Dementia doesn’t just affect older people. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a form of dementia that athletes from a whole range of sports can develop. It’s now at the centre of a number of legal challenges involving sports from rugby to American football. In the second episode of Uncharted Brain: Decoding Dementia, hosts Gemma Ware and Paul Keaveny from The Conversation find out about the toll this type of dementia can take on family members, who are often unaware of what’s happening to...
Nov 15, 2022•26 min
Scientists have been doing an array of regular health checks on the same group of people since they were born in 1946 – the world's longest running cohort study. Now the brains of some of its participants are revealing new insights into the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. We find out more in the first episode of Uncharted Brain: Decoding Dementia , a new series from The Anthill hosted by Paul Keaveny and Gemma Ware from The Conversation. This episode features Marcus Richards , professor of...
Nov 15, 2022•30 min
Uncharted Brain: decoding dementia is a new series from The Conversation exploring new research unlocking clues to the ongoing mystery of how dementia works in the brain. In this three-part series, hosted by journalists Paul Keaveny and Gemma Ware from The Conversation, we'll delve into some of the findings from the world's longest continuously running cohort study, hear about the trauma of families effected by dementia and explore one researcher's investigation into the role certain viruses cou...
Oct 26, 2022•2 min
A good negotiation is supposed to leave everyone feeling a little unsatisfied. So what happened at the world's biggest one – over the future of our planet? In part five, and our final episode of Climate fight: the world’s biggest negotiations , host Jack Marley reports from Glasgow where he spoke to academics who have been researching the UN climate negotiations for decades, and the people representing their countries in the talks. Featuring Abhinay Muthoo , professor of economics at the Univers...
Nov 19, 2021•46 min
Locked out of conferences and company boardrooms, young people have tried to influence the international response to the climate crisis with strikes and protests. In part four of Climate Fight, the world's biggest negotiation , we explore what effect this youth activism has, and where the movement will go next. Featuring Harriet Thew, researcher in climate change governance at the University of Leeds, who speaks to youth climate activist Abel Harvie-Clark about his experiences. And Lynda Dunlop,...
Oct 27, 2021•32 min
In the shift away from fossil fuels, how do countries make sure not to widen inequalities in the process? In part three of our series Climate fight: the world’s biggest negotiations , we travel to the Cumbrian town of Whitehaven on England’s north-west coast that could soon host the UK’s first deep coal mine in more than three decades. We talk to local people for and against the mine, as well as experts in the concept of a just transition, to explore how regions like west Cumbria that have suffe...
Oct 20, 2021•38 min
In part two of Climate Fight: the world’s biggest negotiation , we’re talking to experts about the grand goal of the negotiations: reaching net zero emissions by 2050. We explore what net zero means, and the technologies that will be needed to get the world there. Featuring Mercedes Maroto-Valer , assistant deputy principal for research & innovation and director of the Research Centre for Carbon Solutions at Heriot-Watt University, James Dyke , senior lecturer in global systems at the Univer...
Oct 13, 2021•40 min
In the first episode of our new series Climate fight: the world's biggest negotiation , we're talking about climate finance – money pledged by the world's richest countries to help the poorest parts of the world adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Where is it being spent and is it really working? Featuring Jessica Omukuti , COP26 Fellow in Climate Finance at the University of York and a research fellow on inclusive net zero at the University of Oxford, Harpreet Kaur Paul , a PhD...
Oct 06, 2021•35 min
How will we actually tackle the climate crisis? And who gets to decide? As Glasgow gets ready to hold the COP26 climate summit in November, The Anthill Podcast is launching Climate fight: the world's biggest negotiation , a new podcast series taking you inside the fight for our planet's future. We'll speak to some of the academic experts influencing climate policy, and to some of the people around the world who will see their lives change as a result of it. We'll also be in Glasgow for the COP26...
