Episodes
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"The Elegant Universe": The Theory of Everything, Mind, Meaning and AI with Professor Brian Greene
What is the true nature of reality? Can the two great pillars of modern physics — Einstein’s general relativity and quantum mechanics — ever be reconciled into a single theory of everything? Could our universe be just one among countless others? Is the passage of time an illusion? And can the…
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“What's Eating the Universe?” with Professor Paul Davies
The universe is full of mysteries that scientists are still trying to understand. In the constellation of Eridanus, astronomers have discovered a strange region that looks like a giant hole in space. What caused it? This is just one of many fascinating questions about the universe. In “What's...
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“Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age: Coping with Digital Distraction and Sensory Overload” with Professor Richard Cytowic
The human brain evolved for a prehistoric world, not for the demands of the digital age. Yet modern technologies constantly compete for our attention. They exploit ancient systems linked to reward, emotion, comparison, and survival. In his new book, “Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age”,...
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“The Evolution of Imperfection: The Science of Why We Aren’t and Can’t Be Perfect” with Professor Laurence Hurst
Evolution is often described as a process of constant improvement. Yet many features of human biology challenge this assumption. Genetic diseases remain common. Large parts of our DNA appear to serve no clear purpose. Pregnancy is also highly inefficient, and many fertilised eggs do not survive....
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“Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe” and “Ten Days in Physics That Shook the World” with Brian Clegg
The universe may appear chaotic. Yet beneath this apparent disorder lies a vast network of rules. These rules shape patterns of action, force, and consequence. In “Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe”, popular science writer Brian Clegg examines the systems that govern the physical world. He...
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“Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness” with Professor Philip Goff
How does the brain produce consciousness? Why should electrical and chemical activity in the brain give rise to thoughts, emotions, colors, sounds, and the feeling of being alive? Despite major advances in neuroscience, the inner nature of experience remains difficult to explain. Modern science…
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“Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change” with Professor Alex Madva
Achieving meaningful and sustainable social change is a complex task and a demanding challenge. Many of the most urgent problems, such as climate change, racism, and poverty are structural. They arise from collective practices, including laws, economies, history, culture and social norms. Yet...
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“Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds” with Prof. Scott Solomon
We are entering a new era of space exploration—one in which, for the first time, large numbers of people may travel beyond Earth. Some may even choose to remain there. This raises important questions: how will the extreme conditions of space affect the human body and mind? What can spacefaring...
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“Everything Evolves” and the Generalised Evolutionary Theory with Professor Mark Vellend
The idea that evolutionary theory applies far beyond biology is not new. Yet one major obstacle to the broader acceptance of a generalised evolutionary theory is our tendency to begin with biology and extend outward from it. This approach obscures an important historical fact. Long before...
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Building a Thriving Future: Navigating the Metaverse and Multiverse with Dr Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio
The metaverse is no longer a distant concept. It is unfolding now, driven by advances in artificial intelligence, big data, and immersive digital technologies. As it reshapes how we work, interact, and create value, it presents significant opportunities alongside growing competitive pressures. In...
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“Seven Decades: How We Evolved to Live Longer” with Professor Michael Gurven
Our ability to live for many decades is often viewed as a modern luxury made possible by clean water, improved living conditions, and advances in medicine. Yet, human longevity is actually part of our deep evolutionary history. The long-standing belief that life in the past was “nasty, brutish…
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“AI Fairness: Designing Equal Opportunity Algorithms” with Professor Derek Leben
As artificial intelligence takes on a growing role in decisions about education, jobs, housing, loans, healthcare, and criminal justice, concerns about fairness have become urgent. Because AI systems are trained on data that reflect historical inequalities, they often reproduce or even amplify...
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“How Our Grasp of the Universe and Our Minds Changed Everything” with Professor Linda Zagzebski
At the heart of the intellectual and cultural awakening that swept across the globe during the first millennium BCE—an era that witnessed the emergence of philosophy, mathematics, science, and nearly all of the world’s major religions—lies a transformative conviction: the human mind is capable of...
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“The Nobel Prize and the Public Image of Science” with Professor Massimiano Bucchi
In a world where scientific work often feels distant and difficult to grasp, the Nobel Prize makes science visible and understandable in a unique way. It is the most recognized and prestigious award for individual scientific achievement, giving a human face to great discoveries and turning them...
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“The Human Journey From Ape to Agriculture” with Professor Peter Bellwood
Over a span of five million years, humankind rose from modest origins to become the planet’s most dominant species. Along the way, people changed a lot in how they looked, spoke, and lived. But how did all this happen? The variety we see in humans today is the result of evolution—which began...
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“The Line: AI and the Future of Personhood” with Professor James Boyle
Humans are no longer the only entities capable of generating language and ideas with fluency. But this advancement raises a profound question: are artificial intelligence systems truly conscious, or are they simply performing an elaborate imitation of human thought? And if, in the future, claims…
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“From Sensing to Sentience: How Feeling Emerges from the Brain” with Professor Todd Feinberg
Sentience is the feeling aspect of consciousness, encompassing the capacity to experience sensations such as pain, pleasure, and emotions. It is the foundation of subjective experience, distinguishing beings that can feel from those that merely process information or react reflexively. Sentience…
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“Welcome to the Universe in 3D: A Visual Tour” with Neil deGrasse Tyson
Astronomy tells the story of humanity's journey from viewing the sky as a flat, two-dimensional dome to understanding it as a vast, dynamic, and ever-expanding three-dimensional universe. This enduring story has been told through countless books, brought to life in words, and crafted into both...
