Highbrow Drivel

We've all woken up from a night out and not remembered getting home. How does the brain do that?  On this week's ep we look into the neuroscience of navigation and spatial awareness, a completely complicated task that we take for granted all the time. So listen in and get a new found appreciation of how great your brain is for not constantly walking you into walls. Expert guest:Christopher Kemp is an English scientist and science journalist. He works at Michigan State University, overseeing a research group that studies Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. He is the author of Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris and The Lost Species: Great Expeditions in the Collections of Natural History Museums and his latest book "Dark & Magical Places: The Neuroscience of How We Navigate"Comedy guest: Si Deaves is a stand-up comedian from Southend-on-Sea, Essex and has previously been described as 'one of the greatest undiscovered acts in the country' - BFG Concerts and was also described by one of his comedy heroes as 'great and very original'. Deaves' exploration into the weird and wonderful things his mind does, serves as the perfect vehicle for him to exercise his dry, acerbic wit. Deaves is also the host of the Comedian's Tea Party Podcast. To learn more about Si and all his endeavours click here for a list of links to his various work. ​

You and everyone you know and love are the beneficiaries of a series of fortunate events. From the planet bursting into existence, to the dinosaurs being wiped out by a once-in-a-ever (hopefully) asteroid, to the 1 in 70 billion chance that you would end up with your exact genetic material. And that's before you even think of how much luck impacts success and failure on a day-to-day basis. In this episode, we speak to Dr Sean B Carroll and comedian Bryan James about the impact of luck. Expert guest: Sean B. Carroll is an award-winning scientist, author, educator, and film producer. He leads the Department of Science Education of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the largest private supporter of science education activities in the US, is the Head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and is the Andrew and Mary Balo and Nicholas and Susan Simon Endowed Chair of Biology at the University of Maryland. He is also Professor Emeritus of Genetics and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin.An internationally-recognized evolutionary biologist, Carroll's laboratory research has centered on the genes that control animal body patterns and play major roles in the evolution of animal diversity. In recognition of his scientific contributions, Carroll has received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences, been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and elected an Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. Interesting links Sean's new book - A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and YouSean's website Sean's TwitterComedy Guest:Bryan James was a finalist in the Bath Comedy Festival New act Competition 2021. He is from the Northeast of England, but has been performing comedy  nationally in the U.K. since early 2020. Thanks to comedy sketches, and silly songs he's got thousands of followers on Tiktok. He's also on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.Bryan also runs a new material comedy night in Darlington - North East England. 

How do you prepare for an event that's never happened in your lifetime? What's it like to feel like the boy who cried wolf? Do we have a plan for alien invasion? And why were disaster planners called to plan for Brexit? On this week's episode, we talk to Professor Lucy Easthope, the UK's leading authority on recovering from disaster. Lucy is a charming, expert who cares deeply about her field. Over the course of the hour we cover how experts plan for disaster, what kinds of disasters they plan for, why and how it goes wrong and what we can all expect from the disaster recovery of the pandemic. Lucy's book - When the Dust Settles is out now, you can find out more about that here. 

What do steam punks and modern quantum physicists have in common? What is quantum entanglement? How did the hippies save science? And we come up with a brilliant idea for the next Pixar blockbuster. All that & more in this week's episode. Expert Guest:Nicole re-envisions 19th-century thermodynamics for 21st-century settings—small - using the mathematical toolkit of quantum information theory. Nicole uses quantum thermodynamics as a new lens through which to view the rest of science. She calls her research “quantum steampunk,” after the steampunk genre of art and literature that juxtaposes Victorian settings with futuristic technologies. She has just realised an exciting new book to make this field of thinking available and accessible to a wider audience. You can learn more about her new book here. Comedy guest:Isabelle Farrah is a British Lebanese actor, comedian, and writer. After an undergraduate in French and Film studies, she trained at Drama Studio and on the Soho Theatre Comedy Lab. As an actress she has performed in theatre in the West End and on Tour and she has gigged across the UK and in Lisbon and New York City. Her short, Breakfast, was a finalist in the Funny Women Shorts Prize.Her debut show, Ellipsis, was commended for the Screenshot Award in 2020. It was later named one of the best shows of EdFringe 2021 by Chortle and invited for an encore run at the Soho Theatre.  You can find important links to all upcoming stuff including her new show here.

For the last week of the break, The Nothing Podcast With Nobody Important is our guest podcast. The team put together a fascinating, fun and always interesting set of human interest stories that get you excited to find out the secret lives of the people around you. In this week, the chat to Anthony about life in comedy. 

This week's amazing guest podcast is 'Sure, Jan', an amazing honest, endearing and funny look at modern dating. Jan talks to Anthony about his period of 53 first dates in 9 months when he first moved to London, and ultimately the journey to meeting his wife :) 

This guest episode is from the Better Call Daddy Podcast, created by Reena Friedman Watts. The episode focuses on Anthony's use of magic mushrooms for anxiety management. 

When you think about how the universe works, most people start from the cosmic perspective, but what about the little guys? Literally! This week we talk to Dr Chris Ferrie about what quantum physics brings to our understanding of the universe and how things work. Expert guest: Chris Ferrie is an Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and the Centre for Quantum Software and Information. His research interests include quantum learning and control. He obtained his PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Institute for Quantum Computing and University of Waterloo (Canada) in 2012. Chris's passion for communicating science has led from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to more recently writing children's books, such as Quantum Physics for Babies, and a whole collection of other titles that make science accessible even for the youngest children. His latest book – Where did the universe come from? And other cosmic questions – explores how the connection between the quantum and cosmos provides our understanding of the universe. You can find Chris online at csferrie.com.Comedy guest: David Rose is a stand up comedian and writer based in Melbourne, Australia. His solo work has been featured on the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC)'s Radio National, as well as ABC TV's Tonightly. His comedy has generated millions of views across YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Reddit and he has opened for internationally renowned comedians across the world. David is currently performing in the U.S.A, he takes no responsibility for the current state of America. You can find David on Instagram and TikTok 

Butts, boobies and bacteria. Discover the unsung heroes throughout history who made life on Earth possible. Expert guest: Dr Henry Gee  is a former paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and senior editor of the international renowned scientific journal Nature. He is the best selling author of the book 'A (Very) Short History of Life On Earth.' His previous books include The Accidental Species: Misunderstandings of Human Evolution; Across The Bridge: Understanding the Origin of the Vertebrates; Deep Time: Cladistics, the Revolution in Evolution; Jacob's Ladder: The History of the Human Genome; The Science of Middle-Earth, and (with Luis V. Rey). You can find him on Twitter or Instagram. Comedy guest: Iona Stewart-Richardson is a E'cole Philippe Gaulier trained clown. She's also a journalist and rising star in the stand up comedy scene. She was a finalist at the 2021 Bath New Comedy Act Competition. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram. 

