Since Michael Howard’s pronouncement that ‘Prison Works’ the prison population in the UK has doubled with the current Government planning to build several more multi-occupancy ‘Titan’ prisons to incarcerate thousands more men and women. This reflects an ill-founded commitment to what became a cross-party mantra. In what sense does ‘prison work’? Does the claim stand scrutiny? Or, as Jonathan Simon suggests, does locking away an ever-increasing number of women, men and children amount to ‘social ...
Nov 13, 2023•2 hr 44 min•Ep. 64
What would happen to dogs if humans simply disappeared? Would dogs be able to survive on their own without us? A Dog’s World imagines a posthuman future for dogs, revealing how dogs would survive—and possibly even thrive—and explaining how this new and revolutionary perspective can guide how we interact with dogs now. Drawing on biology, ecology, and the latest findings on the lives and behavior of dogs and their wild relatives, Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff—two of today’s most innovative think...
Nov 06, 2023•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 66
For more than 200 years, the name “Rothschild” has been synonymous with two things: great wealth, and conspiracy theories about what they’re “really doing” with it. Almost from the moment Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his sons emerged from the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt to revolutionize the banking world, the Rothschild family has been the target of myths, hoaxes, bizarre accusations, and constant, virulent antisemitism. Over the years, they have been blamed for everything from the sinking of the...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 75
Light bulbs in antiquity? UFO landing sites in Peru? Giant pyramids in the Balkans? Authors like Erich von Däniken or TV shows like “Ancient Aliens” accuse archaeologists of hiding important discoveries and masking the truth. According to them the monumental buildings of the past were created not by our ancestors but by aliens or extradimensional beings. At first glance this appears harmless – fantasies written by science fiction authors. However, those claims are deeply rooted in creationist an...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 63
As AI becomes increasingly advanced, it promises many benefits but also comes with risks. How can we mitigate these risks while preserving scientific inquiry and openness? Who is responsible for anticipating the impacts of AI research, and how can they do so effectively? What changes, if any, need to be made to the peer review process? In this talk, we’ll explore these tensions and how they are playing out right now in the AI community. AI is not the first high-stakes, ‘dual-use’ field to face t...
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 61
For most of human history, we have led not just an earthly existence but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are – our religious beliefs, power structures, scientific advances and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. And that disconnect comes at a cost. In her latest book, The Human Cosmos , Jo Marchant takes us on a tour through the...
Aug 06, 2023•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 60
Award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present. Travelling to the world’s earliest known human settlements, analysing the latest research findings in science and archaeology, and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia, she overturns simplistic universal theories to show tha...
Jul 30, 2023•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 56
What is planetary protection? Is it even important? Because it sounds like it’s either an incredibly exciting space battle strategy from Independence Day or an exceedingly dull health and safety class that future generations will be subjected to. In reality it’s kind of both (except that thankfully it’s not from Independence Day). I’m a space scientist who recently finished my postdoc at NASA Ames Research Center, California, where I spent my time developing new ideas to help in the often-overlo...
Jul 23, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 59
Why can’t we think straight when hungry? What’s the point of nightmares? And why can’t we forget embarrassing memories? Emotions can be a pain. After losing his dad to Covid-19, Dean Burnett found himself wondering what life would be like without them. And so, he decided to put his feelings under the microscope – for science. In this talk, Dean takes us on an incredible journey of discovery, stretching from the origins of life to the end of the universe. Combining expert analysis, brilliant humo...
Jul 02, 2023•2 hr 45 min•Ep. 56
As a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Physics, my research interests span all aspects of imaging, image processing and image analysis. This includes medical imaging (biophysics), scanning probe microscopy of atoms, molecules and surfaces (nanophysics), microscopy of earth materials (geophysics) and astrophotography. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.
Jun 18, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 56
In this talk, I will present the key findings on first impressions and stereotypes offered by cognitive science. By presenting the main experimental designs that are used to product these results, I will question the limits and issues of this research and discuss how we can ensure a safe use of these results Lou Safra holds a PhD in cognitive science awarded by the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris in 2017. She is currently assistant professor in political psychology at CEVIPOF-Sciences Po and an ...
