Instant Genius

Our Media

Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you two bite-sized masterclasses on a new subject each week. New episodes are released every Monday and Friday and you can subscribe to Instant Genius on Apple Podcasts to access all new episodes ad-free and all old episodes of Instant Genius Extra. Watch full episodes of Instant Genius on BBC Science Focus Magazine's YouTube channel. Follow us on X: @SFIGPod

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  1. 13 hr ago

    How to harness your brain’s underused superpowers

    For a large proportion of our lives, our brains seemingly work on autopilot – the many processes the brain controls hum away behind the scenes, helping us to carry out our daily tasks. But in certain scenarios, our attention takes over, giving more conscious control of our actions. These processes, such as memory, planning and our emotional responses to the situations we find ourselves in, are known as executive functions. But how exactly do they work and is there anything we can do to train them to perform more effectively? In this episode we’re joined by the neuroscientist and author Dr Adrian Owen, to talk about his latest book, Think Before You Think – Understanding Your Brain’s Mission Control. He shares his insights into how our brains operate when we’re confronted by different situations, points out some of the pitfalls built into the way we observe and respond to the world, and explains how we can all benefit from paying more attention to why we think and act in the way we do. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  2. 3 days ago

    How we define intelligent life

    What does it mean to be a living organism? What are the driving forces that motivate our thoughts and actions? Are we all simply acting the way we do thanks to the instructions built into our genes and our automatic responses to the environments we live in? In this episode we’re joined by researcher, broadcaster and author Melanie Challenger to talk about her latest book, Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World. She talks us through her ideas about how intelligence emerges from living organisms, explores the connection between the bodies and mind, and investigates the possibility of AI developing genuine intelligence. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  3. 2 Aug

    Exploring Darwin’s ideas through a queer lens

    When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in the mid-nineteenth century, his theory of evolution by natural selection turned many of the scientific ideas of the day on their heads. The influence of the book was so profound that scientists are still studying its many implications to this day. And it turns out that, if we look closely enough, we find that investigating queerness in nature frequently played a central role in Darwin’s research and thinking. In this episode, we’re joined by historian and author Dr Ross Brooks to talk about his latest book, Darwin and the Queer Origins of Life – A History of Sex and Science. He shares some of the fascinating discoveries he made from poring over the many notebooks kept by Darwin, tells us how Darwin himself frequently proclaimed that all men and women are hermaphrodites, and makes a passionate case for the need for more queer perspectives and inclusivity in science. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  4. 30 Jul

    On the frontlines of our fight against dementia

    Currently there are around one million people in the UK living with dementia. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the disease over the past several decades an effective cure is yet to be found. However, recent breakthroughs made by researchers around the world are showing great promise in the treatment of this devasting condition. In this episode, we’re joined by Prof Selina Wray, a neuroscientist and researcher based at University College London, to talk about the latest developments in the fight against dementia. She explains exactly what’s happening in our brains as dementia progresses, tells us about her own groundbreaking research on using stem cells to study the disease, and talks us through some of the many exciting developments that are showing great promise in our search for more effective treatments. Take your curiosity further with a subscription to BBC Science Focus magazine. Every issue is packed with fascinating insights into the science behind everyday life, the latest breakthroughs and expert analysis, delivered straight to your door. Plus, save an extra £5 when you subscribe using the code SF5OFF, (minimum spend £20, see full terms and conditions on our website). https://www.ourmediashop.com/bbc-science-focus-magazine-pod30 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  5. 26 Jul

    Why the search for life on Mars is far from over

    Way back in 1976, NASA’s Viking landers touched down on Mars to search for potential signs of microbial life that could currently exist on the planet’s surface. Despite the mission making a number of promising discoveries, so far, no further landers have returned to the surface of the Red Planet with the aim of repeating these fascinating experiments. As such, many questions still remain as to what organisms, if any, could potentially be living within the Martian soil. In this episode, we’re joined by astrobiochemist and author Steven A. Benner to talk about his latest book, Meet the Neighbours – Life on Mars and How to Find it. He talks us through some of the scientific debates surrounding the Viking data that continue to this day, tells us how our knowledge of the evolution of life on Earth informs our search for life elsewhere in the Solar System, and explains how recent innovations in the democratisation of spacecraft technology may reignite our search for life on Mars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  6. 23 Jul

    Why rediscovering simple pleasures may be the key to happiness

    Every single day of our lives, we’re exposed to a vast multitude of experiences and interactions with the various people, objects and technologies in the wider world that surrounds us. The chances are that many of us give these moment-to-moment encounters very little thought. But could it be that our desire for convenience, efficiency and productivity has resulted in a widening rift that has ultimately disconnected us from many of the simple pleasures that life can provide? In this episode, we’re joined by Prof Ian Bogost, a computer science and design researcher based at Washington University and author, to talk about his latest book, The Small Stuff – The Sensory Enchantment of Everyday Life. He tells us why he proposes that our lives have been incrementally dematerialised thanks to the relentless technological drive for efficiency, why we find pleasure and gratification in sensory experiences, and how, by paying more attention to the simple act of doing rather than the final outcome of our actions, we can all live more deeply enriching lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  7. 19 Jul

    Why human urine may be our most untapped natural resource

    While largely viewed as a toxic waste product with no practical use, our urine is actually rich in all manner of valuable nutrients that, with a little effort, can be extracted, recycled and converted into fertiliser for use on food crops, used to make building materials or even used to generate electricity. In this episode, we’re joined by Kai Udert, a researcher based at the Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, to talk about the many ways we could be putting our pee to better use. He tells us how our current systems of dealing with wastewater came into being, what happens to our urine once we flush it down the toilet, and talks us through some ways in which we may be able to make more use of this common, overlooked resource. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  8. 16 Jul

    How new technology can change our emotional lives for the better

    It’s clear to all of us that the rapid progress that technology has made over the last century or so has had profound impacts on almost every aspect of our lives. But often, the impact on our emotional well-being associated with these great changes is overlooked, or, if mentioned at all, portrayed in a largely negative light. Why is this? Is it simply down to our innate fear of the new or our natural tendency to see the downsides that accompany change? Could it be the case that this mode of thinking is leading us to miss the many ways in which new technology can help our emotional lives to flourish? In this episode, we’re joined by Pamela Pavliscak, a researcher and author whose work focusses on the intersection of technology and our emotions, to talk about her latest book, All the Feels – How Technology Can Change our Emotional Lives for the Better. She tells us how often the arguments surrounding issues such as screentime and its impact on our emotional lives are lacking in nuance, how the sharing of memes and gifs has given us a new means of expressing our many complicated emotions, and how the advent of AI chatbots is, more than ever, having profound effects on the way we emotionally engage with technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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About

Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you two bite-sized masterclasses on a new subject each week. New episodes are released every Monday and Friday and you can subscribe to Instant Genius on Apple Podcasts to access all new episodes ad-free and all old episodes of Instant Genius Extra. Watch full episodes of Instant Genius on BBC Science Focus Magazine's YouTube channel. Follow us on X: @SFIGPod

Information

  • Creator
    Our Media
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    733
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Our Media
  • Show Website
    Instant Genius
  • Provider

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