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Made of Stronger Stuff

Made of Stronger Stuff

BBC Radio 4

Our bodies reflect change in the world around us. Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken ask - one body part at a time - how much control do we have?

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Top 10 Made of Stronger Stuff Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Made of Stronger Stuff episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Made of Stronger Stuff 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 Made of Stronger Stuff episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Made of Stronger Stuff - The Eyes

The Eyes

Made of Stronger Stuff

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01/27/21 • 32 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change.

In episode one, Kimberley and Xand take a closer look at the peepers, the mince pies... the eyes! They discover why we don’t always see reality, experience the power of sensory illusions, and hear the amazing story of Jason Esterhuizen, whose sight has been partially restored with the help of a brain implant.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Executive Producer: Kate Holland

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

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1 Listener

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Made of Stronger Stuff - The Spine

The Spine

Made of Stronger Stuff

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02/10/21 • 35 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand pull their shoulders back and examine the spine.

They debunk some myths about contortionists’ spines, ask whether standing tall can really improve your confidence, and explore how we can change our relationship with pain.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Executive Producer: Kate Holland A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - The Lungs

The Lungs

Made of Stronger Stuff

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02/03/21 • 33 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand take a deep breath and explore the lungs.

They’re taught how to belly breathe by a champion free diver, get to grips with the science of why deep breaths relax us, and find out how air pollution affects not just our lungs, but almost every part of our body.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Executive Producer: Kate Holland

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - Serotonin

Serotonin

Made of Stronger Stuff

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04/07/21 • 30 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, asking what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, they explore serotonin - a chemical involved in everything from sleep to bowel function, appetite to blood clotting.

Xand and Kimberley find out why serotonin’s reputation as the “happy chemical” is misleading, explore the interaction between serotonin and dopamine in sex drive, and hear about new approaches to treating depression using psychoactive drugs.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Researcher: Emily Finch Executive Producer: Kate Holland A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - Feet

Feet

Made of Stronger Stuff

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01/13/22 • 35 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken continue their journey around the human body, asking what our insides can reveal about our lives and the world around us.

This time, Xand and Kimberley marvel at the imperfect feats of engineering that are the arches of our feet, exploring how these arches are the key to our capacity to run, whether we should ditch our shoes for good, and finding out which animal has the ultimate foot.

Producer: Georgia Mills Researcher: Leonie Thomas Executive Producer: Robert Nicholson A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - The Heart

The Heart

Made of Stronger Stuff

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02/17/21 • 34 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand focus on the heart, which has been branded the seat of emotion by generations of poets and songwriters.

They find out whether it’s medically possible to die from a broken heart, hear from a woman who lived for 16 months without a human heart, and Xand opens up about how Long Covid is affecting his heart.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Researcher: Emily Finch Executive Producer: Kate Holland A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - The Liver

The Liver

Made of Stronger Stuff

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03/10/21 • 32 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, asking what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand muse on the personal and social significance of the liver.

They explore the amazing science of liver regeneration, discover the unexpected roots of our cravings for alcohol and fatty foods, and hear the poignant story of the first person in the UK to give part of their liver to a stranger.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Researcher: Emily Finch Executive Producer: Kate Holland A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - The Appendix

The Appendix

Made of Stronger Stuff

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02/24/21 • 31 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change.

In this episode, Kimberley and Xand zoom in on the appendix, long written off as a useless body part. But new research reveals that this worm-shaped part of our digestive system can actually tell us a lot about human evolution, and the relationship between brain and body.

Xand and Kimberley find out the surprising truth about what the appendix actually does, hear how it might be implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, and peep behind the curtains of a nightmare appendectomy.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Executive Producer: Kate Holland A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - The Nipples

The Nipples

Made of Stronger Stuff

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03/03/21 • 30 min

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand examine the nipples – the least rude naughty bits!

They hear from a nipple tattooist, explore why nipples are both milk dispensers and erogenous zones, and question why some nipples spark more outrage than others.

Producer: Dan Hardoon Researcher: Emily Finch Executive Producer: Kate Holland A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

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Made of Stronger Stuff - Welcome to Made of Stronger Stuff

Welcome to Made of Stronger Stuff

Made of Stronger Stuff

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01/21/21 • 2 min

As we change our world we alter our bodies. From personal to global shifts, Kimberley Wilson and Xand van Tulleken ask - a body part at a time - how much control do we truly have?

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FAQ

How many episodes does Made of Stronger Stuff have?

Made of Stronger Stuff currently has 26 episodes available.

What topics does Made of Stronger Stuff cover?

The podcast is about Health & Fitness and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Made of Stronger Stuff?

The episode title 'The Spine' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Made of Stronger Stuff?

The average episode length on Made of Stronger Stuff is 31 minutes.

How often are episodes of Made of Stronger Stuff released?

Episodes of Made of Stronger Stuff are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Made of Stronger Stuff?

The first episode of Made of Stronger Stuff was released on Jan 21, 2021.

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