May 30, 2023•2 hr 33 min•Ep. 11
When was the last time you read a grand statement, accompanied by a large number, and wondered whether it could really be true? Statistics are vital in helping us tell stories – we see them in the papers, on social media, and we hear them used in everyday conversation – and yet we doubt them more than ever. But numbers – in the right hands – have the power to change the world for the better. Contrary to popular belief, good statistics are not a trick, although they are a kind of magic. Good stat...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 11
We all want to be well, right? Whether you’re a bit run down and just need a pick me up to get through the next working week, you’re suffering symptoms of a long-standing condition that you just can’t figure out or you’re reaching an age where you want security in your long-term health. The wellness industry has become ever more popular in an age where chronic illnesses can go undiagnosed for years and access to medical support for mental ill-health is either prohibitively expensive or subject t...
Apr 30, 2023•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 53
How does food make you feel? We need food to survive, but often we don't stop to think about why we eat the way we do. From birth, we are shaped by our early psychological environment, which ultimately affects what, where, when, and why we eat. Are your parents really to blame for everything? Can you actually eat your way out of depression? Or is it perhaps a bit more complicated than that. Pixie Turner is a registered nutritionist (RNutr) and psychotherapist (MBACP), and director of The Food Th...
Apr 16, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 52
October 31st is Halloween - traditionally the scariest night of the year (although we're a bit more scared about what might happen in the US election a few days later). All things considered, it’s pretty safe to say that this has been a slightly unsettling year for lots of people and the last thing we need right now is a bunch of ghosts and ghouls turning up and causing havoc on Halloween. Fear not, however, because we're pleased to say that ghosts don’t actually exist. But if ghosts aren’t real...
Apr 02, 2023•2 hr 41 min•Ep. 51
One of the characteristics of language is that there is no relationship between the way that words sound and their meaning. For example, there is nothing window-like about the word window, and it is named with completely different sounds in other languages, from fenêtre in French to shubak in Arabic. In this talk, I will discuss cases where the sounds of words are not arbitrary. I will start by showing what characterises the sounds of swear words across the world’s languages. I will then discuss...
Mar 26, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 50
Naturopathy is scary! For three years, I practiced as a licensed “naturopathic doctor” in the United States. The overwhelming majority of naturopathic care relies extensively on dubious alternative therapies, rather than established protocols based on medical and scientific research. In this Halloween-themed talk, I share the experiences that led to my interest in natural medicine, some spooky naturopathic practices, and how I became the most hated naturopath in the world. Britt Hermes is a writ...
Mar 19, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 49
Scientific approaches to understanding reproductive choice - the decision to have a child, the decision to terminate a pregnancy, etc. - typically position decision-makers as rational. Attention is paid to economic forces of change (e.g., industrialisation, rising costs of living, globalisation), to explain why people are having fewer children relative to previous generations. What is missing is a description of the internal, psychological process when someone is making a choice about their repr...
Mar 12, 2023•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 46
Skepticism and ethics are both essential features of a life of flourishing, but what should skeptics and critical thinkers know about ethics, and how should those beliefs motivate us to action? Philosopher Aaron Rabinowitz will put forward the case that skeptics should believe that ethics is real and free will is not, and will argue that adopting these two beliefs gives us the tools we need to improve the world through applied skepticism in a way that’s compassionate without being toothless. Aar...
Mar 05, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 47
Trauma, gaslighting, narcs, multiple personalities, and the rest of the human mind. Where better to learn about these things than TikTok, Instagram and Twitter? Carrie Poppy (Oh No, Ross and Carrie) takes you on a tour of some of the most popular social media pseudoscience, how to spot it, and what you can say when you see it. Carrie Poppy is an independent journalist who investigates fringe science, anomalous experiences, and psychology. She co-hosts Oh No Ross and Carrie, a podcast wherein she...
