Podcasts about University College London

Valentine's Day may be all about couples, but this week's episode celebrates heartbreak, breakups, and proudly being single as a Pringle.Part 1: Getting dumped is the push psychologist Jiawen Huang needs to step outside his comfort zone.Part 2: While completing her PhD in neuroscience, Leslie Sibener is determined to fix her relationship. Jiawen Huang obtained his PhD in Psychology from Columbia University, where he studied how prior knowledge provides a scaffold for prediction and memory. He grew up in China, and did his undergrad at University College London where he scanned people watching movies in fMRI scanner. In his free time, he can be found dancing salsa, practicing Spanish, and whittling wood carvings, all of which he started doing this past year.Leslie Sibener is a neuroscientist and science communicator based in New York City. She received degrees in Neuroscience and Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and her PhD at Columbia University where she studied movement and motor learning. Now as a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University, Leslie researches the mechanisms that allow specific memories to be stored for long term memory in the brain, while others are forgotten. She has always been passionate about sharing science outside of the lab. This has manifested in being the group leader the science writing group NeuWrite, a team member of Stories of WiN, and founder of Scientist on the Subway. Additionally, she has collaborated with a variety other groups, such as BioBus, Facts Machine Podcast, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, to engage the public with science.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Truth About Art World Careers: Inside Talent, Hiring, & Strategic Navigation with former co-managing partner of Sophie Macpherson Ltd.In this episode, I sat down with Rosie Allan, former co-Managing Partner of Sophie Macpherson, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the art market.I speak to Rosie about her journey into art world talent and recruitment, and what drew her to this particular corner of the industry. We talk about the groundbreaking Art Market Talent Reports that Sophie Macpherson has released over the past few years - research that has sparked essential conversations about working conditions, career pathways, and structural challenges across the sector.I ask her about the UK Employment Rights Bill and what it actually means for people working in galleries, auction houses, and museums today. We discuss what a strategic job search looks like in the current landscape, how the process differs between the US and UK art markets, and what mid-level professionals can do to convince employers they're ready for senior roles.We also talk about career progression in an industry where traditional advice doesn't always apply, Rosie's decision to step down as co-managing partner after years with the company, and so much more.Thank you Rosie for coming on the podcast!You can follow Sophie Macpherson Ltd on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/smlsearch/You can follow Rosie here:https://www.instagram.com/rosieallan_art/You can check out SML's website here: https://www.sophiemacpherson.com/- - - - - If you love what we do, support ALL ABOUT ART on PATREON!  ⁠https://www.patreon.com/allaboutart⁠Keep up to date on Instagram @allaboutartpodcast  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/allaboutartpodcast/⁠ ABOUT THE HOST:I am an Austrian-American art historian, curator, and writer. I obtained my BA in History of Art at University College London and my MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London. My specializations are in contemporary art and the contemporary art market along with accessibility, engagement, and the demystification of the professional art sector.SOCIALS: Instagram⁠ @alexandrasteinacker https://www.instagram.com/alexandrasteinackerand LinkedIn at ⁠Alexandra Steinacker-Clark⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-steinacker/This episode is produced at Synergy https://synergy.tech/the-clubhouse/the-podcast-studio/ COVER ART: Lisa Schrofner a.k.a Liser⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.liser-art.com/ and Luca Laurence https://www.graffitikunst.at/Research and Creative Assistant: Iris Epstein 

Angela is joined by Professor Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London and author of Disaster by Choice, to explore how disasters and health intersect in our everyday lives. Drawing on examples from the COVID-19 pandemic to earthquakes, floods, and wildfires, Ilan explains why "prevention is better than cure," what individuals can realistically do to prepare (like assembling a "go bag" and planning for sheltering in place) and how inequality and lack of resources make true preparedness impossible for many. To learn more about Ilan, visit his website.

Sofia Bianchini"Agata goodbye"Arkadia Editorewww.arkadiaeditore.it"Agata goodbye" è un romanzo di formazione che esplora le complessità dell'amicizia femminile. È raccontato dal punto di vista di Caterina, la protagonista, che dopo il liceo si trasferisce da Milano a Londra per seguire la sua migliore amica, Agata. Tuttavia, una volta arrivata, Agata pare svanita nel nulla. Non risponde alle chiamate e ai messaggi di Caterina e non si presenta ai loro appuntamenti. Mentre si impegna a definire la sua nuova vita in Inghilterra, Caterina continua la ricerca dell'amica, imparando a determinare il proprio futuro e affrontando due tradimenti: quello di Agata e quello del paese che ora considera la sua nuova casa. Una storia di amicizia, manipolazione, romanticismo e tradimento condito con le peripezie di una nuova esistenza in un paese straniero. In questo libro Sofia Bianchini narra gli anni che hanno portato al referendum sulla Brexit con lo sguardo della generazione di giovani italiani spinti, per scelta o per necessità, a lasciare il proprio paese per inseguire nuove opportunità.Sofia Bianchini è nata nel 1992, si è trasferita a Londra nel 2011 dove ha studiato Relazioni Internazionali alla University of Westminster e, dopo varie esperienze in Spagna, Ungheria e Stati Uniti, ha lavorato al King's College London e alla University College London, supportando e facilitando l'impatto della ricerca sulla società. Attualmente, collabora con l'Area Innovazione dell'Università di Bologna. Nel 2022, ha frequentato il corso di scrittura “Writing a Novel” della Faber Academy (tenuto da Nikesh Shukla). Agata Goodbye è il suo romanzo d'esordio.Diventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/il-posto-delle-parole--1487855/support.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarehttps://ilpostodelleparole.it/

Recent research from the University of Cambridge highlights a key concern with popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. These medications sharply reduce appetite, leading to calorie intake dropping by sixteen to thirty-nine percent, which drives effective weight loss for people with obesity. However, experts from University College London and the University of Cambridge warn that many users lack proper nutrition guidance, risking muscle loss of up to forty percent of total weight shed and deficiencies in protein, vitamins, and minerals that could cause fatigue, weakened immunity, hair loss, or osteoporosis. Dr. Adrian Brown from UCL stresses integrating nutritional care, such as prioritizing nutrient-dense foods and even protein distribution across meals, drawing from post-bariatric surgery practices to preserve lean mass and support long-term health.Oprah Winfrey has been candid this week about her experience with these GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic, sharing how they silenced the constant food noise in her brain and helped her lose over fifty pounds since starting in twenty twenty-three, combined with hiking and resistance training. In interviews on The Oprah Podcast and CBS Sunday Morning, the seventy-one-year-old media icon revealed she quit the drug after six months, only to regain twenty pounds despite strict diet and exercise, proving to her it is a lifetime tool, much like blood pressure medication. Oprah described overcoming deep shame from decades of self-blame and public ridicule, now viewing obesity as a clinical disease beyond personal willpower, not a moral failing. She emphasized to People Magazine and on The View that the medications feel like relief and redemption, enabling her to reach one hundred fifty-five pounds and feel in the best shape of her life, while rejecting stigma around using them responsibly alongside lifestyle changes.These insights underscore the drugs transformative impact, though experts urge balanced approaches to avoid pitfalls.Thanks for tuning in, listeners. Please subscribe, come back next week for more, and remember this episode was brought to you by Quiet Please podcast networks. For more content like this, please go to Quiet Please dot Ai.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Emily Spencer, narrating her blog written for the Dementia Researcher website. Emily reflects on a lifelong struggle with perfectionism and how it shapes her learning, work, and wellbeing. Through personal stories spanning school, sport, previous employment, and her PhD, she explores the tension between striving for high standards and recognising when doing less may actually be the wiser and healthier choice. As she approaches the final months of her doctorate, Emily considers how redefining success might allow her to protect her wellbeing while still producing meaningful, high quality research. Find the original text, and narration here on our website. https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-learning-to-let-good-be-enough/ #DementiaResearch #AcademicMother #Academia -- Emily Spencer is a PhD Student at University College London looking at improving how GPs communicate with people with dementia and their family carers about their future care. Emily previous had a 5 year career break to pursue a career as a musician, and has previously undertaken research on improving the care people with dementia receive from their GP practice, as well as end-of-life and palliative care provision in the community. Emily is also a new mum and will be writing about her experiences navigating motherhood and a research career. -- Enjoy listening? We're always looking for new bloggers, drop us a line. http://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk This podcast is brought to you in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia, who we thank for their ongoing support. -- Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/ https://x.com/demrescommunity https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher Join our community: https://onelink.to/dementiaresearcher

What if I told you that making art literally changes your DNA? In a world that often treats creativity as a luxury or a hobby, the data is finally catching up to what artists have always felt: art is essential medicine. In this episode, Kat sits down with Daisy Fancourt, a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London, whose groundbreaking research provides the "validation ammunition" every creative needs. We dive into her new book, Art Cure, which presents decades of evidence showing that arts engagement is a vital clinical intervention.From reducing stress hormones like cortisol to slowing biological aging and influencing gene expression, we explore why creative engagement should be recognized as the Fifth Pillar of Health alongside nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management.   In this episode, we discuss: The "Fifth Pillar" Concept: Why creative engagement is as vital to your longevity as diet and exercise. The Biology of Art: How making and viewing art creates measurable health benefits that accumulate over time. DNA & Gene Expression: The fascinating science behind how creativity affects our bodies at a cellular level. Validation for Artists: Why your work is a necessity for your collectors and the world, especially during turbulent times. The Psychobiology of Art: Daisy's journey from professional pianist to leading researcher at UCL.   Resources & Links Mentioned: The Book: Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt Daisy's Research Group: SBPR Research Create! Magazine: www.createmagazine.co Newsletter: Join the Weekly Newsletter Community: Follow Create! Magazine on Instagram   Connect with the Guest: Daisy Fancourt is Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London where she heads the Social Biobehavioural Research Group, and Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. She has published 300 scientific papers, won over two dozen academic prizes and is listed as one of the most highly cited scientists in the world. Daisy is also a multi-award-winning science communicator and has been named a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and BBC New Generation Thinker.

