Highbrow Drivel
Anthony Jeannot
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Hilarious takes from serious experts. Each week I'm joined by a new stand up comedian and a new expert to discuss their field of expertise. We're talking the big topics, the brain, space, climate science, psychedelics and all the areas you're most likely to end up when you're drunk, at the end of a party, just trying to figure it all out. . It's a light, funny and easily accessible way to hear the latest from some seriously mind blowing experts.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
Apr 16, 2022
The Neuroscience of How We Navigate W/ Christopher Kemp & Si Deaves
We've all woken up from a night out and not remembered getting home. How does the brain do that? On this week's ep we look into the neuroscience of navigation and spatial awareness, a completely complicated task that we take for granted all the time. So listen in and get a new found appreciation of how great your brain is for not constantly walking you into walls.
Expert guest:
Christopher Kemp is an English scientist and science journalist. He works at Michigan State University, overseeing a research group that studies Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. He is the author of Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris and The Lost Species: Great Expeditions in the Collections of Natural History Museums and his latest book "Dark & Magical Places: The Neuroscience of How We Navigate"
Comedy guest:
Si Deaves is a stand-up comedian from Southend-on-Sea, Essex and has previously been described as 'one of the greatest undiscovered acts in the country' - BFG Concerts and was also described by one of his comedy heroes as 'great and very original'. Deaves' exploration into the weird and wonderful things his mind does, serves as the perfect vehicle for him to exercise his dry, acerbic wit. Deaves is also the host of the Comedian's Tea Party Podcast. To learn more about Si and all his endeavours click here for a list of links to his various work.
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Apr 9, 2022
You're So Lucky - w/ Dr Sean Carroll & Bryan James
You and everyone you know and love are the beneficiaries of a series of fortunate events. From the planet bursting into existence, to the dinosaurs being wiped out by a once-in-a-ever (hopefully) asteroid, to the 1 in 70 billion chance that you would end up with your exact genetic material. And that's before you even think of how much luck impacts success and failure on a day-to-day basis. In this episode, we speak to Dr Sean B Carroll and comedian Bryan James about the impact of luck.
*Expert guest:
*Sean B. Carroll is an award-winning scientist, author, educator, and film producer. He leads the Department of Science Education of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the largest private supporter of science education activities in the US, is the Head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and is the Andrew and Mary Balo and Nicholas and Susan Simon Endowed Chair of Biology at the University of Maryland. He is also Professor Emeritus of Genetics and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin.
An internationally-recognized evolutionary biologist, Carroll's laboratory research has centered on the genes that control animal body patterns and play major roles in the evolution of animal diversity. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Carroll has received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences, been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and elected an Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization.
*Interesting links
Sean's new book - *A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You
*Sean's website*
*Sean's Twitter
**
Comedy Guest:
*Bryan James was a finalist in the Bath Comedy Festival New act Competition 2021. He is from the Northeast of England, but has been performing comedy nationally in the U.K. since early 2020. Thanks to comedy sketches, and silly songs he’s got thousands of followers on Tiktok. He's also on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.Bryan also runs a new material comedy night in Darlington - North East England.
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Apr 2, 2022
Disaster Management w Professor Lucy Easthope
How do you prepare for an event that's never happened in your lifetime? What's it like to feel like the boy who cried wolf? Do we have a plan for alien invasion? And why were disaster planners called to plan for Brexit?
On this week's episode, we talk to Professor Lucy Easthope, the UK's leading authority on recovering from disaster. Lucy is a charming, expert who cares deeply about her field. Over the course of the hour we cover how experts plan for disaster, what kinds of disasters they plan for, why and how it goes wrong and what we can all expect from the disaster recovery of the pandemic. Lucy's book - When the Dust Settles is out now, you can find out more about that here.
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Mar 29, 2022
Quantum Steampunks w/ Dr Nicole Yunger Halpern & Isabelle Farrah
What do steam punks and modern quantum physicists have in common? What is quantum entanglement? How did the hippies save science? And we come up with a brilliant idea for the next Pixar blockbuster. All that & more in this week's episode.
*Expert Guest:
*Nicole re-envisions 19th-century thermodynamics for 21st-century settings—small - using the mathematical toolkit of quantum information theory. Nicole uses quantum thermodynamics as a new lens through which to view the rest of science. She calls her research “quantum steampunk,” after the steampunk genre of art and literature that juxtaposes Victorian settings with futuristic technologies. She has just realised an exciting new book to make this field of thinking available and accessible to a wider audience. You can learn more about her new book here.
*Comedy guest:
*Isabelle Farrah is a British Lebanese actor, comedian, and writer. After an undergraduate in French and Film studies, she trained at Drama Studio and on the Soho Theatre Comedy Lab. As an actress she has performed in theatre in the West End and on Tour and she has gigged across the UK and in Lisbon and New York City. Her short, Breakfast, was a finalist in the Funny Women Shorts Prize.
Her debut show, Ellipsis, was commended for the Screenshot Award in 2020. It was later named one of the best shows of EdFringe 2021 by Chortle and invited for an encore run at the Soho Theatre. You can find important links to all upcoming stuff including her new show here.
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Jan 15, 2022
Guest podcast - The Nothing Podcast - Stand up comedy
For the last week of the break, The Nothing Podcast With Nobody Important is our guest podcast. The team put together a fascinating, fun and always interesting set of human interest stories that get you excited to find out the secret lives of the people around you. In this week, the chat to Anthony about life in comedy.
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Jan 8, 2022
Guest pod - Sure Jan - Dating
This week's amazing guest podcast is 'Sure, Jan', an amazing honest, endearing and funny look at modern dating. Jan talks to Anthony about his period of 53 first dates in 9 months when he first moved to London, and ultimately the journey to meeting his wife :)
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Dec 18, 2021
Guest pod - Better Call Daddy - Magic Mushrooms
This guest episode is from the Better Call Daddy Podcast, created by Reena Friedman Watts. The episode focuses on Anthony's use of magic mushrooms for anxiety management.
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Dec 11, 2021
Quantum vs Cosmic - Small answers to big questions
When you think about how the universe works, most people start from the cosmic perspective, but what about the little guys? Literally! This week we talk to Dr Chris Ferrie about what quantum physics brings to our understanding of the universe and how things work.
*Expert guest:
*Chris Ferrie is an Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and the Centre for Quantum Software and Information. His research interests include quantum learning and control. He obtained his PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Institute for Quantum Computing and University of Waterloo (Canada) in 2012. Chris’s passion for communicating science has led from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to more recently writing children’s books, such as Quantum Physics for Babies, and a whole collection of other titles that make science accessible even for the youngest children. His latest book – Where did the universe come from? And other cosmic questions – explores how the connection between the quantum and cosmos provides our understanding of the universe. You can find Chris online at csferrie.com.