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“The Evolution of Biological Information” with Professor Christoph Adami
Consider this thought-provoking statement: “Life is information that maintains itself.” This argument, proposed by Professor Christoph Adami in his book “The Evolution of Biological Information: How Evolution Creates Complexity, from Viruses to Brains” places information at the heart of…
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“The Painful Truth about Hunger in America” with Professor Mariana Chilton
Hunger is far more than the immediate and tangible experience of not being able to find or buy food. While it is true that hunger is often depicted as the physical sensation of an empty stomach—a condition that can be temporarily alleviated by food—the issue runs much deeper. Hunger is more…
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“The Network of Life: A New View of Evolution” with Professor David Mindell
For a long time, the prevailing perspective on evolution has been that it follows a vertical pathway, where genetic information is passed down from one generation to the next in a linear fashion, resembling a "tree of life." This classical view suggests that species evolve through a process of...
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“Middle Tech: Software Work and the Culture of Good Enough” with Professor Paula Bialski
Contrary to the widespread belief that all technology is sleek, flawless, and cutting-edge, much of it isn’t designed to meet such high standards or be revolutionary. In many environments, the goal isn’t always to create perfect, futuristic products. Instead, the focus is often on...
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“Lessons from the Global South on Designing Inclusive Tech” with Professor Payal Arora
The news about emerging technologies often sounds alarming as well as discouraging. Headlines talk about how algorithms control and oppress people. There are fears that AI could harm democracy, damage our social connections, or even cause human extinction. While these fears come from real…
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“The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience” with Professor Adam Frank
Since the Enlightenment, humanity has turned to science to answer profound questions about who we are, where we come from, and where we’re headed. However, we've become stuck in the belief that we can fully understand the universe by viewing it from a detached, external perspective. In focusing...
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“The Secret Life of Data: Navigating Hype and Uncertainty” with Aram Sinnreich and Jesse Gilbert
As fresh algorithms and new analytical methods emerge, existing datasets can uncover insights beyond their original purpose. Regardless of their intended use, data often possess hidden potentials and always have a “secret life”. “How this data will be used, by other people in other times and...
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“Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space” with Dr Erika Nesvold
As humanity sets its sights on venturing beyond the confines of Earth, it is immensely important to acknowledge that the journey to space is not merely a technological feat, but a profoundly human endeavour. From pinpointing destinations to preparing flight plans, from developing generational…
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“Evolutionary Intelligence: How Technology Will Make Us Smarter” with Professor W. Russell Neuman
Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the most remarkable advancements of our time. It is a powerful evolving technology that has transformed the way we interact with machines and perceive the capabilities of computer systems. However, with this newfound power comes a natural...
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“Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered” with Professor Don Norman
Has human behaviour pushed our world to the edge, especially the mistaken belief that the earth’s resources are infinite? And can a shift in human behaviour rescue us? The challenges we face, from collapsing social structures to the climate crisis, have been centuries in the making. It is…
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“The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment” with Eric Siegel
The most powerful tool often comes with the greatest challenges. In recent times Machine learning has emerged as the world's leading general-purpose technology, yet its implementation remains notably complex. Beyond the realm of Big Tech and a select few leading enterprises, many machine learning...
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“Sharing Our Science: How to Write and Speak STEM” with Professor Brandon Brown
Science communication plays an important role in bridging the gap between researchers and the general public, fostering understanding, engagement, and appreciation for scientific explorations and advancements. In an era where science and technology shape every aspect of our lives, effective...
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“The Good-Enough Life” with Dr Avram Alpert
We live in a society driven by a relentless pursuit of greatness, where we are constantly pushed to attain the highest levels of wealth, power, and fame. This relentless fixation on greatness leads to stress and anxiety, strains our interpersonal connections, fosters extensive political and...
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“Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness” with Professor Nicholas Humphrey
We experience, thus we exist. Our conscious perceptions form the foundation of our self-awareness. They play a vital role in shaping our understanding of ourselves as sentient beings: present, alive, and significant. However, what is the origin of consciousness, and how does the process of...
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“The Smartness Mandate” with Professor Orit Halpern
Smartness has permeated our lives in the form of smartphones, smart cars, smart homes, and smart cities. It has become a mandate, a pervasive force that governs politics, economics, and the environment. As our world faces increasingly complex challenges, the drive for ubiquitous computing raises...
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“Ending Epidemics: A History of Escape from Contagion” with Richard Conniff
It is difficult to imagine a not-so-distant past when deadly diseases were a routine part of life. Even more astonishing is the fact that during that time, prevailing medical beliefs attributed these diseases to harmful miasmas, bodily humors, and divine dyspepsia. However, a groundbreaking...