Welcome to Ozempic Weightloss Unlocked, where we dive into the latest on Ozempic from medical breakthroughs to real-life health impacts.Recent research from the University of Cambridge highlights a key nutrition risk with Ozempic and Wegovy. These drugs slash calorie intake by sixteen to thirty-nine percent by mimicking glucagon-like peptide-one, curbing appetite and boosting fullness. But without proper guidance, users risk muscle loss up to forty percent of total weight shed and deficiencies in protein, vitamins, and minerals, leading to fatigue, hair loss, or weakened immunity. Experts like Doctor Marie Spreckley urge structured nutrition support, drawing from bariatric surgery principles: prioritize nutrient-dense foods and high-quality protein spread across meals. Doctor Adrian Brown from University College London notes most users, about ninety-five percent in the United Kingdom, get these privately without follow-up, unlike National Health Service programs pairing them with diet and exercise.Sex differences are emerging too. A study in PubMed Central reports glucagon-like peptide-one receptor agonist use surged from twenty nineteen to twenty twenty-two, especially among women, where obesity links strongly to prescriptions and yields greater weight loss, like fifteen point three kilograms in semaglutide trials.Looking ahead per GoodRx projections for twenty twenty-six, Ozempic is under Food and Drug Administration review for peripheral artery disease, improving walking in diabetes patients, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Higher Wegovy doses up to seven point two milligrams could hit nearly twenty-one percent weight loss. Exciting combos like CagriSema show twenty-three percent loss in trials, outpacing rivals. Oral options expand too: Wegovy pills launched this year, and orforglipron may approve mid-year, easing access without needles.The Food and Drug Administration warns against unapproved versions mimicking semaglutide, sold illegally online. Experts from George Mason University, like Martin Binks and Raedeh Basiri, stress holistic care: pair drugs with dietitians, exercise, and mental support to avoid regain, as a twenty twenty-six BMJ review notes two-thirds weight return within a year off meds.Ozempic transforms lives but thrives with lifestyle integration for lasting health.Thanks for tuning in, listeners. Subscribe for more updates. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out Quiet Please dot ai. Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

We delve into the stark realities of learning inequality, the crucial role of the science of teaching, and the transformative power of education, even in the face of conflict. Dr. Asyia Kazmi, CEO of WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education), an organization that is part of the Qatar Foundation, helps us explore the challenges and solutions in global education. As a former math teacher, Dr. Kazmi offers specific, evidence-based strategies for improving learning outcomes — including the concept of structured pedagogy — and discusses the nuances of AI and education, urging caution and the need for region-specific, full-stack solutions. Dr. Kazmi emphasizes that improving learning (not just access to schooling) must be the primary goal for policy. She confronts the notion that poverty is an insurmountable barrier to educational success, asserting that educators have a deep responsibility to provide a pathway out of poverty for low-income students. The conversation also delves into the unique challenges of the Arab world, highlighting the 60% learning poverty rate in our region. This episode was produced in collaboration with Qatar Foundation.Find out more about WISE

Dr. Shirah Z Mansaray is the Managing Partner of Themis Crown Advocates and a solicitor-advocate with over 20 years of experience in legal advisory, governance, and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Amnesty International UK and is the Founder and CEO of I Am Somebody's Child Soldier, an NGO supporting war-affected children in Uganda. With a PhD in Sustainable Architecture and Mental Wellbeing from University College London, her work bridges law, human rights, and sustainability. Her mission is to deliver values-driven solutions that promote justice, inclusion, and sustainable growth.

Human touch feels good — but it may also do far more than we realize. From a reassuring hand on the shoulder to a long hug or massage, deliberate touch can trigger measurable biological responses in the body. This episode begins with what science reveals about why touch matters and what happens when we don't get enough of it. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/everyone-top/202108/the-vital-importance-human-touch It's easy to assume that the big moments shape our lives — but what if tiny, seemingly meaningless choices matter just as much, or even more? A few minutes, a small decision, or a random event can quietly ripple outward in ways we never see. Brian Klaas joins me to explain how chance, chaos, and randomness shape our lives — and how understanding this can actually help you make better choices. Brian is an associate professor in global politics at University College London, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, and author of Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (https://amzn.to/3SrRj31). “Big Tech” companies influence how we communicate, shop, work, and even think — yet they operate with surprisingly little oversight. Who should be setting the rules for companies with that much power? And what happens if no one does? Tom Wheeler explains why tech regulation matters, what's at stake, and who should be in charge. Tom served as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission during the Obama administration and is author of Techlash: Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age? (https://amzn.to/47OunPU). And finally, could what kids eat affect their risk of asthma, eczema, or other allergic conditions? Research suggests a link between fast food consumption and respiratory allergies. We wrap up with what scientists have found and why it matters. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.3005803 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Emma Connolly, Fellow in Politics and Digital Civic Education in University College London, joins Richard to discuss the wave of memes inspired by the Epstein files, and how they're being used to trivialise the experience of victims.

In this latest episode of Brains and Machines, Professor Rodolphe Sepulchre, a control theorist from the University of Cambridge, talks to Dr. Sunny Bains of University College London. They discuss the inspiration he took from studying biological neurons, why both discrete and continuous behaviors are inherent to how they work, and why building neurons is often easier than simulating them. 

“Predictive coding offers a powerful lens for understanding psychosis…”Dr. Marta Garrido is a professor at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, where she leads the Cognitive Neuroscience and Computational Psychiatry Laboratory and directs the Cognitive Neuroscience Hub. She is also a research program lead at the Graeme Clark Institute. With a background in engineering physics from the University of Lisbon and a PhD in neuroscience from University College London under the mentorship of Professor Karl Friston, Marta has become a leading figure in understanding how the brain processes predictions and surprise. Her research spans mismatch negativity, predictive coding theory, dynamic causal modeling, and the development of cutting-edge neuroimaging technologies, including Australia's first optically pumped MEG system.In this episode, Peter and Marta explore the elegant framework of predictive coding and its implications for understanding psychiatric conditions like psychosis. They discuss how the brain generates predictions about sensory input and how disruptions in these mechanisms may contribute to symptoms of mental illness. Marta shares her journey from engineering to neuroscience, her transformative PhD experience, and the challenges of building a new MEG system from the ground up. The conversation covers fascinating topics including mismatch negativity as a prediction error signal, subcortical shortcuts for processing threatening stimuli, the phenomenon of blindsight, and the critical importance of mentorship in academic careers. Marta also offers candid reflections on being a woman in neuroscience and her vision for the future of computational psychiatry.We hope you enjoy this episode!Chapters:00:00 - Introduction to Dr. Marta Guerrero04:46 - Journey from Engineering to Neuroscience10:39 - Understanding Predictive Coding and Bayesian Inference18:34 - Implications of Predictive Coding in Schizophrenia27:08 - Advancements in Brain Imaging Techniques36:31 - Exploring Blindsight and Subcortical Shortcuts44:14 - Reverse Engineering the Brain: Challenges and Ambitions51:23 - The Journey of Developing Optically Pumped Magnetometers01:00:29 - Promoting Women in Neuroscience and Leadership ChallengesWorks mentioned:15:59 - Randeniya et al. (2018). Sensory prediction errors in the continuum of psychosis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2017.04.01918:36 - Goodwin et al. (2026). Predictive processing accounts of psychosis: Bottom-up or top-down disruptions. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00558-526:02 - Larsen et al. (2019). 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: intact prediction but reduced adaptation. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2019.10172129:40 - Garvert et al. (2014). Subcortical amygdala pathways enable rapid face processing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.07.04729:40 - McFadyen et al. (2017). A rapid subcortical amygdala route for faces. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3525-16.2017Episode producers:Karthik Sama, Xuqian Michelle Li

