Posts in Season 3
The nuclear option

Think of nuclear power stations and you might think meltdowns with Homer Simpson at the reins. The truth is that nuclear power is a clean and efficient source of energy and far safer than we give it credit for. Just ask Claire Blackett Taylor, a human reliability expert who works at the Halden Reactor in Norway. As the name implies, she studies how the men and women working at these plants can be prepared for anything. We talked safety, sunshine and sea-sickness whilst enjoying a mimosa or two.

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Don't judge a book...

You're not prejudiced are you? No, neither are we. Yet we all unintentionally make snap judgements about people every day. This "implicit bias" is the bread and butter of criminologist Lorie Fridell. Her work with the police highlights the dangers of this kind of bias, but also shows that, with a little bit of training, this is something we can all overcome.

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Making it hard to resist

Resistance is futile! Or not, if you're a disease causing parasite or mosquito. This is where evolutionary biologist Silvie Hujiben comes in. She is looking for new ways to prevent and maybe even eradicate diseases like malaria but without just throwing drugs at the problem. Listen to her explain how controlling evolution might be the answer.

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Running from the pain

Starting out as a chemical engineer Megan Detloff decided that wasn't enough pain for her so she switched to neuroscience. Now as a researcher at Drexel University in Philadelphia, she looks at what she describes as the "pain of everyday living" or the pain that results from spinal cord injury.

Listen to her tell us more about using exercise as a treatment and the veterans that inspire her to keep going.

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