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“Kendall Square and the Making of a Global Innovation Hub” with Robert Buderi
Kendall Square, situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has earned the reputation of being "the most innovative square mile on the planet." It serves as a vibrant epicentre for life sciences, housing renowned companies such as Biogen, Moderna, Pfizer, Takeda, and many others. Additionally, it…
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“Worlds Without End: Exoplanets, Habitability, and the Future of Humanity” with Prof. Chris Impey
When considering the long-term survival and sustainability of human civilization, two developments hold significant implications. Firstly, humanity has been recklessly depleting resources, causing species extinctions, and degrading essential elements for life on Earth for centuries. Secondly,...
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Reclaiming Human Intelligence and “How to Stay Smart in a Smart World” with Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer
The future of technology is a subject of debate among experts. Some predict a bleak future where robots become dominant, leaving humans behind. Others, known as tech industry boosters, believe that replacing humans with software can lead to a better world. Critics of the tech industry express...
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“A Traveller’s Guide to the Stars” with Physicist, Author and Nasa Technologist Les Johnson
The ancient ambition of exploring the cosmos and possibly even inhabiting other planets may one day come true, as we discover more and more exoplanets and intend to develop innovative propulsion techniques suitable for interstellar travel. Projects like 100 Year Starship and Breakthrough Starshot...
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“When Galaxies Were Born: The Quest for Cosmic Dawn” with Professor Richard Ellis
Looking for the earliest galaxies is like travelling back in time. Something that astronomers do all the time. Astronomers use huge and powerful telescopes to see not only farther and deeper into space, but also back in time. The hunt for the oldest galaxies using observational astronomy needs…
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Cloud Empires: Governing State-like Digital Platforms & Regaining Control with Prof Vili Lehdonvirta
The rise of the platform economy puts state-like power in the hands of platform owners with little or no accountability. Over the past few decades, the chaotic and lawless early Internet evolved into a digital reality where e-commerce and digital services platform owners dictate decisions that...
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“The Exquisite Machine: The New Science of the Heart” with Professor Sian Harding
The heartbeat may be the first physical manifestation of an unborn child that can be seen six weeks after conception, and it continues roughly 100,000 times per day for as long as we are alive. Scientists and researchers have attempted to recreate the heart's flawless engineering for decades in...
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“Working with AI”: Human-Machine Collaborations with Prof. Thomas Davenport and Prof. Steven Miller
There is a widespread view that artificial intelligence is a job destroyer technical endeavour. There is both enthusiasm and doom around automation and the use of artificial intelligence-enabled "smart" solutions at work. In their latest book “Working with AI: Real Stories of Human-Machine...
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"Zero to Birth: How the Human Brain Is Built" with Professor William Harris
A single fertilised egg generates an embryo. Different cell types in this embryo develop into various organs of a new human being, including a new human brain. Everything starts with a single fertilised egg, and in the embryo, some embryonic cells develop into neural stem cells that construct the...
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“The Case Against Reality” and The Hard Problem of Consciousness with Professor Donald Hoffman
What is the true nature of reality? Does the objective reality reported back by our senses paint a complete picture of the true reality? Is it possible that the world we see is not objective reality and it is just an interface to a deeper, true reality. In his book “The Case Against Reality: Why...
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Augmented Thinking: The New Convergence of Art, Technology, and Science with Professor Julio Ottino
We live in an age of increasing complexity and uncertainty. We live in a time when humanity faces extremely complex challenges. Our ability, or lack thereof, to create solutions to such extremely complicated challenges may determine our long-term survival as a civilization. The question is: is…
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“Machines like Us: TOWARD AI WITH COMMON SENSE” with Professor Ronald Brachman
There is a consensus among the researchers in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning that today’s artificial intelligence systems are narrowly focused, are designed to tackle specialised tasks and cannot operate in general settings. An important feature of the human brain that...
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“The Next 500 Years: Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds” with Professor Christopher Mason
We are the only known species that understands species go extinct. We also understand that climate calamity, apocalyptic war, or the demise of the sun in a few billion years will all inevitably bring life on Earth to an end. So it is extremely important we do whatever we can to avoid extinction.…
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"The Joy of Science" with Professor Jim Al-Khalili
Can living scientifically empower us to navigate the complexities of today’s complex and unpredictable world? Can the joy of critical thinking and the effectiveness of the scientific method assist us in making better decisions? Can living a more rational life help us navigate modern life more...
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"Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans" with Professor Melanie Mitchell
Recent developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence are fascinating as well as terrifying; there are extravagant promises as well as frustrating setbacks; there is great progress in narrowly focused AI applications, and there is lack of progress in the field of Artificial General...
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The End of Astronauts, Robotic Space Missions and Our Future on Earth & Beyond with Prof Martin Rees
Human space exploration is challenging as well as fascinating. However, the excitement of space flight for astronauts comes at a high cost and is riddled with danger. As our robot explorers become more capable, governments and corporations must consider whether the ambition to send astronauts to...
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In-depth conversations with researchers, explorers and thought leaders from around the world, on cutting edge research and original ideas.
Hosted by
Dr Waseem Akhtar
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