What if creativity works like medicine? New research shows that regular engagement with the arts can slow biological aging, protect the brain, reduce stress, and promote a new sense of purpose, identity and meaning—especially in retirement. This episode reframes art as one of the most powerful, underused tools for healthy aging. Our guest today, Dr. Daisy Fancourt, is a leading researcher on the health impacts of arts engagement and the author of the new book Art Cure:The Science of How the Arts Save Lives. Her work bridges neuroscience, public health, and lived experience—bringing rigorous data to some things many people may dismiss as “just a hobby.” Listen in for insights on why engaging with art is a wise addition to your retirement plan. In this conversation, you'll learn: How arts engagement compares to exercise and sleep in its health impact Why talent and skill have nothing to do with the benefits you can reap How creativity builds cognitive reserve and protects against dementia Why music is a powerful tool for wellness How the arts can foster renewed identity, purpose, and community in retirement Daisy Fancourt joins us from London. ________________________ Bio Daisy Fancourt is the author of the new book Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives. She is Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London where she heads the Social Biobehavioural Research Group, and Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. She has published 300 scientific papers and won over two dozen academic prizes. She is a multi-award-winning science communicator and has been named a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and BBC New Generation Thinker. Daisy is listed as one of the most highly cited scientists in the world. _________________________ For More on Daisy Fancourt Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives Website _________________________ Podcast Conversatons You May Like Tiny Experiments – Anne-Laure Le Cunff Why You'll Want a Hobby – Ashley Merryman The Art of the Interesting – Lorraine Besser, PhD ____________________________ About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with their own financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You'll get smarter about the investment decisions you'll make about the most important asset you'll have in retirement: your time. About Retirement Wisdom I help people who are retiring, but aren't quite done yet, discover what's next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn't just happen by accident. Schedule a call today to discuss how the Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one — on your own terms. About Your Podcast Host Joe Casey is an executive coach who helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Joe has earned Master's degrees from the University of Southern California in Gerontology (at age 60), the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlesex University (UK), a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his coaching certification from Columbia University. In addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 1.6 million downloads. Business Insider recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He's the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy. __________________________ Wise Quotes On the Science Behind Arts and Health “I started doing lots of research on the long-term impact of arts engagement across people’s lives using the same kind of data sets and methods that people had previously looked at exercise and diet and sleep. And I was honestly quite amazed at what came out about these associations between arts and future well-being, reduced risk of depression, enhanced cognitive function, reduced risk of chronic pain, frailty, dementia. And most excitingly, the effect sizes were very similar or sometimes even stronger than these other behaviours that we’re much more used to talking about in relation to our health.” On Biological Aging People who engage in the arts actually have increased connectivity between regions of the brain that are vulnerable to aging. So they actually have brains that are younger than people who don’t regularly engage in the arts. And actually, they have higher levels of cognitive reserve, so resilience of the brain against cognitive decline and dementia. But they also have different clinical biomarker patterns that indicate that they are physiologically younger. So better respiratory rates, lower cardiovascular stress, better levels of inflammation in their immune systems. And I think most excitingly, they even have patterns of gene expression in their DNA that are younger. So the way that their genes express themselves have a younger, what we call epigenetic age.” On the I’m Not Creative Myth “I think this is a slight failing in our societies because we tend to set ourselves up that you’re either artistic or creative or you’re not. And it’s a complete myth. Actually, most of the health benefits of the art come through doing it, regardless of whether you’re any good at doing it. And I think sometimes people have got hangovers, often from like childhood when they didn’t feel they sang in tune or when they weren’t good at doing art in class. But it’s surprising how often people can actually try new activities as an adult and actually discover a passion they had absolutely no idea about.” On Music as Medicine “Music is actually a natural pain relief. It releases endogenous opioids in our brain. But also it provides us with a beat that means we can synchronize with that beat and that can really help us with our movements. So when people exercise to music, they’re actually able to run faster for longer, they’re able to lift weights in the gym for longer. And if people have got conditions like Parkinson’s or they’ve had a stroke or another neurological disorder, then actually listening to music can be a way of improving balance, their walking speed and reduce the risk of falls as well.” On Art in Retirement – and Purpose & Meaning “Lots of people speak about losing their sense of purpose when they move out of that work environment and trying to figure out what their new purpose is. And arts engagement is a very effective way in so many trials now of increasing that sense of purpose. It’s a similar thing for cultivating a new sense of meaning. And there are lots of other aspects of our well-being, like a heightened life satisfaction, which is really important to people, particularly as they get older. And actually arts engagement is such a powerful way of helping to build all of those different aspects of our well-being.” On the Daily Arts Practice “If we’re looking at basically accumulating the health benefits of the arts over time, we need to have a really regular, sustainable arts practice. I recommend in the book that people try and figure out their equivalent of the kind of five-a-day vegetable rule that they could apply day to day. Could they set aside 15 or 20 minutes every day that they will reliably be able to commit to? But also, can they think about sort of simple ways that they could swap out activities in their lives to make that manageable?”    

In this conversation, Jon and Dylan Wiliam delve into cognitive load theory, exploring its implications for teaching and learning. They discuss the distinction between biologically primary and secondary knowledge, the importance of understanding cognitive load in the classroom, and effective teaching strategies that can enhance student learning. Dylan emphasizes the need for teachers to be aware of their own cognitive load and how it affects their students, advocating for instructional methods that support all learners, particularly those with lower working memory capacity. The discussion highlights the scientific basis of cognitive load theory and its practical applications in education, encouraging teachers to adopt strategies that facilitate deeper learning and retention. Follow on Twitter: @DylanWiliam | @bamradionetwork | @jonHarper70bd Dylan Wiliam is Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at University College London. After a first degree in mathematics and physics, and one year teaching in a private school, he taught in inner-city schools in London for seven years. In 1984 he joined Chelsea College, University of London, which later merged with King's College London. From 1996 to 2001 he was the Dean of the School of Education at King's, and from 2001 to 2003, Assistant Principal of the College. In 2003 he moved to the USA, as Senior Research Director at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, NJ. From 2006 to 2010 he was Deputy Director of the Institute of Education, University of London. Over the last 15 years, his academic work has focused on the use of assessment to support learning (sometimes called formative assessment). He now works with groups of teachers all over the world on developing formative assessment practices.

If most of us are put on the spot and asked to name acts that we think would define a person as evil, it's likely our minds would turn to murderers, rapists and war criminals, to name a few. But could it be that this commonly held conception of evil isn't merely just an oversimplification, but rather a deeply flawed way of viewing the world based on a litany of personal biases, and one that is in dire need of readdressing? In this episode, we're joined by Dr Julia Shaw, a broadcaster, best-selling author and psychologist based at University College London to talk about the nature of evil. She tells us why it's vital that we accept that, given a certain set of circumstances, we're all capable of committing terrible acts, explains the key differences between thought and action, and explains why so many of us are fascinated by true crime documentaries and dramas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're looking at the life and legacy of one of the American Revolution's greatest villains, Benedict Arnold, and we'll find out how his name became synonymous with treachery and betrayal. Featuring: Dr Eliga Gould, Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford; Dr Tom Sebrell, history lecturer at University College London; Dr Charlene Boyer-Lewis, professor of history and director of American Studies at Kalamazoo College, Michigan, and author of the upcoming ‘Traitor, Wife: Peggy Shippen Arnold and Revolutionary America'; and Emma Parry, author of the upcoming novel ‘Mrs Benedict Arnold'.

With Felix Lindberg, Karolinska Institutet & Södersjukhuset Hospital, Stockholm – Sweden and Marianna Fontana, National Amyloidosis Center, University College London, London – UK. In this episode, Felix Lindberg and Marianna Fontana discuss the evolving landscape in the treatment of cardiac amyloidosis. After exploring the pathophysiology of cardiac AL and ATTR amyloidosis and recent years' insights about the epidemiology of these conditions, they focus on the transformation that has occurred in the therapeutic options for cardiac ATTR amyloidosis. The conversation addresses the key mechanistic differences and trial data on stabilizers and silencers, how to approach patient selection for these therapies, as well as emerging therapies including anti-amyloid antibodies. The discussion also highlights the importance of early diagnosis and key red flags that should elicit suspicion of cardiac amyloidosis. Suggested reading: Vutisiran in patients with transthyretin amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy. Fontana M, et al. N Engl J Med. 2025. Tafamidis treatment for patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy. Maurer M, et al. N Engl J Med. 2018. Efficacy and safety of acoramidis in tranthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy. Gillmore JD, et al. N Engl J Med. 2024. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing with nexiguran ziclumeran for ATTR cardiomyopathy. Fontana M, et al. N Engl J Med. 2024. Conventional heart failure therapy in cardiac ATTR amyloidosis. Ioannou A, et al. Eur Heart J. 2023. Nonbiopsy diagnosis of cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis. Gillmore JD, et al. Circulation. 2016. Current landscape of therapies for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy. Griffin JM, et al. JACC Heart Fail. 2025. Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy: from cause to novel treatments. Fontana M, et al. Eur Heart J. 2026. Diagnosis and treatment of cardiac amyloidosis: a position statement of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases. Garcia-Pavia P, et al. Eur Heart J. 2021. This 2026 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer in the form of unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

