Episode summary: Kathryn Paige Harden, author of “The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality” explains what scientists have learned about how our genes affect our educational success. Why is this research so controversial? And is it worth doing anyway?

Episode summary: The story that’s often told of the potato in Europe is one of ignorant, superstitious peasants and wily aristocrats. The peasants shun the potato until the wily aristo plays a trick on them to open their eyes to the true value of the potato. The aristo might be someone like Antoine-...

Episode summary: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell made Ain’t No Mountain High Enough a hit for Motown in 1967. Diana Ross followed suit in 1970 as a solo artist with her version of the song. It has a place in people’s hearts with its anthemic themes of love, loyalty, triumph and perseverance. Cynthia D...

Episode summary: A French minister told people to eat fewer croissants at this year’s COP26 summit, after the menu said the carbon cost of the pastry was higher than that of a bacon roll, even if it was made without butter. Tim Harford investigates whether this claim could be true, and how the effec...

Episode summary: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss William Herschel (1738 – 1822) and his sister Caroline Herschel (1750 – 1848) who were born in Hanover and made their reputation in Britain. William was one of the most eminent astronomers in British history. Although he started life as a musician, as...

Episode summary: Arrangements of Bach’s music have been happening essentially since his music was “rediscovered” by Mendelssohn in the 19th century. But Mozart and Beethoven arranged Bach’s music too, and Bach himself would recycle works for different groupings of instruments. Today, I’m going to ta...

Episode summary: Even if we think of the camera as a neutral technology, it is not. In the vast spectrum of human colors, photographic tools and practices tend to prioritize the lighter end of that range.

So interesting to listen to this immedately after seeing The Harder They Fall on Netflix last...

Episode summary: Sarah ‘Saartjie’ Baartman was taken to the UK by a British doctor. But did she know what she was signing up for? Stage-named ‘The Hottentot Venus’, Sarah was paraded around freak shows in London and Paris. During her life and even after her death, she was objectified, mistreated and...

Episode summary: Why, the artist wonders, can’t we just have more fun with it?

Episode summary: In 2006, a man named William Ramsey went to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for a life-saving liver transplant. It was a success, and so when his health started to decline after the procedure, doctors couldn’t figure out why. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Si...