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Instant Genius

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. Watch full episodes of Instant

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All Episodes

29:40

The psychology of making the most of your time

Instant Genius ·

2025/08/21

Be it due to an increasingly demanding workload or responsibilities that need fulfilling at home, these days many of feel that there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything we need to get done. For many of us this can have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing. So, what can we do to improve our relationship with time?In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Ian Taylor, a psychologist based at Loughborough University, to talk about his latest book Time Hacks – The Psychology of Time

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33:56

How to overcome fear, according to a neuroscientist

Instant Genius ·

2025/08/17

We all know the feeling: thoughts racing through your mind, nervous flutters in your belly, your heart beating hard in your chest. When your whole body is screaming at you that you’re in danger, it can feel impossible to not listen. But fear doesn’t have to hold you back.In this episode, we speak to Professor Abby Marsh, a neuroscientist at Georgetown University, in the US, who recently starred in National Geographic’s new series, Limitless: Live Better Now. In this series, scientists – including

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36:35

How connecting with nature can help neurodivergent lives

Instant Genius ·

2025/08/14

It’s estimated that as many as one in five of the world’s population are neurodivergent. Be it ADHD, autism or dyslexia, these differences in brain function can make everyday life more difficult for many. But maybe the natural world can provide some much-needed relief.In this episode, we speak to naturalist and author Joe Harkness about his latest book Neurodivergent by Nature – Why Biodiversity Needs Neurodiversity. He tells us why many neurodivergent people don’t receive an accurate diagnosis

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36:44

The science behind PMS, and how to beat it

Instant Genius ·

2025/08/10

The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle has a really bad reputation. It’s known for premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, when many menstruating people experience low mood, bloating, food cravings and sluggishness before their period arrives. In stark contrast, we think of earlier phases in the cycle as times when we feel energetic, motivated and self-confident.In this episode, we speak to Dr Sarah Hill, an evolutionary psychologist whose research focuses on women, relationships and health, and the

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34:27

How the world needs to adapt to a changing climate

Instant Genius ·

2025/08/07

We’re no longer living in a world before climate change. Its impacts – from rising sea levels to more extreme weather – are already upon us, and will almost certainly get worse before they get better. But beyond cutting our emissions as fast as possible, what do we need to do to survive, and hopefully thrive, in this new world? Today’s guest, researcher and author Susannah Fisher, joins us to explore that question. In her new book Sink or Swim, she lays out two possible futures: one where we fail

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34:57

How humans learned to speak and why

Instant Genius ·

2025/08/03

Humans’ unique ability to communicate through complex systems of language is one of the key attributes that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom. But how did this complex behaviour arise?In her latest book, The Origin of Language – How We Learned to Speak and Why, evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman argues that our ability to speak arose due to the need to take care of our children. She tells us how early human’s anatomy changed dramatically when our ancestors came down from the

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38:21

The biggest unsolved mysteries in cosmology

Instant Genius ·

2025/08/01

For thousands of years humans have looked out into the night sky and pondered on the mysteries of the vast cosmos that we find ourselves part of. From Copernicus’ discovery that the Earth revolves around the Sun to Einstein’s revelation that gravity is the result of the curvature of spacetime, we’ve learned much about how the universe operates. But we’re still only scratching the surface. In this episode, we speak to Marcus Chown, an award-winning science writer and broadcaster and long-time

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33:50

The hidden ways money has shaped human civilisation

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/27

If most of us were asked what we thought was meant by the word ‘technology’ chances are the first thing that would come to mind are inventions such as cars, medicine and computers.But economist and author David McWilliams would argue these are all physical technologies and that there’s also a whole world of social technologies out there that have shaped human progress in a similarly profound way that most of us are largely unaware of. Chief amongst these, he says, is the invention of money. In

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35:28

A neuroscientist’s guide to living with dementia

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/24

Dementia doesn’t have to be terrifying. We tend to think of neurocognitive decline as something to be feared and avoided, but as the population ages, more and more of us are being diagnosed with dementia – so it might be helpful to know more about it. In this episode, we speak to Dr Sabina Brennan, a neuroscientist, psychologist, bestselling author and host of the Super Brain podcast. Her new book, Still Me: a neuroscientist’s guide to caring for someone with dementia, offers practical advice for

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35:42

The hidden life in the air we breathe

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/20

Every day we all breathe in thousands of litres of air, it is, of course essential for our continued existence. But did you know that the air that surrounds us is filled with a thriving colony of life itself? This is known as the aerobiome – a population of thousands of species of bacteria, fungi and even potentially lethal viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. In this episode, we speak to science journalist and author Carl Zimmer about his latest book Air-Borne – The Hidden History of the Life We

