How our bodies are host to mysterious cells that came from other people
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 of our own creation. However, recent research is showing that this isn’t quite the full picture. Not all of the cells in our bodies come from this single starting point. We are, in fact, all host to cells that have migrated from the bodies of other people – our mothers, grandmothers, siblings and even, in some cases, complete strangers.
In this episode, we’re joined by science writer Lise Barnéoud to talk about her latest book Hidden Guests - Migrating Cells and How the New Science of Microchimerism Is Redefining Human Identity.
She tells us how mothers and babies share cells across the placenta during pregnancy, how these cells make their homes within our organs and persist for our entire lives, and how this mysterious process led to a woman giving birth to the genetic children of her unborn twin sister.
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How human consciousness emerged from the fundamental processes of nature
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 evolved over eons through a series of complex, iterative processes. But somewhere along this long and meandering journey we developed consciousness – the deep sense of self-awareness that allows us to think, feel and even allows us to attempt to understand what’s going on in the Universe around us.
In this episode, we’re joined by neuroscientist and author Dr Nikolay Kukushkin to talk about his latest book, One Hand Clapping – Unravelling the Mystery of the Human Mind.
He tells us how this entire process all started millions of years ago through the interactions of atoms such as carbon and oxygen, how taking a bottom-up approach to the development of consciousness can help to explain how human beings became such complicated entities and how the advent of artificial intelligence may, or may not, influence the future evolution of our species.
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The hunt for the first stars in the Universe
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 must also have been a first star. Before it, there was only darkness; after it, the cosmos as we know it began to take shape.
Exactly what those first stars were like – and how they transformed everything that followed – remains one of astronomy’s great mysteries. It’s a mystery that astrophysicist Dr Emma Chapman has dedicated much of her career to solving.
In this episode, Emma joins us to talk about her book First Light: Switching on the Stars at the Dawn of Time, recently updated to include discoveries from groundbreaking telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope.
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The weird and wonderful science behind why humans are different
Humanity is beautifully diverse. Some of that diversity is visible, but hidden beneath the surface, there is also a hidden web of genetic variation that collectively tells a story about how people have adapted to their environments, sometimes in weird and wonderful ways.
In this episode, we speak to Prof. Herman Pontzer, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University, USA, and the author of Burn: the misunderstood science of metabolism, as well as his newest book, Adaptable: the surprising science of human diversity, which inspired this conversation.
Herman tells us about how our genes can evolve over generations, how specific groups of humans have adapted to survive and thrive in different environments, and why understanding the science of diversity is so important for society as a whole.
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The key role psychologists can play in the fight against ecological crime
Chances are that when most of us think about the notion of crime our minds turn to acts committed against an individual – be it theft, fraud or even physical assault. But every day ecological crimes are committed against the planet we all live on that often fly under the radar despite the significant, far-reaching effects they have on all of us.
In this episode, we’re joined by criminal psychologist and bestselling author, Dr Julia Shaw to talk about her latest book, Green Crime – Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet, and How to Stop Them.
She breaks down the factors that drive individuals and organisations to commit acts that are damaging to the environment and explains how understanding the psychology that underpins these acts can help us to keep our planet healthy for generations to come.
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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 a bite-sized masterclass on a new subject each week.
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