Science Focus Podcast

Since they were launched by Michael Faraday in 1825, the Royal Institution’s Christmas lectures have become as synonymous with the festive season as mince pies and sherry. In this month’s podcast we look back at classic lectures from Christmases past, and catch up with this year’s presenter, neuroscientist Sophie Scott.

If you love science fiction then you’re in for a treat. This month, we pick the brain of Andy Weir, author of the best-selling novel and film The Martian, about his new creation Artemis and how he crafts believable sci-fi worlds. In Artemis Weir has swapped Mars, NASA and the All-American hero Mark Watney for something a little more realistic: a privatised moonbase that’s home to small time smuggler Jazz Bashira. What the books do have in common is a love for the transformative science that will one day help humans live on distant worlds.

When she was 19, a stranger saved Dr Abigail Marsh’s life. Because of that moment, Dr Marsh work studies the psychology of people who help total strangers. We talked to her about the real-life superheroes who were the subject of her new book Good For Nothing. Also in the episode, we hear from Dr John Bradshaw, an anthrozoologist, about how deep our connection to our pets really goes…

In the first half of this episode we ask Dr Stephen Hall, a climate and infrastructure researcher, whether the 2040 petrol and diesel car ban will really clean up the air we breathe. In the second part, we talk to neuroscientist Professor Paul Fletcher about the game Hellblade and how it tried to present a scientifically accurate portrayal of psychosis.