Sep 29, 2021•2 min
The 2008 financial crisis resulted in the worst global recession since the second world war. The collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers in September 2008 caused a meltdown of the global financial system. Money markets froze and there was a major credit crunch as the ability to borrow money suddenly dried up. To stop contagion and make sure other major financial institutions didn’t collapse, governments stepped in to shore up the system by bailing out the banks. Anastasia Nesvetailova, pr...
Jul 08, 2020•43 min
In this fifth episode of Recovery , a series from The Anthill Podcast exploring key moments in history when parts of the world recovered from a major crisis or shock, we’re looking at what happened in the former Soviet Union during the transition from communism to capitalism in the 1990s. When the USSR was finally dissolved at the end of 1991 it was a massive shock to the system for millions of people. The transition from a state-controlled command economy to a market-driven capitalist one was a...
Jul 01, 2020•38 min
In this fourth episode of Recovery , a series from The Anthill Podcast exploring key moments in history when the world recovered from a major crisis or shock, we’re looking at what happened in the UK after the second world war. The second world war decimated landscapes, killed tens of millions of people and left many more unable to work, in need of long-term healthcare and help to rebuild their lives. In the UK, some had been calling for action to deal with poverty, squalid housing and better ed...
Jun 24, 2020•34 min
In this third episode of Recovery , we’re looking at what happened after the combined shocks of the Spanish flu and world war one. It was called the Spanish flu because the first reports of the virus were in Spanish newspapers, due to wartime censorship restrictions elsewhere. The 1918-19 flu was the worst pandemic in human history. More than half the world’s population was infected. Estimates for the number of people who died range from between 20 and 50 million . And this off the back of a dev...
Jun 17, 2020•42 min
In this second episode of Recovery , a series from The Anthill Podcast exploring key moments in history when the world recovered from a major crisis or shock, we’re looking at what happened after the earthquake, tsunami and fires that devastated Lisbon in 1755 and shocked Europe. In 1755, the grand and prosperous city of Lisbon was devastated by a huge earthquake. The Portuguese capital we see today is a product of the reconstruction and recovery after this catastrophic event. But the impact of ...
Jun 10, 2020•37 min
Welcome to Recovery, a new series from The Anthill podcast, exploring key moments in history when the world recovered from a major crisis or shock. In this first episode, we find out what happened after one of history’s worst epidemics, the Black Death. This was the name given to the bubonic plague that hit Europe in the late 1340s. Somewhere between a third and half of Europe's population died from the disease. Needless to say, this had a huge impact on those that survived – from living with PT...
Jun 03, 2020•38 min
We all want the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic to be swift and painless. But history tells us that isn’t always possible. When the world has suffered a massive shock to its system before – be that a pandemic, a war, an economic crisis – the rebuilding can take decades. There will be missteps along the way. More people will suffer. But past recoveries can also offer us lessons about what’s possible. About the choices people make, whether the choices of politicians and their adviser...
May 27, 2020•3 min
A number of conspiracy theories have sprung up in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. The false idea that the virus is somehow linked to the rollout of 5G technology has led to a number of attacks on broadband infrastructure and engineers. We explore this and many others in the sixth and final part of our Expert guide to conspiracy theories. Media expert Marc Tuters talks us through the main coronavirus conspiracy theories that are doing the rounds and how they differ on various social media p...
Apr 20, 2020•39 min
Conspiracy theories might be entertaining but they can also be dangerous. Sadly, what often starts off as a bit of fun can turn sour quite quickly – even if it’s laughing about the idea that Rihanna or Katy Perry are part of the Illuminati. We find out how. This episode delves into some of the psychology behind what makes conspiracy theories dangerous. It also explores the relationship between conspiracy theories and the radicalisation of extremists. And we find out the best ways to talk to peop...
