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
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Sep 27, 2026 · 25:53
Currently, around one in ten of us are living with asthma. For many, the symptoms can be relatively mild, but for others, attacks can be severe, debilitating, and even…
Sep 24, 2026 · 34:01
These days, supermarket shelves are filled with thousands of different products all vying for our attention; the options are almost endless. However, if we look back in time, we…
Sep 20, 2026 · 26:57
Though often thought of as the poor cousin to our other senses, our sense of smell has played a key role in human life since its very beginnings. It helps us to determine whether…
Sep 17, 2026 · 36:06
The possibility that we may be living in a simulation created by a more technologically advanced civilisation has occupied the minds of scientists, philosophers and fiction…
Sep 13, 2026 · 29:30
Often in life, we find ourselves being accused of being lazy or accusing others of acting lazily, or maybe even becoming frustrated by what we see as laziness in our own actions.…
Sep 10, 2026 · 34:44
No matter how gently or politely we live our lives, at one point or another, it’s inevitable that we’ll find ourselves in a situation in which we disagree with another person and…
Sep 6, 2026 · 31:16
When we know a certain fact about the world or hold a certain belief how do we know that others also know this, how do we base our thoughts and actions on our knowledge of what…
Sep 3, 2026 · 30:20
When most of us think about time our minds likely turn to thoughts of the second hand that ticks around a clock, or maybe the occasions we’ve been late to catch a bus. But if we…
Aug 30, 2026 · 25:48
Whenever a crime is committed, tiny traces of evidence are left behind at the scene, which, if pieced together correctly, can tell us exactly what happened, when it happened and…
Aug 27, 2026 · 26:53
Every several years, the surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean rise, triggering a climate event that has a domino effect on weather patterns across the globe. This is known…
Aug 23, 2026 · 36:44
Though we’re often not aware of it, the ground beneath our feet is teeming with an abundance of life and activity – from the complex networks of fungi and tangled roots put down…
Aug 20, 2026 · 24:53
It’s widely documented that during the time of the Third Reich, the Nazi Party employed a legion of scientists to aid them in their goals of military superiority and ethnic…
Aug 16, 2026 · 28:00
Oftentimes in popular culture we’ll hear the term narcissist used to describe a person who has an inflated opinion of themselves, a big ego or someone who tends to overestimate…
Aug 13, 2026 · 29:03
Parkinson’s disease currently affects more than 160,000 people in the UK. It’s a complex, progressive condition that typically develops slowly over many years and causes issues…
Aug 9, 2026 · 35:14
For a large proportion of our lives, our brains seemingly work on autopilot – the many processes the brain controls hum away behind the scenes, helping us to carry out our daily…
Aug 6, 2026 · 28:53
What does it mean to be a living organism? What are the driving forces that motivate our thoughts and actions? Are we all simply acting the way we do thanks to the instructions…
Aug 2, 2026 · 35:56
When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in the mid-nineteenth century, his theory of evolution by natural selection turned many of the scientific ideas of the day…
Jul 30, 2026 · 29:47
Currently there are around one million people in the UK living with dementia. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the disease over the past several decades an…
Jul 26, 2026 · 34:20
Way back in 1976, NASA’s Viking landers touched down on Mars to search for potential signs of microbial life that could currently exist on the planet’s surface. Despite the…
Jul 23, 2026 · 32:52
Every single day of our lives, we’re exposed to a vast multitude of experiences and interactions with the various people, objects and technologies in the wider world that…
Jul 19, 2026 · 26:33
While largely viewed as a toxic waste product with no practical use, our urine is actually rich in all manner of valuable nutrients that, with a little effort, can be extracted,…
Jul 16, 2026 · 29:08
It’s clear to all of us that the rapid progress that technology has made over the last century or so has had profound impacts on almost every aspect of our lives. But often, the…
Jul 12, 2026 · 29:30
It’s a good bet that if most of us were to glance around our living rooms or offices, we’d quickly spot all manner of electronic devices that are powered by microchips. Since…
Jul 9, 2026 · 26:11
For most of us, music has a unique, almost supernatural, ability to trigger our emotions and memories and conjure up evocative images or even fantasies in our minds in a way that…
Jul 5, 2026 · 30:36
Most of us think about the liver as simply being the body’s filtration system that acts as a sponge that removes toxins from our bloodstreams. But the truth is it performs many…