From marathon runners, to chilli lovers and kinksters, we all have things that bring us joy and pain simultaneously. Why and how does it happen? Join us to find out. Expert guest: Leigh Cowart is a researcher, science communicator and author. Their work has appeared in New York Magazine's The Cut, the Washington Post, Buzzfeed News, Hazlitt, The Verge, Deadspin, MIT Technology Review, and The Daily Beast, among others. Leigh's first book 'Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose' is the subject of today's episode and is a beautifully in-depth, personal and deeply scientific look into masochism.  You can (and should) learn more about the book here. And follow them on Twitter. Comedy guest:Vix Leyton is a hilariously natural storyteller. It's easy to see why she's one of comedy's rising stars. In 2021 Vix was  a Funny Women awards semi finalist, her panel show podcast 'The Comedy Arcade' was nominated for best podcast at Leicester Comedy Festival and had a sell out run at Edinburgh Fringe. You can follow Vix on Twitter or Instagram to learn more. 

Why is some stuff sticky? How does ice work and are we birds swimming through the air? This week we dive deep into the science of surfaces.Expert guest: Laurie Winkless is a brilliantly multi-talented physicist and science communicator. She has a passion for translating complex science into engaging stories and has worked with Forbes Magazine, various schools and universities, the Royal Society, The Naked Scientists and NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Her first book, Science and the City: The Mechanics Behind the Metropolis, explains the science behind aspects of urban living, including skyscrapers and subways. In this episode we focus on her second book 'Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces.' You can check out more about what she's up to on Twitter.  Comedy guest:Joshua Mason Wood was a semi-finalist in So You Think You're Funny? had a successful 2021 run with split-bill show “AngloViking Invasion Before Naptime”, which got a 4 star Edfringe review and and was called ‘Heart-warming and hilariously self-aware stand up', and MC in residence Joker Comedy. You can check him out on Instagram at @joshuamasonwoodAlso, a follow up on our Teflon chat, the John Oliver segment referenced is available here. 

There are a few topics in life that most of us find difficult to have. The most common of those around dying. This week expert Dr Kathryn Mannix, and comedian Jackie Kashian join us talk about how to have tender conversations. Expert guest: Dr Kathryn Mannix has spent her career in palliative care, helping countless people have the care and conversations they need to maintain a high-quality of life, even as they approach death. Her first book 'With the end in mind' was shortlisted for the Welcomme Book Prize. Her latest book 'Listen: How to find the words for tender conversations' is out now.  You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter. Comedian guest: Jackie Kashian has been doing standup for over 35 years. Last heard on NPR and seen on HBO's 2DopeQueens, her albums have been #1 on Amazon, iTunes and have over 10 million listens on Spotify and Pandora. She has two podcasts; The Dork Forest (since 2006) where she talks with people about what they love to do, think about and collect. She also has a podcast with Laurie Kilmartin where they talk about the thing they both love to do and think about… standup comedy. It is called The Jackie and Laurie Show. Her new album 'Stay-Kashian' is out now. You can learn more about her on her website, Twitter, FB or Insta. 

From politics to travel, sports to conspiracy theories, the groups we're in hugely change the way we see and interact with the world. In this episode we look talk to a leading social psychologist about how group identity works. Expert guest: Dr Jay Van Bavel is a multi-talented and multi-award winning researcher, academic, author and academic. He is currently the Associate Professor of Psychology & Neural Science at New York University, an affiliate at the Stern School of Business in Management and Organizations, and Director of the Social Identity & Morality Lab. He is the co-author of the fantastic new book “The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony”. You can learn more on his website and follow him on Twitter.Comedy guest: Comedian and writer Tommy Ettling has worked in comedy for more than a decade, working in television, radio and stand up. He currently lives in Mexico City where he helms the newly launched “Duke's Island Comedy Revue.” You can check him out on Twitter, 

Get ready to wave hello to Jeff and Elon, we're getting back in the Highbrow Drivel Galactic and heading back to outer space. This week, we're talking about the frequently asked questions of the universe with Dr Daniel Whiteson and Pernille Haaland. Highlights include Dr Daniel explaining expansion, discussion on whether the black hole at the centre of the milky way is like a guard dog keeping aliens away and some a-grade nan chat. Expert guest: Daniel Whiteson is a physics professor at UCIrvine, and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He does research using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and is looking forward to meeting aliens. He is one of the hosts of the amazing 'Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe' podcast and one of the authors of the fantastic new book 'Frequently Asked Questions About the Universe' . You can learn more about him and his work at either of the two above links or by following him on Twitter.Comedian guest: Pernille Haaland (West End, BBC, BBC3, “Hilarious” Time Out) is a comedian and actor from Norway. She studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and works as a freelance actor, comedian and writer. Since starting comedy Pernille Haaland has toured around the UK and Europe as well as doing the Edinburgh Fringe 6 years in a row! She was a semi finalist in the SYTF, Leicester Square and South East comedian competitions and won best short film at the Sunderland Short-film Comedy Festival. Pernille is currently based in Norway, Oslo.  Learn more on her website, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Numbers are the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe, and as we progress in our career, almost all jobs (even fun creative ones) need a basic grasp of mathematics. So why do so many people hate them and how can we fix this?  And test your skill with our viral math mind benders! Expert guest:Kyle Evans is an award-winning comedian* and maths communicator** - combining comedy, song and extreme pedantry to lethal effect (not literally.)  You'll find him performing family and grown-up shows at festivals, comedy clubs, schools, pubs, pie shops... anywhere that wants a venn diagram intersection of maths and entertainment.  He has appeared several times on Radio 4's cult numbers show 'More or Less' and had a song about the Riemann Hypothesis turned into a local radio jingle - surely a world first.  Kyle's latest book "MATHS TRICKS TO BLOW YOUR MIND: A journey through viral maths" is available now. You can learn more about him in the following places. His websiteHis TwitterHis Facebook. Comedy guest: Dave Warneke is an award nominated comedian, podcaster and producer. Over the last decade he has toured his comedy shows to dozens of comedy, fringe, music, film, arts and writer's festivals across Australia - including the last ten Melbourne International Comedy Festivals. He has appeared in guest roles on the ABC shows The Librarians and Upper Middle Bogan and on Channel Nine's True Story with Hamish & Andy. Dave is the co-host of the popular 'Do Go On' podcast and host of Book Cheat. You can learn more about him on hisWebsiteTwitterFacebook

Are cities broken or brilliant? Most of our population live in cities, so you'd think they should be the most comfortable place a person can be...but a whole lot of people hate them. In this week's episode our comedian and expert look into the pro's and con's of city life. Expert guest: Claire Bradbury has lived in the metropolis for much of her life, so she understands what it takes to find home in the city, whether in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, the US or the UK. With a background in law and international development, she has devoted her career to tackling critical sustainability challenges across the globe.She has worked with some of the world's leading thinkers and organisations, including the Household of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, developing sustainable food and agriculture, urban regeneration and social cohesion programmes. Claire has emerged as a thought leader on wellbeing in cities and is also a certified personal trainer, and co-founder and trustee of the Active Pregnancy Foundation. Passionate about the transformative power of the wilderness, both in and outside of the city, she is a keen adventurer and can often be found exploring the urban jungle or climbing mountains in some of the most remote parts of the world.Buy Dwellbeing: https://smarturl.it/dwellbeingWebsite: https://www.dwellbeinginc.comContact Claire: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-bradbury-47691b36/ | https://www.instagram.com/clairebradbury__/ | IG @clairebradbury__  Comedy guest: Jamie Pityinger is a hilarious Producer, Podcaster, and Writer based in Los Angeles. She is the host of the 'Does That Make Me A Dick? Podcast' You can find out more about her: On her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpitythefooo/ On the podcast Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/dickpodcast/On Twitter: https://twitter.com/GarbagePailJameAt her website: https://www.jamiepityinger.com/

