Future of Food: Why the planet is facing a food security crisis and how we can solve it
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 human race is facing. How have we reached this point of crisis and what solutions can we put in place to make sure everyone on the planet has enough nutritious food to eat without causing further harm to the environment?
As part of our four-part miniseries, Future of Food, we’re joined by Dr Dave Chandler, a crop researcher and agricultural scientist based at the University of Warwick.
He tells us how current global food production practices are one of the most significant drivers of environmental damage and biodiversity loss, how climate change is threatening our ability to grow fresh produce to put on our plates and details some of the current thinking on how we can ensure the future of food production worldwide.
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How whales may be using their haunting songs as a navigation system
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, scientists still aren’t sure why these mysterious creatures sing their other-worldly songs. Could it be a form of sexual display? Maybe it’s a method of communication? Or is it possible that the giant marine mammals are using these plaintive moans as a form of echolocation?
Behavioural neuroscientist and author of the book Why Whales Sing Prof Eduardo Mercado certainly thinks so.
In this episode, he tells us how whale songs can last for as long as 40 hours and be heard up to 1,000km away, how, acoustically speaking, whale songs have more in common with bat vocalisations than birdsongs and how ocean noise created by increases in fishing and shipping activity may be wreaking havoc on whales’ ability to navigate the ocean depths.
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Future of Food: How personalised nutrition is transforming our understanding of diet and health
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, limit your intake of sugar and salt, stay away from overly fatty or processed foods as much as possible – but in recent times it has become clear that, while this is all good advice, the real-life picture is much more subtle. The latest research has revealed that the way we respond to the food we eat varies widely from person to person.
As part of our four-part miniseries, Future of Food, we’re joined by Prof Sarah Berry, a nutritional scientist based at King’s College London and chef scientist at the ZOE.
She tells us how the gathering of large-scale datasets on dietary habits is changing the way we think about nutritional science, how some of us are more sensitive to the negative effects of certain foods than others, and the key role that advances in technology are playing in the future of dietary research.
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What we all need to know about menopause
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, but perhaps one of the most underdiscussed of these stages is menopause. The lowering of hormone levels and eventual cessation of ovulation caused by menopause can affect women’s mental and physical health, performance in the workplace and even social life. So why is talking about it still considered so taboo?
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Saleyha Ashan, a journalist, emergency medicine doctor and researcher based at the University of Cambridge.
She tells us what she’s learned from her own life experiences as a woman and medical doctor, the many, varied ways that menopause affects women’s physical and mental health and gives us advice that can help us all navigate this natural period in life more successfully.
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Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on what AI and Elon Musk mean for the site's future
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 week, we’re joined by its founder, Jimmy Wales, to talk about how the platform has evolved over the past two decades, the challenges of maintaining trust and neutrality in an age of misinformation, and how AI could shape Wikipedia’s future. Jimmy also shares insights from his new book, The Seven Rules of Trust, exploring what it really takes to build credibility – and why it’s more important now than ever before.
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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.
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.
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