Oprah Winfrey has been candid this week about her ongoing use of GLP-1 medications like those containing semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, for weight management. In recent interviews promoting her new book Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It's Like to be Free, co-authored with Yale professor Dr. Ania M. Jastreboff, she shared that she started these weekly injections in 2023 and views them as a lifelong tool, much like blood pressure medicine. Oprah told People magazine she feels no shame in relying on them, explaining that after stopping for six months to test her willpower, she regained 20 pounds despite strict dieting and exercise. She now believes obesity influences overeating through genetics and hormones, freeing her from self-blame after decades of public scrutiny and jokes about her weight.Social media buzzed with debate over her comments on The View, where she said obesity causes overeating rather than the reverse, a view some experts clarify starts with overeating leading to obesity, which then complicates appetite control via elevated hunger hormones. Still, Oprah emphasizes these drugs help by reducing hunger and slowing stomach emptying, as noted by Harvard Health.Meanwhile, regulators issued fresh guidance on GLP-1s this week. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency updated advice for prescribers and patients on semaglutide products like Ozempic and Wegovy, highlighting a small risk of severe acute pancreatitis. They noted about 1.6 million adults in England, Wales, and Scotland used these for weight loss between early 2024 and early 2025, per University College London research. In Canada, generic semaglutide became possible after Novo Nordisk's data exclusivity expired on January 4, promising more affordable options soon.Long-term data reinforces their efficacy. The STEP 5 trial showed once-weekly semaglutide yielding 15.2 percent sustained weight loss at 104 weeks, with mild gastrointestinal side effects like nausea most common. Tirzepatide, a dual agonist, outperformed in the SURMOUNT trials with up to 25 percent loss over 88 weeks. Experts like Dr. Caroline Apovian from Harvard stress indefinite use for best results, alongside diet and exercise, while new oral versions and pipeline drugs like amycretin aim to improve access.Thanks for tuning in, listeners. Come back next week for more. Thanks for listening, please subscribe, and remember—this episode was brought to you by Quiet Please podcast networks. For more content like this, please go to Quiet Please dot Ai.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.aiThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Dr. Joanna Moncrieff is a British psychiatrist and author of “Chemically Imbalanced: The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth.” She challenges the long-held belief that depression is caused by a lack of the hormone serotonin.“The serotonin myth … was first put out there in the 1960s, then picked up by the pharmaceutical industry in the 1990s and widely propagated by them as part of their campaign to sell SSRIs, their new generation of antidepressants,” she said.Contrary to what many people still believe, there's no evidence that depression is caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain, Moncrieff said.“A few years ago, we published what's called an umbrella review, a sort of meta review of all the different areas of research that have looked at this. … And we show that there is no consistent or convincing evidence in any of these areas of research for any association between serotonin and depression. So hence, the idea is a myth,” she said.In our interview, she explains how this narrative took hold and how it reshaped modern psychiatry.So what causes depression if not a lack of serotonin? Dr. Moncrieff, who is a professor of critical and social psychiatry at University College London, regards depression as “meaningful human reactions to the circumstances of life now, and that is indeed how people used to think about them.”It's not a biological disease, she said, but a normal reaction that anyone may experience at times throughout life.“It's not something that we naturally just get over in a couple of weeks. It can take weeks and months of grieving, even for a short-term relationship that's finished.”To label deep sadness as a pathological medical condition that needs to be fixed with drugs is the wrong approach and precludes seeing a person “who is suffering, who is going through a period of difficulty and trying to work out what that is and how we can support them with it,” Moncrieff said.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

As Indonesia grapples with increasingly frequent climate disasters—from the devastating floods in Sumatra and Aceh to prolonged droughts affecting food security—a new book is rejecting the usual solutions. No carbon credits. No waiting for the next Elon Musk. Instead, Bacaan Bumi asks: what if the answers lie in Indonesia's own revolutionary history, its constitutional foundations, and its diverse philosophical traditions? Published by Yayasan Obor Pustaka Indonesia last year, Bacaan Bumi began as a monthly supplement for Inside Indonesia magazine—where, we should acknowledge, several Talking Indonesia hosts are also involved. (Yes, this is a slightly nepotistic episode, but we promise the ideas are worth it.) The supplement was initiated by Gerry van Klinken, a longtime Indonesia scholar and one of the board members of Inside Indonesia, and brought together 17 Indonesian academics, activists, and thinkers who argue that technology and market mechanisms alone won't save us. Instead, they propose something more radical: an eco-socialist manifesto rooted in Indonesian soil. The book emerged from conversations sparked by a groundbreaking summer school on critical environmental history at Gadjah Mada University—Indonesia's first university program of its kind. The response has been striking: packed book launches across Java, students demanding more courses, and activists finding new language to connect Marxist commodity analysis with Javanese mysticism, Islamic green theology with feminist readings of adat traditions, and Sukarno's Marhaenism with 21st-century ecological citizenship. The editors don't call it an academic collection. They call it a manifesto. In his introduction, Farabi Fakih writes that Indonesia's environmental movement in the 21st century is “the natural continuation of the Southern revolution imagined by Sukarno.” He explicitly rejects what he calls the “techno-magical narrative” of Silicon Valley billionaires and the “declensionist narrative” of inevitable doom—both of which, he argues, serve to disable collective action against capitalism. But what does an environmental manifesto look like in the Indonesian context? How do you connect Marx's theory of metabolic rift to flood disasters in Sumatra? Why do young Indonesians find hope in pan-psychism and Kendeng mountain feminism? And what happens when you discover that Indonesia's 1945 constitution already contains ecological philosophy that's been largely forgotten? In this episode, we had a conversation with two of Bacaan Bumi's key contributors: Farabi Fakih, who heads the Master's program in History at Gadjah Mada University where the critical environmental history curriculum was born, and Fathun Karib, a historical sociologist, postdoctoral fellow at the Asia Research Institute, and founding member of punk band Critical Death. Together they explore why genuine solutions must come from within Indonesia, why book tours revealed both hope and anxiety among younger generations, and how a 1960s Indonesian constitutional provision about the earth might offer more wisdom than all of Silicon Valley's promises combined. In 2026, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales, Tito Ambyo from RMIT, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Clara Siagian from University College London.

From Tip Jars to Patreon: Rebuilding Arts Funding from the Ground Up?This week's episode of All About Art tackles “patronage”, but on the micro scale. You've surely seen it before: “Buy me a Ko-Fi!” “Support me on Patreon!” and more - the latter of which you hear every time to tune into an episode of All About Art, because these sites allow your community to show support for the work they love and engage with.So, using FOLLOW.ART's Support My Practice feature as one of my case studies, I dive deeper into the initiatives helping reshape how creative work gets funded. I explore why these models emerged, what they're replacing, and what it actually feels like to ask for support as a creator, especially when you are juggling so many other platforms (spoiler: it's complicated!).I also share some personal reflections on running this podcast for the last five years, the mental & emotional tax of self-promotion, and why £3 a month from one listener can make all the difference. So, whether you're a creator navigating these platforms (FOLLOW.ART is for curators and artists specifically), or you're someone who's wondered if those small contributions actually matter, or maybe you're just curious about the future of creative sustainability, this episode offers a little bit of an overview of where we are and where we might be heading with micro-patronage. You can follow FOLLOW.ART on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/followart.world/You can check out FOLLOW.ART's website here: https://follow.art/ℹ️ #paidpartnership with FOLLOW.ART- - - - - If you love what we do, support ALL ABOUT ART on PATREON!  ⁠https://www.patreon.com/allaboutart⁠Keep up to date on Instagram @allaboutartpodcast  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/allaboutartpodcast/⁠ ABOUT THE HOST:I am an Austrian-American art historian, curator, and writer. I obtained my BA in History of Art at University College London and my MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmiths, University of London. My specializations are in contemporary art and the contemporary art market along with accessibility, engagement, and the demystification of the professional art sector.SOCIALS: Instagram⁠ @alexandrasteinacker https://www.instagram.com/alexandrasteinackerand LinkedIn at ⁠Alexandra Steinacker-Clark⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-steinacker/This episode is produced at Synergy https://synergy.tech/the-clubhouse/the-podcast-studio/ COVER ART: Lisa Schrofner a.k.a Liser⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.liser-art.com/ and Luca Laurence https://www.graffitikunst.at/Research and Creative Assistant: Iris Epstein 

In this episode, hosted by Mae Thompson from Ceasefire, panellists Dr Elizabeth Stubbins Bates, Mark Lattimer, Executive Director, Ceasefire and Dr Conall Mallory, Director, QUB Human Rights Centre,  discuss the UK's approach to addressing civilian harm caused by military operations. They explore the gaps in current redress mechanisms, the importance of tracking and investigating civilian harm, and the potential for a UK civilian harm redress scheme. The conversation covers historical issues, political disincentives, and best practices from international examples, emphasising the need for more comprehensive and proactive investigations. Insights from legal and military experts underline the critical importance of transparency, accountability, and the recognition of civilian suffering. This podcast is the fourth in a series of episode on Civilian Harm in Conflict – hosted by Mae Thompson, advocacy officer at Ceasefire. The podcast is an output of the AHRC funded ‘Reparations during Armed Conflict‘ project with Queen's University Belfast, University College London and Ceasefire, led by Professor Luke Moffett.