What's in the periodic table? In this week's episode the infectiously insightful Dr Kathryn Harkup takes us through her love of the periodic table, helping us understand the personalities and characteristic of the elements we spent so long trying to remember. Expert guest: Dr Kathryn Harkup is a chemist and author. Her first book was the international best-seller, A is for Arsenic. She has also written about the science of Frankenstein in Making the Monster, all the ways to die in a Shakespeare play in Death By Shakespeare and investigated the scientific background to horror's most famous fiend in her most recent book Vampirology. You can learn more about here on here website or on Twitter. Comedian guest:Your boy is back. Juan miles has now been co-host twice as many times as anyone else. Juan is an Argentinian born, Berlin based stand-up comedian via Melbourne, Australia. He's one of the most wickedly funny people I know. As always, you can stay up-to-date with his news on his Instagram or Twitter.

Emotions are confusing as hell, and increasingly, we're paying more and more attention to how we feel. In this episode we talk to one of the world's leading experts on emotions, Dr Rich Firth-Godbehere, to help us figure out how to think about the way that we feel. The hilarious John Poveromo joins us to lighten the emotional load with his quick wit and brilliant insights.Expert guest: Dr. Richard Firth-Godbehere is an award-winning interdisciplinary research walks the line between history, psychology, linguistics, and futurism. His boundary crossing studies may make him the world's most comprehensive expert in the field of emotions.  He examines how understandings of emotions change over time and how these changes can influence the wider world. He is currently an Affiliated Research Scholar with The Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary University of London. He received a first-class degree from the University of London during which time he won two awards for academic excellence; alongside a Masters (MPhil) from the University of Cambridge and a PhD From Queen Mary, University of London where he was a Wellcome Trust Scholar. Dr Rich's first book "A Human History Of Emotion: How The Way We Feel Built The World We Know" is due out around the world in November. You can learn more about him on his website, YouTube or Twitter. Comedy guest:  John Poveromo is a Brooklyn-born, Jersey-raised stand-up with the perfect blend of self-deprecation and optimism. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business including opening for Jimmy Fallon, Dom Irerra, Pat Cooper, Drew Carey, Colin Quinn, Gilbert Gottfried and many more.   Always open and honest, John's charm and vulnerability on stage gives him the ability to connect with every audience, allowing each show to be original, refreshing, and funny as hell. John has been featured in the New York Times and the Asbury Park Press. He can be heard on Sirius XM Radio, has been featured at the Jersey City Comedy Festival, The New York Underground Comedy Festival, The Baltimore Comedy Festival, and has appeared on Comcast On Demand's "Young Comedians Showcase." John has been seen on Fox TV's 'The Q' with Quincy Harris, and has lent his writing talents to a variety of shows, including ESPN's Sports Nation, Current TV's Viewpoint with John Fugelsang, Joy Behar's Say Anything on HLN, The Independents, and CNN Newsroom, as well as VH1's "Best Of" series. You can learn more about John on his website, Twitter or Instagram or check out his brilliant (seriously, highly recommend it) podcast Dystopia Tonight. 

What makes up stuff? And why does it exist? In this episode we talk to particle physicist Dr Harry Cliff and Ashish Suri to find out how a universe is made. Expert guest: Dr Harry Cliff is a particle physicist at the University of Cambridge working on the LHCb (you know, the Large Hadron Collider) experiment, a huge particle detector buried 100 metres underground at CERN. He's conducting experiments to study the basic building blocks of our universe, in search of answers to some of the biggest questions in modern physics.As if that isn't enough, he also spends his time sharing his love of physics as a popular science communicator. He's just finished his first popular science book, How To Make An Apple Pie From Scratch,  which we talk about in this episode. You may know Dr Harry from the popular talk with The Royal Institution 'Beyond The Higgs', where he explains what's next for the Large Hadron Collider (also touched on in this episode). To learn more you can visit his website or follow him on Twitter. Comedy guest: Ashish Suri is is one of my favourite comedians who I have the joy of gigging with. His quick wit, clever turn of phrase and original observations make him a stand out on any comedy bill. He is a Finalist of Leicester Squa Newcomer Award, Bath New Comedian and Winner of the Honk Show, Moth Club. You can check him out on Twitter (newly created) and Instagram. 

Just this week we saw Tower Bridge flooded. How the heck a bridge floods, I don't know. It seems like flooding has snuck up on most of us as a major consequence of climate change. In this week's episode we talk with a flood modelling specialist and an critically acclaimed comedian to find out about why flooding is getting worse, how bad it will get and whether technology can help us manage the damage.Comedy guest: Isabelle Farrah is a British Lebanese actor, comedian, and writer. After an undergraduate in French and Film studies, she trained at Drama Studio and on the Soho Theatre Comedy Lab. As an actress she has performed in theatre in the West End and on Tour and she has gigged across the UK and in Lisbon and New York City. Her short, Breakfast, was a finalist in the Funny Women Shorts Prize.Her debut show, Ellipsis, was commended for the Screenshot Award in 2020. It's been at Camden People's Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, and EdFringe with Assembly Fest in 2021. It will be at Soho Theatre 11th-13th October 2021. You can find important links to all upcoming stuff here. Expert guest: Dr Andrew Smith is the co-founder of Fathom, a company formed whilst undertaking his PhD at the University of Bristol. Alongside his role as COO at Fathom, he is also an active research scientist where his expertise and research focuses on the development of computational flood models. As part of this, Andrew boasts an impressive scholarly portfolio, with a wide range of research examining various aspects of climate change risk modelling and modelling floods over large scales.You can view his full research portfolio by visitinghttps://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=9JWJrzgAAAAJ&hl=en 

According to some studies 75% of people have experienced burnout. And according to some of my friends you can be burned out 75% of the time. In this week's episode we talk to an organisational psychologist and a comedian who used to be a social worker to get to the bottom of what burnout is, why it happens, whether it's on the rise and a much more. Expert guest:Dr. Brian Swider is the Beth Ayers MaCague Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor at the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. His research focuses on how and why employees enter and exit organizations, including topics such as recruitment, employee selection, burnout, withdrawal, and turnover. You can check him out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BrianSwiderComedian guest: Bryan James was a finalist in the Bath Comedy Festival New act Competition 2021. He is from the Northeast of England, but has been performing comedy  nationally in the U.K. since early 2020. Thanks to comedy sketches, and silly songs he's got thousands of followers on Tiktok. He's also on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, so go check him out.