Jul 2, 2026 · 42:12
Despite affecting as many as 80 per cent of women by the age of 50, fibroids, lumps of tissue that grow in or around the womb, are not commonly discussed outside of specialist…
Jun 28, 2026 · 34:35
It was previously thought that once our brains suffer an injury due to stroke or trauma, the potential for recovery was severely limited. But recent developments in medicine have…
Jun 25, 2026 · 40:50
When most of us think of parasites, our minds will likely turn to thoughts of the various icky creatures that can invade our bodies, make their homes there and end up making us…
Jun 21, 2026 · 31:09
When it comes to the effects of ageing on our bodies, there are many more factors at play than simply the number of years we’ve been alive. It turns out, that for some people,…
Jun 18, 2026 · 31:15
The truth is, when most of us think of wasps, our minds will likely go to memories of irritating winged pests landing in our drinks when we’re trying to have a nice summer picnic…
Jun 14, 2026 · 32:21
These days the supplement industry is booming – supermarket shelves are stacked high with all manner of pills and powders claiming to do everything from helping us to live longer…
Jun 11, 2026 · 36:01
Although it often goes unnoticed, plankton is the most abundant form of life in Earth’s oceans, making up 95 per cent of all oceanic biomass. These tiny organisms are responsible…
Jun 7, 2026 · 32:24
Every minute of every day, our bodies are flooded with a complex web of hormones – chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream, coordinating everything from our blood…
Jun 4, 2026 · 27:59
Becoming a parent is undoubtedly one of the biggest events that can occur in any of our lifetimes – suddenly we have a tiny living being to take care of that demands the majority…
Jun 1, 2026 · 0:46
While the larger, more impressive or charismatic animal and plant species often receive the most attention, the natural world is filled with lesser-known or even misunderstood…
May 31, 2026 · 33:58
In June of every year, the LGBTQ+ community across the world comes together to celebrate Pride Month – an annual event that began in 1970 to promote awareness, visibility and…
May 28, 2026 · 35:26
Whether it’s the swab tests many of us use to help us piece together our family trees, the painstaking detective work carried out by forensic scientists, or its use in medical…
May 24, 2026 · 25:34
Traditionally, ecologists wanting to take stock of the diversity, health and population levels of animal species within a given environment have needed to tie on their boots, get…
May 21, 2026 · 40:54
Our world may look vibrant and full of color. But in reality, our human eyes are only picking up the tiniest slice of all the light shining in the Universe. To astronomers this…
May 17, 2026 · 24:54
When it comes to the sounds we encounter in the natural world, few have the beauty, elegance and variety of birdsong. But these distinctive vocalisations are not simply static…
May 14, 2026 · 31:57
Over thousands of years, human beings evolved to walk upright on two legs, efficiently and over long distances. But these days, thanks to changes in our lifestyles, we’re…
May 10, 2026 · 36:20
Hedgehogs are in decline all over Europe. These prickly little fellas are faced with so many threats – in their rural habitats, in our gardens, and on our roads. But new research…
May 7, 2026 · 36:53
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is currently thought to affect around one in 20 of the world’s population, making it one of the most prevalent types of…
May 3, 2026 · 26:08
The vast majority of us take listening to and appreciating music for granted. But for those of us living with hearing loss, continuing to enjoy our favourite songs, symphonies or…
Apr 30, 2026 · 29:53
There’s so much we don’t know about Neanderthals. Our stocky, muscular relatives went extinct around 40,000 years ago, leaving a trail of mystery in their wake – about what they…
Apr 28, 2026 · 0:30
Would you like to hear about the fascinating new discoveries astronomers are making by listening to distant stars? Learn about the cutting edge tech scientists are using to help…
Apr 26, 2026 · 43:32
For thousands of years, the evolution of the human race has been driven by natural selection and the passing on of genes that have helped us to thrive in the environments we live…
Apr 23, 2026 · 32:27
No matter our level of ability, talent or achievement, at times some of us feel like we’re a fraud and have simply been blagging our way to success. This is known as imposter…
Apr 19, 2026 · 27:37
In springtime, as the Sun rises, the early morning air is filled with the glorious sound of birdsong. This is known as the dawn chorus. But why exactly are birds so vocal at this…
Apr 16, 2026 · 33:56
Forests cover around one-third of all landmass on Earth and, as such, play a key role in the ecological health of the entire planet. However, thanks to decades of exploitation,…
