention to anti-vaccine misinformation, to growing communities of conspiracy theorists, like the ‘flat earth’ community, who held their first large scale UK convention in 2018. Join Miriam Frankel, science editor at The Conversation, alongside Türkay Salim Nefes, Aleksandra Cichocka and Harry T Dyer. We held this event at the Ri on 24 October 2018, in partnership with independent news website, The Conversation. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Can we trust maths? – with Kit Yates | 07 Jun 2021 | 00:54:02 | |
If you see a newspaper headline with a big, bold statistic, how do you know that you can trust it? How often do false positive and false negative test results occur in medical screenings? And how do you safely bet whether or not 2 people in any room will share a birthday?This month we hear from Kit Yates about the maths of medicine, crime and the media, exploring real-world data from his book, ‘The Maths of Life and Death’.This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution, on 21 January 2020. If you want to hear more like this, head over to our website to sign up for our upcoming livestreams.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Life in a mars simulation – with Kate Greene | 03 May 2021 | 01:17:46 | |
This month, writer and former laser-physicist Kate Greenesat down for a chat with our Public Programme Producer, Lisa Derry. They talk about Kate’s experience living as second-in-command on NASA’s first simulated Mars mission, ‘HI-SEAS’. Living in an isolated geodesic dome for 4 months with her crew-mates,Kate gained incredible insight into human behaviour in tight quarters. Lisa and Kate cover food taste experiments, how human bodies cope in space, how NASA and SpaceX work together, and how the isolation that astronauts experience relates to the isolation we’ve all felt during Covid lockdowns.This conversation was recorded over Zoom on 18 February 2021. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| The art of rest – with Claudia Hammond | 06 Apr 2021 | 01:22:47 | |
What is the difference between sleep and rest? What activities to people actually find restful? Why is rest important?Award-winning broadcaster, author and psychology lecturer, Claudia Hammond, joins us to talk about her book 'The Art of Rest'. Drawing on results from 'The Rest Test' – the largest global study ever undertaken on the subject – Claudia explores how we can all learn to lead a more restful and balanced life. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Recipe for a Skyscraper – with Roma Agrawal | 30 Mar 2020 | 01:15:31 | |
How high can we build? What are the new technologies that might see our skyscrapers go beyond anything we ever imagined? What creativity and drive is needed to push engineering forward? Structural engineer Roma Agrawal delves into the history of the materials that enable immense construction and the developments that have made our structures what they are today. All while noting the accomplishments of key visionary engineers of the past. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Eggs, Evolution, and life on Earth - with Jules Howard | 29 May 2024 | 00:34:18 | |
What came first, the chicken, the egg, or...the jellyfish? Zoologist and author Jules Howard joins us this month to explore evolution through a new lens - the egg. Eggs play a fundamental role in the reproduction and development of most species, yet they have been relatively overlooked in the narrative of evolution and the progression of life on Earth. Jules takes us on a journey back through the history of eggs, their surprisingly fundamental role in everything from the extinction of dinosaurs to the evolution of the human brain. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Producer: Lia Hale Interviewer: Lia Hale Music: Joseph Sandy | |||
| Endometriosis: Myths, Symptoms and Future Treatments - with PhD researcher Magda Mareckova, Dr Krina Zondervan and Dr Christian Becker | 04 Mar 2020 | 00:44:11 | |
Endometriosis is as common as diabetes, yet the disease is poorly understood and not many people have heard about it before. It affects around 10% of women in their reproductive years, and can cause great pain.In this special extra podcast, Ri Digital Intern and PhD student, Madga Mareckova, sits down with her PhD supervisors, Krina Zondervan & Christian Becker.They dispel myths and discuss the symptoms, potential causes and treatments of endometriosis, whilst sharing insights into their unique collaboration as researchers and clinicians at the University of Oxford's Endometriosis Care and Research (CaRe) Centre.The thumbnail image is a fluorescently labelled cross-section of the human endometrium, photographed by Magda Mareckova. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| A Generalist AI - with Expert Panel | 24 Feb 2020 | 01:20:52 | |
How far are we from creating Artificial General Intelligence? Can we build a machine to perform all of the intellectual tasks that a human being can?Reports of the ever-increasing power of AI systems have never been far from the headlines, from AlphaGo to self-driving cars. However, these are examples of ‘weak’ or ‘narrow’ AI; that is, systems that excel at one particular task, be it playing a game or understanding speech. But how far are we from creating Artificial General Intelligence? Join a panel of experts for a glimpse into the future of intelligence, in association with The Conversation.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| The Evolution of Truth - with Richard Byrne, Evan Davis and comedian Rachel Wheeley | 27 Jan 2020 | 01:26:08 | |