Making sense of sound is one of the most interesting and difficult things that our brain does constantly. So how does it work? And can you really have 'selective hearing' find out this and more on this week's episode. Expert guest:Nina Kraus, a neuroscientist who has done pathbreaking research on sound and hearing for more than thirty years, is Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Communication Sciences, and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University. Her book, OF SOUND MIND: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World comes out in September 2021 from MIT Press. You can learn more about the work her and her team do at the Brainvolts website as mentioned on the episode https://brainvolts.northwestern.edu/You can find out more about her book at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675902/of-sound-mind-by-nina-kraus/Comedic guest:Scott Curtis is a comedian with a mission to teach new comedians and inform comedy nerds about the intricacies of stand-up comedy. He started Behind the Bits Podcast as serious talk about stand-up comedy and interviews working comedians and industry experts every week to give his listeners nuggets of stand-up wisdom. Scott won the 2020 Discover Pods Award for Best Interview Style Podcast and hosts a wacky talk show called the BTB Internet Talk Show that is live-streamed every Thursday at 7PM EST on various platforms.Website:www.thebtbpc.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/behindthebitspodcastInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/behindthebitspodcast/Twitter:https://www.twitter.com/thebtbpcTwitch:https://www.twitch.tv/behindthebitsTikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@behindthebits64 

Most of us wouldn't go to a restaurant if 42% of it was crazy expensive and 42% of its review were terrible. Yet, every year 1000's of people still get married. In this episode we discuss what marriage was, why it sucked, why we still do it and how to reimagine it in a way that works for our current values. Comedy guest: Sikisa is one of the funniest and  most likable comedians on the London comedy circuit. She won the public's vote in the 2017 BBC New Comedy Award competition, for which she was a finalist. Her TV appearances include Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club (ITV), The Dog Ate My Homework (CBBC), Pie And A Pint (Comedy Central) and Period Dramas (BBC 3). Her radio credits include Lemonade (Radio 1) and writing for Newsjack (Radio 4). She is also developing a number of projects for TV and radio. Her debut stand up was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2020.I highly recommend you check out her upcoming live work (when we're safely allowed back on stages). To stay up-to-date with what she's doing check out her Instagram, Twitter or Facebook pages.   Expert guest:Andrew Copson was appointed Chief Executive of Humanists UK in 2009, having previously been its Director of Education and Public Affairs. He is also the current President of Humanists International, a position he's held since 2015.His books include The Little Book of Humanism (2020) and The Little Book of Humanist Weddings (2021) with Alice Roberts; Secularism: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2019); The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Humanism (2015) with A C Grayling. His writing on humanist and secularist issues has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Times and New Statesman as well as in various journals.He has represented the humanist movement extensively on television news on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky, as well as on programmes such as Newsnight, The Daily Politics, and The Big Questions. He has also appeared on radio on programmes from Today, Sunday, The World at One, The Last Word, and Beyond Belief on the BBC, to local and national commercial radio stations.

This is a downright hilarious and often surprising chat about sweat. That's right smelly, wet, sweat. We discuss why it happens, why it sucks, some of the weird (and occasionally scary) things it can do and some of the amazing things it can tell us. Expert guest: Sarah Everts is an award-winning science journalist and speaker from Ottawa, Canada. Her most recent project is the taboo-busting romp through the shame, stink and science of sweat in her new book 'The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration'. You can learn more about her work and the book at http://saraheverts.com/Comedy guest:One of the funniest men around town, Jamie Allerton's career creds include. 2016 Liverpool Echo New Comedian Finalist 2017 So You Think You're Funny semi-Finalist 2018 Max Turner Finalist “Where the other stand up sets held the stage, he owned it. A flurry of energy with a clever routine” – Broadway Baby Jamie is now 1/4 of WTD Comedy, focusing on comedy events around the country, including regular live comedy at The Stags Head in Hoxton. You can learn more about what he's up to on Instagram at @allertonjamie

Can someone of sound mind commit murder? What makes someone become a murderer and what is the home security like of someone who has worked on over 100 murder cases? We discuss all that plus some of the strangest cases of the career of Dr Richard Taylor. Expert guest: Dr Richard Taylor is a London based Forensic Psychiatrist who has worked on over 100 murder cases in a career spanning nearly three decades. He is the author of the fantastic book 'The Mind of a Murderer.' In the book Dr. Taylor uses cases from across his career to help paint a picture of the common types of murder cases, what trends are closely linked to murder and ultimately what factors can lead to someone becoming a killer. Comedy guest: Cressida Wetton is an awesome London based stand-up comedian who has been a finalist in most of the countries top comedy competitions and who regular performs at some of the most exciting shows around town. 

What's hiding in our deep oceans? A whole bunch of beautiful and interesting animals it turns out. Today Dr Karen Osborne joins us to answer all our important questions on our deep oceans, what they're made up of, what it's like to study them and what it's like to live with a whale.  Expert guest: Dr. Karen Osborn is an award-winning zoologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She specialises in the fascinating world of animals that live in the deep ocean but above the sea floor. She grew up loving animals and chose marine biology after spending a year in Pohnpei, Micronesia. She was SCUBA diving every chance she got on the lush coral reefs that surround the tropical Pacific island. Seeing the huge variety of shapes and sizes of animals that make up the reef communities made her wonder how and why that much diversity of shape came about. How do all those different animals accomplish basically the same thing - survival and reproduction - with such different bodies and ways of living?You can learn more about her and her work here. Resources Dr Karen recommends:https://ocean.si.edu/ecosystems/deep-sea/deep-sea https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFXww6CrLAHhyZQCDnJ2g2Ahttps://www.mbari.org/science/midwater-research/Comedy guest:Jono Duffy is an Australian born comedian who currently lives in Paris, France. He spent the last 5 years living in Iceland were he worked at Eurovision, won a bunch of awards and was pretty much a C-list celeb. Jono has his own podcasts as well, 'Not in Front of my Salad' and ‘Icetralia'. He's probably done enough things to warrant a Wikipedia page but nobody who is a fan of his work loves him enough to make one. You can find links to all the great stuff he does including his comedy special, podcast, website, Twitter and Instagram here.

What does it take to be a spy? And what can we learn from spies about how to influence people, manage risk and make good decisions? We bring Sir David Omand, former Head of UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator on the show to find out. Expert Guest: Sir David Omand was the first UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator, responsible to the Prime Minister for the professional health of the intelligence community, national counter-terrorism strategy and "homeland security". He served for seven years on the Joint Intelligence Committee. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ (the UK Sigint Agency). Previously, in the Ministry of Defence as Deputy Under Secretary of State for Policy, he was particularly concerned with long term strategy, with the British military contribution in restoring peace in the former Yugoslavia and the recasting of British nuclear deterrence policy at the end of the Cold War. He was Principal Private Secretary to the Defence Secretary during the Falklands conflict, and served for three years in NATO Brussels as the UK Defence Counsellor. Comedian Guest: Will Preston has been performing comedy since 2016 all across the UK and the US. He is a regular at the top comedy clubs on the London scene. Will is also the co-host of the Marvel Versus Marvel podcast.

