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It’s easy to get very excited about nuclear fusion - but are we all getting ahead of ourselves? This week, Michael explains the basics of nuclear fusion, why the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has been disastrous and what we’ve actually managed to achieve with nuclear fusion so far. We also take a look at whether nuclear fusion is a wise investment and we consider whether our money could be better spent on other energy sources!

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This week we’re on a mission to understand phobias, manias and obsessions! We look at where our phobias come from, how people use obsessions as a coping mechanism and how you define a phobia. We also find out about a fascinating case of ‘dancing mania’, we consider the evolutionary purpose behind phobias and we look at how our fears have changed over time.

Special thanks to today's expert, Kate Summerscale.

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With the coronation just around the corner, we’ve decided to dig into the science behind leadership. We examine the history of leadership and how events like WWI have had an impact on our relationship with leaders. We also look at what personality traits make a good leader and we find out whether society is evolving beyond the need for leadership…

Special thanks to today’s expert, Professor André Spicer.

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Prepare to get your head in a spin this week, as we have a go at cracking one of science’s greatest enigmas: consciousness. We delve into the complexities of what it means to be conscious, we explore the history of our understanding of consciousness and we look at some mind-blowing ways that it can be manipulated!

Special thanks to today’s expert, Professor Anil Seth.

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This week, we take a closer look at the fascinating world of astrology and consider how it has managed to maintain its popularity in the age of science. We find out how astrology historically interacted with science, why decision fatigue can make it so appealing and how some businesses use astrology to make choices. Michael also shares a fascinating way that the month you are born CAN have an impact on your life (with some scientific evidence to back it up) and we find out whether astrology is actually doing anyone any harm…

Special thanks to today's expert, Mystic Michael.

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Rick has recently become a father, so this week we are on a mission to make him the best parent possible. We get some advice on the best ways to bond with a child and we look at how the role of fathers has evolved throughout history. We also look into the benefits of having a good father and we take a look at the fascinating ways your brain and hormones change when you become a Dad!

Special thanks to today’s expert, Anna Machin.

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It’s undeniable that technology is creeping further and further into our lives - but are we going to end up living inside a virtual reality? Mark Zuckerberg certainly hopes so.

This episode, we uncover what the metaverse might look like, we examine some of its potential benefits (and take a critical view of just how good they actually are) and we consider some of the drawbacks. We also discover how close the metaverse is to becoming a reality and we find out whether anyone actually wants any of this in the first place…

Special thanks to today’s expert, Professor Victoria Baines.

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All of us (except Michael) have had our hearts broken at some point - but why does it hurt so much? And what is the evolutionary purpose of all that pain? This week we’re finding out exactly what goes on in our bodies when we experience heartache, whether we might be able to cure a broken heart and if it’s possible to actually die from heartbreak.

Special thanks to today’s expert, Associate Professor Mary-Frances O’Connor.

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This week we’re giving Rick yet another opportunity to speak enthusiastically about his beloved octopuses, as we try to determine: what is the most intelligent animal. This episode is full of fascinating animal experiments, involving crows, elephants, chimpanzees, horses and more. We also discover what the challenges are when measuring intelligence and how we can compare intelligence between different species. Rick is in his absolute element this week!

Special thanks to today’s expert, Dr Marta Halina.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we want to introduce you to one of our favourite podcasts: The Luke and Pete Show. Join Luke Moore and Pete Donaldson for an unplanned half an hour every Monday and Thursday where they talk about just about anything, from UFOs, to AI and Ancient History. In this episode, Pete recounts a story from his holiday, where he came face to face with death and Luke rejoices about some American bin men.

Look out for a new episode of Eureka next week!

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This week we’re bringing you a very special episode, as Michael reflects on some of his favourite moments from the series so far!

Rick’s very excited about the giant insects that might be replacing humans, we hear about a fascinating cancer trial which could be the key to beating the disease and we pull apart the European Academy of Paediatrics’ statement about vaping. We also look back at a hilarious moment from our episode on swearing and we hear about some fascinating research into concussion. There’s a little bit of everything in this episode - and it’s all fascinating.

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We’ve all done something bad at some point in our lives, but why? This week, we explore how we can quantify a ‘bad’ thing, what’s going on in our brains when we do something wrong and why sometimes it feels really good to do something we know is a little bit naughty. We also look at how group mentality affects our behaviour and Rick shares a truly awful story about a friend known only as ‘Evil Damien’...

Special thanks to today’s expert, Dr Jack Lewis.

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Elon Musk has been promising self-driving cars for years, but is it actually even possible? We’re exploring whether self-driving cars could reduce the number of traffic collisions, what some of the ethical issues are surrounding the vehicles and how close we are to actually seeing them on our roads. We’re also taking a look at the history of self-driving cars, considering what might happen if they were hacked and finding out how businesses like Uber have been reacting to the developing science…

Special thanks to today’s expert, Professor Jack Stilgoe.

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If you didn’t already know, we love maths! This week, Michael welcomes us to his new cult, as we talk about whether maths is provably true and whether it was invented or discovered. We’re also choosing some mathematical ‘saints’ and chatting about some of the great things maths has done for civilisation. Is our passion for maths really that different to following a religion? Let’s find out…

Special thanks to today's expert, Dr Michael Brooks (not a real doctor).

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If you’ve made some new year's resolutions and you’re hoping for a ‘new year, new me’ this is the episode for you. This week, we’re finding out if it’s really possible to consciously improve our personalities (although Rick seems to think there’s no need to improve on perfection). We’re also examining the validity of personality tests, finding out whether it’s true to say that animals have ‘personalities’ and we’re exploring the fascinating developments by machine-learning AI in personality research!

Special thanks to today’s expert, Dr Christian Jarrett.

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Have you given up meat for Veganuary? This week we’re looking at the fascinating history of human meat consumption and finding out whether we *really* need it in our diets. We’re assessing the alternatives – including introducing insects to our mealtimes, lab-grown food and meat substitutes – and we’re looking at the true effect farming animals has on the environment.

Special thanks to today’s expert, Dr Melanie Joy.

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