Apr 12, 2026 · 32:19
For most of us, our experience of flowers is limited to sending a bouquet to our loved ones on special occasions or perhaps picking up some pretty plants from the garden centre…
Apr 9, 2026 · 35:15
While we may not always be consciously aware of it, chemical processes are busy whirring away every second of every day, no matter what we’re doing or where we look. Be it the…
Apr 5, 2026 · 24:25
Perhaps due to poor weather, the COVID pandemic, or a simple lack of motivation, these days many of us spend a lot of our time indoors. However, wherever we live, there are…
Apr 2, 2026 · 36:06
Smelly, dirty and a bit embarrassing – we tend to treat our poo as a private matter, to be dealt with in the bathroom and then stringently ignored. But, while we may not want to…
Mar 29, 2026 · 31:09
Planet Earth is currently facing its sixth mass extinction event, with hundreds of species of plants and animals being lost for good every single day. For the first time in…
Mar 27, 2026 · 27:12
If you were to mention the term gout, the chances are that most of us would think of the gluttonous sovereigns of yesteryear who ended up with the condition after years of…
Mar 23, 2026 · 33:02
Thanks to our highly developed brains, sophisticated ability to communicate and use of advanced technology, it can be easy to think that we humans are separate from, and even…
Mar 20, 2026 · 34:42
The human brain is undoubtedly one of the true marvels of nature. But many of the neural mechanisms that evolved to keep our ancestors alive over thousands of years are now…
Mar 16, 2026 · 36:12
The natural world is filled with a rich tapestry of creatures, each occupying a unique evolutionary niche that helps to keep the ecosystems they live in functioning healthily.…
Mar 13, 2026 · 43:31
There’s an entire cosmos hidden from our human eyes. The only way to see it is by looking at the Universe with a radio. We talk to Dr Emma Chapman about how she uses radio…
Mar 9, 2026 · 37:39
How can we tell if someone we’re speaking to is being economical with the truth? Oftentimes, we’re told that the primary telltale signs lie in the use of body language – maybe…
Mar 6, 2026 · 43:00
Chances are that if any of us are looking to drop a bit of excess weight, the first thing we’ll attempt is to cut down the number of calories we’re consuming. For decades, we’ve…
Mar 2, 2026 · 35:14
Around the world, more than 50 million people are living with some form of dementia – a number expected to triple by 2050 as populations age. But the thing is, dementia is often…
Feb 27, 2026 · 37:51
Statistics show that half of us will experience a mental health condition of some kind by the time we turn forty. Could this be due to the increasing pressures and looming crises…
Feb 23, 2026 · 30:38
Whether we’re working at a desk in an office, running a marathon or even asleep in bed, our bodies are host to thousands of chemical processes that are continually converting the…
Feb 20, 2026 · 31:48
The human face contains more than 40 muscles, giving us an ability to visually express our thoughts and emotions that is unique in the animal kingdom. This has perhaps led to a…
Feb 16, 2026 · 30:42
We often think of our planet as an isolated island, solitary and cut off from the cosmic ocean it resides in. But the truth is, Earth is intimately connected with the Universe…
Feb 13, 2026 · 29:10
For the last several billion years, all life on Earth has progressed according to the rules of evolution by natural selection – a step-by-step process that has given rise to the…
Feb 9, 2026 · 41:23
The chances are that if any of us were asked to describe what it feels like to be in love we’d turn to art, poetry or music to help give us the answer. But what does science have…
Feb 6, 2026 · 33:36
Over the past several decades, many technologists and policy makers have sought out huge, disruptive shifts in thinking in almost every area of science, business and commerce in…
Feb 2, 2026 · 37:15
If most of us are put on the spot and asked to name acts that we think would define a person as evil, it’s likely our minds would turn to murderers, rapists and war criminals, to…
Jan 30, 2026 · 33:30
From famous actors and pop stars to the legions of social media influencers with millions of views, it seems almost everyone has something to say about the best ways to boost our…
Jan 26, 2026 · 36:59
While the human mind is capable of great insight, original thoughts and acts of tender kindness towards others, it can also, at times, act like our own worst enemy. Feelings of…
Jan 23, 2026 · 36:04
From the terrifying, hulking beasts portrayed in blockbuster movies to the friendly, charismatic characters often found in children’s cartoons, dinosaurs have made their way into…
Jan 19, 2026 · 26:47
At some points in our lives, we all face challenges or setbacks or find ourselves in difficult situations that can ultimately have a profound effect on our mental health and…