*Comedy guest:
*David Rose is a stand up comedian and writer based in Melbourne, Australia. His solo work has been featured on the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC)'s Radio National, as well as ABC TV's Tonightly. His comedy has generated millions of views across YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Reddit and he has opened for internationally renowned comedians across the world. David is currently performing in the U.S.A, he takes no responsibility for the current state of America. You can find David on Instagram and TikTok
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Dec 4, 2021
A very very short history of life on Earth
Butts, boobies and bacteria. Discover the unsung heroes throughout history who made life on Earth possible.
*Expert guest:
Dr Henry Gee i*s a former paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and senior editor of the international renowned scientific journal Nature. He is the best selling author of the book '*A (Very) Short History of Life On Earth.'** *His previous books include The Accidental Species: Misunderstandings of Human Evolution; Across The Bridge: Understanding the Origin of the Vertebrates; Deep Time: Cladistics, the Revolution in Evolution; Jacob’s Ladder: The History of the Human Genome; The Science of Middle-Earth, and (with Luis V. Rey). You can find him on Twitter or Instagram.
*Comedy guest:
Iona Stewart-Richardson *is a E’cole Philippe Gaulier trained clown. She's also a journalist and rising star in the stand up comedy scene. She was a finalist at the 2021 Bath New Comedy Act Competition. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
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Nov 27, 2021
The science of pain on purpose
From marathon runners, to chilli lovers and kinksters, we all have things that bring us joy and pain simultaneously. Why and how does it happen? Join us to find out.
*Expert guest:
Leigh Cowart *is a researcher, science communicator and author. Their work has appeared in New York Magazine's The Cut, the Washington Post, Buzzfeed News, Hazlitt, The Verge, Deadspin, MIT Technology Review, and The Daily Beast, among others. Leigh's first book '*Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose**' *is the subject of today's episode and is a beautifully in-depth, personal and deeply scientific look into masochism.
You can (and should) learn more about the book here. And follow them on Twitter.
*Comedy guest:
Vix Leyton *is a hilariously natural storyteller. It's easy to see why she's one of comedy's rising stars. In 2021 Vix was a Funny Women awards semi finalist, her panel show podcast 'The Comedy Arcade' was nominated for best podcast at Leicester Comedy Festival and had a sell out run at Edinburgh Fringe. You can follow Vix on Twitter or Instagram to learn more. *
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Nov 20, 2021
The science of surfaces
Why is some stuff sticky? How does ice work and are we birds swimming through the air? This week we dive deep into the science of surfaces.
*Expert guest:
**Laurie Winkless *is a brilliantly multi-talented physicist and science communicator. She has a passion for translating complex science into engaging stories and has worked with Forbes Magazine, various schools and universities, the Royal Society, The Naked Scientists and NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Her first book, Science and the City: The Mechanics Behind the Metropolis, explains the science behind aspects of urban living, including skyscrapers and subways. In this episode we focus on her second book 'Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces.' You can check out more about what she's up to on Twitter.
*Comedy guest:
*Joshua Mason Wood was a semi-finalist in So You Think You’re Funny? had a successful 2021 run with split-bill show “AngloViking Invasion Before Naptime”, which got a 4 star Edfringe review and and was called ‘…
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Nov 13, 2021
How to have challenging conversations.
There are a few topics in life that most of us find difficult to have. The most common of those around dying. This week expert Dr Kathryn Mannix, and comedian Jackie Kashian join us talk about how to have tender conversations.
*Expert guest:
Dr Kathryn Mannix *has spent her career in palliative care, helping countless people have the care and conversations they need to maintain a high-quality of life, even as they approach death. Her first book 'With the end in mind' was shortlisted for the Welcomme Book Prize. Her latest book 'Listen: How to find the words for tender conversations' is out now. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter.
*Comedian guest: *
*Jackie Kashian *has been doing standup for over 35 years. Last heard on NPR and seen on HBO's 2DopeQueens, her albums have been #1 on Amazon, iTunes and have over 10 million listens on Spotify and Pandora. She has two podcasts; The Dork Forest (since 2006) where she talks with people about what they love…
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Nov 7, 2021
How group identities shape your life
From politics to travel, sports to conspiracy theories, the groups we're in hugely change the way we see and interact with the world. In this episode we look talk to a leading social psychologist about how group identity works.
*Expert guest:
*Dr Jay Van Bavel is a multi-talented and multi-award winning researcher, academic, author and academic. He is currently the Associate Professor of Psychology & Neural Science at New York University, an affiliate at the Stern School of Business in Management and Organizations, and Director of the Social Identity & Morality Lab. He is the co-author of the fantastic new book “The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony”. You can learn more on his website and follow him on Twitter.
*Comedy guest:
*Comedian and writer Tommy Ettling has worked in comedy for more than a decade, working in television, radio and stand up. He currently lives in Mexico City where he helms t…
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Oct 30, 2021
Frequently Asked Questions of the Universe
Get ready to wave hello to Jeff and Elon, we're getting back in the Highbrow Drivel Galactic and heading back to outer space. This week, we're talking about the frequently asked questions of the universe with Dr Daniel Whiteson and Pernille Haaland. Highlights include Dr Daniel explaining expansion, discussion on whether the black hole at the centre of the milky way is like a guard dog keeping aliens away and some a-grade nan chat.
*Expert guest:
*Daniel Whiteson is a physics professor at UCIrvine, and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He does research using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and is looking forward to meeting aliens. He is one of the hosts of the amazing 'Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe' podcast and one of the authors of the fantastic new book 'Frequently Asked Questions About the Universe' . You can learn more about him and his work at either of the two above links or by following him on Twitter.
*Comedian guest:
*Pernille Haaland (West End, BBC, BBC3…
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Oct 23, 2021
Can we solve the problem with Math(s)?
Numbers are the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe, and as we progress in our career, almost all jobs (even fun creative ones) need a basic grasp of mathematics. So why do so many people hate them and how can we fix this? And test your skill with our viral math mind benders!
*Expert guest:
*Kyle Evans is an award-winning comedian* and maths communicator** - combining comedy, song and extreme pedantry to lethal effect (not literally.) You'll find him performing family and grown-up shows at festivals, comedy clubs, schools, pubs, pie shops... anywhere that wants a venn diagram intersection of maths and entertainment. He has appeared several times on Radio 4's cult numbers show 'More or Less' and had a song about the Riemann Hypothesis turned into a local radio jingle - surely a world first. Kyle's latest book "MATHS TRICKS TO BLOW YOUR MIND: A journey through viral maths" is available now. You can learn more about him in the following places.