What can the deep past of Ukrainian lands reveal about the global story of humanity? Six thousand years ago, "mega-sites" flourished in what is now central Ukraine—but can these be considered the world's first cities? How were they organized without central authorities, and how do they challenge everything we thought we knew about early social life? *** This is Thinking in Dark Times, a podcast by UkraineWorld, an English-language multimedia project about Ukraine. Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine. Guest: David Wengrow, a renowned British archaeologist and Professor of Comparative Archaeology at University College London. He is the co-author, alongside David Graeber, of the international bestseller "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity". *** Thinking in Dark Times is produced by UkraineWorld and brought to you by Internews Ukraine. It is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation and Politeia, a Ukrainian NGO. *** SUPPORT: You can support our work on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld Your help is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding. You can also contribute to our volunteer missions to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we deliver aid to both soldiers and civilians. Donations are welcome via PayPal at: ukraine.resisting@gmail.com. *** CONTENTS: 00:00 - Intro. What can the deep past of Ukraine reveal about the global story of humanity? 00:14 - Were the world's first cities actually built in what is now Ukraine? 02:51 - Why does the Ukrainian soil play a key role in rethinking the origins of cities and states? 03:55 - Why are standard narratives of human history fundamentally wrong? 09:15 - What were the Cucuteni-Trypillia megasites? 17:23 - Why does the existence of egalitarian cities overturn political history itself? 20:35 - What does a circular city say about how people imagined the world? 21:27 - How did thousands of people govern themselves without rulers? 26:36 - Did democracy exist thousands of years before ancient Greece? 28:29 - Were Hobbes and Rousseau both wrong about human nature? 42:29 - Is Ukrainian history shaped by a tension between freedom and vulnerability? 47:22 - What do burning rituals reveal about cyclical views of life and nature? 50:51 - Why does Ukraine's past matter for the future of humanity?

Last week, a UN report declared that the world has entered an era of ‘global water bankruptcy' with many human water systems past the point at which they can be restored to former levels. To find out what this could look like, Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian's diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, who has been reporting on Iran's severe water crisis. And Mohammad Shamsudduha, professor of water crisis and risk reduction in the department of risk and disaster reduction at University College London, explains how the present situation arose and what can be done to bring water supplies back from the brink. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

How did the arrival of colour and film technology transform cinema and its cultural politics? Laurie Taylor explores the intertwined histories of technology, aesthetics, and identity.Swarnavel Eswaran, filmmaker and scholar at Michigan State University, introduces us to the remarkable story of Kodak Krishnan – Eastman Kodak's “man from the East.” Krishnan played a pivotal role in bringing American film technology to India during the mid-20th century, a period when cinema was becoming a powerful medium for shaping ideas of modernity and national pride.Kirsty Sinclair Dootson, Associate Professor in the History of Art department at University College London, is one of the organisers of the Bombay Colour Research Network. Her book The Rainbow's Gravity asked how new colour media transformed the way Britain saw itself and its empire between 1856 and 1968. Her research also examines how colour technologies – from early tinting processes to the vibrant palettes of Bollywood musicals became part of debates over race, class, and cultural representation. Kirsty Sinclair Dootson is one of the academics who has been a New Generation Thinker, on the scheme run by the BBC and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to share research on radio. Producer: Natalia Fernandez

On this episode of the Below the Radar B-Sides, we're joined by Andrew Witt, an art historian and critic who writes on contemporary art. We discuss Andrew's new work Lost Days, Endless Nights, a critical study and artist's book on the history of photography and film from Los Angeles. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-andrew-witt Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/btr-bsides-andrew-witt Resources: Andrew Witt: https://www.ici-berlin.org/people/witt/ Lost Days, Endless Nights: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049078/lost-days-endless-nights/ Bio: Andrew Witt is an art historian and critic who writes on contemporary art. He is currently the 2025–2026 PERICULUM Foundation for Contemporary Art Discourse Fellow. His book "Lost Days, Endless Nights: Photography and Film from Los Angeles" was recently published by MIT Press (2025). Andrew's writing has appeared in Camera Austria, History of Photography, Momus, Oxford Art Journal and Philosophy of Photography. Witt completed his PhD at University College London in 2017 and his MA at UCL in 2010. From 2018 to 2022 he was Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Institut für Kunst- und Bildgeschichte, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “Lost Days, Endless Nights — with Andrew Witt” Below the Radar, SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, January 26, 2026. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/btr-bsides-andrew-witt.

Gościem Anny Wacławik był Norman Davies - wybitny brytyjsko-polski historyk, emerytowany profesor University College London, autor wielu książek, m.in. "Boże igrzysko. Historia Polski" z 1989 r.

In this episode of The Evidence, Claudia Hammond is joined by a panel of experts to discuss the science of anaesthesia.It's estimated that around the world, more than 250 million people receive surgery requiring anaesthesia each year. But there are still plenty of unknowns. What happens to our brains and our consciousness when we're put to sleep? Why do so many people around the world still not have access to safe anaesthesia? And could the colour of your hair affect how much anaesthesia you need?In front of a live audience at Wellcome Collection in London, Claudia is joined on stage by Dr Kevin Fong, a consultant anaesthetist at University College London Hospitals and professor of public engagement and innovation at University College London; Jennifer Hunter, emeritus professor of anaesthesia and senior research fellow at the University of Liverpool; Emmanuel Stamatakis, professor of neuroscience at the University of Cambridge studying the science of consciousness; and Bruce Biccard, professor of anaesthetic science at the University of Oxford and author of the book Safer Surgery for Africa: Challenges and Solutions.Producer: Dan Welsh Editor: Martin Smith Production coordinator: Stuart Laws Sound engineers: Emma Harth and Steve Greenwood

A study led by the University of Oxford shows a 20-fold rise in the proportion of women over 25 using ADHD medication in the UK. The study looked at 5 countries - Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK - showing use has more than tripled in 13 years - the UK having the highest relative increase. To unpick this, Anita Rani is joined by Amanda Kirby, former chair of the ADHD foundation and Emeritus Professor of neurodevelopmental disorders at the University of South Wales and Kat Brown, author of It's Not a Bloody Trend, who was diagnosed with ADHD aged 37 and uses medication.The Oscar nominations are out and to celebrate we revisit our recent interviews with nominees, Hamnet director Chloe Zhao and Kate Hudson, who's up for best actress for her film Song Sung Blue. Author Claire Lynch discusses her debut novel, A Family Matter, which recently won the Nero Book Award's prize for debut fiction. Having spent her career teaching literature in universities, the author of non-fiction book Small: On Motherhoods, was inspired by her discovery that 90% of lesbian mothers in 1980s' divorce cases lost legal custody of their children. The novel alternates between 1982 and the present day and explores love and loss, intimacy and injustice, custody and care.Miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy is common. But clinical NHS practices for disposal of pregnancy tissue following an early stage miscarriage can sometimes appear to be at odds with some women's wishes and are not conducive to inclusive care. That's according to a new study published in Social Science and Medicine and reported in the British Medical Journal. Susie Kilshaw, Professor of Medical Anthropology at University College London, spent nearly two years observing miscarriage care inside one of England's NHS Foundation Trusts and interviewing women about their experiences. Susie explains how she found that the choices available often didn't match what women want.Can video games be used for good? From reducing our environmental impact to fundraising for access to education for all, Jude Ower from not-for-profit gaming platform PlanetPlay has spent the last two decades creating initiatives to do just that. Jude has now been named by the Aurora awards as one of ten women to watch, who are shifting the dial in the gaming industry. She joins Anita in the studio.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Is culture good for you? In Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives (Cornerstone Press, 2026) Daisy Fancourt, a Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London offers a comprehensive and compelling argument for the ways arts and culture offer health and social benefits for individuals and societies. The book offers both the evidence for the benefits of arts and culture, whilst at the same time showing how many people and places are missing out and excluded from the positive impact of engagement and experiences. A powerful call for the importance of art and culture, backed by a blend of rigorous scientific and medical evidence, as well as engaging personal stories and narratives, the book is essential reading across the arts, humanities and sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

