Podcast: Debating vaccines, LGBTQ+ history month, and humans of health research
Release Date: 02/16/2022
Podcast: Filming with Attenborough, global development goals, and lab-grown meat
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: David Attenborough meets our newest robot, progress towards global goals, and supporting the future of lab-grown meat. News: Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster – We find out what it was like to have Sir as he met a robot sea monster and the researcher who built it. Global goals for 2030 – The at Imperial brings together researchers working on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We hear from Hub Co-Chair and sanitation researcher and solar energy researcher on how some of these targets are being tackled. Lab-grown meat – We meet Reka Tron, co-founder of ,...
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Podcast: Best of 2023, sustainable flight fuel, and better bones
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: 2023 in review, the first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel, and improving bone quality. News: Best of 2023 – We hear about some of the best quantum breakthroughs and how science has met art at Imperial in 2023, as told by our science communication interns. Sustainable aviation fuel flights – We talk to and , two of the researchers involved in the world’s first transatlantic flight , made primarily of waste fats and cooking oil. The Imperial team helped assess the potential impact of such flights, including the formation of contrails. Bone up on...
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Podcast: Climate conference, COVID and pregnancy, and inspiring careers
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: The latest climate science ahead of COP28, how COVID impacts pregnancy, and founding a MedTech startup. News: COP coming – We look ahead to the upcoming COP28 climate conference, and discuss a few recent Imperial studies on the , , and avoiding overreliance on . COVID and pregnancy – We speak to , who says that while pregnancy carries higher risk of complications from COVID-19, vaccination is extremely effective and safe for the baby, passing on immunity in the womb. Too Long; Don’t Listen – We hear from the , featuring inspiring stories to help people make career...
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Podcast: NASA science alum, vaccines for TB, and the generational wealth gap
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: We meet an Imperial alum who is now Head of Science at NASA, discuss the generational wealth gap and find out how to tackle TB. News: Is the generational wealth gap real? – We that finds evidence that there is more solidarity between generations than the “Millennials versus Boomers” narrative would suggest. NASA’s Head of Science – We sit down with Imperial physics alum, and now NASA Head of Science, Dr Nicky Fox, to find out which missions she’s excited about and how we can encourage more girls to take up physics. Tackling TB – We hear from about how TB...
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Podcast: Bedtime rituals, recycling clothes and data bias in AI
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: How getting ready for bed is hard-wired, how clothing dyes can be recycled, and what we can do about data bias in AI. News: Getting ready for bed – When mice are sleepy, they make a safe nest, and now researchers have discovered the both in mice and likely in ourselves. Making fashion greener – We talk to the people behind – an Imperial startup that uses a new chemical process to recover dyes and colours from waste textiles, vastly reducing the water and energy use of the industry. The team recent secured an . Data bias in AI – We listen in to the as they chat data...
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Podcast: Childhood illness, planetary protection, and sustainable finance
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: A better test for diagnosing childhood illness, improving planetary protection and financing sustainability. News: Diagnosing childhood illnesses – We learn about a that can determine what’s causing fevers in children in only an hour, by analysing the distinctive pattern of genes being ‘switched on or off’ by the body in response to specific illnesses. Improving planetary protection – How do we make sure we don’t contaminate other worlds with our space missions, or contaminate Earth with samples returned from elsewhere in the Solar System? We speak to Professor...
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Podcast: Monkey sex, walking robots, and DNA health
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: We learn how same-sex sexual behaviour is common in macaques, how to teach robots to walk like dogs, and how DNA affects your health. News: Same-sex sexual behaviour in monkeys – We learn how research has revealed that among male macaques in one colony is widespread and may be beneficial. How do you make a robot walk? – We talk to about what goes into making a functional robot. Should they walk on four legs like dogs or two legs like humans? What if one of the legs fails? And how do you integrate the latest AI? DNA and your health – From the podcast, we get a...
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Podcast: Data poisoning, living with HIV, and climate art
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: How hackers can ‘poison’ AI training data, the modern experience of living with HIV, and a climate change art prize. News: Smart meters in India and physics scholarships – We hear about a smart meters project being selected as one of the top 75 ideas for promoting green lifestyles by the government of India, and meet the winners of new physics PhD diversity scholarships. Data poisoning in AI – AI algorithms are trained on data, but what happens when hackers manipulate the data so the AI gives the ‘wrong’ answers, such as letting spam through email filters? We...
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Podcast: Celebrity visitor special
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: We revisit interviews with some celebrity guests: singer Ana Matronic, Queen’s Brian May, and astrophysicist and author Katie Mack. Ana Matronic meets the robots – Scissor Sisters singer Ana Matronic to meet robotics researcher Dr Aldo Faisal. She spoke about her book, her passion for robots and her devotion to the international, intellectual movement called transhumanism. Brian May submits his PhD – In 2007, a rather extraordinary PhD student submitted his thesis – Queen guitarist Brian May. He returned to Imperial to before the band took off, and we caught up with...
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Podcast: Analysing Trump voters, Jupiter mission launch, and COVID oximeter test
Imperial College Podcast
In this edition: What links Trump voters, how we’re going to investigate Jupiter’s moons, and why it’s a good idea to ask if a medical trial is fair. News: Surface COVID transmission and the sounds of space – We hear about the first evidence of COVID-19 transmission occurring , and find out how the public can help space research by . Who votes for Donald Trump? – We chat to Sanaz Talaifar, who recently collaborated on in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. She talks about how areas with higher neuroticism and those suffering more economically were more likely to vote for Trump...
info_outlineIn this edition: A scientist countering vaccine misinformation, members of Imperial’s LGBTQ+ network, and the people behind an impactful asthma trial.
News: Yeast mini-factories and inspiration from nature – We learn about researchers who have engineered yeast to act like mini factories producing dementia drug compounds, and engineers who have taken inspiration from insect wings and shark skin to create materials that pop bacteria and reduce drag.
Primetime COVID vaccine debate – We catch up with Professor Robin Shattock following his appearance on Question Time countering COVID-9 vaccine misinformation, hearing how he decides when to engage with sceptics and the best techniques for doing so.
LGBT+ history month – We meet Ji Young Yoon and Josh Hodge from Imperial 600, the College's network for LGBTQ+ staff, postgraduate students and their allies. We talk about what LGBT+ history month means to them, who some of their heroes are, and what issues could be tackled next.
You can also listen to an extended version of this interview and the community Spotify playlist.
Humans of health research – We meet Jilly Ellis and Cielito Caneja, who participated in a research trial for a severe asthma treatment, as patient and Research Nurse Practitioner, respectively. We talk about why each got involved in the research, how it felt to reunite for a new photography project, and what they hope people take away from their stories.
You can also listen to an extended version of this interview on our Soundcloud account.