The World, the Universe and Us

Episode 385

What can Homer’s Odyssey teach us about psychology and human nature? Locked up in this 2,500-year-old text are a host of profound lessons and ancient wisdom.

In her new book The Odyssey Mindset, Oxford classicist and clinical psychologist Sam Akbar draws on seven essential lessons from this classic piece of Greek literature. She showcases what it teaches us about issues like grief, ego and dealing with trauma - translating The Odyssey into a toolkit for modern life.

The book is out just as Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey hits the big screen. So if you want to have a deeper appreciation of Homer’s work before you visit the cinema, this one’s for you.

Rowan Hooper speaks to Sam Akbar about the incredible influence this work has had on Western culture, and Homer’s lessons for clinical psychology.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/
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Episode 384
The story of evolution is being brought to life in a new way. BBC series Evolution tells the story of 5 iconic animals, from elephants to ostriches, using CGI to reimagine ancient fossils.

And this isn’t just about the animals that came before them, but also explores the intricacies of how locomotion, intelligence, feeding, and reproduction emerged.

The series is hosted by broadcaster, natural history legend, and New Scientist superfan Chris Packham, who hopes Evolution will remind viewers that we are all connected on a deep and fundamental level.

Penny Sarchet sits down with Chris to discuss why they've chosen to tell the story in this way and explore some of his series highlights.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/
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Episode 383

As another heatwave takes hold, figures are now showing just how deadly the last one was. With one early estimate suggesting as many as 25,000 people may have died in Europe as a result of June’s extreme heat.

Heatwaves across Europe, Asia, Australia and the US hit record highs last month and wildfires are now spreading across southern Europe. And as the effects of climate change increase the intensity year on year, can we be better prepared for the next ones coming our way?

In this episode we discuss the urgent need to adapt homes and infrastructure to deal with a warming climate, the impact of extreme heat on the human body - and how you can become better adapted for the coming hot weather.

Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by New Scientist reporters Michael Le Page and Alec Luhn.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/
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Episode 382

Scientists have created a synthetic cell with just 36 genes that can copy DNA and replicate. In an attempt to create a “minimal cell”, a team led by professor Kate Adamala have built “SpudCell” from the ground up, using non-living components.

But is it alive - and is it dangerous? Despite being able to carry out some of the tasks of a normal cell, it’s not clear that it’s capable of evolution - yet. But it is a major breakthrough in the field and could pave the way for the creation of artificial life in the future.

Researchers have made their work open source so the next breakthrough can be fasttracked - and hope it will help provide a solution to the climate crisis by replacing the need for petrochemicals.

To discuss the news - and its implications for the origin of life - Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet are joined by New Scientist reporter Michael Le Page.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/
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Episode 381

Advances in sports science, data analysis and AI are having a huge impact on the way football is played. With England rated highly in this year’s World Cup, and teams such as Paraguay causing upsets - how will science help give teams an edge?

In the past there was very little data available to help assess player performance - and diet and training were much more rudimentary. But now we can analyse information in an incredibly sophisticated way, which is changing what players can achieve on the pitch.

In this special World Cup episode recorded at the Royal Society in London, we explore the emerging role of data and AI in football, the neuroscience of penalty shootouts, the impact of extreme heat on player performance, differences between the men’s and women’s game - and much more.

Rowan Hooper is joined by a panel of expert guests, including:

Dr Charlotte Cowie, Chief Medical Officer of the British Olympic Association

Dr Ian Graham, Founder of sports advisory business Ludonautics

Holly Bridge, Professor of Neuroscience at University of Oxford

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

Image credit: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons 
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