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Episode 111: Plate Tectonics
An introduction to the theory of plate tectonics, beginning with an overview of the internal structure of Earth, the differences between oceanic and continental crust, subduction and other forms of plate boundaries, the formation of volcani
Episode 110: Weather Part II
Building on the basic concepts discussed in the previous episode, this episode examines the formation and development of a wide range of weather phenomena, including air fronts, midlatitude cyclones, tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, and to
Episode 109: Weather Part I
An introduction to key concepts relevant to understanding weather, including relative and absolute humidity, atmospheric stability, cloud formation and classification, types of precipitation, and the formation and classification of air mass
Episode 108: Political Institutions and Sustained Economic Growth
In this sixth and final part in our series on economic growth and development, I discuss in more detail some of the key institutions necessary for economic growth to begin, focusing on property rights, enforcement of contracts, and control
Episode 107: Cultural, Geographic, and Political Explanations of Poverty
In this fifth part of our series on economic growth and development, I examine the major factors that have been advanced as explaining differences in growth outcomes between countries. I provide a summary of the arguments and evidence for a
Episode 106: Theories of Economic Growth and Development
In this fourth part of our series on economic growth and development, I outline the major theories of economic development developed over the past sixty years. I trace the development of such theories beginning with the Harrod-Domar theory,
Special Episode: Mario Livio on Galileo
Astrophysicist Mario Livio joins me to discuss his latest book 'Galileo and the Science Deniers', which chronicles the scientific discoveries of Galileo Galilei and how his advocacy of the heliocentric theory led him into confrontation with
Episode 105: Agriculture, Urbanisation, and Structural Change
In this third part of the series on economic growth, I discuss the process of structural change as economies progress from underdeveloped to developed, beginning with an overview and historical analysis of Rostow's Stages of Growth model. I
Episode 104: The History of the World Economy and Growth
In the second part of our series on economic growth and development, I provide a brief history of the world economy, beginning with the key features of premodern economies and the Malthusian trap. I then outline critical developments and po
Episode 103: Introduction to Economic Growth and Global Poverty
In this the first in an eight-part series covering the causes of economic growth and development, I provide an introduction to the key concepts of absolute and relative poverty, different theories of development, and how GDP is defined and
Episode 102: Photosynthesis Part II
Continuing the discussion of photosynthesis from the previous episode, here I outline the importance of the oxygen evolving complex in oxidising water molecules, the importance of photosystem I in extracting additional energy, and the role
Episode 101: Photosynthesis Part I
An overview of photosynthesis, including the structure of chloroplasts, phototransduction of energy by chlorophyll, the macromolecular complexes of the thylakoid membrane. I also discuss the mechanisms of electron transfer along the electro
Special Episode: History and Future of the Show
A special episode in which I discuss some of the ideas and principles behind the production of the show, sources I use for episodes, and my motivations for starting the podcast. I also talk about my own background and research interests, my
Episode 100: Unsolved Problems in Science
In this special celebratory 100th episode, I discuss six major unsolved problems in science: the P vs NP problem in computer science, the mystery of dark matter in physics, the existence of the island of stability in chemistry, the historic
Episode 99: Plant Reproduction and Fruit
A discussion of the method of reproduction of flowering plants, including an overview of the structure and function of the different components of the flower, pollination, double fertilisation, and seed formation, dispersal, and germination
Episode 98: Electromagnetic Radiation
An overview of the nature and properties of electromagnetic radiation, including a discussion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the nature of photons, the speed of light, near and far field radiation, and technological applications of electr
Episode 97: Plant Structure and Function
An overview of the basic morphology and physiology of plants, including a discussion of the main types of plants, stems, roots, leaves, plant transport, meristems, plant nutrition, and plant sensory systems.
Special Episode - Jared Bauer on Science and Philosophy in Movies
In this special episode I am joined by Jared Bauer, cofounder of Wisecrack, to discuss science and philosophy in movies and popular culture. We cover a range of topics including how science is portrayed in movies, how the film medium leads
Episode 96: How Computers Work Part VI - High Level Programming and Software
In the final episode of our series on computers, I give an introduction to high-level programming languages, how they relate to assembly language and machine code, and how the compiler converts high level programs into a form that can be ex
Episode 95: How Computers Work Part V - Assembly Language and the Operating System
In this the fifth episode of the series 'how computers work', I begin with a summary of some of the major methods of improving the performance of the central processing unit, including pipelining, cache memory, branch prediction, and parall
Episode 94: How Computers Work Part IV - Processor Architecture and Machine Code
In this fourth part in our series on computers, I begin with an overview of the von Neumann architecture used in most modern computers. This leads in a discussion of the structure and operation of the central processing unit, covering the i
Episode 93: How Computers Work Part III - Logic Gates and Components
In this third part of the series on computers I begin with an overview of Boolean algebra, including a discussion of key logic functions such as NOT, AND, and OR, and also discuss how CMOS logic gates implementing these functions are fabric
Episode 92: How Computers Work Part II - Silicon and Transistors
In this second episode in the series, I explain binary digital coding to motivate a discussion of the operation of transistors. Beginning with an examination of the properties of semiconductors and why they are useful for constructing trans
Episode 91: How Computers Work Part I - What is a Computer?
We begin our series discussing how computers work with an overview of the theory of computation, including a discussion of Turing machines and Turing completeness, and a brief history of early analog and digital computers. I also provide an
Episode 90: Climate Systems
An analysis of the major factors influencing climactic variation over Earth's surface, including a discussion of the effect of differential heating at different latitudes, the impact of continentality and sea breezes, the causes of monsoons
Episode 89: The Atmosphere
An overview of the composition and layers of the Earth's atmosphere, including a discussion of the exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere. I also discuss the ozone layer and ozone depletion, the Karman line which
Episode 88: Cartography and Earths Seasons
A discussion of the shape of the Earth and the difficulties and conventions involved in describing a three-dimensional surface on a two-dimensional map, including an overview of some of the major map projections and their various limitation
Episode 87: The Geography of Planet Earth
An overview of some of the key geographic features of planet Earth, including a discussion of the concept and classification of continents, the major mountain ranges and major river basins around the planet. I also discuss the major world b
Episode 86: The Evidence for Evolution
An outline of the various lines of evidence in favour of the theory of evolution by natural selection, including a discussion of natural and artificial examples of natural selection in action, as well as a review of the evidence from the fo
Episode 85: Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
A discussion of some of the major conceptual aspects of Quantum Field Theory, including the concept of a quantum field, classical field theory, harmonic oscillators, second quantisation, interacting theories, and the relationship of QFT to