Jan 16, 2026 · 37:10
In the world of games, scoring systems establish a framework that provides us with clear challenges, motivation, and ultimately delivers a huge amount of fun and pleasure.…
Jan 12, 2026 · 37:52
These days, it can be easy to feel like we have too much to do and too little time to do it in. This can lead to many of us feeling overwhelmed, or in extreme cases, can lead to…
Jan 9, 2026 · 34:51
Over the last several decades, the world has seen artificial intelligence undergo a rapid transformation. Since its beginnings in the 1950s as speculative theorising and novel…
Jan 5, 2026 · 29:42
For many of us, consuming or making art – be it listening to music, playing an instrument, reading a book, painting a watercolour or attending a dance class – is seen as a…
Dec 19, 2025 · 38:19
There’s little doubt that we humans are a deeply social species; in many ways, our interactions with others define the very essence of who we are. But in recent times, studies…
Dec 15, 2025 · 34:09
Chances are that if you open your bathroom cabinet, many of the medicines you find there were first discovered by studying the chemical processes of the plants that grow all…
Dec 12, 2025 · 24:41
Currently, around 40 per cent of children in the UK have been diagnosed with an allergy of some form or another – the most common being food allergies, eczema, asthma, and hay…
Dec 8, 2025 · 45:44
It sounds like a theory plucked from the page of a science fiction novel, but according to Enrique Gaztañaga from the University of Portsmouth, our entire Universe could be…
Dec 5, 2025 · 31:57
Chances are that when most of us think of spinosaurs our minds will turn to the hulking, predatory sail-backed dinosaur that famously took down a T. Rex in the Jurassic Park…
Dec 1, 2025 · 40:38
How much control do we have over our actions and decisions? For most of us, it’s likely that the answer is that, of course, all of the choices we make are our own. But it’s long…
Nov 28, 2025 · 36:26
It’s likely that if any of us step and of our front doors and take a moment to listen to what’s going on around us, we’ll hear the vocalisations of dozens of different animals.…
Nov 24, 2025 · 30:11
It’s currently thought that around one billion people worldwide aren’t getting enough protein to meet their daily needs. Alongside this, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the…
Nov 21, 2025 · 25:12
Many of us will have experienced changes in our emotional states after failing to get a good night’s sleep. Maybe we find that we lose our temper more easily or that we’re more…
Nov 17, 2025 · 31:57
According to the United Nations, around one-third of all the food currently produced across the planet is being lost or wasted, oftentimes before it even reaches our plates. As…
Nov 14, 2025 · 55:05
This episode was recorded on November 6th 2025. Artificial intelligence has been the movement of the moment in recent years. Since it burst to prominence in 2022, hundreds of…
Nov 10, 2025 · 38:34
Recent UN data tells us that currently 670 million people around the world are going hungry. There’s little doubt that food security is one of the most serious problems that the…
Nov 7, 2025 · 24:58
Along with their vast size and habit of jumping playfully out of the water, whales are renowned for their haunting melodic vocalisations. However, after decades of research,…
Nov 3, 2025 · 28:57
Over the past several decades nutritional advice from doctors and expert researchers has largely relied on one-size-fits-all approach – eat five portions of fruit and veg a day,…
Oct 31, 2025 · 26:45
Throughout our lives we all go through several significant periods of change – puberty, young adulthood, middle age, retirement. Each comes with its own quirks and challenges,…
Oct 27, 2025 · 38:56
Wikipedia. It needs almost no introduction. Few websites are more well-known, more commonly used and more foundational to the web as we know it than the online encyclopedia. This…
Oct 23, 2025 · 38:13
Hippies, the Beatles, flower power, magic mushrooms, raves and festivals – that’s what most of us associate with psychedelics. But there is mounting evidence that these drugs…
Oct 21, 2025 · 0:34
What will we all be eating in 2050? How will it be produced? And how can our diets keep us healthier for longer? If these are questions you'd like answered, why not check out the…
Oct 19, 2025 · 27:14
The commonly held story goes that we all begin life as a single cell in our mother’s womb and go on from there to develop into fully formed adult human beings composed of cells…
Oct 16, 2025 · 38:04
Thanks to hundreds of years of scientific progress we now know, that like every other living thing on Earth, human beings are simply assemblages of atoms and molecules that…
Oct 12, 2025 · 28:40
Stars feel like a fundamental feature of the Universe – as essential as planets, galaxies and space itself. But since we know the Universe had a beginning (the Big Bang), there…
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