His website
His Twitter
His Facebo…
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Oct 16, 2021
Rethinking cities
Are cities broken or brilliant? Most of our population live in cities, so you'd think they should be the most comfortable place a person can be...but a whole lot of people hate them. In this week's episode our comedian and expert look into the pro's and con's of city life.
*Expert guest:
*Claire Bradbury has lived in the metropolis for much of her life, so she understands what it takes to find home in the city, whether in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, the US or the UK. With a background in law and international development, she has devoted her career to tackling critical sustainability challenges across the globe.
She has worked with some of the world’s leading thinkers and organisations, including the Household of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, developing sustainable food and agriculture, urban regeneration and social cohesion programmes. Claire has emerged as a thought leader on wellbeing in cities and is also a certified personal trainer, and co-founder and trustee of t…
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Oct 9, 2021
The Secret Life of Elements
What's in the periodic table? In this week's episode the infectiously insightful Dr Kathryn Harkup takes us through her love of the periodic table, helping us understand the personalities and characteristic of the elements we spent so long trying to remember.
*Expert guest:
*Dr* *Kathryn Harkup is a chemist and author. Her first book was the international best-seller, A is for Arsenic. She has also written about the science of Frankenstein in Making the Monster, all the ways to die in a Shakespeare play in Death By Shakespeare and investigated the scientific background to horror’s most famous fiend in her most recent book Vampirology. You can learn more about here on here website or on Twitter.
*Comedian guest:
*Your boy is back. Juan miles has now been co-host twice as many times as anyone else. Juan is an Argentinian born, Berlin based stand-up comedian via Melbourne, Australia. He's one of the most wickedly funny people I know. As always, you can stay up-to-date with his news on…
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Oct 2, 2021
How emotions work
Emotions are confusing as hell, and increasingly, we're paying more and more attention to how we feel. In this episode we talk to one of the world's leading experts on emotions,
Dr Rich Firth-Godbehere, to help us figure out how to think about the way that we feel. The hilarious John Poveromo joins us to lighten the emotional load with his quick wit and brilliant insights.
*Expert guest:
*Dr.* *Richard Firth-Godbehere is an award-winning interdisciplinary research walks the line between history, psychology, linguistics, and futurism. His boundary crossing studies may make him the world's most comprehensive expert in the field of emotions. He examines how understandings of emotions change over time and how these changes can influence the wider world. He is currently an Affiliated Research Scholar with The Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary University of London. He received a first-class degree from the University of London during which time he won two awards for academic…
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Sep 25, 2021
The particles of the universe
What makes up stuff? And why does it exist? In this episode we talk to particle physicist Dr Harry Cliff and Ashish Suri to find out how a universe is made.
Expert guest:
Dr Harry Cliff is a particle physicist at the University of Cambridge working on the LHCb (you know, the Large Hadron Collider) experiment, a huge particle detector buried 100 metres underground at CERN. He's conducting experiments to study the basic building blocks of our universe, in search of answers to some of the biggest questions in modern physics.
As if that isn't enough, he also spends his time sharing his love of physics as a popular science communicator. He's just finished his first popular science book, How To Make An Apple Pie From Scratch, which we talk about in this episode. You may know Dr Harry from the popular talk with The Royal Institution 'Beyond The Higgs', where he explains what's next for the Large Hadron Collider (also touched on in this episode). To learn more you can visit his website or fol…
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Sep 18, 2021
The floods are coming
Just this week we saw Tower Bridge flooded. How the heck a bridge floods, I don't know. It seems like flooding has snuck up on most of us as a major consequence of climate change. In this week's episode we talk with a flood modelling specialist and an critically acclaimed comedian to find out about why flooding is getting worse, how bad it will get and whether technology can help us manage the damage.
*Comedy guest:
*Isabelle Farrah is a British Lebanese actor, comedian, and writer. After an undergraduate in French and Film studies, she trained at Drama Studio and on the Soho Theatre Comedy Lab. As an actress she has performed in theatre in the West End and on Tour and she has gigged across the UK and in Lisbon and New York City. Her short, Breakfast, was a finalist in the Funny Women Shorts Prize.
Her debut show, Ellipsis, was commended for the Screenshot Award in 2020. It's been at Camden People’s Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, and EdFringe with Assembly Fest in 2021. It will be a…
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Sep 12, 2021
What is burnout and why does it happen?
According to some studies 75% of people have experienced burnout. And according to some of my friends you can be burned out 75% of the time. In this week's episode we talk to an organisational psychologist and a comedian who used to be a social worker to get to the bottom of what burnout is, why it happens, whether it's on the rise and a much more.
*Expert guest:
*Dr. Brian Swider is the Beth Ayers MaCague Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor at the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. His research focuses on how and why employees enter and exit organizations, including topics such as recruitment, employee selection, burnout, withdrawal, and turnover. You can check him out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BrianSwider
*Comedian guest:
*Bryan James was a finalist in the Bath Comedy Festival New act Competition 2021. He is from the Northeast of England, but has been performing comedy nationally in the U.K. since early 2020. Thanks to comedy sketches, and silly…
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Sep 4, 2021
How the brain understands sound
Making sense of sound is one of the most interesting and difficult things that our brain does constantly. So how does it work? And can you really have 'selective hearing' find out this and more on this week's episode.
*Expert guest:
*Nina Kraus, a neuroscientist who has done pathbreaking research on sound and hearing for more than thirty years, is Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Communication Sciences, and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University. Her book, *OF SOUND MIND: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World *comes out in September 2021 from MIT Press. You can learn more about the work her and her team do at the Brainvolts website as mentioned on the episode https://brainvolts.northwestern.edu/
You can find out more about her book at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675902/of-sound-mind-by-nina-kraus/
*Comedic guest:
*Scott Curtis is a comedian with a mission to teach new comedians and inform comedy nerds about the intricacies of stand-up comedy. He sta…
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Aug 28, 2021
Why do people still get married?
Most of us wouldn't go to a restaurant if 42% of it was crazy expensive and 42% of its review were terrible. Yet, every year 1000's of people still get married. In this episode we discuss what marriage was, why it sucked, why we still do it and how to reimagine it in a way that works for our current values.
*Comedy guest:
Sikisa* is one of the funniest and most likable comedians on the London comedy circuit.
She won the public’s vote in the 2017 BBC New Comedy Award competition, for which she was a finalist. Her TV appearances include Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club (ITV), The Dog Ate My Homework (CBBC), Pie And A Pint (Comedy Central) and Period Dramas (BBC 3). Her radio credits include Lemonade (Radio 1) and writing for Newsjack (Radio 4). She is also developing a number of projects for TV and radio. Her debut stand up was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2020.
I highly recommend you check out her upcoming live work (when we're safely allowed back on stage…
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Aug 21, 2021
The joy of sweat w/ Sarah Everts & Jamie Allerton
This is a downright hilarious and often surprising chat about sweat. That's right smelly, wet, sweat. We discuss why it happens, why it sucks, some of the weird (and occasionally scary) things it can do and some of the amazing things it can tell us.
