Instant Genius
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Top 10 Instant Genius Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Instant Genius episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Instant Genius for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Instant Genius episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The origin of the Universe, with Prof Thomas Hertog
Instant Genius
04/06/23 • 32 min
When the University of Leuven professor of theoretical physics Thomas Hertog first met famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking he found himself confronted with two questions: “Why is the Universe the way it is? Why are we here?”. The two would go onto to seek answers to these profound questions during a close collaboration that lasted for twenty years.
In this episode, Prof Hertog tells us about his time working with Hawking, his new book, On the Origin of Time, and the path that led the two of them to hit upon the revolutionary new theory that the laws of physics are born and evolve as the Universe they govern takes shape.
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1 Listener
Free will is an illusion. Here’s why
Instant Genius
09/15/24 • 42 min
Free will, as defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica, is the “supposed power or capacity of humans to make decisions or perform actions independently of any prior event or state of the universe”.
In a previous episode, neuroscientist Kevin Mitchell argued that human evolution has indeed equipped us with the capacity for genuine free will. Go and check it out if you haven’t already.
Now, we turn the spotlight on the opposing view.
In his latest book, Determined: Life Without Free Will, renowned neuroscientist and recipient of the prestigious MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Robert Sapolsky challenges the notion of free will, presenting a compelling case that our actions are largely determined by biological, environmental and chance factors.
In this episode, Sapolsky gets into the reasoning behind his controversial conclusions. But he also looks beyond just the lack of free will, exploring how this realisation might necessitate some fundamental changes to our society. And you know what? Even without the ability to truly choose, he still contends that life can hold real meaning.
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1 Listener
Space weather, with Sean Elvidge
Instant Genius
09/04/22 • 25 min
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1 Listener
How to change your habits, with Dr Gabija Toleikyte
Instant Genius
01/06/23 • 27 min
Struggling to form a new habit? Or kick an unhelpful one? While behaviour change is doubtlessly difficult, it can be made easier with a few simple psychological tools. To explain this and the neuroscience of habit formation, we speak to Dr Gabija Toleikyte, lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University.
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1 Listener
02/13/23 • 40 min
Constantly feeling like you never have enough hours in your day? Then you’re actually experiencing what psychologists call ‘time famine’. And it could be having major implications on your health, happiness and even productivity. So, how do you get more time? Social psychologist Ashley Whillans, author of Time Smart, unpacks key strategies that could help you reframe your time and feel more in control of your day.
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What is toxic positivity, and how can you avoid it?
Instant Genius
09/12/24 • 32 min
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 Linda Blair about what ‘toxic positivity’ is and why it’s bad, how to spot it, and how to stop.
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1 Listener
08/17/23 • 28 min
According to the World Health Organization, dementia currently affects an estimated 55 million people worldwide. But despite its prevalence, there is very little in the way of effective treatments.
In this episode we catch up with Tara Spires-Jones, Professor at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh and President of the British Neuroscience Association.
She tells us all about the different types of dementia, how they progress and the latest thinking on how we can beat the disease once and for all.
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How to think about uncertainty more scientifically
Instant Genius
09/19/24 • 32 min
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 uncertainty actually mean when analysed under a scientific lens and how can we think about it more rationally.
In this episode, we catch up with Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication in the Centre for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge, to talk about his new book, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk and Luck.
He tells us how uncertainty essentially comes from our personal relationships with the outside world, how to analyse and express probability more effectively and why philosophers argue that there are several different types of luck.
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1 Listener
Sleep, with Dr Matthew Walker
Instant Genius
07/25/21 • 31 min
Dr Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience, tells us about how sleep evolved and what happens when we don’t get enough.
Once you’ve mastered the basics with Instant Genius, dive deeper with Instant Genius Extra, where you’ll find longer, richer discussions about the most exciting ideas in the world of science and technology. Only available on Apple Podcasts.
Produced by the team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine. Visit our website: sciencefocus.com
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1 Listener
How to cope with whatever life throws at you
Instant Genius
02/16/24 • 31 min
We all have a breaking point. But how close we come to it – and how we cope – comes down to our unique blend of genetics and life experiences. In this episode, we speak to health psychologist Prof Vincent Deary about how we’re adapted to get through with tough times, the physiological processes at work when we’re struggling, and how to build yourself back and recover from fatigue.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Instant Genius have?
Instant Genius currently has 481 episodes available.
What topics does Instant Genius cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Technology and Science.
What is the most popular episode on Instant Genius?
The episode title 'How dementia affects the brain, and how we’ll one day beat it' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Instant Genius?
The average episode length on Instant Genius is 33 minutes.
How often are episodes of Instant Genius released?
Episodes of Instant Genius are typically released every 4 days.
When was the first episode of Instant Genius?
The first episode of Instant Genius was released on Oct 12, 2017.
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