The Anthill

It is hard to shake the intuition that there's a real and objective physical world out there. If I see an umbrella on top of a shelf, I assume you do too. And if I don't look at the umbrella, I expect it to remain there …

Interest in the multiverse theory, suggesting that our universe is just one of many, has spiked since the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once was …

Imagine a universe with extremely strong gravity. Stars would be able to form from very little material. They would be smaller than in our universe …

Without a sense of time, leading us from cradle to grave, our lives would make little sense. But on the most fundamental level, physicists aren't …

There are many competing theories about what causes Alzheimer's disease. For more than 30 years, Ruth Itzhaki has been accumulating evidence that …

Dementia doesn’t just affect older people. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a form of dementia that athletes from a whole range of sports …

Scientists have been doing an array of regular health checks on the same group of people since they were born in 1946 – the world's longest running …

Uncharted Brain: decoding dementia is a new series from The Conversation exploring new research unlocking clues to the ongoing mystery of how dementia works in the brain.

In this three-part series, hosted by journalists …

A good negotiation is supposed to leave everyone feeling a little unsatisfied. So what happened at the world's biggest one – over the future of our planet? In part five, and our final episode of Climate fight: the …

Locked out of conferences and company boardrooms, young people have tried to influence the international response to the climate crisis with strikes and protests. In part four of Climate Fight, the world's biggest …

In the shift away from fossil fuels, how do countries make sure not to widen inequalities in the process? In part three of our series Climate fight: the world’s biggest negotiations, we travel to the Cumbrian town of …

In part two of Climate Fight: the world’s biggest negotiation, we’re talking to experts about the grand goal of the negotiations: reaching net zero …

In the first episode of our new series Climate fight: the world's biggest negotiation, we're talking about climate finance – money pledged by the world's richest countries to help the poorest parts of the world adapt to …

How will we actually tackle the climate crisis? And who gets to decide? As Glasgow gets ready to hold the COP26 climate summit in November, The …

The 2008 financial crisis resulted in the worst global recession since the second world war. The collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers in …

In this fifth episode of Recovery, a series from The Anthill Podcast exploring key moments in history when parts of the world recovered from a major crisis or shock, we’re looking at what happened in the former Soviet …

In this fourth episode of Recovery, a series from The Anthill Podcast exploring key moments in history when the world recovered from a major crisis or shock, we’re looking at what happened in the UK after the second …

In this third episode of Recovery, we’re looking at what happened after the combined shocks of the Spanish flu and world war one.

It was called the Spanish flu because the first reports of the virus were in Spanish …

In this second episode of Recovery, a series from The Anthill Podcast exploring key moments in history when the world recovered from a major crisis or shock, we’re looking at what happened after the earthquake, tsunami …

Welcome to Recovery, a new series from The Anthill podcast, exploring key moments in history when the world recovered from a major crisis or shock.

In this first episode, we find out what happened after one of history’s …

We all want the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic to be swift and painless. But history tells us that isn’t always possible.

When the world has suffered a massive shock to its system before – be that a …

A number of conspiracy theories have sprung up in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. The false idea that the virus is somehow linked to the …

Conspiracy theories might be entertaining but they can also be dangerous. Sadly, what often starts off as a bit of fun can turn sour quite quickly – even if it’s laughing about the idea that Rihanna or Katy Perry are …

Part four of the Expert guide to conspiracy theories from The Anthill podcast explores whether the internet has been a game changer in helping conspiracy theories go viral. First, though, we find out how conspiracy …

How are the origins of the French Revolution connected with Beyoncé, Jay Z and Rihanna? The answer lies with one of the world's most mysterious – and …

Polls show that most people believe in at least one conspiracy theory. Considering the number of conspiracy theories there are, perhaps this isn’t …

There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Some are bizarre – like the idea that Elvis faked his own death. Or that Britain’s royal family are actually shape-shifting alien lizards. A growing number of people …

Conspiracy theories no longer feel like a fringe phenomenon, with people claiming that Elvis isn’t dead or the royal family are shape-shifting alien lizards, put down as crackpots. Now presidents push them and major …

Medicine made for you is a series from The Anthill, a podcast from The Conversation. Across three episodes we're taking a deep dive into the future …

In the second episode of Medicine made for you we’re looking at the food we eat and how dietary advice could soon get a lot more personalised. 

Listen …

Medicine made for you is a brand new series from The Anthill, a podcast from The Conversation. Across three episodes we're taking a deep dive into …

In Medicine made for you, a new series from The Anthill podcast, we’ll be taking a deep dive into the future of healthcare – and find out how it …

Episode five of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.

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Episode four of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.

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Episode three of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.