*Expert guest:
*Sarah Everts is an award-winning science journalist and speaker from Ottawa, Canada. Her most recent project is the taboo-busting romp through the shame, stink and science of sweat in her new book 'The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration'. You can learn more about her work and the book at http://saraheverts.com/
*Comedy guest:
*One of the funniest men around town, Jamie Allerton's career creds include.
2016 Liverpool Echo New Comedian Finalist
2017 So You Think You're Funny semi-Finalist
2018 Max Turner Finalist
“Where the other stand up sets held the stage, he owned it. A flurry of energy with a clever routine” – Broadway Baby
Jamie is now 1/4 of WTD Comedy, focusing on comedy events around the countr…
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Aug 14, 2021
The mind of a murderer w/ Dr Richard Taylor and Cressida Wetton
Can someone of sound mind commit murder? What makes someone become a murderer and what is the home security like of someone who has worked on over 100 murder cases? We discuss all that plus some of the strangest cases of the career of Dr Richard Taylor.
*Expert guest:
*Dr Richard Taylor is a London based Forensic Psychiatrist who has worked on over 100 murder cases in a career spanning nearly three decades. He is the author of the fantastic book 'The Mind of a Murderer.' In the book Dr. Taylor uses cases from across his career to help paint a picture of the common types of murder cases, what trends are closely linked to murder and ultimately what factors can lead to someone becoming a killer.
*Comedy guest:
*Cressida Wetton is an awesome London based stand-up comedian who has been a finalist in most of the countries top comedy competitions and who regular performs at some of the most exciting shows around town.
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Aug 7, 2021
Deep Oceans w/ Dr Karen Osborn & Jonathan Duffy
What's hiding in our deep oceans? A whole bunch of beautiful and interesting animals it turns out. Today Dr Karen Osborne joins us to answer all our important questions on our deep oceans, what they're made up of, what it's like to study them and what it's like to live with a whale.
*Expert guest:
*Dr. Karen Osborn is an award-winning zoologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She specialises in the fascinating world of animals that live in the deep ocean but above the sea floor. She grew up loving animals and chose marine biology after spending a year in Pohnpei, Micronesia. She was SCUBA diving every chance she got on the lush coral reefs that surround the tropical Pacific island. Seeing the huge variety of shapes and sizes of animals that make up the reef communities made her wonder how and why that much diversity of shape came about. How do all those different animals accomplish basically the same thing - survival and reproduction - with such different bodies…
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Jul 31, 2021
What We Can Learn From Spies w/ Sir David Omand
What does it take to be a spy? And what can we learn from spies about how to influence people, manage risk and make good decisions? We bring Sir David Omand, former Head of UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator on the show to find out.
*Expert Guest:
*Sir David Omand was the first UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator, responsible to the Prime Minister for the professional health of the intelligence community, national counter-terrorism strategy and "homeland security". He served for seven years on the Joint Intelligence Committee. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ (the UK Sigint Agency). Previously, in the Ministry of Defence as Deputy Under Secretary of State for Policy, he was particularly concerned with long term strategy, with the British military contribution in restoring peace in the former Yugoslavia and the re…
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Jul 24, 2021
Dealing with our own mortality w/ a thanatologist
Gonna be controversial, but I wouldn't be a bad boy of comedy if I didn't say it. I don't like the idea of dying. So of course, on this episode I squirm through the topic of dying, how to prepare for it or come to terms with it with the amazing Dr Panagiotis Pentaris and good friend of the show Juan Miles.
*Our expert:
*Dr Pentaris is an Associate Professor of Social Work and Thanatology at the University of Greenwich, England, UK, where he is also a member of the Institute for Lifecourse Development. Pentaris is a council member for the Association for the Study of Death and Society, and over the last ten years he has researched and published on death, dying, bereavement, culture and religion, social work, social policy and LGBTQIA+ issues.
He has practised social work in the field of thanatology, notably with dying children and adults, and bereaved individuals; he has practiced both internationally and nationally. Positions held include hospice social worker, independent bereavement…
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Jul 17, 2021
How Did The Social Instinct Evolve?
Dawkins said that there was no room for altruism in evolution, so why are we so cooperative as a species? This week we speak to Dr Nichola Raihani is PI of the Social Evolution and Behaviour Lab. She is Professor in Evolution and Behaviour, a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. Her new book 'The Social Instinct
How Cooperation Shaped the World' is out now.
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Jul 10, 2021
Did hippies ruin psychedelics?
We've already discussed the scientific benefits of psychedelics. Today we look at whether that comes from magical elves, third eyes and interdimensional wisdom, or perhaps if there is a way to experience all the benefits of psychedelics without giving into mystical madness.
Our expert guest:
Dr Chris Letheby is a philosopher working on issues related to the therapeutic and transformative potential of classic psychedelic drugs. His doctoral research, conducted at the University of Adelaide, presented the first systematic analysis of psychedelic experience within the framework of 21st century philosophy of cognitive science.
He is currently (2018-2021) Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Western Australia and (2019-2022) Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Adelaide on the ARC-funded project 'Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry'. His monograph Philosophy of Psychedelics is forthcoming with Oxford University Press in the series 'International Perspective…
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Jul 3, 2021
Averting the insect apocalypse
Bugs, creepy crawlies, insects, pests. Whatever you call them, these little critters play an important part of our ecosystem and their disappearing at an alarming rate. In this episode, we chat to Dr Dave Goulson, author of the upcoming book 'Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse' with the help of comedian Alfie Packham.
We cover how the decline is measured, why it's important, which insects we could maybe do without and why inner-city hipsters starting suburban beehives won't solve the problem.
Expert guest:
Dave Goulson is Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex. He has published more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects. His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers The Garden Jungle and A Sting in the Tale, which was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize and has been translated into fifteen languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, a trustee of Pesticide Action Network, and an Amb…
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Jun 26, 2021
A Zoologists Guide To Aliens w/ Dr Arik Kershenbaum & Will Preston
There's a lot of what we know from Earth that can teach us what to expect from extraterrestrials in the future. In this week's episode, Zoologist, Dr Arik Kershenbaum joins comedian Will Preston to discuss insights from Arik's book 'A Zoologists Guide to The Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal about Aliens' which has won praise from high places, including Richard Dawkins.
In this episode we cover common expectations, what alien mating might be like, what drives human evolution and the best and worst depictions of aliens in popular culture.
