CATEGORIES

Swear Like A Champ
Very Interesting

Swear Like A Champ

Swearing is found in every language, and even chimps do it. But why do we swear, and is it a good thing? We chat to Emma Byrne, author of a new book on the subject

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3 mins  |
September - October 2018
Hallucinogenic Drug Brewed By Amazonians Could Be Used To Treat Alcoholism And Depression
Very Interesting

Hallucinogenic Drug Brewed By Amazonians Could Be Used To Treat Alcoholism And Depression

A psychedelic drug traditionally used in South American shamanic ceremonies could be used to treat alcoholism and depression, new research from the University of Exeter and University College London suggests.

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1 min  |
September - October 2018
Can Likes Become Votes?
Very Interesting

Can Likes Become Votes?

Marketing firm Cambridge Analytica convinced its customers that they could use data mined from Facebook to influence people’s votes. With South Africa’s elections on 8 May, we wonder: do their psychological profiling techniques really work?

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5 mins  |
May/June 2019
The Height Of Innovation
Very Interesting

The Height Of Innovation

Could virtual reality be useful in treating anxiety disorders? Psychologists led by Prof Daniel Freeman of Oxford University are using VR to help people overcome their fear of heights.

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2 mins  |
May/June 2019
Sperm-Stoppers - The Search For A Male Contraceptive Pill
Very Interesting

Sperm-Stoppers - The Search For A Male Contraceptive Pill

For over half a century, women have been able to take control of their bodies to prevent pregnancies. But many men now want to share this responsibility with their partners. So how long will they be waiting for a male pill?

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6 mins  |
November 2018
Very Interesting

No More Heart Attacks

Can cutting-edge new treatments and therapies put an end to cardiovascular and circulatory disease for good?

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7 mins  |
May/June 2019
HAWKING'S LAST HURRAH
Very Interesting

HAWKING'S LAST HURRAH

The world-famous physicist and author of A Brief History Of Time was laid to rest alongside Newton and Darwin

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3 mins  |
March / April 2019
Scattered In The Wind
Very Interesting

Scattered In The Wind

Get your head around outdoor acoustics

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3 mins  |
March / April 2019
Could Different Mealtimes Make You Healthier?
Very Interesting

Could Different Mealtimes Make You Healthier?

A touch of patience could positively impact cholesterol and blood sugar levels

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2 mins  |
January / February 2019
So Hot Right Now
Very Interesting

So Hot Right Now

Why have heatwaves been so common in recent months?

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3 mins  |
January / February 2019
Can We Stop Male Suicide?
Very Interesting

Can We Stop Male Suicide?

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. We want to know if current research could help us find a solution…

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7 mins  |
July - August 2019
Why Your Brain Hates other People
Very Interesting

Why Your Brain Hates other People

It turns out that everyone’s a little bit racist. But don’t worry, we can use our biases to change our behaviour for the better

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7 mins  |
November 2018
Meet The Happiest People On The Planet
Very Interesting

Meet The Happiest People On The Planet

How, and why, do the world’s happiest people keep smiling through the long winter months?

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6 mins  |
May - June 2017
A Vision For The Whole Planet
Very Interesting

A Vision For The Whole Planet

James Chen is the founder of Clearly, a new global initiative to solve the largest unaddressed disability in the world – poor eyesight

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4 mins  |
May - June 2017
Do You Have To Be Mad To Be Funny?
Very Interesting

Do You Have To Be Mad To Be Funny?

The way a comedian’s brain works is subtly different to the rest of us

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2 mins  |
May - June 2017
Very Interesting

Complete Cocoa

Why is cocoa hard to dissolve, and what’s the best way to make the perfect hot chocolate?

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2 mins  |
July 2018
In Search Of Wisdom
Very Interesting

In Search Of Wisdom

Professor Mike Bruton – prolific author, educator, ichthyologist, historian, imaginer (his term) and much more – is an unconventional academic. For one thing, he seems to place a premium on sharing his knowledge, rather than coddling it in a corner.

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7 mins  |
July 2018
Are We Becoming More Violent?
Very Interesting

Are We Becoming More Violent?

With the conflict in Syria, terrorist attacks in France and racial tensions in the USA, it’s easy to think we’re becoming more violent. But do the stats paint a different picture?

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8 mins  |
March/April 2017
Is The Dark Web Disappearing?
Very Interesting

Is The Dark Web Disappearing?

TECHNOLOGY

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2 mins  |
March - April 2018
Turned On By Teaching
Very Interesting

Turned On By Teaching

Dr Tyler DeWitt, educator, scientist and creator, shares some of his views on the importance of learning about science

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3 mins  |
March - April 2018
Sleep Deprivation Could Help Fight Depression
Very Interesting

Sleep Deprivation Could Help Fight Depression

Large study finds that ‘wake therapy’ is as effective as antidepressants

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2 mins  |
March - April 2018
South Africa's 40 Top Inventions
Very Interesting

South Africa's 40 Top Inventions

In his book What a Great Idea! Awesome South African Inventions, Mike Bruton examines the immediate and long-term impact and disruptive effect of local ingenuity

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5 mins  |
March - April 2018
Was 'Snowball Earth' Caused By A Perfect Storm Of Fire And Ice?
Very Interesting

Was 'Snowball Earth' Caused By A Perfect Storm Of Fire And Ice?

If you were to hop in a time machine and travel back about 717 million years, you’d be greeted with scenes reminiscent of the ice planet Hoth in Star Wars. But exactly how the Earth came to resemble a giant snowball has long been up for debate.

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1 min  |
Sept - Oct 2017
Like The Wind
Very Interesting

Like The Wind

Yes, that is someone cycling. Down the side of a mountain.

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1 min  |
Sept - Oct 2017
Very Interesting

An Impudent Effort

Author Terence Tracey drove from Johannesburg to London in a 50-year-old Hillman Imp – in order to get to a birthday party

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5 mins  |
Sept - Oct 2017
Tiny Treatment
Very Interesting

Tiny Treatment

Folding robots controlled by magnetic fields can be used to study microscopic objects such as cells. Prof Orlin Velev of North Carolina State University explains how they work 

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2 mins  |
May - June 2018
The First Environmentalist
Very Interesting

The First Environmentalist

Climate change is a hot topic. Take a look at the trailblazing scientist who first predicted it more than 200 years ago.

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8 mins  |
May - June 2018
​Nanochip Could Heal Injuries With “One Touch”
Very Interesting

​Nanochip Could Heal Injuries With “One Touch”

Researchers at the Ohio State University have designed a tiny device that genetically re-programmes skin cells. It’s hoped it could be used to repair injured tissue, including organs, blood vessels and nerve cells. 

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1 min  |
May - June 2018
are you a genetic superhero?
very interesting

are you a genetic superhero?

recent research has revealed a handful of ‘superheroes’ walking among us, whose dna gifts them with resistance against serious diseases. now we just have to find them … 

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8 mins  |
january - february 2017
are cities affecting our mental health?
very interesting

are cities affecting our mental health?

according to the un, almost two-thirds of us will live in cities by 2050. the growth of cities cannot be stopped. nor, it seems, do we want to halt their expansion. but should we?

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8 mins  |
january - february 2017