
Instant Genius
Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you a bite-sized masterclass on a new subject each week. New episodes are released every Monday and Friday and you can subscribe to Instant Genius on Apple Podcasts to access all new episodes ad-free and all old episodes of Instant Genius Extra. Watch full episodes of Instant Genius on BBC Science Focus Magazine's YouTube channel.
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This year quantum physics celebrates its 100th anniversary. And while we’ve made great progress in understanding its many intricacies and quirks, it’s likely that quantum behaviour will continue to fascinate and beguile scientists around the world for years to come. In this episode we speak to Prof Jim Al-Khalili, a th
Whether it’s the crowning glory on the top of a pizza Margherita, layered between two pieces of bread in a sandwich laced with pickle, or simply enjoyed by itself at the end of a meal, many of us adore cheese. But how exactly is it made, what gives it its distinct flavour and how can we make so many different varieties
Be it the extravagant displays of peacocks fanning their tails, the beautiful, complex song of nightingales or the meticulous art installation-like structures built by bouwerbirds, the animal kingdom filled with a huge variety of fascinating mating rituals. But more than being mere quirks of evolution, these behaviours
Chocolate has a reputation. It is sugary and bad for you. But in its purest form, it can be beneficial to your health. As part of our Food Science series, we spoke to Megan Povey, a physicist at the University of Leeds who specialises in food processing. They explain how chocolate is made, the benefits it can have on y

Why OCD is a serious, debilitating mental condition, not just a need for cleanliness or order
We all experience distressing or intrusive thoughts at some point in our lives but for around two to three per cent of us these can be incredibly difficult to ignore and can begin to have a significant debilitating effect on our lives. Clinically this is known as obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD – a condition that
Despite decades of international climate summits, the ongoing work of various campaign groups and open letters signed by some of the world’s most prominent scientists highlighting the crucial need for action, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss and sea level rises are still going up across the globe. So, what are we ge