*
Expert guest:
* Dr Arik Kershenbaum is a zoologist, College Lecturer, and Fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge. He has researched animal vocal communication for the past ten years in Europe, Israel and the United States and has published more than twenty academic publications on the topic. He is also a member of the international board of advisors for METI.org, a think tank on the topic of Messaging Extra Terrestrial Intelligence.…
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Jun 19, 2021
Drunk: How Alcohol Shaped Society w/ Edward Slingerland and Juan Miles
Fresh from his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, Edward Slingerland joins us to discuss his new book "Drunk: How we sipped, danced, and stumbled our way to civilisation" a book that offers a deep dive into the alcohol-soaked origins of civilization — and the evolutionary roots of humanity’s appetite for intoxication.
On this episode we get to scratch the surface on the importance of alcohol historically, how it's used now, comparison to other intoxicants and how philosophy and alcohol mix.
*Expert guest:
*Edward Slingerland is Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he also holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Asian Studies. Educated at Princeton, Stanford and UC Berkeley, he is an expert on early Chinese thought, comparative religion and cognitive science of religion, big data approaches to c…
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Jun 12, 2021
The philosophy of evolution w/ Tom Ballard & Dr Kim Sterelny & Tom
How did we evolve to be the way we are? I'm joined by international award winning philosopher on evolutionary science Dr Kim Sterelny and international acclaimed comedian Tom Ballard to find out.
*Guest comedian: *
Tom Ballard is one of Australia's most decorated comedians who has been selling out shows and winning awards around the world for over a decade. His accolades include (but aren't limited to) Best Newcomer Winner at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Best Show Winner at Sydney Comedy Festival and Best Show Nominee at Edinburgh Comedy Festival. When he's not on stage Tom is a regular on TV and Radio and also hosts the brilliant 'Like I'm a Six-Year-Old' podcast.
Tom has upcoming tours scheduled in Brisbane and Sydney and is filming his show across two nights in Melbourne.
You can learn more on his website. Or check out his Facebook, Instagram or Twitter
*Guest expert:
*Professor Kim Sterelny is arguably one of the most influential thinkers and academics of our gener…
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Jun 6, 2021
Quantum physics and the multiverse w/ Dr Jim Rantschler & Eve Ellenbogen
From spiderman to Loki to Rick and Morty, pop culture loves a good multiverse at the moment. In this episode we ask a quantum physicist what a multiverse is and whether the science behind it checks out.
*Expert guest
Jim Rantschler* teaches physics at Texas A&M at Galveston. He has worked as an NRC postdoc at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a research professor at the University of Houston, and a Senior Principal Engineer at Western Digital. He previously taught at Xavier University of Louisiana. Jim hosts the awesome Physics Frontiers podcast which you can check out here.
*Comedian guest
*Eve is an effortlessly funny New Yorker formerly based in Melbourne, Australia. She hosts the Everyone is Doing Better Than Me podcast. When it's safe and legal I highly recommend you check her out live and on-stage, but until then, listen to her podcast :)
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May 30, 2021
The Quest to Transplant a Soul w/ Dr Brandy Schillace
In this episode we deep dive into a bizarre story in medical history. A Dr obsessed with being able to transplant human heads to prove that he could save the immortal soul. It's a wickedly macabre, bizarrely funny story that touches upon some deeply important questions. What is death? And, more importantly, should we make sure our sciences spend less time asking whether they can do something and more time asking whether they should?
Our guest for this episode is the amazing *Dr. Brandy Schillace**, *who has just published the brilliant 'Dr Humble and Mr Butcher' which follows the decades long quest of Dr. White to transplant a human head. The story involves 2 popes, a trip to Russia and a Nobel prize nomination. It's an incredible gripping story which I highly recommend you pick up and read for yourself.
*Our expert guest:
*Dr. Brandy Schillace is a historian of medicine and the critically acclaimed author of DEATH’S SUMMER COAT, CLOCKWORK FUTURES, and most recently MR. HUMBLE AND…
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May 22, 2021
The science of love w/ Kevin O'Connel and Andrew McGovern
What is love (baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me know more). On this week's episode we speak to budding neuroscientist and co-host of 'Living Room Logic' Andrew McGovern and Loveryboy comedian Kevin O'Connel to find out what the neurochemical explanation is for love, what the dumbest thing we've done for love is, whether or not the friend zone exists and why I might need to convince my wife to go to couple's therapy for the perks.
*Expert guest:
*Andrew McGovern is a budding neuroscientist who firmly believes the future of medicine has sex in mind. Careful now you little minx, he studies sex differences in risk of diseases like Alzheimer's and in mental health. Currently a bioscience teacher in university, he loves sharing his passions with his students and, well, anyone who will listen. Last year Andrew won the audience price in the regional and all Ireland FameLab finals, Ireland's biggest science communication competition. He's also the host of the fantastic living room logic podcas…
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May 15, 2021
The world before us w/ Professor Thomas Higham & David Lewis
The average modern person has around 2% Neanderthal DNA. For thousands of years, modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans shared the earth. In this episode, we speak to Professor Thomas Higham who's groundbreaking work has been at the forefront of our growing understanding of the the period where we shared the world with our ancient ancestors. Thomas has recently published the fascinating book 'The World Before Us', a must read for anyone who is curious about human origins.
*Expert Guest
*Professor Higham's research interests focus on archaeological dating, including the radiocarbon dating of bone, as well as the chronology of Palaeolithic Europe. He is involved in a variety of projects investigating the human occupation of Britain and Europe over the last million years and the potential co-existence of Neanderthals with early modern humans. Thomas's work has been fundamental in our growing understanding of our cousins the Denisovans. To learn more I highly recommend his book 'The W…
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May 7, 2021
All manner of manners with Professor Stephen Mennell and Jamie D'Souza
What's the deal with manners? The weird, often arbitrary rules that we abide and judge people by? In this episode we dive into where they come from, their purpose and some of the weirdest social conventions lost in time.
Expert guest:
Stephen Mennell is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at University College Dublin (which is the largest university in the confederal National University of Ireland). Stephen does research in Sociological Theory and Historical Sociology. His major books include All Manners of Food (1985) and The American Civilizing Process (2007). Professor Mennel is one of most influential contemporary thinkers and authors in the space of manners and conventions, his work reflecting on the works of Norbert Elias has helped further the field and reach a new audience for both Elias and himself.
Guest comedian:
Having started performing comedy in the summer of 2016, Jamie has quickly established himself as a rising star on the comedy circuit. He has reached the finals of the…
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May 1, 2021
Return of the Jen-i: Mars, Aliens and life on other planets with - Dr Jeni Millard and Steele Saunders
May the 4th is days away. We thought we'd invite the awesome Dr Jeni Millard from the Awesome Astronomy podcast back on the show to chat to comedian, mate and Star Wars aficionado, Steele Saunders about helicopters on mars, terraforming other planets and aliens.
