Where The Wild Thoughts Are

What is 'Now'?

Exciting news: I have a new book coming out! It’s called In Search of Now: the science and mystery of the present moment, and I’d love to share some of the ideas in it wi

End of season special

Since September we've met 16 scientists, in fields from neuroscience and quantum physics to archaeology and ecology, who are asking wild questions, exploring the world in

Can we hear the secret life of ponds?

What happens if we let go of our expectations about nature – all the things we think it is, or isn’t, or should be – and just… listen? Our guide into the unknown this we

How does the moon shape biology?

People have long told stories about the moon’s power, from werewolves shapeshifting by the moon, to the belief that drinking water soaked with moonlight could help women

Can slow AI make us more human?

How does using AI change who we are? Last week on Where the Wild Thoughts Are, we talked about freeing AIs to have their own creative ideas and express their own realitie

Can AI reveal its true self through art?

Can an AI have wild thoughts? Are machines capable of true creativity, true art, of going beyond the training and the prompts we give them in order to explore new worlds?

What was Einstein's 'cosmic religion'?

Thinkers don’t come much wilder than Albert Einstein. His out-of-the-box physics transformed how we think about the universe: with his famous equation E=mc2 he showed tha

What happens when consciousness meets chaos?

Standing waves and resonant frequencies appear everywhere in the world around us, from musical notes and swaying bridges to electron orbits and animal coats. This week's

What awakened at Göbekli Tepe?

Steady your nerves and light up your torches, because this week we’re clambering into the deep, dark Neolithic underworld with archaeologist Jens Notroff. Jens, of the G

Can life transcend physics?

We’re talking about life, the universe and everything – literally!   My guest is cosmologist Marina Cortês of the University of Lisbon. Marina trained as a dancer befor

Why do placebos work?

Placebo effects are not about expectation, or positive thinking, and you don’t have to believe you’re taking a real drug to feel better. In fact, they are not in your min

Can we talk to whales?

We're diving into the world of whales - as well as dolphins and other cetaceans - with biologist and filmmaker Tom Mustill, author of the fascinating book How to Speak Wh

Can we sense magnetic fields?

We're digging into how living creatures – including us – sense and respond to magnetic fields with quantum biologist Margaret Ahmad of the University of Sorbonne in Paris

How do you read a library turned to ash?

We're delving into one of the ancient world's biggest mysteries: the Herculaneum scrolls. Computer scientist Brent Seales of the University of Kentucky talks about a jour

Can epilepsy reveal the secrets of perception?

We’re exploring the secrets of bliss – with neurologist and epilepsy specialist Fabienne Picard of the Medical School of Geneva.   Fabienne became fascinated by a rare

Is there life on Venus?

In the search for alien life, we don’t always hear much about Venus. There’s a lot of effort going into detecting possible signs of life on Mars, and looking for potentia

What if there are no laws of physics?

When physicists investigate the very smallest components of reality – atoms and subatomic particles – they famously find all sorts of things that make no sense. Particles

Can plants think?

In this first episode of Where the Wild Thoughts Are, I chat to Paco Calvo, prof of cognitive science from the University of Murcia in Spain. He’s author of the fascinati

Where The Wild Thoughts Are - Coming soon

Listen to some clips from Jo Marchant's new science podcast in which she interviews scientists who are asking deep questions, chasing outrageous dreams, and exploring the