Gonna be controversial, but I wouldn't be a bad boy of comedy if I didn't say it. I don't like the idea of dying. So of course, on this episode I squirm through the topic of dying, how to prepare for it or come to terms with it with the amazing Dr Panagiotis Pentaris and good friend of the show Juan Miles. Our expert: Dr Pentaris is an Associate Professor of Social Work and Thanatology at the University of Greenwich, England, UK, where he is also a member of the Institute for Lifecourse Development. Pentaris is a council member for the Association for the Study of Death and Society, and over the last ten years he has researched and published on death, dying, bereavement, culture and religion, social work, social policy and LGBTQIA+ issues.He has practised social work in the field of thanatology, notably with dying children and adults, and bereaved individuals; he has practiced both internationally and nationally. Positions held include hospice social worker, independent bereavement therapist, and social policy consultant regarding end of life strategies and palliative and hospice care guidance. Dr Pentaris has two books due to be released this year. You can keep up with the latest on his Twitter. Upcoming booksDeath, grief and loss in the context of COVID-19Dying in a transhumanist and posthuman societyComedian guest: The unofficial go-to co-host is back once again. Juan Miles has now been on the show 5 times and smashed it every single one of them. Juan is an Argentinian born, Berlin based stand-up comedian via Melbourne, Australia. He's one of the most wickedly funny people I know. As always, you can stay up-to-date with his news on his Instagram or Twitter.

Dawkins said that there was no room for altruism in evolution, so why are we so cooperative as a species? This week we speak to Dr Nichola Raihani is PI of the Social Evolution and Behaviour Lab. She is Professor in Evolution and Behaviour, a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. Her new book 'The Social InstinctHow Cooperation Shaped the World' is out now. 

We've already discussed the scientific benefits of psychedelics. Today we look at whether that comes from magical elves, third eyes and interdimensional wisdom, or perhaps if there is a way to experience all the benefits of psychedelics without giving into mystical madness. Our expert guest:Dr Chris Letheby is a philosopher working on issues related to the therapeutic and transformative potential of classic psychedelic drugs. His doctoral research, conducted at the University of Adelaide, presented the first systematic analysis of psychedelic experience within the framework of 21st century philosophy of cognitive science.He is currently (2018-2021) Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Western Australia and (2019-2022) Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Adelaide on the ARC-funded project 'Philosophical Perspectives on Psychedelic Psychiatry'. His monograph Philosophy of Psychedelics is forthcoming with Oxford University Press in the series 'International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry'.Our comedy guest: Rachel Hornbuckle is a wickedly funny comedian based in Brisbane after honing her skills on the London comedy circuit. Follow her on Instagram for the latest. 

Bugs, creepy crawlies, insects, pests. Whatever you call them, these little critters play an important part of our ecosystem and their disappearing at an alarming rate. In this episode, we chat to Dr Dave Goulson, author of the upcoming book 'Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse' with the help of comedian Alfie Packham. We cover how the decline is measured, why it's important, which insects we could maybe do without and why inner-city hipsters starting suburban beehives won't solve the problem. Expert guest: Dave Goulson is Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex. He has published more than 300 scientific articles on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and other insects. His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers The Garden Jungle and A Sting in the Tale, which was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize and has been translated into fifteen languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, a trustee of Pesticide Action Network, and an Ambassador for the UK Wildlife Trusts.Comedian guest: Alfie Packham has performed at comedy clubs across the UK, including the Manchester Comedy Store and Komedia Brighton, and on radio shows like Union Jack Radio's One Night Stand. He has also performed above pubs, below pubs, and inside the walls of pubs. He was a finalist for the Komedia New Comedy Award in 2020 and a runner-up for the BBC's New Comedy Award in 2019.He has also written jokes and sketches for BBC Radio 4's The Now Show and BBC Radio 4 Extra's Newsjack. You can follow Alfie on Twitter and Instagram

There's a lot of what we know from Earth that can teach us what to expect from extraterrestrials in the future. In this week's episode, Zoologist, Dr Arik Kershenbaum joins comedian Will Preston to discuss insights from Arik's book 'A Zoologists Guide to The Galaxy:  What Animals on Earth Reveal about Aliens' which has won praise from high places, including Richard Dawkins.In this episode we cover common expectations, what alien mating might be like, what drives human evolution and the best and worst depictions of aliens in popular culture. Expert guest: Dr Arik Kershenbaum is a zoologist, College Lecturer, and Fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge. He has researched animal vocal communication for the past ten years in Europe, Israel and the United States and has published more than twenty academic publications on the topic. He is also a member of the international board of advisors for METI.org, a think tank on the topic of Messaging Extra Terrestrial Intelligence.Comedy guest: Will Preston has been performing comedy since 2016 all across the UK and the US. He is a regular at the top comedy clubs on the London scene. Will is also the co-host of the Marvel Versus Marvel podcast.

Fresh from his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, Edward Slingerland joins us to discuss his new book "Drunk: How we sipped, danced, and stumbled our way to civilisation" a book that offers a deep dive into the alcohol-soaked origins of civilization — and the evolutionary roots of humanity's appetite for intoxication.On this episode we get to scratch the surface on the importance of alcohol historically, how it's used now, comparison to other intoxicants and how philosophy and alcohol mix. Expert guest: Edward Slingerland is Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he also holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Asian Studies. Educated at Princeton, Stanford and UC Berkeley, he is an expert on early Chinese thought, comparative religion and cognitive science of religion, big data approaches to cultural analysis, cognitive linguistics, digital humanities and humanities-science integration.  An avid ocean kayaker, gardener, cook and appreciator of wine, Edward splits his time between Vancouver, Canada and Northern California. Comedian guest: Juan Miles, is here for a 4th time. Juan is an Argentinian born, Berlin based stand-up comedian via Melbourne, Australia. He's one of the most wickedly funny people I know. As always, you can stay up-to-date with his news on his Instagram.

How did we evolve to be the way we are? I'm joined by international award winning philosopher on evolutionary science Dr Kim Sterelny and international acclaimed comedian Tom Ballard to find out. Guest comedian:  Tom Ballard is one of Australia's most decorated comedians who has been selling out shows and winning awards around the world for over a decade. His accolades include (but aren't limited to) Best Newcomer Winner at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Best Show Winner at Sydney Comedy Festival and Best Show Nominee at Edinburgh Comedy Festival. When he's not on stage Tom is a regular on TV and Radio and also hosts the brilliant 'Like I'm a Six-Year-Old' podcast.Tom has upcoming tours scheduled in Brisbane and Sydney and is filming his show across two nights in Melbourne. You can learn more on his website. Or check out his Facebook, Instagram or TwitterGuest expert: Professor Kim Sterelny is arguably one of the most influential thinkers and academics of our generation. He is the winner of multiple international awards in science and philosophy, including the Jean-Nicod Prize and Lakatos Award. Kim is currently a Chief Investigator and leader of the Language Evolution program at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language. He is also an ARC Laureate Professor at the ANU School of Philosophy. His latest book The Pleistocene Social Contract: Culture and Cooperation in Human Evolution has just been published by Oxford University Press.His research interests have always been in the border areas between philosophy and the sciences; most of his research and graduate supervision has been in philosophy of biology and the philosophy of the cognitive sciences. In the last decade and a half, he has been particularly interested in human evolution and in understanding the the evolution of the distinctive features of human social life, and of the cognitive capacities that make that life possible.He is the author of The Representational Theory of Mind; the co-author of Language and Reality (with Michael Devitt); Sex and Death: An Introduction to Philosophy of Biology (with Paul Griffiths); Thought in a Hostile World (which won the 2003 Lakatos Prize); What is Biodiversity (with James MacLaurin); Dawkins vs Gould; and The Evolved Apprentice (the book of the 2009 Nicod Prize Lectures). He is Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, and the Royal Society of New Zealand. In addition to philosophy, Kim spends his time eating curries,drinking red wine, bushwalking, snorkelling and bird watching.