Expert guest:
Dr Jenifer Millard is now officially a Dr. Since our last chat she's officially received her PhD, is making appearances of BBC Radio all over the place as well as doing awesome work on the Awesome Astronomy podcast. As always, she's funny, charming and takes big ideas and makes them easy to understand and fun to hear about. Get her on TV already.
Comedian guest:
Steele Saunders is a comedian, podcaster, writer, presenter and Star Wars superfan. Before moving to L.A, Steele was a regular on T.V and radio in Melbourne. He is now one of the most popular Star Wars commentators finding fans, cast, crew and fellow comedians to help share the love of the force. You can check out all of his great work (and killer merch)…
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Apr 24, 2021
Being mixed race w/ Dr. Nitasha Tamar Sharma
Race, it's a crazy hot mess that needs unpacking. In this week's episode, I get the amazing Dr. Nitasha Tamar Sharma to join me on the podcast to help me unpack the mixed race experience. Because it's a crazy hot bed topic and I wanted to be greedy and discuss my own personal experience a bit more, there's no guest comedian on this episode.
*Expert guest:
*Nitasha Tamar Sharma is a professor at Professor at Northwestern University. A comparative race studies scholar who offers an interdisciplinary, comparative, and ethnographic approach to the study of difference, inequality, and racism. The central goal of her teaching, research, and writing is to contest interminority racisms by ethnographically detailing existing models of cross-racial solidarities among nonWhite groups. By highlighting historical crossovers, comparative or relational racialization, and expansive political orientations, Sharma’s work attempts to imagine liberated futures for all people.
Nitasha Sharma is the aut…
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Apr 18, 2021
The disordered cosmos and the ethics of astronomy w/ dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein & Anoushka Rava
We're back in space, this time with an Author, Activist and Astrophysicists who's list of achievements is so long I wonder if she's managed to build a time machine to manage it all and an awesome actor / writer and comedian. We discuss the ethics of science, the way trouble with gatekeepers in education and finally, someone explains cosmic acceleration in a way I can understand.
*Expert guest:
*Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. She is also a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter. She also does research in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies. Nature recognized her as one of 10 people who shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized her as one of ‘15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.’ A cofou…
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Apr 10, 2021
The science of the musical human w/ Jordan Gray & Dr Michael Spitzer
Is there such thing as bad music? How important was music to human evolution? Is musicology a real thing? And, why is Baby Shark one of our expert guests favourite bits of new music? All this and more in this week's episode.
*Expert guest:
*Michael Spitzer is a Professor of Music (otherwise known as a musicologist) at the University of Liverpool. His newly published book 'The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth' takes on the ambitious task of providing the complete journey of music throughout the ages. It's already a number one bestseller on Amazon. It was recently seralialized for Radio 4 read by Simon McBurney over 5 episodes. You can start with episode 1 here.
Michael founded the series of International Conferences on Music and Emotion, and organised the International Conference on Analyzing Popular Music (Liverpool, 2013). You can purchase the book on Amazon and learn more about Michael on the University of Liverpool website.*
*
*Comedy guest:
*Jordan Gray is a hilarious com…
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Apr 4, 2021
The science of self-awareness w/ Dr Stephen Fleming & Juan Miles
How do you know if you know yourself? In this episode we speak to one of the leading scientists in the world of metacognition to find out what self-awareness is, why we have it, whether it's a blessing or a curse and how our own self-awareness impacts us.
*Our expert guest:
*Dr. Steve Fleming is one of the world's leading experts in the field of metacognition (the fancy science word for self-awareness). He is a Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow at the Department of Experimental Psychology and Principal Investigator at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London. His research centres on furthering our understanding of the marvellous mystery of what drives human self-awareness. His latest book 'Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness' will be released on April 27. The book takes some of the key findings in the field of metacognition and makes them easy and accessible for everyone to understand. By very nature of the topic, the book blends t…
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Mar 28, 2021
Let's talk about tech baby! Can the law keep up with big tech? w/ Joshua Fairfield & Davina Bentley
Let's face it, most of us have got used to ignoring the fact that our tech has become a sneaky spy selling our every move to the highest bidder. So how do we change that? In this week's episode I talk to Joshua Fairfield, an internationally recognised law and technology scholar / author, who happens to be extremely funny and Davina Bentley, an international awesome comedian who happens to be a lawyer. We talk about the in's and out's of tech and law... but trust me as well as being an incredibly enlightening chat, it's also really entertaining.
*Our Expert
*Joshua Fairfield is an internationally recognized law and technology scholar, specializing in digital property, electronic contract, big data privacy, and virtual communities. His articles on protecting consumer interests in an age of mass-market consumer contracting regularly appear in top law and law-and-technology journals, and policy pieces on consumer protection and technology have appeared in the New York Times, Forbes, and t…
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Mar 21, 2021
Cancel Culture w/ Sikisa 'Twix' Bostwick-Barnes & Dr Gwen Bouvier
According to some cancel culture is rife and freedom of speech is under attack, but then a look around most mainstream newsrooms and social media platforms will show a lot of people getting a lot of money and attention for saying the kinds of things that you allegedly aren't allowed to say anymore. So is cancel culture one big which hunt? Or is it more a matter of which c%^t needs to be canceled next? We take a look at the impacts, rationale and efficacy of cancel culture in this week's episode.
*Guest comedian:
Sikisa* is one of the funniest and most likable comedians on the London comedy circuit
She won the public’s vote in the 2017 BBC New Comedy Award competition, for which she was a finalist. Her TV appearances include Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club (ITV), The Dog Ate My Homework (CBBC), Pie And A Pint (Comedy Central) and Period Dramas (BBC 3). Her radio credits include Lemonade (Radio 1) and writing for Newsjack (Radio 4). She is also developing a number of projects for TV and…
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Mar 14, 2021
Dinosaurs w/ Ahir Shah and Dr. Emma Dunne.
We're kicking it ol' school....Really ol' school. This week we're joined by Ahir Shah and Dr Emma Dunne to talk all things dinosaurs. In one the most fun episodes we've ever recorded we cover whether birds are carry around the regret of no longer being a dinosaur, whether you can judge a person based on their favourite dinosaur, what it's like to work in a job where the most knowledgeable experts have an average age of around 6 years old, why we should still care about paleontology, what we're discovering from dinosaurs that applies to the world today, whether Jurassic Park is an allegory which saved us from having billionaires accidentally unleash dinosaurs on us all and why Leonardo DiCaprio is an arsehole.
*Comedian Guest: Ahir Shah
*Ahir Shah is undoubtedly one of the most talented comedians working today. His unique blend of sharp intellectual wit, philosophical curiosity and emotional depth lend themselves to utterly hilarious and deeply moving comedy. He is a multiple nominee f…
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Mar 7, 2021
Mind the Orgasm Gap for International Women's Day.
