Ri Science Podcast

What came first, the chicken, the egg, or...the jellyfish? Zoologist and author Jules Howard joins us this month to explore evolution through a new lens - the egg. Eggs play a fundamental role in the reproduction and development of most species, yet they have been relatively overlooked in the narrative of evolution and the progression of life on Earth. Jules takes us on a journey back through the history of eggs, their surprisingly fundamental role in everything from the extinction of dinosaurs to the evolution of the human brain. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Producer: Lia HaleInterviewer: Lia HaleMusic: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is it that we can vividly remember a particular smell from years ago, but can’t remember where we put our keys a mere few hours prior? This month, we’re joined by renowned neuroscientist and author Dr Charan Ranganath to discuss how and why we remember. Charan is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, and Director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at UC Davis, and has recently released his first book ‘Why We Remember’. Charan takes us on a journey through our own minds, and a forward look at the future of memory research. Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Producer: Lia Hale Assistant producer: Freddie Rodgers Interviewer: Lisa Derry Music: Joseph Sandy  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second episode of this miniseries, we’re exploring how AI is impacting different areas of scientific research, and in this episode we discuss the applications of AI in healthcare. Lisa Derry is joined by Dr James Kinross, a colorectal surgeon and medical researcher at Imperial College London, to discuss everything from the impact of AI on medical publishing to robotic surgery. Ri on AI episode 1: https://youtu.be/lxgaILSZEbU?si=T3INFIFJy9Zkx1wZ Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Lead producer: Lia HaleAssistant producer: Freddie RodgersInterviewer: Lisa DerryMusic: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following on from his Discourse, Yang-Hui He is joined by LIMS science writer Madeleine Hall to discuss the past, present and future of Geometry. From Euclid’s postulates to how flower petals are arranged, explore how our modern understanding of geometry has come to be. LIMS is based here at the Ri, and you can find out more about their research by following the link below.   New Ri Science Podcast episodes will be released on the last Wednesday of every month, so make sure to tune in for the next episode at the end of March! Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Producer: Jeremy MonblatAssistant producer: Lia Hale, Freddie RodgersEditor: Freddie RodgersInterviewer: Jeremy Monblat Music: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re exploring how AI is impacting different areas of scientific research, and in this episode we discuss AlphaFold, the machine learning programme from DeepMind that can determine a protein structure from its amino acids alone. Lisa Derry is joined by Dame Janet Thornton, an oracle of bioinformatics and former Director of the European Bioinformatics Institute, to discuss how AlphaFold has revolutionised its field, and what it could do in the future.Thank you to our Christmas Lectures supporters and our title partner, CGI.Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think of the new video format, and to help more people discover the podcast.Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Producer: Lia HaleAssistant producers: Sarah Dick and James KavanaghInterviewer: Lisa DerryMusic: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can we improve the use of renewable energy in the power grid? In the final episode of the series 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood talks to Karan Mukhi about his work in computer science, creating algorithms to improve the efficiency of the national grid.Follow Charlotte on Twitter: @NeuroCharlotteRi Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Produced by: Charlotte CollingwoodMusic by: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you fight a fungus? In this episode of ‘Tales from my PhD’, Charlotte Collingwood talks to Camilla Molinari about her work in plant pathology, studying the mechanisms and genetics of the rice blast fungus in order to limit its impact on food crops.Follow Camilla on Twitter: ⁠@CamilaMolinari3Follow Charlotte on Twitter: ⁠@NeuroCharlotte⁠Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Produced by: Charlotte CollingwoodMusic by: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can maths and computational models help us treat anxiety and depression? In this episode of 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood talks to Sophie Shang about her research in the field of computational psychiatry. A hallmark symptom of anxiety and depression is an intolerance of uncertainty. Sophie's work involves designing studies to test people's response to changes in their environment, analysing the data mathematically and then coding computational models in order to reveal patterns in human behaviour and mental health that are otherwise invisible. Follow Sophie on Twitter: @Sophie_Shang Follow Charlotte on Twitter: @NeuroCharlottePlease leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think. Get tickets for upcoming talks and livestreams: rigb.org/whats-on Watch videos on YouTube: youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution Follow us on social media: twitter.com/Ri_ScienceProduced by: Charlotte CollingwoodMusic by: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are an estimated 5 trillion plastic particles in the oceans, spelling trouble for marine ecosystems. Manta rays are one group of species at risk – how can we protect these animals? In this episode of 'Tales from my PhD', Charlotte Collingwood talks to Jessica Savage about her work analysing the species distribution of manta rays and global plastic pollution maps to aid marine science and conservation.Follow Jessica on Twitter: @Jessicasavage29Follow Charlotte on Twitter: @NeuroCharlotteRi Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Produced by: Charlotte CollingwoodMusic by: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can we detect massive objects in space when we can't see them by light?On 14 September 2015, scientists opened a new window to observing the Universe when, for the first time, they directly detected gravitational waves, rippled out through spacetime from the merger of two black holes. In this episode, astronomer Tessa Baker explores how Einstein’s theory of gravity predicted the existence of gravitational waves, how delicate experiments eventually confirmed their existence, and how we cantranslate this experimental data into sounds, allowing us to hear the Universe.This talk was recorded from our theatre at the Royal Institution on 19 May 2023.Watch the talk on YouTube: youtu.be/U_J_uJcjQ0IFollow Tessa Baker on Twitter: @Tessa_M_BakerRi Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok Produced by: Sarah DickMusic by: Joseph Sandy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.