From spiderman to Loki to Rick and Morty, pop culture loves a good multiverse at the moment. In this episode we ask a quantum physicist what a multiverse is and whether the science behind it checks out.  Expert guestJim Rantschler teaches physics at Texas A&M at Galveston. He has worked as an NRC postdoc at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a research professor at the University of Houston, and a Senior Principal Engineer at Western Digital. He previously taught at Xavier University of Louisiana. Jim hosts the awesome Physics Frontiers podcast which you can check out here. Comedian guestEve is an effortlessly funny New Yorker formerly based in Melbourne, Australia. She hosts the Everyone is Doing Better Than Me podcast. When it's safe and legal I highly recommend you check her out live and on-stage, but until then, listen to her podcast :) 

In this episode we deep dive into a bizarre story in medical history. A Dr obsessed with being able to transplant human heads to prove that he could save the immortal soul. It's a wickedly macabre, bizarrely funny story that touches upon some deeply important questions. What is death? And, more importantly, should we make sure our sciences spend less time asking whether they can do something and more time asking whether they should? Our guest for this episode is the amazing Dr. Brandy Schillace, who has just published the brilliant 'Dr Humble and Mr Butcher' which follows the decades long quest of Dr. White to transplant a human head. The story involves 2 popes, a trip to Russia and a Nobel prize nomination.  It's an incredible gripping story which I highly recommend you pick up and read for yourself.Our expert guest: Dr. Brandy Schillace is a historian of medicine and the critically acclaimed author of DEATH'S SUMMER COAT, CLOCKWORK FUTURES,  and most recently MR. HUMBLE AND DR. BUTCHER, described by the New York Times as a “macabre delight.” Her books have been reviewed in Science Magazine, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, New Yorker, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and more. Dr. Schillace is host of the Peculiar Book Club, a livestream community of authors and readers, and has appeared on Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum,  NPR's Here and Now, and FOX's American Built. She has bylines at Scientific American, Globe and Mail, HuffPo, SLATE, and Crime Reads. (she/her)Dr. Schillace is a 2018 winner of the Arthur P. Sloan Science Foundation award, and in addition to her work as an author, is editor-in-chief of BMJ's Medical Humanities Journal.

What is love (baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me know more). On this week's episode we speak to budding neuroscientist and co-host of 'Living Room Logic' Andrew McGovern and Loveryboy comedian Kevin O'Connel to find out what the neurochemical explanation is for love, what the dumbest thing we've done for love is, whether or not the friend zone exists and why I might need to convince my wife to go to couple's therapy for the perks. Expert guest:Andrew McGovern is a budding neuroscientist who firmly believes the future of medicine has sex in mind. Careful now you little minx, he studies sex differences in risk of diseases like Alzheimer's and in mental health. Currently a bioscience teacher in university, he loves sharing his passions with his students and, well, anyone who will listen. Last year Andrew won the audience price in the regional and all Ireland FameLab finals, Ireland's biggest science communication competition. He's also the host of the fantastic living room logic podcast which I highly recommend. Comedian guest:Since moving to London in 2016, Kevin has been making waves with his high energy performances and whimsical material. In 2019 he was featured on Union Jack Radio's "One Night Stand" and has been a finalist in the Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year 2017 and the prestigious NATYs (New Act of the Year) 2018. Kevin is an alumni of the Soho Youth Company and regularly gigs across the UK and Ireland. He regularly plays at venues such as the Comedy Store, Angel Comedy, The Poodle Club and The Stand. Kevin will soon be performing his solo show at the Camden Fringe Festival, keep an eye out on his Facebook and website for more details. 

The average modern person has around 2% Neanderthal DNA. For thousands of years, modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans shared the earth. In this episode, we speak to Professor Thomas Higham who's groundbreaking work has been at the forefront of our growing understanding of the  the period where we shared the world with our ancient ancestors. Thomas has recently published the fascinating book 'The World Before Us', a must read for anyone who is curious about human origins.  Expert GuestProfessor Higham's research interests focus on archaeological dating, including the radiocarbon dating of bone, as well as the chronology of Palaeolithic Europe. He is involved in a variety of projects investigating the human occupation of Britain and Europe over the last million years and the potential co-existence of Neanderthals with early modern humans. Thomas's work has been fundamental in our growing understanding of our cousins the Denisovans. To learn more I highly recommend his book 'The World Before Us.'Comedian GuestDavid Lewis is a London based comedian and journalist with Skint London. David is one of the quickest wits on the circuit. He runs and comperes Big Nose Comedy which will be back four nights a week starting Thursday 20 May. 

What's the deal with manners? The weird, often arbitrary rules that we abide and judge people  by? In this episode we dive into where they come from, their purpose and some of the weirdest social conventions lost in time. Expert guest:Stephen Mennell is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at University College Dublin (which is the largest university in the confederal National University of Ireland). Stephen does research in Sociological Theory and Historical Sociology. His major books include All Manners of Food (1985) and The American Civilizing Process (2007). Professor Mennel is one of most influential contemporary thinkers and authors in the space of manners and conventions, his work reflecting on the works of Norbert Elias has helped further the field and reach a new audience for both Elias and himself.Guest comedian: Having started performing comedy in the summer of 2016, Jamie has quickly established himself as a rising star on the comedy circuit. He has reached the finals of the prestigious So You Think You're Funny? and The Musical Comedy Awards, as well as being shortlisted for the BBC New Comedy Award. Jamie was also the runner up at Hastings Fringe New Comedian Of The Year.Jamie's stand up has been described as a mix of short stories and one liners, delivered with an instant likability and an understated confidence. Covering a range of topics including veganism, his mixed race heritage and coming to terms with entering adulthood.Coming from a musical background, he is adept at both straight stand up and musical comedy.Jamie has appeared on the BBC Asian Network ‘Stand Up Show' which TX'd live on radio and featured on the iPlayer and ‘Comedy Central at the Edinburgh Fringe'. He currently performs at many clubs all across the UK, including The Comedy Store and Up The Creek.

