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Instant Genius

Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know in under 30 minutes 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.

Nice duration for a walk

How to Hack Your Sleep: Optimising Your Body Clock
How to keep your dog calm, safe and happy
How changes in our chromosomes could lead to the end of men
Superhumans and the end of ageing: Renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil's vision of 2050
How fungi is vital to life on Earth
Peak Performance: Have we reached peak human athletics performance?
Peak Performance: How to recover faster and come back stronger
Peak Performance: The secret tricks athletes use to strengthen their willpower, according to a sports psychologist
Peak Performance: How to get the most out of your workout, whatever your level of fitness
How a heating planet is changing sports
How to spot and fight misinformation
How the James Webb Space Telescope is helping us discover the secrets of the cosmos
How dreaming affects our creativity
How to build a quantum computer
How to keep your immune system healthy
The potential health benefits of green tea
How AI will make the world a better place, not bring it to an end
How personalised medicine is about to change healthcare
The surprising role of clouds in climate change
Why we are seeing the return of infectious diseases
Why hedgehog numbers are falling and how we can stop it
How to lose weight the scientific way
Avocados: Nutritional superfood or environmental disaster?
How to pace yourself in an exhausting world
Has the Moon entered a new epoch?
Email overload: How a full inbox affects your mental health, and what you can do to take back control
Tinnitus: What causes the persistent ringing or buzzing of the ears and how can we treat it?
The truth about bodyfat
Can we predict the future of the climate?
The strange science of near-death experiences
Inside the brain of a thrill seeker
Why we find cuteness so appealing
Intrusive thoughts – why we get them and how to cope with them
How black holes’ even stranger siblings could be the source of dark matter, with Carlo Rovelli
How to beat burnout
Why are the world's plants disappearing – and can we save them?
The future of panda conservation
How the successful return of beavers to UK rivers is a positive argument for rewilding
What clean energy will look like after renewables
The future of drug discovery
Sustainability Special – Why ‘biodegradable’ doesn’t mean what you think
What mass extinctions can teach us about the future of life on Earth
Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains the Universe’s greatest mysteries
The bizarre science of cat behaviour
The truth about fasting and time-restricted eating

On your way to work

How the history of all life on Earth is written in DNA, with Richard Dawkins
When we’ll actually move to Mars
Exploring the diversity of England’s distinctive habitats
How listening to our animal minds can help us overcome stress and anxiety
How to easily trigger your flow state
Why smartphones really aren’t that bad for your kids
How to think about uncertainty more scientifically
Free will is an illusion. Here’s why
What is toxic positivity, and how can you avoid it?
Life as a brain surgeon
The healing power of nature
Why you're probably not getting enough fibre – and how to fix it
Surprising facts about weird animal abilities
Why we form one-sided 'parasocial' relationships with celebrities
How gases shaped life on Earth and helped human beings to prosper
How biology has shaped the history of the human race
How maths can help us to understand the human brain
How close are we to discovering aliens?
The story of human evolution, from the Big Bang to the advent of consciousness and beyond
How thinking about addiction differently can help us find better treatments
Why we shouldn’t be afraid of personal data collection
How the evolution of eggs has shaped life on Earth
How our everyday rituals affect our happiness and wellbeing
How making the right dietary choices can help to keep us healthy in every stage of our lives
The neuroscience of remembering and forgetting
Is our orbital space at breaking point?
How the mind affects physical health and vice versa
Busting social media diet and nutrition myths
Why you’re not actually addicted to your phone
How some of the most fascinating discoveries in astronomy were made by accident
Why giraffes are undergoing a silent extinction
How to overcome social paranoia and anxiety
How feelings of listlessness and aimlessness has become an epidemic, and how we can beat it
The anti-ageing wonder drugs of the near future
Simple ways to slow your biological age (and maybe even reverse it)
How finding moments of awe can bolster your mental health
Simple ways to prevent (and reverse) type 2 diabetes
Aphantasia: How people with no mind’s eye see the world
How AI is going to transform the classroom
Chris Packham wants you to be a scientist – and then forget the science
How using science can make you a better cook
Sustainability Special - Solving the world’s plastic pollution problem
Sustainability Special – How can we make our food more secure?
Why we should be doing more to prepare for contact with alien civilisations