If you've ever had an orgasm, you're probably not surprised to hear that people like them. But, unfortunately in news that will surprise few women but too many men, women cum significantly less than men in hetrosexual couples. The massive difference is known as 'the orgasm gap.' Just in time for International Women's Day I talked to comedian Ginnia Cheng, and psychology postdoctoral student Jessica Jordan to discuss what the stats say, why it happens and how it can be corrected.
Comedy Guest
Ginnia is a comedian who's reached the semi-finals of many of the UK's comedy competitions including SYTYF and Up the Creek's One to Watch. She co-hosts London's sex-positive live comedy experience Sex Standing Up, which has been recommended by the Metro and listed as TimeOut's top 3 things to do in London 3 times. Ginnia was recently handpicked by BBC Writersroom for a programme showcasing the UK’s East Asian comedy talent.
Expert Guest
Jessica, a former social worker and current Psychology Ph…
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Feb 28, 2021
Why we need to get rid of billionaires w/ Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP and Suse Steed
I have 99 problems and the economic structures that allow billionaires to exist cause 98 of them. In this episode we speak to Suse Steed, who is both a former economist and a comedian (a great venn diagram for a guest on this show) and MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle who went viral after he had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the feigned indignation of Emma Barnett when discussing billionaires.
In this episode we discuss:
* Whether you can be a good billionaire
* Why we seem to be against greed in children or animals but accept it in adults
* Just how big a billion actually is
* What it takes to become a billionaire
* Whether billionaires do more good than bad via investment and philanthropy
* And of course, it wouldn't be an episode of Highbrow Drivel without discussing why Elon Musk is such a prick.
Guests:
*Lloyd Russell-Moyle* is the MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven. He is incredibly passionate, articulate and progressive and joy to talk to and listen to. You…
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Feb 21, 2021
Memory lane - How memory works in the brain w/ Dr Janine Cooper and Laura Davis
Ever forget your own name? Or know that you know something but just can't seem to remember it? How about those times where an absolute random memory you didn't even know you have pop into your head for no reason? This week we ask a cognitive psychologist what's happening in the brain that makes our memory such a tricky thing. And, if we can't trust our memory, how does that impact our ideas about who we are. Joining me this week are the award winning comedian Laura Davis and cognitive psychologist Janine Cooper.
Get 8 free beers at http://www.beer52.com/drivel
*Guests:
*
*Laura Davis
*Laura Davis is one of the funniest people in the world, having won multiple awards for her brilliant solo shows. She's appeared on TV shows and some of the biggest podcasts across Australia and the UK and is one of the most reliably entertaining performers on the comedy circuit. You can learn more at http://lauradaviscomedy.com/, or follow her on Twitter.
*Janine Cooper
*Janine Cooper is a cognitive p…
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Feb 13, 2021
Technology and the future of dating w/ Rachel New and Juan Miles
For Valentine's Day we look at the way sex robots, bereavement tech, algorithms and more will impact the future of dating. Joining me on this episode is crowd favourite Juan Miles and dating coach Rachel New. In the episode we also discuss the way one clever dater hacked the OkCupid algorithm to get 5 dates per day. You can learn more about that at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJod9kRYyao
Juan Miles
Juan is an Argentinian born, Berlin based stand-up comedian who I met living in Melbourne. You can catch more of Juan on Instagram.
Rachel New
Rachel promotes #ethicaldating: treating each other well, resisting unconscious bias and broadening your horizons in your love life. You can learn more about Rachel at:
Website: rachelnewdatingcoach.co.uk
Facebook: @rachelnewdatingcoach
Twitter: @RNewDatingCoach
Instagram: @racheldatingadvice
Rachel was kind enough to provide some books, articles and resources she recommends for anyone looking to learn and upgrade their love life.
Novels:
Real…
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Feb 7, 2021
You're dreaming - the science of sleep with Caroline Horton and Neil O'Rourke
Why do we dream? How can you learn to lucid dream? How do you prevent nightmares and why in the hell do random people end up in your dreams? We discuss all that and more in this week's episode.
*Expert guest: Dr Caroline Horton.
*Caroline directs the DrEAMSLab at Bishop Grosseteste University. She is also the host of of the Sleep Science Pod. You can stay up-to-date with her on Twitter at @sleepandmemory
*Comedian Guest: Neil O'Rourke
*Neil O’Rourke is the funniest comedian to come out of Cork. Neil has been a finalist in pretty much all the most important comedy competitions: So You Think You’re Funny, Leicester Square etc.
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Jan 31, 2021
Stars, space and astronomy with Jenifer Millard & Eve Ellenbogen
We're off to infinity and beyond with the mind blowing Jenifer Millard (soon to be Dr.) and the hilarious Eve Ellenbogen.
In this episode we discuss how scientists can almost, but not quite see the big bang, whether or not the universe can die, whether Elon Musk will get to live out his fantasy of owning space slaves (or just what it will take for us to set up a colony on Mars), the three Mars missions that are taking place, whether we should be talking back to aliens and so much more.
*Our guests
Jenifer Millard
*Is our expert who's literally submitted all the work for her PhD and is now just awaiting the confirmation. She is the host of the Awesome Astronomy podcast and the kind of science communicator who makes massive concepts easy to understand (step aside Brain Cox and Neil DeGrasse Tyson).
*Eve Ellenbogen
*Eve is an effortlessly funny New Yorker formerly based in Melbourne, Australia. She hosts the Everyone is Doing Better Than Me podcast. When it's safe and legal I highly re…
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Jan 24, 2021
Does love ruin dating with Hayley Quinn and Alexandra Haddow.
In this week's episode we talk dating.
*Expert guest:
*Hayley Quinn is an internationally recognised dating coach and founder of the UK’s largest dating coaching company. She has over 2 Million views on her TED talk and over 100,000 YouTube subscribers.
She is the spokesperson for Match, the biggest online dating platform in the world. She has been featured on BBC1, Sky and Channel 4 and is a regular columnist for Cosmopolitan.
Her goal is to bridge the gap with modern dating and help inspire people to learn to love dating.
*Guest comedian
*Alexandra Haddow is an effortlessly hilarious comedian who is always a joy to watch. She's also one third of the School for Dumb Women podcast which explains things you’re too proud to admit you know nothing about.
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Jan 17, 2021
The trouble with memes with Dr Bradley Wiggins
In this week's episode I talk to Dr Bradley Wiggins about the pervasive power of memes. From a way to shame school friends who were too excited about their Goosebump books to becoming a way to communicate serious political ideals, including many problematic ones, the meme has evolved rapidly over the last decade.
Dr Bradley Wiggins is the Associate Professor and Department Head of Media Communications at Webster Vienna Private University. He is one of the people leading the research into the evolution and impact of memes on the current standard of discourse.