May the 4th is days away. We thought we'd invite the awesome Dr Jeni Millard from the Awesome Astronomy podcast back on the show to chat to comedian, mate and Star Wars aficionado, Steele Saunders about helicopters on mars, terraforming other planets and aliens.Expert guest: Dr Jenifer Millard is now officially a Dr. Since our last chat she's officially received her PhD, is making appearances of BBC Radio all over the place as well as doing awesome work on the  Awesome Astronomy podcast. As always, she's funny, charming and takes big ideas and makes them easy to understand and fun to hear about. Get her on TV already. Comedian guest: Steele Saunders is a comedian, podcaster, writer, presenter and Star Wars superfan. Before moving to L.A, Steele was a regular on T.V and radio in Melbourne. He is now one of the most popular Star Wars commentators finding fans, cast, crew and fellow comedians to help share the love of the force. You can check out all of his great work (and killer merch) over on his website. 

Race, it's a crazy hot mess that needs unpacking. In this week's episode, I get the amazing Dr. Nitasha Tamar Sharma to join me on the podcast to help me unpack the mixed race experience. Because it's a crazy hot bed topic and I wanted to be greedy and discuss my own personal experience a bit more, there's no guest comedian on this episode.  Expert guest: Nitasha Tamar Sharma is a professor at Professor at Northwestern University. A comparative race studies scholar who offers an interdisciplinary, comparative, and ethnographic approach to the study of difference, inequality, and racism. The central goal of her teaching, research, and writing is to contest interminority racisms by ethnographically detailing existing models of cross-racial solidarities among nonWhite groups. By highlighting historical crossovers, comparative or relational racialization, and expansive political orientations, Sharma's work attempts to imagine liberated futures for all people.Nitasha Sharma is the author of Hawai'i is my Haven: Race and Indigeneity in the Black Pacific (Duke University Press, August 2021). She is also the author of Hip Hop Desis: South Asian Americans, Blackness, and a Global Race Consciousness. 

We're back in space, this time with an Author, Activist and Astrophysicists who's list of achievements is so long I wonder if she's managed to build a time machine to manage it all and an awesome actor / writer and comedian. We discuss the ethics of science, the way trouble with gatekeepers in education and finally, someone explains cosmic acceleration in a way I can understand.  Expert guest: Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women's and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. She is also a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter. She also does research in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies. Nature recognized her as one of 10 people who shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized her as one of ‘15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.' A cofounder of Particles for Justice, she received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award for her contributions to improving conditions for marginalized people in physics and the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award for her contributions to particle cosmology. Originally from East LA, she divides her time between the New Hampshire Seacoast and Cambridge, Massachusetts.Comedian guest: Born in London, from an Iranian father and a French mother, she grew up between Paris and London. She started doing impersonations and accents at 5. She attended youth theatre/musical theatre programs from 9 to 15 (Sylvia Young, Cours Florent). After receiving a BA in Global Communications and working as a journalist, she attended the classical acting course at LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts). After several tv appearances, short films and commercials in Europe, she acted in the feature A Beautiful Now which brought her to LA.  She's kept busy with commercials (Google, Samsung…), her own short called Connected, selected in international festivals. Back in Europe, she played Célimène in The Misanthrope alternately in French and English. She acted in the tv series Le Bureau des Légendes (Canal +) and commercials (Magnet Kitchens, Qatar Airways). As a comedian, she performs in English & French in diverse venues including The Comedy Store (London) and Le Paname Café (Paris).

Is there such thing as bad music? How important was music to human evolution? Is musicology a real thing? And, why is Baby Shark one of our expert guests favourite bits of new music? All this and more in this week's episode. Expert guest:Michael Spitzer is a Professor of Music (otherwise known as a musicologist) at the University of Liverpool. His newly published book 'The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth' takes on the ambitious task of providing the complete journey of music throughout the ages. It's already a number one bestseller on Amazon. It was recently seralialized for Radio 4 read by Simon McBurney over 5 episodes. You can start with episode 1 here.  Michael founded the series of International Conferences on Music and Emotion, and organised the International Conference on Analyzing Popular Music (Liverpool, 2013). You can purchase the book on Amazon and learn more about Michael on the University of Liverpool website.Comedy guest: Jordan Gray is a hilarious comedy star with a background in music who was once a contestant on The Voice UK. She's the writer and co-star of Transaction on Comedy Central UK and one of the most in-demand comedians in the UK. You can stay in touch with her work on Facebook (Jordan Gray / Tall Dark Friend), Twitter (@TallDarkFriend) and Instagram (@TallDarkFriend). 

How do you know if you know yourself? In this episode we speak to one of the leading scientists in the world of metacognition to find out what self-awareness is, why we have it, whether it's a blessing or a curse and how our own self-awareness impacts us. Our expert guest: Dr. Steve Fleming is one of the world's leading experts in the field of metacognition (the fancy science word for self-awareness). He is a  Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow at the Department of Experimental Psychology and Principal Investigator at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London. His research centres on furthering our understanding of the marvellous mystery of what drives human self-awareness. His latest book 'Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness' will be released on April 27. The book takes some of the key findings in the field of metacognition and makes them easy and accessible for everyone to understand. By very nature of the topic, the book blends the objective science of self-awareness with philosophical inquiry and practical findings. You can find the book here. To learn more about Dr. Steve, head to his website or Twitter.Our comedian guest: Juan Miles, is back making him the first 3 time guest on the show. Juan is an Argentinian born, Berlin based stand-up comedian who I met living in Melbourne. He's one of the most wickedly funny people I know. As always, you can stay up-to-date with his news on his Instagram. 

Let's face it, most of us have got used to ignoring the fact that our tech has become a sneaky spy selling our every move to the highest bidder. So how do we change that? In this week's episode I talk to Joshua Fairfield, an internationally recognised law and technology scholar / author, who happens to be extremely funny and Davina Bentley, an international awesome comedian who happens to be a lawyer. We talk about the in's and out's of tech and law... but trust me as well as being an incredibly enlightening chat, it's also really entertaining. Our ExpertJoshua Fairfield is an internationally recognized law and technology scholar, specializing in digital property, electronic contract, big data privacy, and virtual communities. His articles on protecting consumer interests in an age of mass-market consumer contracting regularly appear in top law and law-and-technology journals, and policy pieces on consumer protection and technology have appeared in the New York Times, Forbes, and the Financial Times, among other outlets. Before entering the law, Professor Fairfield was a technology entrepreneur, serving as the director of research and development for language-learning software company Rosetta Stone. His most recent book 'Runaway Technology: Can the law keep up" is available now. You can learn more about him on his website and keep in touch with his latest new on Twitter. Our ComedianDavina Bentley is one of the most delightfully intelligent comedians on the circuit combining her experience in both neuroscience and law to create a unique style that juxtaposes insightful analytical thought with pop culture and everyday observations. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

According to some cancel culture is rife and freedom of speech is under attack, but then a look around most mainstream newsrooms and social media platforms will show a lot of people getting a lot of money and attention for saying the kinds of things that you allegedly aren't allowed to say anymore. So is cancel culture one big which hunt? Or is it more a matter of which c%^t needs to be canceled next? We take a look at the impacts, rationale and efficacy of cancel culture in this week's episode.Guest comedian: Sikisa is one of the funniest and  most likable comedians on the London comedy circuit She won the public's vote in the 2017 BBC New Comedy Award competition, for which she was a finalist. Her TV appearances include Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club (ITV), The Dog Ate My Homework (CBBC), Pie And A Pint (Comedy Central) and Period Dramas (BBC 3). Her radio credits include Lemonade (Radio 1) and writing for Newsjack (Radio 4). She is also developing a number of projects for TV and radio. Her debut stand up hour which was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2020.I highly recommend you check out her upcoming live work (when we're safely allowed back on stages). To stay up-to-date with what she's doing check out her Instagram, Twitter or Facebook pages.   Guest expert: Gwen Bouvier (PhD University of Wales) is a Professor at Zhejiang University.  Her main areas of research interest are social media, civic discourse, and news representation.  Professor Bouvier's publications have focused on multimodal and critical discourse analysis, social media, fashion as discourse and the visual representation of crises in news.  She is the Associate Editor for Social Semiotics and Review Editor for the Journal of Multicultural Discourse.  

