OxPods

What is it that makes you the same person that you were ten minutes ago, ten hours ago, ten years ago? Derek Parfit, in his seminal work ‘Reasons and Persons’ (1984) recognises the interplay between personal identity and ethics, something which produces a puzzling paradox of existence. If a person's existence is inevitably flawed, is it morally wrong to bring such a person into existence or, i...

Religion, spirituality, and psychotherapy - How do these concepts interrelate within the context of student mental health? Professor Alistair Ross, associated with the Department of Continuing Education in Oxford, talks to Arun Joseph, Clinical Neurosciences graduate student at Jesus College, to discuss his work on the relationships between sacred, spirituality, religion, and psychotherapy and wha...

Professor Fiona Stafford is a member of the English Language and Literature Faculty here at Oxford and a Fellow of Somerville College. Her research areas include not only Romantic literature, focussing on such writers as Austen, Keats and Wordsworth, but also ideas of place and nature in literature, and the cultural history of flowers and trees.  A recent event organised by Professor Stafford aime...

You may have heard a lot of discussion about the Roman Empire lately, but how much do we really know about the men at the heart of it all - the Roman Emperors? In this episode Alice Hazell, a classical archaeology and ancient history student at Lady Margaret Hall, speaks to Dr Panayiotis Christoforou, departmental lecturer in Roman History, and author of his recently published book ‘Imagining the...

The natural world around us is so incredibly diverse. However, one factor that all creatures share, it appears, is the need for aggression. Whether it be contesting territory, finding a mate, or stealing food supplies, most organisms will at one point need to exhibit aggressive behaviour to benefit their own survival.  In this episode of OxPods, biology PhD student Hannah Ogden talking to OxPod’s...

Life uncertainty measures reveal the ‘ultimate inequality’. In Mexico, new demographic research is showing the effect of violence on life uncertainty and mortality, highlighting it as an unrecognised public health problem. Demographer José Manuel Arbuto, associated with Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science in Oxford, talks to Miya McFarlane, Human Sciences Undergraduate at Regents Park Colleg...

Most can agree that building a postcolonial country involves complex interactions between cultural, religious, ethnic, gender, and class based cleavages. But how can the language or languages used in building nations affect a country’s development? In this episode, Sophia Herbert, PPE student at New College, speaks to Andrew Marshall, Junior Research Fellow in politics at New College to discuss an...

Antibiotics have made a huge contribution to human health by successfully tackling infectious diseases worldwide. But what happens when these drugs are no longer effective? How much do we know about the resistance that bacteria develop, and what new approaches are scientists looking at to tackle this problem? In this episode, Ruby Ellis, an undergraduate biochemistry student at Magdalen college, s...

The battles of Ancient Greece are immortalised in popular culture, from films like Troy and the 300, to literature, art, and music. But what were these battles really like, who fought in them, and why did they break out? In this episode, Alice Hazell, a classical archaeology and ancient history student at Lady Margaret Hall, and speaks to Dr Roel Konijnendijk, Darby Fellow in Ancient History at Li...

The survival of offspring is essential for the continuation of species, and yet we see a huge diversity in how much parental care is provided to offspring across the tree of life. So how necessary is it to provide care to your young, and what determines the different strategies employed by differing species? In this episode of OxPods, biology PhD student Joe Woodman will be interviewing Professor...

Have you ever wondered about early Christianity, or how women were able to express themselves through their devotion to Christ? Ursula White is in Conversation with Professor Annie Sutherland of Somerville college Oxford, to explore the fascinating world of early English Devotional Literature. f33a323b312adfbdf261b507669407603d020a15

The Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is one of the most celebrated and recognisable periods of cultural history, but it is far from the only time of significant societal transformation across the globe. In the twentieth century medieval historians began to put forth a compelling argument that the twelfth century was one such time. In this episode, Charlie Bowden, a History stud...

The Middle East and North Africa are two of the most archaeologically rich regions on earth. But as a result of military conflict, urban expansion, and climate change, these archaeological sites are increasingly under threat. In this episode, Alice Hazell, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History student at Lady Margaret Hall, speaks to Dr. Bill Finlayson, a professor of pre-historic environment...