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33:59

How future tech will help you stay healthier for longer

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/17

Rapid advances in technology over the past several decades have impacted almost every area of our lives. It could be argued that innovations in medicine and healthcare are one of technology’s biggest success stories. However, many of us are still living in poor health, particularly in our later years. Can technology once again come to our rescue and help us to not only live longer lives but to help us to stay healthier for longer?In this episode, we speak to technology journalist and author Lara

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40:08

Why your brain might be wired for extremism

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/13

Why do some people become radicalised, while others remain resistant to extreme ideas? What makes one mind more vulnerable to harsh doctrines than another? In a world saturated with competing ideologies, it’s tempting to blame it on chance or circumstance. But in her compelling new book, The Ideological Brain, political neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod uncovers a deeper truth: our susceptibility to extremism is shaped by the very architecture of our minds, down to the cellular and genetic level. She

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30:24

How working too hard is damaging your health and...

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/10

Be it at school or in the workplace, many of us are under more and more pressure to work harder for longer to ensure that we’re performing at our best. But the latest neuroscience research is discovering that we may all have this idea entirely the wrong way around.In this episode, we speak to neuroscientist Dr Joseph Jebelli to talk about his latest book The Brain at Rest: Why Doing Nothing Can Change Your Life. He tells us how overwork is leading to almost 750,000 deaths a year globally, how

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31:51

How the maths of sameness and difference can change...

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/06

Anyone who has studied maths even briefly will no doubt be familiar with the ‘equals’ sign. But there’s much more to this seemingly simple symbol and the concepts that it represents than may first meet the eye. In this episode, we speak to mathematician and author Dr Eugenia Cheng about her latest book Unequal – The Maths of When Things Do (and Don’t) Add Up. She tells us why maths doesn’t have to be intimidating, the importance of recognising different viewpoints in maths, and how a gaining a

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46:49

Busting the biggest weight loss myths

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/03

Currently, 60 per cent of people in the UK are overweight or obese. It’s likely that many of us would like to drop a few pounds if possible but with so much information on diet and weight loss available separating facts from myths can be something of a minefield.In this episode, we speak to Prof Giles Yeo, a geneticist and obesity expert based at the University of Cambridge. He tells us exactly how our bodies extract calories from the food we eat, the real effect that exercise has on our weight,

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24:13

Better Sleep: The hidden power of napping

Instant Genius ·

2025/07/01

Be it a brief power nap to help perk us up, a Sunday afternoon kip after a big lunch, or a traditional daily Spanish siesta, many of us put our heads down for a short period during the day. But where does this habit come from and is it actually good for our health? In this episode, part of our four-part Better Sleep miniseries, we speak to Valentina Paz, a psychologist based at the Universidad de la República in Uruguay and University College London. She tells us how taking naps can help to boost

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31:22

The new science of music as medicine

Instant Genius ·

2025/06/26

Many of us listen to music or play an instrument for pleasure thanks to the unique effect it has on our emotions. But what exactly is going on in our bodies and brains when we listen to or play music, and can we harness the profound effects it has on us to improve our health and wellbeing?In this episode, we speak to neuroscientist, musician and author Stefan Koelsch about his latest book Good Vibrations: Unlocking the Healing Power of Music. He explains exactly what’s happening in our brains

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33:48

Better Sleep: How psychology can help you beat insomnia

Instant Genius ·

2025/06/22

Over the past several decades it’s become abundantly clear that getting a good night’s sleep is essential for our health and wellbeing. However, currently around one in three of us often struggle to get enough shuteye thanks to the stress and anxiety caused by our hectic lifestyles. Thankfully, help is out there in the form of cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT. In this episode, part of our four-part Better Sleep miniseries, we speak to founder of The Insomnia Clinic, Kathryn Pinkham. She

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33:40

How your brain builds your picture of reality

Instant Genius ·

2025/06/19

How do our brains help us build up a picture of the world around us? It’s a question that has both beguiled and fascinated scientists for centuries. The latest thinking suggests that the brain acts like a scientist that builds up a database of previous observations and experiences and uses this to make sense of the world around us.In this episode, we speak to Daniel Yon, an experimental psychologist based at Birkbeck, University of London to talk about his latest book A Trick of the Mind: How the

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33:56

Better Sleep: How snoring affects our health

Instant Genius ·

2025/06/15

More than four in ten of us in the UK are snorers. Far from being a trivial condition, snoring can have a significant impact on our ability to sleep, our partners’ ability to sleep and our health in general.In this episode, part of our four-part Better Sleep miniseries, we speak to Ryan Chin Taw Cheong, a consultant ear, nose and throat and sleep surgeon based at University College London Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic London. He tells us about the many factors that can lead to us snoring,

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