Say That Again Slowly - The Cambridge Festival Podcast!

This podcast, hosted by Gaia Dratwinska, looks at Nicholas Ong’s research into the life and music of Russian composer, Valentia Serova (1846-1925), the creator of the first opera by a woman to be performed at the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow.  Produced by Claire Watt.

In this episode, Iona Warne interviews Dr Jo, of Dr Jo Science, to investigate some surprising facts about the human body, as well as looking into how science can best be communicated to children.  Facebook.com/DrJoScience Produced by Claire Watt.

In this podcast, Soraya Shakibi talks to Clare Wilkes about her work with temperature scarves, exploring this unique blend of crafts and environmental consciousness. Produced by Claire Watt.

In this episode, Catalina Taylor chats with Dr Brian Ferguson, an immunologist and Associate Professor of Immunology at the University of Cambridge, about how vaccines work and why we need them.  Produced by Claire Watt.

This episode sees Joanne Yau get to grips with the basics of nuclear energy, as well as taking a good look at their green potential. Featuring PhD researchers from the Nuclear Energy Futures CDT (Hannah Tipping, Martin Gillet, Will Thomas, Jason Lee and Parth Kulkarni).  Produced by Claire Watt. 

In this podcast, Claire Watt talks to Chris Wakefield, one of the archaeologists working on Must Farm, a Bronze Age settlement near Peterborough which has been described as ‘Britain’s Pompei’.  Produced by Claire Watt.

Why don’t naked mole-rats feel some kinds of pain and what does this mean for human medicine?  Simone Eizagirre Barker talks to Ewan St John about his work studying pain and the extraordinary biology of naked mole-rats which is helping us learn about all sorts of human diseases and uncover potential cures or forms of symptom management.   Find out more about naked mole-rats and watch an animation...

What is a herbarium and why is it important?   Gregory Miller visits Dr Lauren Gardiner and Dr Edwin Rose at the Cambridge University Herbarium to learn more about this fascinating library of plants, who collected them, and why they are so crucial to the study of more than just the natural world. Event link here: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/exploring-cambridge-university-herbarium-its-hi...

How does nuclear energy work and is it the best way forward for powering out future?  Beth King talks to Susannah Lea, Michael Salvini and Hugh Dorward, three members of the CDT PhD team behind the event ‘the Nuclear Energy Futures Fair: an Insight into the Energy of Tomorrow.’   Event link here: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/nuclear-energy-futures-fair-insight-energy-tomorrow   Music by C...

When we say that money is power, what exactly do we mean?  Anna Mahtani talks to numismatist and former curator of coins at the British Museum Joe Cribb about the past and future of money. From ancient Chinese coins to cryptocurrencies, what does the study of money tell us about our world and who has power within it?   Music by Coby O'Brien Produced by Rebekah King 

Who owns the past and does antiquity really ‘belong’ to anyone? Ella O’Loughlin speaks to Prof Tim Whitmarsh about an event at the Faculty of Classics which will discuss how the classical past is understood and who feels a sense of ownership over it.     Find out more about the event here: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/past-tense-who-does-greek-and-roman-antiquity-belong   Music by Coby O&...

Why did a female saint rise from her tomb and slap a bellringer across the face?  Ella O’Loughlin speaks to Prof Rosalind Love about her recent Cambridge Festival event on female saints and hears some of the vivid stories told about their unique kind of power.   Music by Coby O'Brien Produced by Rebekah King 

Who was the Roman Emperor who rejected Christianity? Amelia Platt speaks to Dr Lea Niccolai from the Faculty of Classics about her talk on Julian the Apostate, an emperor who was raised Christian but rejected the faith and returned to the worship of the Roman gods. Find out more at the Cambridge Festival 2023 https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/events/last-pagan-emperor-understanding-julian-apostate Mu...

