How conscious is my dog? Can robots become conscious? Are people in a vegetative state conscious? Philosopher Professor Tim Crane and neuroscientist Dr Srivas Chennu look into our minds and wrestle with the meaning of what it is to be conscious

How old are you really?

Apr 4th, 2016 45m 55s

You may have been told your 'heart-age' or your 'lung-age', but what does this mean? Professor David Spiegelhalter shows how we can use statistical analysis to assess your 'real age', and how to work out how much younger (or older) your good (o

Killing cancer

Apr 4th, 2016 1h

Each year, 14 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 8 million people die of the disease. These numbers are increasing and will reach 22 million annual worldwide cancer diagnoses by 2030. Professor Richard J Gilbertson discusses this enor

Can iPods grow on trees?

Apr 4th, 2016 49m 49s

Technology doesn’t grow on trees… does it? In fact, biology makes its own versions of batteries, displays and processors, using very tiny nanoscale components. Could mimicking biology improve our own technology and eliminate pollution at the sa

Intelligence and learning in brains and machines

Apr 4th, 2016 49m 49s

What is intelligence? What is learning? Can we build computers and robots that learn? How much information does the brain store? How does mathematics help us answer these questions? Professor Zoubin Ghahramani takes us on a journey exploring th

Big data: the missing link

Apr 4th, 2016 1h 15m

As Big Data Chief Architect at Deloitte in the City, Chartered Engineer in France, MIT and Stanford Ignite, Adrien Arculeo will share some of the insights he has gleaned from the Big Data projects he has led over the past seven years. - See mor

How to train your robot

Apr 4th, 2016 44m 24s

We live in a world surrounded by computers, and increasingly also robotics. But how do we get these machines to do what we want? Find out with Philip Garsed and Rachel Garsed in this fun and interactive demonstration, as they try to program the

Turing's imitation game

Apr 4th, 2016 1h 3m

Turing’s imitation game (also known as the Turing test) involves trying to tell the difference, in conversation, between a human and a machine. Professor Kevin Warwick from Coventry University discusses results from practical Turing Tests invol

Biomimetic materials: re-thinking how we build stuff

Apr 4th, 2016 47m 4s

Looking at the upwardly growing skyline of London, it’s easy to identify the two materials best-loved by civil engineers: steel and concrete. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, large amounts of energy have been expended on these two m

Organ transplantation

Apr 4th, 2016 1h 20m

Organ transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients in end-stage kidney disease and the only option available to patients suffering from heart, liver or lung failure. The Department of Surgery at Cambridge University and Addenbrooke’s

Will artificial intelligence be superior to the human brain?

Apr 4th, 2016 58m 17s

Artificial intelligence could be of great benefit to society, producing innovative discoveries and providing humans with more leisure time. However, workers are concerned that, more and more, jobs are being taken over by artificial intelligence

Curiosity, chloroform and cobra poison: what Darwin did next

Apr 4th, 2016 52m 43s

When Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, he was only fifty and most of his publications lay ahead. The rest of his life can be seen as a one long research programme exploring the implications of his evolutionary ideas, and in par

Knowledge for nature

Mar 30th, 2016 56m 38s

Is the key to effective conservation, collective knowledge? Dr Mike Rands, Professor Bill Adams, Dr Juliet Vickery and Dr Matt Walpole discuss whether combining knowledge enables us to deliver transformational approaches to the understanding of

The Physics and Physiology of Running - 2

Mar 23rd, 2016 1h 13m

I'm just big-boned... in search of the world's largest bones

Mar 22nd, 2016 1h 1m

Join evolutionary biologist and broadcaster Ben Garrod as he explores the animal kingdom from the inside out, from the smallest skeleton on Earth to the biggest. In his talk on super-strong deer bones and elephants on tiptoes, Ben also discusse

Shark tales

Mar 22nd, 2016 1h 2m

Sharks have roamed the oceans for millions of years and they’ve evolved into masses of awesome species. Prepare to be amazed by everything from sharks with beards to tiny glowing sharks you could hold in your hand. Join avid shark-spotter Dr He

CHOCOLATOLOGY!

Mar 22nd, 2016 1h 2m

he spectacular science of chocolate. The BBC’s Gastronaut Stefan Gates and UCL’s Prof Andrea Sella present the most delicious show on earth, full of meltingly edible multidisciplinary science. There’ll be sensory perception, crystallisation and

The Physics and Physiology of Running - 1

Mar 21st, 2016 1h 2m

Running talk 1 - Physics and Physiology of Running: Better Racing

Mar 21st, 2016 1h 2m

Physics and Physiology of Running: Faster Racing

Mar 16th, 2016 1h 10m

Dambusters, Colditz and climate change: the Blitz spirit

Mar 15th, 2016 47m 56s

Maths' greatest unsolved puzzles

Mar 15th, 2016 55m 4s

While mathematicians are undoubtedly brilliant, there are still questions they can't answer. Every mathematical question is a puzzle and there'll be plenty of puzzles for you to chew on while mathematician Katie Steckles introduces questions th

Alan Turing and the Enigma Machine

Mar 15th, 2016 50m 59s

Can we build a machine that can solve any problem? How can we break a code others believe unbreakable? Why do leopards have spots and zebras stripes? These questions were all answered by Alan Turing. Mathematician James Grime explores Turing's

What does your musical taste say about your personality?

Mar 15th, 2016 56m 49s

Your iTunes playlist may reveal more about you than you think. Science shows that the music we choose to listen to is not random. In fact, there is evidence that both our musical taste and abilities are tied to our personality and the way that