Theory of mind, the ability to understand others by ascribing mental states to them, has historically been considered a uniquely human characteristic. But are we really the only animals to possess this level of social intelligence? In this episode of OxPods, Alex Rodway, a biology master’s student at Jesus College, interviews Dr Natasha Gillies, a Stipendiary Lecturer at Merton College, who has st...

For the good times and the bad, we turn to the closest around us: our friends. But what is the science behind friendship? Why is it important to have friends? Professor Robin Dunbar is a Professor of Evolutionary Psychology whose research focuses on the evolution of sociality. Robin is best known for formulating Dunbar’s number – the limit on the number of manageable relationships one can have.  J...

Darwin’s theory of evolution and selection states that characteristics which aid survival and reproduction will be favoured, however, this doesn’t only refer to physical attributes, but also behavioural ones. But how do behaviours arise, how do they spread through populations, and what role do they play in developing animal cultures? In this episode of OxPods, biology PhD student Joe Woodman will...

In eighteenth-century England, while famous writers such as Alexander Pope and Jonathon Swift were making a living through their published works, a small but growing number of women also started to live by their pens. However, because of the way women were perceived in the public sphere, they were not able to write about themselves in the way men did. In 2017, Professor Christine Gerrard gave the...

The modern British welfare state can trace its roots back to the reign of Elizabeth I. But how did the state assist the poor in the Tudor period compared to now? Was the Victorian workhouse all that Dickens cracked it up to be? Where did our NHS come from? In this episode, Charlie Bowden, a History student at Jesus College, interviews Dr Gillian Lamb, Stipendiary Lecturer in History at Somerville...

At some point in human evolutionary history, our ancestors made a switch from a predominantly hunter-gatherer lifestyle to an agricultural one. When did this transition happen? Did farming start in one place and spread across the globe or, instead, have multiple independent origins? Why were certain plants and animals cultivated while others weren’t? To find out, Alex Rodway, a biology master’s st...

Street art strays far away from traditional art in a number of ways. However, its recent recognition as an art form leaves us wondering what is it that makes art art? What are the roles of art? And how does the valuation of art function? What, exactly differentiates vandalism from street art?  In this episode of OxPods, Philosophy and French student Ines Ghalia interviews Dr Macs Smith, Fello...

When infectious diseases sweep through human populations, they can often bring detrimental effects to the health and functioning of society. But why do the pathogens that underpin these diseases require human hosts? Why do they cause illness? And importantly, can we predict how they will spread through populations? In this episode of OxPods, biology PhD student Joe Woodman will be interviewing Pro...

Have you ever wondered about the origin of Romance? Maybe your mind turns to Austen and Bronte? Really it's lineage is far longer, spreading back to the High Middle Ages and stories of King Arthur and Sir Gawain.  In this episode, Ursula White, a second year English Student at Somerville College, discusses the varied and fascinating world of Medieval Romance with Professor Laura Ashe, a renow...

In the 6th century BCE, coins were first minted in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Despite over 2500 years of human history, coins have continued to be a part of everyday life. Why were they invented? Why were they so successful? And what role has coinage played in the development of human history?  In this episode, Alice Hazell, a Classical Archaeology and Ancient History student at Lady Mar...

Obesity and increasing rates of overweight pose a growing issue in global health today. Why are more people gaining more weight, when its health burden seems so clear?  Miya McFarlane, a Human Sciences undergraduate at Regent’s Park College, discusses the social and cultural roots of obesity with Professor Stanley Ulijasek, a professor of human ecology whose two strands of research are Nutrit...

Marriage is an evolving concept: legislation to allow same-sex marriage in England and Wales was only passed in the United Kingdom 2013 and took effect in 2014. It’s evolving nature prompts some important questions: what is the point of marriage? Is marriage as an economic contract compatible with the instability of a romantic relationship? How long will marriage as an institution survive? In answ...