Why do people lie? Why has 'fake news' become such a global phenomenon in modern public discourse? Bringing together the fields of human evolution and current affairs, Richard Byrne and Evan Davis, together with comedian Rachel Wheeley, discuss whether the ability to communicate evolved to pass on facts or to deceive, why deception is so widespread in the era of 'post-truth' politics, and what we can do about it. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering a Brighter Future - with Lord Browne and Vivienne Parry | 30 Dec 2019 | 01:28:00 | |
Why has engineering always been the backbone of civilisation? And why do we enjoy making things? This month, Lord Browne in conversation with Vivienne Parry, explains what engineering is, what it has done for us and how it can deliver a brighter future. Robots, our health, security, climate change as well as autonomous vehicles are discussed. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| The Gene Machine - with Venki Ramakrishnan | 25 Nov 2019 | 01:25:46 | |
The ribosome is the mother of all molecules without which nothing lives. This month, the Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan in conversation with Vivienne Parry, tells the story of the race to uncover the structure of the ribosome - a fundamental discovery that resolves an ancient mystery of life itself and could lead to the development of better antibiotics to fight the most deadly diseases. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| The Science of Stress – with Joe Herbert, Julie Turner Cobb, and Shane O’Mara | 28 Oct 2019 | 01:23:20 | |
Stress is our natural reaction to physical or emotional pressure, encompassing everything from too much work to being tortured. But what goes on in our bodies and minds to cause stress? And how does stress affect our memory, mood and thinking?This month, Vincent Walsh hosts an expert panel of Joe Herbert, Julie Turner Cobb, and Shane O’Mara, to explore the science of stress.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| How Does Science Actually Work? – with Jeremy Baumberg | 30 Sep 2019 | 01:20:31 | |
We take the advance of science as given - but how does science really work? This month, Jeremy Baumberg sheds light on a cutthroat and tightly tensioned enterprise that even scientists themselves often don’t fully understand.Jeremy Baumberg is a leader in nanoscience and nanotechnology, working for much of his career at the interface between academia and industry. He has led interdisciplinary nano-centres at the Universities of Cambridge and Southampton, and developed novel devices within Hitachi, IBM, his spin-offs Mesophotonics and Base4.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Whats Next? Predictions About Our Future - with Expert Panel | 26 Aug 2019 | 01:23:59 | |
What does the future have in store? Medicine, robotics, artificial intelligence, energy production and genetic engineering are all fields that will change our world - but how? This month, Jim Al-Khalili and a panel of experts debate the topic and predict the answers.Jim Al-Khalili OBE is a theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster. He is the host of the Life Scientific on BBC Four and was awarded the inaugural Stephen Hawking medal for science communication. Find out from science writer Phil Ball about the demographics of the future. Learn about how the climate will continue to change from former Chief Scientist of the Met Office, Julia Slingo. Hear more about where genomics and genome engineering is going from biologist and broadcaster Aarathi Prasad and discover smart materials with materials scientist Anna Ploszajski. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| The Story of Life – with Matthew Cobb and Nick Lane | 29 Jul 2019 | 01:31:44 | |
How was the code of DNA cracked? How did it confirm the theory of evolution? And why did life evolve the way it did? This month, Matthew Cobb and Nick Lane unravel the tangled story of DNA, and why life began in the first place.Nick Lane is an evolutionary biochemist in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London. His work focuses on the origin of life, and the origin and evolution of eukaryotes. He is also author of prize-winning popular science books, including 'Life ascending'.Matthew Cobb is Professor of Zoology and a senior lecturer in animal behaviour at the University of Manchester. After spending some time researching humans at the institute of psychiatry, a lot of his work now investigates insect behaviour and its evolutionary and genetic basis, particularly smell. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Moon, Mars and Beyond - with Astronaut Al Worden and Experts Chris Welch and Stuart Eves | 24 Jun 2019 | 01:16:28 | |