For more information on the topic check out some of his 2019 book, which I highly recommend:
Wiggins, B.E. (2019). The Discursive Power of Memes in Digital Culture: Ideology, semiotics, and intertextuality. Routledge. You can find a review of this book here.
Bradley's most recent article which is mentioned during the episode is below:
Wiggins, B. E. (2020). Boogaloo and Civil War 2: Memetic antagonism in expressions of covert ac…
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Jan 10, 2021
The politics of climate change with Ross Greer and Alex Kealy
Poll after poll has shown that most people believe climate change is an important issue that we need to act on. And yet, for more than 3 decades the response to this from governments around the world has been inadequate. So, on today's episode, instead of talking about how to convince climate change deniers that it's real I ask a politician who is passionate about climate action why his colleagues have been so slow to act
Ross Greer, was the youngest Member of Scottish Parliament, and is a representative of the Scottish Greens party and is incredibly passionate, charming and insightful when explaining what the problem is, how much time is left to address it and what needs to be done.
Ross is a brilliant person to follow on Twitter, and you can learn more about the work of the Scottish Greens Party on their website. You can stay in touch with Ross on Facebook and Instagram.
Our comedian guest for this episode is a brilliantly witty political comic, Alex Kealy. You can follow Alex on I…
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Jan 2, 2021
What you should know about machine learning w/ Ben Byford and Alice Fraser
Machine learning and artificial intelligence already play a huge role in our life. From trivial things like what movies and songs are recommended to us, to important things like politics (or vice versa depending on your perspective) machines are shaping what we discover and how and that's only set to grow. So who decides how this happens? Should we be concerned and how do we make sure the impacts of these machines is monitored to prevent harmful impacts? Or, do we just welcome our new robot overlords?
On this episode of the podcast, the brilliantly funny and incredibly intelligent Alice Fraser, and Ben Byford, a machine ethics pundit with a wealth of first hand experience, join me to look at all the above and more.
About the guests:
Alice Fraser is one of the most intelligent, creative and funny comedians and podcasters on the planet. You can watch her critically acclaimed special 'Savage' on Amazon Prime. You can also hear her on The Last Post Podcast. For more information on Alice…
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Dec 27, 2020
Conspiracy theories and why people believe them with Dr Daniel Jolley and Juan Miles
Conspiracy theories spread like wildfire in 2020, which is unfortunate, because wildfire also spread like wild fire in 2020 and some of the conspiracy theories downplayed the impacts of climate change, which scientists agree leads to an increased chance of wildfires. ]
If that intro seemed a little confusing to you, you're not alone. Conspiracy theories from Qanon to the cause and severity of the coronavirus gained mainstream attention in a way that hasn't been seen since claims that 'George Bush did 9/11.'
Some may argue that the ability to change your mind and hold an unpopular position is a sign of independent thought and intellectual rigour. In today's episode we talk about why conspiracy theorists who claim to want to question everything are so bad at holding their own conspiratorial beliefs to critical analysis.
We also look at why conspiracy theorists are able to hold contradictory theories on the same event, even when it's obviously true that one of those theories has to be…
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Dec 19, 2020
Psychedelics and the brain with Dr David Luke and James O'Donnel
Dr David Luke a leading researcher into the benefits of psychedelics on the brain joins guest comedian James O'Donnell to discuss what to tell your parents about using psychedelics, when you might be able to get a prescription of magic mushrooms, weirdest tripping stories and more.
Guest information:
James O'Donnel is a brilliant comedian and one of the co-runners of Angel Comedy.
- https://www.instagram.com/jamesodcomedy/
-https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/
Dr David Luke is a researcher into the impacts of psychedelics on the brain at Kings College London and Senior Lecturer of Psychology at Greenwich University.
- https://www.gre.ac.uk/people/rep/faculty-of-education-and-health/dr-david-luke
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Dec 12, 2020
How we (the left) can stop losing with Catherine Dawkins from the Greens Party Southwark and Mitch Alexander
In this episode, we're joined by the hilarious Mitch Alexander, and Catherine Dawkins from the Southwark Greens Party. We discuss why the left should start lying to old people and how we can win people over with hummus.
Catherine Dawkins:
Catherine is a member of the Southwark Greens. You can learn more about them at https://www.southwarkgreenparty.org.uk and you can contact them about getting involved at contact@southwark.greenparty.org.uk
Make sure you follow the Southwark Greens on Instagram and Twitter
Mitch Alexander:
Mitch is a host of the Not Good Enough podcast. You can find their episodes at https://notgoodpod.com/
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Dec 2, 2020
How (and why) you should prepare for doomsday with Luke Chilton and Sarah Avery
In this episode, award winning author and left wing prepper Sarah Avery is our expert. Luke Chilton, is our wonderful guest comedian. We discuss why bees are better than guns for self-defence, the crazy things some people prepare for and what the best form of prepping is.
*Guests:*
Luke Chilton - https://www.instagram.com/lukedchilton/
Sarah Avery:
Sarah's first book, Tales from Rugosa Coven, won the 2015 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Her short fiction has appeared in Great Jones Street, Jim Baen's Universe, and Fantasy Scroll, as well as Black Gate, where she was also a regular columnist. Generous Kickstarter backers helped her publish The Imlen Brat, a novella with illustrations by Kate Baylay, which is available in all the usual places.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.avery.writer
Twitter: @SarahAveryBooks
Website: http://sarahavery.com
Blog: https://dr-pretentious.dreamwidth.org/
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Dec 2, 2020
Terrible tourism - the coldest, most toxic and depressing cities on the planet with terrible trips creator India James
Today, we speak to the creator of Terrible Trips, someone who has a passion for travelling to places that other people would have absolutely no interest in. They've been to the coldest city on earth, the most toxic body of water known to man, and the most depressing city on earth, just to name a few. Discover what the experience is like and what can be learned when you venture way, way, way off the beaten track.
India James -
Author of Terrible Trips.
Insta.
Towns discussed include Norilsk, a strategic Russian mining town with no roads in or out that is closed to even Russian citizens.
Dzerzhinsk, home to 'The black hole', the world's most toxic body of water.
Yakutsk, the coldest city on earth.
And Detroit, rock city, home of Eminem and one of the most dangerous cities in America.
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Dec 1, 2020
Classy - The social structures of class with Adam Flood and Dr David Bailey
In this episode, I'm joined by Comedian Adam Flood and Dr David Bailey to discuss the social structure of class. We cover how to define class in 2020, why class is still relevant today and whether you can judge someone's class by cheese. In fact, we talk about cheese a lot.
Adam Flood is a brilliant guest comic, and you can find more hilarity from him on Instagram.
Dr David Bailey is an extremely insightful guest expert with a number of interesting publications on the way. You can learn more about that here.
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