We're kicking it ol' school....Really ol' school. This week we're joined by Ahir Shah and Dr Emma Dunne to talk all things dinosaurs.  In one the most fun episodes we've ever recorded we cover whether birds are carry around the regret of no longer being a dinosaur, whether you can judge a person based on their favourite dinosaur, what it's like to work in a job where the most knowledgeable experts have an average age of around  6 years old, why we should still care about paleontology, what we're discovering from dinosaurs that applies to the world today, whether Jurassic Park is an allegory which saved us from having billionaires accidentally unleash dinosaurs on us all  and why Leonardo DiCaprio is an arsehole.  Comedian Guest: Ahir ShahAhir Shah is undoubtedly one of the most talented comedians working today. His unique blend of sharp intellectual wit, philosophical curiosity and emotional depth lend themselves to utterly hilarious and deeply moving comedy. He is a multiple nominee for Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival and has been seen on Have I Got News For You, Live At The Apollo, and The Mash Report. To learn more head to his website, Twitter or Facebook.Expert Guest: Dr Emma DunneDr. Emma is a palaeobiologist at the University of Birmingham who's work is broadly focused on how past environmental changes influenced the biodiversity of fossil vertebrates. She is one of the hosts of the super cool Palaeo Party podcast which I highly recommend you check out at https://palaeoparty.weebly.com/

If you've ever had an orgasm, you're probably not surprised to hear that people like them. But, unfortunately in news that will surprise few women but too many men, women cum significantly less than men in hetrosexual couples. The massive difference is known as 'the orgasm gap.' Just in time for International Women's Day I talked to comedian Ginnia Cheng, and psychology postdoctoral student Jessica Jordan to discuss what the stats say, why it happens and how it can be corrected.    Comedy GuestGinnia is a comedian who's reached the semi-finals of many of the UK's comedy competitions including SYTYF and Up the Creek's One to Watch. She co-hosts London's sex-positive live comedy experience Sex Standing Up, which has been recommended by the Metro and listed as TimeOut's top 3 things to do in London 3 times. Ginnia was recently handpicked by BBC Writersroom for a programme showcasing the UK's East Asian comedy talent.Expert Guest Jessica, a former social worker and current Psychology PhD student at the University of South Florida, studies the intersection of gender stereotypes and sex. Her research explores how people's beliefs about manhood and womanhood impact sexual behaviors and outcomes, including sexual satisfaction, communication, and consent.

I have 99 problems and the economic structures that allow billionaires to exist cause 98 of them. In this episode we speak to Suse Steed, who is both a former economist and a comedian (a great venn diagram for a guest on this show) and MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle who went viral after he had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the feigned indignation of Emma Barnett when discussing billionaires. In this episode we discuss:Whether you can be a good billionaireWhy we seem to be against greed in children or animals but accept it in adults Just how big a billion actually is What it takes to become a billionaire Whether billionaires do more good than bad via investment and philanthropy And of course, it wouldn't be an episode of Highbrow Drivel without discussing why Elon Musk is such a prick.Guests: Lloyd Russell-Moyle is the MP  for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven. He is incredibly passionate, articulate and progressive and joy to talk to and listen to. You can follow him on Twitter or learn more about him and his views on his website.  Suse SteedIs a comedian, writer, performer and former economist. She does a great (and important) job of demystifying the big and confusing ideas of money and finance in a fun and entertaining way. You can follow her on Twitter or learn more about her on her website.

Ever forget your own name? Or know that you know something but just can't seem to remember it? How about those times where an absolute random memory you didn't even know you have pop into your head for no reason? This week we ask a cognitive psychologist what's happening in the brain that makes our memory such a tricky thing. And, if we can't trust our memory, how does that impact our ideas about who we are. Joining me this week are the award winning comedian Laura Davis and cognitive psychologist Janine Cooper. Get 8 free beers at http://www.beer52.com/drivelGuests: Laura Davis Laura Davis is one of the funniest people in the world, having won multiple awards for her brilliant solo shows. She's appeared on TV shows and some of the biggest podcasts across Australia and the UK and is one of the most reliably entertaining performers on the comedy circuit.  You can learn more at http://lauradaviscomedy.com/, or follow her on Twitter. Janine CooperJanine Cooper is a cognitive psychologist and the creator of Everyday Neuro. She has an absolutely brilliant knack for explaining the important parts of neuroscience in a way that is easy relate to and thoroughly engaging. As well as hosting her own podcast she is has also regularly appeared as a speaker at international conferences, events and as a guest on national radio. 

For Valentine's Day we look at the way sex robots, bereavement tech, algorithms and more will impact the future of dating. Joining me on this episode is crowd favourite Juan Miles and dating coach Rachel New. In the episode we also discuss the way one clever dater hacked the OkCupid algorithm to get 5 dates per day. You can learn more about that at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJod9kRYyao Juan MilesJuan is an Argentinian born, Berlin based stand-up comedian who I met living in Melbourne. You can catch more of Juan on Instagram. Rachel NewRachel promotes #ethicaldating: treating each other well, resisting unconscious bias and broadening your horizons in your love life. You can learn more about Rachel at: Website: rachelnewdatingcoach.co.ukFacebook: @rachelnewdatingcoachTwitter: @RNewDatingCoachInstagram: @racheldatingadviceRachel was kind enough to provide some books, articles and resources she recommends for anyone looking to learn and upgrade their love life. Novels: Real Life by Brandon Taylor Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams Machines like us by Ian MacMillanLab-grown meat bites back by Christian DarkinAutobigraphical:  Queer Sex by Juno Roche  Explaining Humans by Camilla Pang Sex Power Money by  Sara PascoeSex Robots and Vegan Meat by Jenny Kleeman Articles: How dating is making us mix more and breaking down barriers https://rachelnewdatingcoach.co.uk/2020/10/07/can-dating-change-the-world/https://rachelnewdatingcoach.co.uk/2020/09/14/can-you-help-who-youre-attracted-to/https://rachelnewdatingcoach.co.uk/2020/10/28/why-you-should-talk-to-your-white-partner-about-race/