How can poetry explore and share academic research with the public? Rebekah King speaks with David Cain and researchers at the University of Cambridge about their participation in the Creative Encounters Words programme. Listen to researchers Dr Catherine Merrick (Senior Lecturer Pathology, Biological Sciences), accompanying music by Jonathan Windsor, Anne Thomas (Newnham College & Plant Scien...

What was it like to live in a remote Antarctic hut and how has Story Machine recreated this? Kika Hendry speaks with Elizabeth Lewis Williams who is the writer in residence at British Antarctic Survey and has created the Deception Island Hut installation with Sam Ruddock and Story Machine. Keep listening for a snippet of the haunting audio soundscape… The Deception Island hut has been on McDonald...

How can logic be used by both atheists and believers to address the questions of religion? Rebekah King talks to theologian, Ryan Haecker, about what theology means in the modern world, how it differs from philosophy, and what common ground people of different viewpoints might find in order to hold more constructive and insightful debates. Ryan’s talk ‘The Logic of Religion: Beyond Atheism Versus...

What exactly is a sonnet and what’s so special about those written by Shakespeare? Reuben J. Brown talks to Dr Paul Edmondson and Sir Stanley Wells about their new collection, All the Sonnets of Shakespeare, which they have previously spoken about at the Cambridge Festival. This discussion is a fantastic introduction to one of the most influential types of poetry in the English language. This epis...

How are young researchers helping AstraZeneca fight complex diseases? Rebekah King speaks with Lotte van Beek and Toby Gurran, about what it's like to be a researcher at AstraZeneca, and hears about the postdoctoral challenge, an opportunity which is aimed at young scientists finishing their PhD or MD. Find out more about the challenge here: www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/pr…-diversity.html Musi...

Is time travel possible? What does a black hole actually do to light? What does ‘galactic cannibalism’ mean? Honour de Pledge speaks to Geraint Lewis and Luke Barnes, authors of ‘A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos’ and ‘The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook: (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang)’ about a tiny, simple, easily explainable topic...how the universe works! This episode is suppo...

What will aliens look like if we find them? Could a planet be entirely purple? Do skeletons have to be made of bone? Rebekah King speaks to evolutionary biologist and science writer Wallace Arthur about his book ‘The Biological Universe, Life in the Milky Way and Beyond,’ which was published by the Cambridge University Press in 2020. This is a Cambridge University Press Bookshop supported podcast....

What mindset should we have about the global climate crisis? Sophie Carlin speaks to expert in carbon footprinting, Mike Berners-Lee, about the new updated version of his book ‘There is No Planet B’ about climate change, cooperation, and the possibility of not only saving the world, but building a far better, brighter future for all. Music by Coby O’Brien Produced by Rebekah King To find out more...

How can young people improve their body image in an age of social media? Jesimiel Akinsuyi speaks to Charlotte Markey, author of both the ‘Body Image Book for Girls’ and the ‘Body Image Book for Boys,’ about her motivations for writing both books, what body image means, and how it is affected by social media. Music by Coby O’Brien Produced by Rebekah King To find out more about the Festival, pleas...

What is ‘counter speech’ and is it a more powerful alternative to censorship? Scarlett Croft talks to Stefanie Ullmann about her research into harmful online content and strategies for combatting prejudice and hate. Scarlett also asks about how automated systems like Siri and Alexa should be programmed to respond when spoken to in an aggressive or sexist manner. Music by Coby O’Brien Produced by R...

What can students do to help the planet? Sophie Carlin speaks to nutritionist and climate change expert Dana Ellis Hunnes about her new book Recipes for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life and gets the best advice for students who want to make a difference to the planet’s health. A big thank you to CUP Bookshop for their support of this event and re...

Will we ever be able to stop using animals in the laboratory? This episode, Rebekah King talks to Selina Ballantyne about the ways in which animal testing is being replaced, refined, and reduced such that good science and good animal welfare can go hand in hand. Coby O'Brien - Music Produced by Rebekah King To find out more about the Festival, please visit: https://www.festival.cam.ac.uk/