The Pod Delusion

We go bee-hind the scenes of an opera about bees! Why alien life might not be as common as we hope, the future of feminism, religion and criminality, weird Popes and outrage at the death of Google Reader.

Writing genes like writing code, what caused the Bradford Earthquake, how the NHS reforms are having an impact on the ground and much more!

Is Thorium the solution? Can we expect to be taking holidays in space any time soon? How is 4G going to change the face of broadband… and can a computer write conspiracy theories?

Terry Deary has been saying some silly things, we speak to a space archaeologist (!), look at Blackberry’s rise and fall… and more Pope stuff!

This week we look find out how prophecy predicts the Pope’s resignation could signal the destruction of Rome, we reflect on the Pope’s use of Twitter, discover when 4G phones are going to happen – and if the networks are going to continue to rip us off, as well as hear about how school kids are standing up for LGBT people. And more!

Big news in Big Pharma, the science of persuasion, an interview with Sir Tom Blundell and we speak to a transport sociologist about how to make things better for cyclists… and more!

Liz Lutgendorff presents this week’s show as James is under the weather. We look at research into dinosaur cannibalism, the big fight in academia over open access, why the RI perhaps isn’t worth preserving after all, and how creationists are taking over American classrooms. Also do we finally have elections for the House of Lords? And how the Brazilian nightclub fire could have been less deadly with some extra health and safety rules.

How scientists got tetrapods wrong, who’s trying to save the Royal Institution, how doping in sport works, should we clone neanderthals and what the frack is wrong with fracking? And more!

Highlights from the Leveson debates, European secularist court victories, an atheist church, dodgy charity PR, and some burgers with horse in it.

A scientific study into internet comments, celebrating the London Underground at 150, how the BBC are regurgitating press releases, why sociobiology is mad, and find out about THE LEVESON DEBATE!

Gia Milinovich on attitudes to women amongst geeks, anti-vaxxers and Cbeebies, how Captain Scarlet had hidden depth, LEDs are 50 years old, are Bitcoins the future and what were some of the worst ghosts last year? And more - it's the first Pod Delusion of 2013!

A Christmas special episode devoted entirely to the many things that could destroy the earth and humanity. We talk about the Mayan prophecies, the believers, the history, as well as real threats to our survival from space, from technology and from nuclear weapons. Plus we also manage to squeeze in the more localised world ending scenarios of unhealthy eating and the sequel to seminal videogame Elite.

Jim Al-Khalili is announced as the new British Humanist Association President and we speak to the BHA's Chief Exec about what the amazing new census numbers mean for non-religious people in the UK. It's not so great for non-believers elsewhere though as a new report shows - and we also pick apart the Snoopers Charter, which was shot down this week by Nick Clegg. Plus a new mental health manual could have a big impact, why Northern Ireland is still flagging, and why Erasmus Darwin was awesome.

Is David Cameron finally right about something? Why do Bristol University Christian Union think that women should be seen and not heard? What's the deal with the human rights act? Kate speaks to Games Workshop co-founder and fantasy gaming legend Ian Livingstone and ruminations on arthouse film following Cineworld's takeover of PictureHouse cinemas.

This week: ZOMBIES at the LHC, who won the first annual Good Thinking Soc Science Blog prize, we speak to sci-fi writer Jasper Fforde, who was a judge on the Royal Society's Winton Prize, we check in with Friendly Atheist blogger Hemant Mehta about his new book, try to save the naked scientist, posit a radical idea for changing benefits and find out why Argos is powered by nanotechnology.