Where should humans inhabit next? The Moon? Mars? Or further beyond? This month, Apollo Astronaut Al Worden and space experts Chris Welch and Stuart Eves will will argue their case for each. Who will win your vote?Al Worden is an American astronaut and engineer who was the Command Module Pilot for the fourth lunar landing mission in 1971, Apollo 15. After his time in space, he was Senior Aerospace Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, and then the chief of the Systems Study Division at Ames. Chris Welch is Professor of Space Engineering at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Chris is a Vice-President of the International Astronautical Federation, a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society (BIS), the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Royal Astronomical Society. Chris has written what he believes to be the first ever paper on the design of extraterrestrial gardens and a poem that he hopes to send to space soon.Stuart Eves is currently a technical consultant for Vaeros Ltd. He began his career working for the MOD on a variety of satellites, and from 2004 he was Lead Mission Concepts Engineer at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited. Stuart is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a Council Member of the British Interplanetary Society, and he currently chairs the government/industry Space Information Exchange forum. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| The neuroscience of memory - with Charan Ranganath | 24 Apr 2024 | 00:35:19 | |
Why is it that we can vividly remember a particular smell from years ago, but can’t remember where we put our keys a mere few hours prior? This month, we’re joined by renowned neuroscientist and author Dr Charan Ranganath to discuss how and why we remember. Charan is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, and Director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at UC Davis, and has recently released his first book ‘Why We Remember’. Charan takes us on a journey through our own minds, and a forward look at the future of memory research. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Producer: Lia Hale Assistant producer: Freddie Rodgers Interviewer: Lisa Derry Music: Joseph Sandy | |||
| The Science of Success (and Failure) – with Matthew Syed | 27 May 2019 | 01:21:08 | |
How can you turn failure into success? This month, journalist and table-tennis champion Matthew Syed will explain the science of success using real life stories and practical takeaways. Matthew Syed is a British journalist, broadcaster and author. He has won numerous prizes for his writing including Feature Writer of the Year at the SJA Awards and Sports Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards. He is also a three-time Commonwealth table tennis champion and a two-time Olympian. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Monsters, Science and Society - with Expert Panel | 29 Apr 2019 | 01:18:17 | |
Frankenstein’s creature is a classic example of a monster in popular culture. But what can fictional beings tell us about the hopes and fears of the society in which they were created?This month, Phil Ball chairs a panel of experts discussing how monsters survive in our culture, how they reflect gender and power dynamics, and what happens in our brains when we see monsters on screen.Liz Gloyn is a lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway. Her research focuses on the intersections between Latin literature, ancient philosophy and gender studies.Evan Hayles Gledhill is currently doing a PhD at the University of Reading. Their PhD thesis examines the liminal figures of the monster and the child in the Gothic imagination, and the 'deviant subjectivities' these representations make space for in otherwise seemingly conventional genre texts. Jeremy Skipper is Director of the Language, Action, and Brain Lab (LAB Lab) at University College London. He studies the neurobiology of natural language use and oversees the Neurocinematics database.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| Anatomy of a Conversation - with Elizabeth Stokoe | 25 Mar 2019 | 01:09:24 | |
First dates, police interviews, doctor-patient communication and commercial sales – they are all driven by talk. And an understanding of how talk works is crucial for success. This month, Elizabeth Stokoe explains how conversation analysis can produce a scientific understanding of talk. Rather than being messy and disorderly, talk is in fact organised systematically, and small changes in words or phrases can have a big impact on the outcome.Elizabeth Stokoe is Professor of Social Interaction at Loughborough University, analysing the science of interaction in settings including police interrogations, sales calls, and initial inquiries to services including mediation and doctors’ surgeries. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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| The Order Of Time - with Carlo Rovelli | 26 Feb 2019 | 01:23:02 | |
We intuitively feel that we know what we are talking about when we talk about time, but from the perspective of physics, time is far from straightforward. This month, Carlo Rovelli takes us on a journey through the philosophy, the science and the emotional experience of time.Carlo Rovelli is a theoretical physicist who has made significant contributions to the physics of space and time. He has worked in Italy and the US, and is currently directing the quantum gravity research group of the Centre de physique théorique in Marseille, France. His books 'Seven Brief Lessons on Physics' and 'Reality Is Not What It Seems' are international bestsellers translated into forty-one languages. https://twitter.com/carlorovelli?lang=enRi Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
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