With hundreds of sustainability and impact labels in circulation, how can consumers, policymakers and investors identify organisations that really do put people over profit? And why does it matter for the social economy? In this episode of Cogito Talks, Shayne MacLachlan is joined by Ruben Rebelo from the European Commission and Sofija Rakcejeva from the OECD to explore how labels can do more than just make social economy more visible and easier to support but also help people do better. Drawing on a recent joint OECD and European Commission report, we will unpack the different types of labels that exist, from those exclusively for social economy entities to broader impact and financial labels, and discuss how they can guide funding, policy decisions and consumer choices. Host: Shayne MacLachlan, Public Affairs and Communications Manager at the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities Rúben Rebelo is a policy officer currently serving at the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission. He joined the ‘Social and Inclusive Entrepreneurship' unit in 2021 and is working on the implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan. He was involved in drafting and negotiating the Council recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions, and in publishing the Special Eurobarometer on the social economy in the lives of Europeans. Sofija Rakcejeva is a policy analyst in the Social Economy and Innovation Unit at the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, where she analyses the contribution of the social economy to policy priorities such as affordable housing and social inclusion, as well as framework conditions that can increase its impact, including labels, taxation and access to finance. Before joining the OECD, Sofija co-authored two technical briefs and contributed to due diligence of microfinance projects at the Council of Europe Development Bank. Sofija holds an MA in International Economic Policy from Sciences Po and a BA in History, Politics and Economics from University College London. To learn more about the OECD, our global reach, and how to join us, go to www.oecd.org/about/ To keep up with latest at the OECD, visit www.oecd.org/ Get the latest OECD content delivered directly to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletters: www.oecd.org/newsletters

Is culture good for you? In Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives (Cornerstone Press, 2026) Daisy Fancourt, a Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London offers a comprehensive and compelling argument for the ways arts and culture offer health and social benefits for individuals and societies. The book offers both the evidence for the benefits of arts and culture, whilst at the same time showing how many people and places are missing out and excluded from the positive impact of engagement and experiences. A powerful call for the importance of art and culture, backed by a blend of rigorous scientific and medical evidence, as well as engaging personal stories and narratives, the book is essential reading across the arts, humanities and sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

Is culture good for you? In Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives (Cornerstone Press, 2026) Daisy Fancourt, a Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London offers a comprehensive and compelling argument for the ways arts and culture offer health and social benefits for individuals and societies. The book offers both the evidence for the benefits of arts and culture, whilst at the same time showing how many people and places are missing out and excluded from the positive impact of engagement and experiences. A powerful call for the importance of art and culture, backed by a blend of rigorous scientific and medical evidence, as well as engaging personal stories and narratives, the book is essential reading across the arts, humanities and sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/art

Is culture good for you? In Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives (Cornerstone Press, 2026) Daisy Fancourt, a Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London offers a comprehensive and compelling argument for the ways arts and culture offer health and social benefits for individuals and societies. The book offers both the evidence for the benefits of arts and culture, whilst at the same time showing how many people and places are missing out and excluded from the positive impact of engagement and experiences. A powerful call for the importance of art and culture, backed by a blend of rigorous scientific and medical evidence, as well as engaging personal stories and narratives, the book is essential reading across the arts, humanities and sciences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

Justin Webb looks back at the five big US foreign policy shifts from the Monroe Doctrine to Donald Trump. Over five episodes he and his guests look at how America's approach to the world has constantly changed over time. This may help answer a really big question - how radical is the way Donald Trump deals with the world? Is he really an outlier in US history? Or do his actions reflect the changing patterns of American power?In this episode Justin discusses the Reagan Doctrine with Kathleen Burk, Emeritus Professor in Modern and Contemporary History at University College London and Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London.Presenter: Justin Webb Producers: Caroline Bayley and Kirsteen Knight Researcher: Helena Warwick-Cross Editor: Jon Bithrey Sound engineer: Tom BrignellCredit: Reagan's State of the Union Address courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

We think laughter is a response to something funny.A joke. A punchline. A light moment.But listen closely to real conversations, and laughter shows up in places that are far more important than we realize - and often when nothing is funny at all.Neuroscientist Sophie Scott CBE reveals what laughter really signals, how it works, and why it quietly shapes our relationships, our hierarchies, and our sense of belonging.Sophie Scott is a professor at University College London and one of the world's leading researchers on the science of laughter.

One of the more confusing aspects of MS is that it can present differently from one person to the next. A research team at University College London may have uncovered a reason for that when they identified two new, and quite different, subtypes of MS.    Joining me to walk us through this discovery and to explain how it may impact MS clinical care is the study's principal investigator, Dr. Arman Eshaghi. We're also sharing study results that may explain how the Epstein-Barr Virus triggers MS in some individuals. We'll tell you about the free online fitness and wellness programs for veterans living with MS offered by the Paralyzed Veterans of America. And we'll explain how the latest entrant in the AI for healthcare revolution can prepare you for your next appointment with your neurologist. We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: Discovering 2 new subtypes of MS  :22 Study results show how the Epstein-Barr Virus may trigger MS  1:20 The PVA is offering free online fitness and wellness classes for veterans with MS  5:45 Claude for Healthcare joins the AI in healthcare revolution  7:03 Dr. Arman Eshaghi discusses his team's discovery of 2 subtypes of MS  9:59 Share this episode  28:15 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/438 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: jon@realtalkms.com Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com EBV Infection and HLA-DR15 Jointly Drive Multiple Sclerosis by Myelin Peptide Presentation https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)01495-3 STUDY: Combined Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum Analysis Reveals Distinct Multiple Sclerosis Types https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/148/12/4578/8321558 PVA Offers Free Online Fitness & Wellness Classes for Vets with MS https://pva.org/sports-recreation/online-programs Find out about ABLEnow Accounts https://ablenow.com Claude for Healthcare https://claude.com/solutions/healthcare JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 438 Guests: Dr. Arman Eshaghi Privacy Policy

Welcome to Episode 20 of Class Unity: Transmissions. For this episode, Nick is joined by Class Unity member Dave for a wide-ranging conversation with Philip Cunliffe on the question of the national interest. Cunliffe is Associate Professor of International Relations at University College London, author of The National Interest: Politics After Globalization, and co-founder and contributing editor of Aufhebunga Bunga. The discussion centers on Cunliffe's argument that the “national interest”—long treated with suspicion on both the left and the libertarian right—has returned not as a coherent doctrine, but as a symptom of the collapse of globalization and liberal internationalism. Cunliffe defends a sovereigntist, rather than nationalist, conception of politics, insisting that the national interest should be understood as a democratic process of contestation defined by citizens rather than insulated elites. Nick and Dave press Cunliffe on whether appeals to global problems and global governance have allowed ruling classes to evade democratic accountability, and whether it is possible to retain global awareness while re-anchoring politics at the level of the nation state. The episode also digs into the book's historical and theoretical core. Cunliffe discusses classical realism, liberal internationalism, and the Cold War transformation of the national interest into a technocratic and national security–state project. Nick and Dave challenge Cunliffe on whether realism genuinely reflected mass politics or instead replaced aristocratic judgment with expert management, and whether liberal internationalism restrained power or dissolved political responsibility by moralizing foreign policy. Throughout, the conversation returns to a central tension: how to avoid reifying the national interest while still treating it as a necessary framework for democratic struggle. Recorded on December 15, 2025, the episode also serves as a kind of end-of-year reflection on contemporary politics. From Israel and Gaza to the advent of a second Trump administration, MAGA fragmentation, and competing claims over what counts as “America First,” the discussion explores whether renewed appeals to the national interest can meaningfully hold elites accountable—or whether they risk being captured once again by narrow sectional interests and the national security state. Cunliffe reflects on the limits of optimism, arguing that while democratic contestation offers no guarantees of good outcomes, abandoning the national interest altogether leaves politics empty, moralized, and unaccountable. For donations, membership inquiries, and educational courses please visit ClassUnity.org

