Episodes

  • Gray Matters: Exploring the Brain with Dr. Theodore Schwartz

    Gray Matters: Exploring the Brain with Dr. Theodore Schwartz
    Nov 23 2024
    The human brain is a marvel of mysteries, holding answers that we are still uncovering. Dr Theodore Schwartz's book “Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery” is filled with anecdotes to help us relate to the organ that sits silently in a dark cell inside our skull. Dr Schwartz has performed over 10,000 operations working in an area as small as a one rupee coin. He reflects on the meditative state he gets into during surgery, the role of empathy in connecting with patients and the exhilarating breakthroughs that makes it all worthwhile. It is said that it takes 20 years to become an overnight success. Dr Schwartz recounts his punishing schedule when he was a student and the physical endurance coupled with mental fortitude needed to operate for hours on end. It's a life of sacrifice, brilliance and endless curiosity.

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    55 mins
  • Lawrence Booth on Bazball

    Lawrence Booth on Bazball
    Nov 23 2024

    Bazball is a term that describes England cricket team’s aggressive brand of Test cricket championed by Brendon “Baz” McCullum. Lawrence Booth who writes for the Daily Mail has co-authored a brilliant account of this new phenomenon in “Bazball: The Inside Story of a Test Cricket Revolution” with Nick Hoult.


    In this podcast Lawrence clarifies that Bazball is not mindless slogging or fast scoring. It’s also about absorbing pressure. Whereas the team cares about winning, if they can entertain the crowds along the way and put more seats in the stadiums, all the better. Lawrence is also the youngest editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in over seven decades. He talks about what it takes to put out a massive edition year after year and also explains the thrill of filing match reports at the end of last-minute twists.


    Image source: Bloomsbury


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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Paul Seabright on religion, wealth and economics

    Paul Seabright on religion, wealth and economics
    Nov 22 2024
    What is religion? How is it intertwined with economics? Why do people who are below the poverty line feel the need to contribute some portion of their meagre income to temples or churches? What is in it for them? How big is the industry? Paul Seabright, a British economist and professor at the University of Toulouse in France, joins us to talk about his book “The Divine Economy: How religions compete for wealth, power and people”. His opinions, backed by data and research over many years, seek to answer some of these fascinating questions.

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    54 mins
  • Marcia Bjornerud on how rocks share secrets of our planet’s past

    Marcia Bjornerud on how rocks share secrets of our planet’s past
    Nov 8 2024
    In “Turning to Stone: Discovering The subtle wisdom of rocks”, Dr Marcia Bjornerud brings us the fascinating story of how rocks and stones “speak” to us if we’re willing to listen. Rocks are alert, responsive and communicative, writes Dr Bjornerud. They tell us about our own past and how the Earth has evolved over centuries and millenia. What can a single crystal tell us about ancient tectonic shifts? Why are earthquakes so hard to predict? How is a day in the life of a geologist who is on the field? Do they have fun? How is technology changing geology? Tune in to know more.

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    39 mins
  • Andrew Leigh on economics and why it matters

    Andrew Leigh on economics and why it matters
    Nov 5 2024

    In this podcast Andrew Leigh talks about economics to someone unfamiliar with the subject, all drawn from his book, "How Economics Explains the World: A Short History of Humanity".


    Andrew touches upon the impact of the industrial revolution, the balance between Keynesian and Hayekian ideas, why interest rates are important, where the gender gap came from and much much more. He also covers how technology drives societal change, the role of government in managing economic stability and the importance of storytelling in making complex ideas accessible given that he has managed to do exactly that.


    When he isn't writing or working as a member of the Australian Parliament, Andrew is a keen ultra-marathoner and an Ironman triathlete.


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    43 mins
  • The future of our oceans with Helen Scales

    The future of our oceans with Helen Scales
    Nov 2 2024
    What mysteries do the world underwater hold for us? Dr Helen Scales, a marine biologist, has dedicated her life to find out. Her most recent book “What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean” is an ode to life underwater and what we can do to preserve it. Dive in to listen to Helen talk about what got her interested in the subject, why sea creatures are smarter than we think and what we can do to scale back climate change, a scourge for both land and water.

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    56 mins
  • Jean-Martin Bauer on world hunger and what we can do about it

    Jean-Martin Bauer on world hunger and what we can do about it
    Nov 2 2024

    Jean-Martin Bauer is the author of "The New Breadline: Hunger and Hope in the 21st Century". It’s a brilliant account of why hunger is ravaging the world and what we can do about it.


    In this podcast Jean-Martin talks about his career at the World Food Programme, starting from his first field experience right out of college to confronting heartbreaking stories like a mother in Mauritania cooking imaginary meals for her children. He delves into the staggering global hunger crisis, the complexities of humanitarian work, role of technology in recent times and the challenges of fighting food insecurity in war-torn countries.


    For someone who works on the frontline, JM is hopeful that we can all make a difference in our own way to help the cause.


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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Nicola Twilley on how refrigeration has changed the world

    Nicola Twilley on how refrigeration has changed the world
    Sep 21 2024
    Among the many things that we take for granted in the age of indulgence is refrigeration. In “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves”, Nicola Twilley brings us the history of what is arguably among the top three inventions of the century. She went far down many rabbit holes including orange juice tank farms, meat lockers, banana ripening rooms and frigid warehouses to uncover the different layers of refrigeration. What is the story behind tunas being transported in coffins? What is fridge dating? And why didn’t Abraham Lincoln ever have a banana? Tune in for many such anecdotes both amusing and revealing in equal measure.

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    56 mins