Feb 26, 2023•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 46
As the US Presidential election draws near, the world has become fascinated with the seemingly new phenomena of Qanon and other wide-ranging conspiracy theories taking over social media and mainstream politics. However, the genesis of these groups is years old and comes from a surprising place: the global anti-sex trafficking movement. Brooke Magnanti discusses what happens when well-meaning causes are sidelined by bad stats and bad faith actors seize the opportunity in the service of a more wor...
Feb 19, 2023•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 45
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a host of scientific triumphs but also numerous failures and declining reputations. One such example is the antiparasitic medication ivermectin, which had previously gained a reputation as a highly effective "wonder drug" but has since faced much controversy during the pandemic. Initially hailed as a potential miracle cure for COVID-19, further examination revealed that ivermectin had little effect on the disease. Jack Lawrence, played an instrumental role in un...
Feb 12, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 44
Seth Andrews is best known as host of the popular website, podcast, and online community, The Thinking Atheist. He is a broadcaster, storyteller, author, activist, and public speaker. However, rewind a few years and you’d meet a very different Seth Andrews. As a former evangelical Christian he was once a captive of right-wing media, and Fox News in particular. In his new book he examines the Fox News culture, its influence on public opinion, and how it fuels public outrage, bigotry, and fear. Jo...
Feb 05, 2023•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 43
In the last two years conspiracy theories seemed to have spread like a different kind of virus even to people, we would never have expected to be susceptible. Discussions have been unavoidable and ugly, we lost friends, saw family members drifting away and experienced an increasing radicalization. How to respond to conspiracy narratives? Why do people believe them in the first place? Are some more susceptible to it than others? What are good conversation strategies? Should you break off contact?...
Jan 29, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 42
Recent global events have led many to ask how far right groups like the Proud Boys are linked to Qanon, Lockdown Protests, Save The Children, and other disinformation vectors. In "Take the Redpill" her latest publication with @GJIA_Online, Samantha Kutner answers a different question: How does the Proud Boys redpill entry into recruitment make them susceptible to conspiracy theories? Samantha Kutner received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in communication studies from th...
Jan 22, 2023•2 hr 47 min•Ep. 41
Flags! They’re everywhere, from battlefields to Pride marches to the World Cup. But what secrets and mysteries do flags hold? Why do some people get upset if you say Union Flag instead of Union Jack? Are remainers right when they say they want their star back? Why do the bad guys have such well-designed flags? And just what does it mean to fly at half mast?Tom Williamson, whose fascination with the subject began with investigating his grandfather’s souvenirs, will attempt to answer these questio...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 40
The intriguing title of the talk pretty much speaks for itself, and absolves us of not knowing any more. However, if you've ever wondered which of them would win in a fight, then you'll finally get an answer!Iszi Lawrence is the Author of The Unstoppable Letty Pegg (Bloomsbury), presenter of BBC Radio 4's Making History, The British Museum Membercast, Terrible Lizards and The Z List Dead List Podcasts. She is also a comedian and voice of The Skeptics Guide To The Universe. To find out more about...
Dec 18, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 39
If you believe the rumours, Mark Zuckerberg is about to take over the world, thanks to Facebook's billions of users and the power of his algorithm. But Facebook is ultimately just one company and just one service – what about the actual internet: the servers, the routers, and the thousands of miles of fibre-optic cables that cross the world? Who controls them? And who makes the rules that govern how traffic flows, who can connect. and more – and why don't we talk about it more often? James Ball ...
Dec 04, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 37
We like to think of humans as rational creatures, who have relied on calculation and intellect to survive. But many of the most important moments in our history had little to do with cold, hard facts and a lot to do with feelings. Join Richard Firth-Godbehere explores a fascinating and wide-ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history. In this talk, Richard focuses on desire and disgust as he draws on...
Nov 27, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 36
Most of us know the basics of how to take care of our physical health, but what about the brain? Brain health is curiously neglected from public health campaigns, especially considering that dementia is now the leading cause of death in the UK and depression is rapidly becoming the leading cause of global disease burden. What’s driving the rising rates of mental illness and neurodegeneration and what, if anything, can we do to turn the tide? In this talk, Chartered Psychologist Kimberley Wilson ...
Nov 20, 2022•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 35