Apr 13, 2020•43 min
Part four of the Expert guide to conspiracy theories from The Anthill podcast explores whether the internet has been a game changer in helping conspiracy theories go viral. First, though, we find out how conspiracy theories spread before platforms like Facebook and YouTube came along and gave everyone the power to broadcast their thoughts to the world. It’s important to differentiate between the producers of conspiracy theories and the consumers, which philosopher Quassim Cassam talked about in ...
Apr 06, 2020•41 min
How are the origins of the French Revolution connected with Beyoncé, Jay Z and Rihanna? The answer lies with one of the world's most mysterious – and misunderstood – secret societies, the Illuminati. The strange evolution of the conspiracy theory surrounding this short-lived secret society, mirrors the modern history of conspiracy theories. We find out how in part three of our podcast series. The Illuminati was a real secret society of intellectual elites in the late 18th century. Michael Butter...
Mar 30, 2020•39 min
Polls show that most people believe in at least one conspiracy theory. Considering the number of conspiracy theories there are, perhaps this isn’t surprising. But research shows that people who believe in one conspiracy theory are more likely to believe in others. Part two of the Expert guide to conspiracy theories, a series from The Conversation’s Anthill podcast, discovers who these people are. We find out what psychological factors influence whether you believe in conspiracy theories or not. ...
Mar 23, 2020•39 min
There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Some are bizarre – like the idea that Elvis faked his own death. Or that Britain’s royal family are actually shape-shifting alien lizards. A growing number of people believe the world is flat . A lot of conspiracy theories relate to politics. That 9/11 was orchestrated by the US government so it could start wars in the Middle East. Or that powerful groups like the Illuminati are pulling the strings behind the scenes, plotting to establish a New W...
Mar 16, 2020•41 min
Conspiracy theories no longer feel like a fringe phenomenon, with people claiming that Elvis isn’t dead or the royal family are shape-shifting alien lizards, put down as crackpots. Now presidents push them and major events are regularly followed by a slew of sinister ideas involving dark forces at work behind the scenes. Coronavirus is just the latest . Some conspiracy theories may be harmless entertainment or a sign of healthy scepticism, but others are dangerous because they can fuel racism, v...
Mar 09, 2020•3 min
Medicine made for you is a series from The Anthill , a podcast from The Conversation . Across three episodes we're taking a deep dive into the future of healthcare – to find out how it could soon get a lot more personal. In this third and final episode of the series, we’re exploring how treatment offered by your doctor could become more tailored to you in the future. In the past, if you walked into a pharmacy and told them you weren't feeling well, the pharmacist would probably have made up a po...
Mar 03, 2020•36 min
In the second episode of Medicine made for you we’re looking at the food we eat and how dietary advice could soon get a lot more personalised. Listen to our producer Gemma Ware go through a two-week experiment with her identical twin sister, aimed at trying to better understand which factors influence the way people react to particular foods. The PREDICT study involved eating lots of special muffins, and doing lots of blood tests. But the results are surprising – and show that everybody reacts d...
Feb 25, 2020•46 min
Medicine made for you is a brand new series from The Anthill , a podcast from The Conversation . Across three episodes we're taking a deep dive into the future of healthcare – and find out how it could soon get a lot more personal. In this first episode , we look at genes, clinical trials and how possible it might be for the NHS to take on a more personalised approach when it comes to our health. And we find out why Scotland, a country of 5.4 million people, with one of the lowest life expectanc...
Feb 18, 2020•40 min
In Medicine made for you, a new series from The Anthill podcast , we’ll be taking a deep dive into the future of healthcare – and find out how it could soon get a lot more personal. We’ll hear from leading academics about the personalisation of healthcare , how it’s changing the way we think about our bodies, and the choices we might make about our health in the future. The Anthill is a podcast produced by The Conversation, hosted by Annabel Bligh. The Medicine made for you series is produced by...
Feb 11, 2020•3 min
Episode five of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.
Jul 31, 2019•34 min
Episode four of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.
Jul 24, 2019•37 min
Episode three of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.
Jul 17, 2019•34 min
