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
633 episodes transcribedA state of absolute focus, able to complete a single task or activity effortlessly, flow states are desirable. But how can you achieve one and can the...
Thanks to the advent of the smartphone, we now have in our pockets more computing power than NASA needed to put human beings on the Moon. With it come...
The Y chromosome is responsible for making people male, but according to recent research, we could see it disappear in the future. So what will happen...
Often, we’ll hear it said that we live in an uncertain world. Upon hearing this, most of us respond, well of course we do. But what does the term unce...
Free will, as defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica, is the “supposed power or capacity of humans to make decisions or perform actions independently...
Being a positive person can be good for your health and social relationships. But can you take it too far? In this episode, we talk to psychologist Dr...
Thanks to the years and years spent poring over textbooks to study the inner workings of the brain, the high level of manual dexterity required to per...
Do you ever feel a bit stressed and think that taking a walk in the woods is just the thing to calm your mind? Maybe you take a moment to listen to th...
In his book, Into The Clear Blue Sky, Rob Jackson asks an important question, can we really restore the Earth’s atmosphere within our lifetime? He tal...
New, so-called ‘superfoods’ frequently find their own moment in the spotlight. But what if there was one type of food that really did help with everyt...
Animals can do some pretty cool things, but the world is full of bizarre adaptations you’ve probably never heard of or not given much thought to. In t...
These days we’re constantly bombarded with information, be it from television, social media, friends and family or simply from the world around us. Bu...
Right now, in labs and lecture halls all around the world, there’s a war raging. Not a physical war of fists and gunfire, but a war of ideas, and of r...
The future can be scary, but what if there was a way for us to understand it a little better? Tom Chivers believes there is. His new book Everything I...
It is easy to feel like we know celebrities, and even love them. But these people don’t know who we are, so is it healthy? We spoke to Karen Shacklefo...
Ray Kurzweil has made many accurate predictions about AI in the past. Having worked in the area of AI research for 61 years, he is one of the longest...
Mention the word 'fungi' and it’s likely many of our minds will turn to the mushrooms we enjoy sliced on the top of our favourite pizza or bowl of pas...
These days, top athletes are breaking fewer and fewer world records. But why is this occurring, and does it mean that we are close to reaching the lim...
Whether we’re lifting weights in the gym, going for an outdoor run or competing in sports, any kind of physical activity takes its toll on our bodies....
When we watch professional sports people, we’re no doubt in awe of their physical prowess. But how are their performances affected by what’s going on...