Get ready for another BIG and BRILLIANT adventure into the world of science on this week’s Science Weekly! In Science in the News, there’s good news for giant pandas as they’re officially no longer endangered. We also hear about a major change of command aboard the ISS. Plus, Ruth Williams from The Wildlife Trust joins us to explain why a record number of octopuses are suddenly appearing in UK waters. The we answer your questions... Ralph wants to know about the different types of stone, and Colin Forsyth from University College London explains what plasma, the forgotten fourth state of matter, is. Dangerous Dan returns with a plant you definitely don’t want to mess with as he reveals the deadly science behind the Castor Bean Plant. And in Battle of the Sciences, Charlie Firth from Oxford University makes the case for vaccines, explaining why they’re one of the most important scientific inventions in human history. Plus, Professor Hallux and Nanobot are back for another adventure, shrinking down inside the human body to explore how antibiotics work and why they’re so powerful. This week, we learn about: The secret fourth state of matter called plasma How vaccines protect your body from disease Why pandas are making a comeback What’s causing octopus numbers to rise in UK waters The dangers of the castor bean plant All that and more on this week’s Science Weekly!Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HEALTH NEWS   Probiotics emerge as a potent tool against depression and anxiety Altered microbiome: Oral bacteria play a role in chronic liver disease, study reveals Health issues linked to cosmetic jab complications From yoga to awe walks: Many paths lead to better mental health, largest analysis of well-being interventions finds Weight loss drugs may cause nutritional deficiencies without proper guidanc       Probiotics emerge as a potent tool against depression and anxiety University of Calgary (Canada), January 14 2026 (Natural News) For decades, the standard pharmaceutical approach to treating depression and anxiety has dominated treatment options, despite significant drawbacks including delayed effects, debilitating side effects and high relapse rates. Now, compelling new research is challenging this paradigm by pointing to a surprising source of relief: the gut. A comprehensive scientific analysis, synthesizing data from over 1,400 clinically diagnosed patients, reveals that probiotics—beneficial bacteria readily available as supplements—can produce substantial reductions in both depressive and anxious symptoms.   The analysis major findings include:     A major analysis of 23 clinical trials finds probiotics can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in clinically diagnosed patients.   The benefits, appearing within 4-8 weeks, were comparable to some conventional antidepressants but without the same side-effect profile.   The gut-brain axis, a communication network largely ignored by conventional psychiatry, is central to understanding this connection.   Single-strain probiotic supplements, particularly certain Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, showed the strongest mental health effects.   This research supports a holistic view of mental wellness, where gut health is a foundational component of treatment.     Altered microbiome: Oral bacteria play a role in chronic liver disease, study reveals Technical University Munich (Germany), January 15 2026 (Medical Xpress) Each year, more than two million people die from advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD). Previous research has linked gut microbiome disruptions to this condition and suggested that bacteria typically found in the mouth may colonize the gut. A new study published in Nature Microbiology now shows that identical bacterial strains occur in both the mouth and gut of patients with advanced chronic liver disease and also reveals a mechanism by which oral bacteria affect gut health. The researchers also found that this process coincides with worsening liver health. Researchers analyzed bacterial populations in saliva and stool samples from patients. The team found that both the gut and oral microbiome undergo significant changes as liver disease worsened, where changes to the oral microbiome were already detectable at earlier disease stages. In healthy individuals, bacterial communities differ substantially between body sites. In patients with liver disease, however, oral and gut microbiomes became increasingly similar as the disease progressed and nearly identical bacterial strains were recovered from the mouth and gut of patients. "These strains are typically found in the mouth and are rarely present in the healthy gut. However, we observed increases in the absolute abundances of these oral bacteria in patients with advanced chronic liver disease. This strongly suggests that these bacteria translocate from the mouth and colonize the gut," explains Melanie Schirmer, Professor of Translational Microbiome Data Integration at TUM.   Health issues linked to cosmetic jab complications Anglia Ruskin University (UK), January 9 2026 (Eurekalert)   Patients with chronic illnesses face a significantly higher risk of complications from cosmetic botulinum toxin injections, commonly known as Botox, according to a major UK study. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) surveyed 919 adults who had received botulinum toxin treatments for aesthetic reasons. The study, published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal, is the largest of its kind to have been carried out in the UK. Botulinum toxin injections are among the UK's most popular cosmetic procedures, with an estimated 900,000 treatments performed every year. Researchers found that underlying conditions such as type 1 diabetes, thyroid disorders, chronic migraine and skin disease dramatically increase the likelihood of adverse effects. According to the study, people with type 1 diabetes were 92 times more likely to experience nausea after treatment compared to those without the condition. Those with thyroid disorders and chronic migraine sufferers had an approximately 10-fold increase in the risk of nausea. Other complications associated with pre-existing conditions included headaches, bruising, muscle weakness and persistent eyelid droop (ptosis). Patients with cataracts were 30 times more likely to report headaches, and those with prior injuries had a 21-fold increased risk of losing facial expression.   From yoga to awe walks: Many paths lead to better mental health, largest analysis of well-being interventions finds Swansea University (UK), January 15 2026 (Medical Xpress) New research by Swansea experts has provided the largest ever comparison of well-being-focused interventions delivered to adults. The team reviewed 183 randomized controlled trials, representing almost 23,000 participants, and evaluated 12 categories of interventions ranging from psychological, physical, mind–body, and nature-based approaches to find out more. Their research was the first interdisciplinary comparison carried out across psychological, physical, mind-body and environmental interventions. The study gives an integrated view of how different disciplines contribute to well-being. By focusing on general adult samples rather than clinical groups, it provides evidence that will be relevant to developing public health, education, workplace well-being, and community programs. The researchers' key findings were: Most interventions improved well-being compared with inactive control groups; Strongest effects were found for combined exercise plus psychological interventions (for example, awe walks or meditation combined with walking); Mind–body interventions showed consistently moderate, reliable effects; Exercise alone produced similar benefits to many psychological interventions; and, Positive psychology interventions—both single-component and multicomponent—were also effective. The analysis shows that there is no single route to improving well-being. Mindfulness, compassion-based approaches, yoga, exercise and positive psychology interventions all showed moderate benefits compared with control groups, and combining physical activity with psychological interventions appeared particularly promising.   Weight loss drugs may cause nutritional deficiencies without proper guidance     University College London & Cambridge, January 7 2026 (News-Medical) People prescribed the new generation of weight loss drugs may not receive sufficient nutritional guidance to support safe and sustainable weight loss, leaving them vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies and muscle loss, say experts at UCL and the University of Cambridge. In research published today in Obesity Reviews, the team found a lack of robust evidence surrounding nutritional advice and support and the impact this has on factors such as calorie intake, body composition, protein adequacy, and patient experiences. Weight loss drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide – available under brand names including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro – mimic the naturally-occurring hormone glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), released into the blood in response to eating. The drugs suppress appetite, increase a feeling of being full, and reduce food cravings. These drugs can reduce calorie intake by between 16-39 %, making them a powerful tool to help people living with obesity and being overweight. However, there has been little research to examine their impact on diet quality, protein intake, or adequacy of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). The researchers identified just 12 studies that looked at nutrition and diet alongside treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide. Given the widespread – and increasing – use of these medications and the urgency of providing advice to individuals using the drugs, there was insufficient evidence from the studies to recommend strict low-fat diets to complement the weight loss drugs. Some observational studies found that people on the treatments often consumed excessive levels of total and saturated fat. These medications are transforming obesity care, but we know very little about how they shape people's daily lives, including changes in appetite, eating patterns, wellbeing, and quality of life.

What does the phrase 'Victorian values' conjure today? Matthew Sweet and guests explore what we have inherited from that formative era in relation to political ideas, civic culture, aesthetics, and social and sexual mores. How does our view of the Victorian age match the historical reality? And can we move beyond stereotypes of repression and the stiff upper lip?AN Wilson, writer, biographer and historianGisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston, crossbench peer in the House of LordsSarah Williams, Research Professor in the History of Christianity at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada and author of When Courage Calls: Josephine Butler and the Radical Pursuit of Justice for WomenFern Riddell, historian and writer. Her latest book is Victoria's Secret: The Private Passion of a Queen (2025)And Matthew Stallard, Research Associate from the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London.Producer: Eliane Glaser

For many Americans, taking part in a debate is just about the last thing they'd put on their dance card.But Braver Angels debates are different. In this episode Sam Rechek explains why.“Braver Angels debates are fun,” Sam tells us. “We've created a structure where people can have productive disagreements about contentious issues. That's something many yearn for, and they get interested in really fast.”Unlike most debates, there are no “winners” or “losers”. Speakers at Braver Angels debates are often passionate, but they can't interrupt or be snarky about the other side. Compelling arguments are made on both sides in a respectful way. Different viewpoints about an issue are warmly welcomed, but all comments must be addressed to the chair, not directly to the person you disagree with.“There's a real hunger for environments where people can have productive disagreements and mutual understanding”, says Sam. In our interview we also discuss LAPP skills, and the concept of courageous citizenship.Many of our beliefs about politics and controversial events are formed, or at least influenced, by fleeting impressions: Hot takes on social media, sound bites on TV and radio, and comments by those we know. This episode makes the case for going deeper and spending time with those you may passionately disagree with.Sam Rechek is Program Coordinator for the Braver Angels Debate Team. Several years ago as a undergraduate at the University of South Florida, Sam worked with FIRE - the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and Heterodox Academy. He founded a student organization, First Amendment Forum—1AF—which developed into a venue for contentious discourse and advocacy for free speech principles. Sam holds a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from USF and an MA in Legal and Political Theory from University College London."How Do We Fix It?" reports on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels, the nation's largest cross-partisan volunteer-led movement to bridge partisan divides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New research is transforming the outlook for cervical and uterine cancers -- two of the most serious gynecologic malignancies worldwide – and we'll be hearing from one of the people shaping that progress, Dr. Mary McCormack, on this episode of Raise the Line. From her perch as the senior clinical oncologist for gynecological cancer at University College London Hospitals, Dr. McCormack has been a driving force in clinical research in the field, most notably as leader of the influential INTERLACE study, which changed global practice in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer, a key reason she was named to Time Magazine's 2025 list of the 100 most influential people in health. “In general, the protocol has been well received and it was adopted into the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines which is a really big deal because lots of centers, particularly in South and Central America and Southeast Asia, follow the NCCN's lead.”In this conversation with host Michael Carrese, you'll learn about how Dr. McCormack overcame recruitment and funding challenges, the need for greater access to and affordability of treatments, and what lies ahead for women's cancer treatment worldwide. Mentioned in this episode:INTERLACE Cervical Cancer Trial If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

¿Por qué algunas personas parecen ganar siempre... y otras siempre pierden? ¿Qué sucede exactamente en tu cerebro cuando tienes éxito? ¿Por qué el poder cambia a las personas... y cómo evitar que te pase a ti?En este episodio analizamos El Efecto Ganador, de Ian Robertson (The Winner Effect, 2012), un libro que revela los mecanismos neurobiológicos más profundos del éxito y el fracaso humano.Ian Robertson no es el típico autor de autoayuda. Es profesor de Psicología en Trinity College Dublin, profesor visitante en University College London y científico en el Instituto de Investigación Rotman de la Universidad de Toronto. Es miembro de la Academia Real Irlandesa y ha dedicado décadas a estudiar cómo funciona el cerebro humano bajo presión, bajo estrés... y bajo el poder.Lo más valioso: Robertson descubrió que ganar literalmente reprograma tu cerebro para más victorias —a través de testosterona y dopamina— pero también que el poder puede corromperte sin que te des cuenta si no construyes los sistemas adecuados para protegerte.