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Episode two of To the moon and beyond, a podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.

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The first episode of a new podcast series marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.

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A new podcast series exploring the last 50 years of space exploration and the 50 years to come.

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A panel of academic experts assess Narendra Modi's victory in the final episode of our India Tomorrow series.

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Part six of The Anthill podcast's India Tomorrow series focuses on the concerns of young Indians.

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Part five of India Tomorrow takes a look at India’s economy.

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🎧 Part 4 of India Tomorrow digs into what life is like for women in India.

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We focus on Kashmir in the third part of our India Tomorrow podcast series: its history, the lives of its people, and the conflict over its future.

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The second part of this series from The Anthill podcast looks at the trajectories of Hindu nationalism in India.

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India Tomorrow part 1 explores how fake news and the battle for information shapes Indian society.

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As the world's largest democracy heads to the polls, we explore the big issues facing India in a seven-part podcast series.

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An exciting announcement about upcoming plans – and we revisit an old favourite episode.

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It's been 50 years since the first prototype for the mouse was demonstrated in San Francisco. This the story of how it changed Silicon Valley – and the world.

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A podcast on World War I – from a meeting between the three great war poets, to what happened to conscientious objectors in both Britain and Germany.

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A podcast on extremes: from far-right politics, to life in conflict zones and the extreme weather of Australia.

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From wealth, to the natural world, to genes and intelligence, a podcast exploring the theme of inheritance.

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A podcast all about nothing. From the importance of doing nothing to the ill-effects of time spent in solitary confinement and what nothing means in …

A podcast about confidence – from how it works in our brains and whether it can get us ahead at work to how confidence tricksters fool people into …

A podcast on twins, including why stereotypes about their relationship are so damaging, and why they are so useful to scientists.

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A podcast on intuition: from how it works in the body, to how to harness it, and the story of two scientists who followed a hunch – about quantum …

To mark the 20th anniversary of the agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland, this episode of the podcast looks at its history, its legacy and the impact of Brexit on its future.

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This episode is all about bitcoin. Will it be the currency of the future? Who’s trying to capitalise on the legal loopholes of cryptocurrencies? And …

This podcast explores the latest sexology research – including the topics that are still too taboo to get funding. We talk to sex robot experts and …

In this episode of The Anthill podcast, we bring you stories on helicopter parenting, early puberty, and what it's like to grow up as a Muslim in Britain.

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We're pouring cold water on old ideas in this episode: from why the population of Easter Island really declined and what makes a good urban legend.

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Pain is something everyone experiences. This episode of The Anthill podcast explores how and why it works in our brains, what kinds of drugs are being developed to reduce pain, and whether or not robots of the future …

It’s been 100 years since revolution swept through Russia and we have dedicated The Anthill 18 to this seminal moment in world history.

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From the man who gave away his genome under open consent, to the 'Mathematikado', this episode of the podcast features highlights from the British Science Festival in Brighton.

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In this episode of the podcast, we take in the history of Victorian humour, why kids find poo so hilarious and whether academics should try and be …

In this episode of The Anthill podcast we are off exploring: land, sea and space.

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A podcast on what music does to our brains, and why it moves us.

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In this month's episode of The Anthill, we are playing games – computer games, grammar games and real life games, too.

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This episode of The Anthill podcast delves into the world of memory. We talk to psychologists, historians and political scientists about how and why …

This episode explores how one person's waste can be another's treasure. We talk to scientists trying to eke something useful out of big piles of …

In this episode we look at historical visions of the future and how accurate they were, the future of work, and what it's like to predict the future for a day job.

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Three stories about researchers who have dabbled in self-experimentation – with varying results.To complete a short survey about the podcast, please …

Where do we go from here? After a dramatic year, we look ahead to some key economic and political trends that will influence our lives over the next …

Four stories on belief: from the allure of cults and conspiracy theories, to the effect of trauma on faith, to the way dogma has influenced science – …

A podcast on darkness: from why it makes us scared, to what kind of nightlife can thrive in the modern city and an update on the hunt for dark matter.

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In part two of our podcast on rebooting, we explore what would happen if humanity was wiped out, take a look at a political comeback in France, and …

In this first of two podcasts, listen in to hear about the rebooting of a Syrian rebel group, an old drug and your computer.

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The fourth episode of our podcast takes on fuel – from Olympic diets to conflict over oil in the Niger Delta.

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From football to the space race and folklore to the forest, here's why you should back the little guy.

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A special episode of the Anthill, a podcast from The Conversation, on the referendum on Britain's EU membership.

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A podcast on time: telling it, perceiving it, doing it and travelling through it.

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Welcome to The Anthill – a new podcast that unearths some of the best research from the world of academia.

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