¿Por qué algunas personas parecen ganar siempre... y otras siempre pierden? ¿Qué sucede exactamente en tu cerebro cuando tienes éxito? ¿Por qué el poder cambia a las personas... y cómo evitar que te pase a ti?En este episodio analizamos El Efecto Ganador, de Ian Robertson (The Winner Effect, 2012), un libro que revela los mecanismos neurobiológicos más profundos del éxito y el fracaso humano.Ian Robertson no es el típico autor de autoayuda. Es profesor de Psicología en Trinity College Dublin, profesor visitante en University College London y científico en el Instituto de Investigación Rotman de la Universidad de Toronto. Es miembro de la Academia Real Irlandesa y ha dedicado décadas a estudiar cómo funciona el cerebro humano bajo presión, bajo estrés... y bajo el poder.Lo más valioso: Robertson descubrió que ganar literalmente reprograma tu cerebro para más victorias —a través de testosterona y dopamina— pero también que el poder puede corromperte sin que te des cuenta si no construyes los sistemas adecuados para protegerte.

What is the purpose of the Arts? Can music, literature and visual art change our lives physically and socially, as well as personally? Adam Rutherford explores the power of the arts and how it might be defined and explained.Engaging with the arts is one of our most powerful tools for unlocking health and happiness argues Daisy Fancourt. She is is Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at University College London and Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health. In her new book, Art Cure, she shows how songs support the development of children's brains; how dance can build neural pathways; how theatre and exhibitions can decrease pain, stress and depression and how the arts can improve the functioning of every major organ system in the body. Drawing on the latest research research in a range of scientific fields, she traces a connection between the arts and human flourishing. Earliest Stories: Stories, Novellas, Humoresques, 1880-1882 is a collection of the Russian writer Anton Chekhov's work while he was still a student of medicine. In his juvenilia we see flashes of insight alongside comedy, compassion and a developing narrative voice. Rosamund Bartlett, translator, biographer and cultural historian writes about how stories have long been dismissed, but written as his family faced financial crisis, reveal much about the threads that connect together in his life and work. BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service explores how music transports and defines us in his new book. In A History of the World in 50 Pieces, he examines how classical music reflects our changing politics, society and technological advances - and how composers, musicians and listeners have shaped history. From Bach to Beethoven via the Happy birthday song, he explores the power of music to connect and and challenge us. Producer: Ruth Watts

Human touch feels good — but it may also do far more than we realize. From a reassuring hand on the shoulder to a long hug or massage, deliberate touch can trigger measurable biological responses in the body. This episode begins with what science reveals about why touch matters and what happens when we don't get enough of it. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/everyone-top/202108/the-vital-importance-human-touch It's easy to assume that the big moments shape our lives — but what if tiny, seemingly meaningless choices matter just as much, or even more? A few minutes, a small decision, or a random event can quietly ripple outward in ways we never see. Brian Klaas joins me to explain how chance, chaos, and randomness shape our lives — and how understanding this can actually help you make better choices. Brian is an associate professor in global politics at University College London, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, and author of Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters (https://amzn.to/3SrRj31). “Big Tech” companies influence how we communicate, shop, work, and even think — yet they operate with surprisingly little oversight. Who should be setting the rules for companies with that much power? And what happens if no one does? Tom Wheeler explains why tech regulation matters, what's at stake, and who should be in charge. Tom served as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission during the Obama administration and is author of Techlash: Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age? (https://amzn.to/47OunPU). And finally, could what kids eat affect their risk of asthma, eczema, or other allergic conditions? Research suggests a link between fast food consumption and respiratory allergies. We wrap up with what scientists have found and why it matters. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.3005803 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg's 27 years presenting In Our Time, five well-known fans of the programme have chosen their favourite episodes. Comedian Frank Skinner has picked the episode on the life and work of the poet Emily Dickinson and recorded an introduction to it. (This introduction will be available on BBC Sounds and the In Our Time webpage shortly after the broadcast and will be longer than the version broadcast on Radio 4). Emily Dickinson was arguably the most startling and original poet in America in the C19th. According to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, her correspondent and mentor, writing 15 years after her death, "Few events in American literary history have been more curious than the sudden rise of Emily Dickinson into a posthumous fame only more accentuated by the utterly recluse character of her life and by her aversion to even a literary publicity." That was in 1891 and, as more of Dickinson's poems were published, and more of her remaining letters, the more the interest in her and appreciation of her grew. With her distinctive voice, her abundance, and her exploration of her private world, she is now seen by many as one of the great lyric poets. With Fiona Green Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College Linda Freedman Lecturer in English and American Literature at University College London and Paraic Finnerty Reader in English and American Literature at the University of Portsmouth Producer: Simon Tillotson. Reading list: Christopher Benfey, A Summer of Hummingbirds: Love, Art and Scandal in the Intersecting Worlds of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Martin Johnson Heade (Penguin Books, 2009) Jed Deppman, Marianne Noble and Gary Lee Stonum (eds.), Emily Dickinson and Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2013) Judith Farr, The Gardens of Emily Dickinson (Harvard University Press, 2005) Judith Farr, The Passion of Emily Dickinson (Harvard University Press, 1992) Paraic Finnerty, Emily Dickinson's Shakespeare (University of Massachusetts Press, 2006) Ralph William Franklin (ed.), The Master Letters of Emily Dickinson (University Massachusetts Press, 1998) Ralph William Franklin (ed.), The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Variorum Edition (Harvard University Press, 1998) Linda Freedman, Emily Dickinson and the Religious Imagination (Cambridge University Press, 2011) Gudrun Grabher, Roland Hagenbüchle and Cristanne Miller (eds.), The Emily Dickinson Handbook (University of Massachusetts Press, 1998) Alfred Habegger, My Wars are Laid Away in Books: The Early Life of Emily Dickinson (Random House, 2001) Ellen Louise Hart and Martha Nell Smith (eds.), Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson's Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson (Paris Press, 1998) Virginia Jackson, Dickinson's Misery: A Theory of Lyric Reading (Princeton University Press, 2013) Thomas H. Johnson (ed.), Emily Dickinson: Selected Letters (first published 1958; Harvard University Press, 1986) Thomas H. Johnson (ed.), Poems of Emily Dickinson (first published 1951; Faber & Faber, 1976) Thomas Herbert Johnson and Theodora Ward (eds.), The Letters of Emily Dickinson (Belknap Press, 1958) Benjamin Lease, Emily Dickinson's Readings of Men and Books (Palgrave Macmillan, 1990) Mary Loeffelholz, The Value of Emily Dickinson (Cambridge University Press, 2016) James McIntosh, Nimble Believing: Dickinson and the Unknown (University of Michigan Press, 2000) Marietta Messmer, A Vice for Voices: Reading Emily Dickinson's Correspondence (University of Massachusetts Press, 2001) Cristanne Miller (ed.), Emily Dickinson's Poems: As She Preserved (Harvard University Press, 2016) Cristanne Miller, Reading in Time: Emily Dickinson in the Nineteenth Century (University of Massachusetts Press, 2012) Elizabeth Phillips, Emily Dickinson: Personae and Performance (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1988) Eliza Richards (ed.), Emily Dickinson in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2013) Richard B. Sewall, The Life of Emily Dickinson (first published 1974; Harvard University Press, 1998) Marta L. Werner, Emily Dickinson's Open Folios: Scenes of Reading, Surfaces of Writing (University of Michigan Press, 1996) Brenda Wineapple, White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson (Anchor Books, 2009) Shira Wolosky, Emily Dickinson: A Voice of War (Yale University Press, 1984) This episode was first broadcast in May 2017. Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the people, ideas, events and discoveries that have shaped our world In Our Time is a BBC Studios production