Best Gresham College Podcasts (2024)

1
A Mathematician's View of Proof - Sarah Hart 51:09

1d ago51:09

51:09

The idea of proof is fundamental to mathematics. We could argue that science consists of testable theories, and therefore that it is about what can be disproved, not what can be proved. In law, the test is “beyond reasonable doubt”. Famous conjectures in mathematics have been tested by computers for trillions of numbers – but we still call them con…

1
Welcome to Chemistry 221! - A Promotional Video 1:14

5d ago1:14

1:14

By Michael Russell

1
CH 221: An Audio Introduction to Chapter Guide One 3:07

5d ago3:07

3:07

By Michael Russell

1
CH 221: A Video Introduction to Chapter Guide One 1:32

5d ago1:32

1:32

By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Screencast - An Introduction to Chemistry 6:14

5d ago6:14

6:14

By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Screencast - States of Matter 6:55

5d ago6:55

6:55

By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Screencast - Density 6:02

5d ago6:02

6:02

By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Screencast - Temperature 6:20

1d ago6:20

6:20

A screencast from Chapter 1 in CH 221 which looks at the three temperature scales used by chemists frequently.By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Screencast - Precision and Accuracy 6:20

1d ago6:20

6:20

A screencast from Chapter 1 in CH 221 which looks at precision, accuracy, parts per thousand, and more.By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Screencast - Significant Figures and Scientific Notation 9:33

1d ago9:33

9:33

By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Complete Lecture Part I 1:04:41

5d ago1:04:41

1:04:41

This the Complete Lecture for Chapter 1. This episode is part 1 of 2 episodes.By Michael Russell

1
Chapter 1 Complete Lecture Part II 55:33

1d ago55:33

55:33

This the Complete Lecture for Chapter 1. This episode is part 2 of 2 episodes.By Michael Russell

1
Experts in politics: Lessons from Socrates and Aristotle - Melissa Lane 57:20

4d ago57:20

57:20

Socrates sought to test the expertise of everyone around him: the bombastic know-it-alls, the bashful youths, the confident generals, those (including the enslaved) with unsuspected mathematical competence, the workaday artisans. Aristotle later explored the ways in which expert claims can be made credible to popular judgement. This lecture conside…

1
First light: Revealing the Early Universe - Chris Lintott 59:40

11d ago59:40

59:40

The final lecture in the series returns to the theme of how insight is derived from observations, considering the cosmic microwave background. This oldest light in the Universe, emitted just 400,000 years after the Big Bang, contains the seeds of the structures we see around us, and tells us about conditions at the Universe's beginning. It will als…

1
Morals & Markets - Episode 1 - Martin Daunton & Richard Whatmore 1:08:25

11d ago1:08:25

1:08:25

Send us a Text Message. This episode is part of a series called 'Morals & Markets'. Visiting Prof. of Economic History, Martin Daunton has conversations with three authors whose books have interrogated the underlying assumptions on economics. Episode 1 sees Martin sit down with Richard Whatmore, author of 'The End of Enlightenment'. Support the Sho…

1
Race, Disability & Education: Law's Uphill Battle - Leslie Thomas KC 1:10:54

19d ago1:10:54

1:10:54

This lecture traces the history of race and disability law in the English education system. It examines the impact of discriminatory policies on Black children, children of colour, and disabled children, and how narratives around race and disability have changed. The lecture questions why inequality persists and explores possible solutions. This le…

1
S02 Ep.12 - How Cancer Genomics is Transforming Cancer Care, Prof. Sanjay Popat 38:41

22d ago38:41

38:41

Send us a Text Message. This episode is part of a series of lectures called 'New Hope in Cancer' sponsored by Novartis. What do we mean by Cancer genomics? What are the introns in our DNA used for? Are they just a place-holder DNA or is there actual use for it? Should cancer care be delivered differently? These and many more questions were put to S…

1
Logarithms: Mobile Phones, Modelling & Statistics? 52:24

23d ago52:24

52:24

Logarithms were perhaps once thought of as just an old-fashioned way to do sums on slide rules. But they underpin much of modern life, from modelling the COVID pandemic to Claude Shannon’s mathematical theory of information (which makes mobile phones a reality) and making sense of Cristiano Ronaldo’s crazy Instagram follower numbers. This lecture w…

1
A Just and Inclusive Net Zero: Who should get there first? - Myles Allen 59:16

26d ago59:16

59:16

Eventually, net zero needs to include everyone: for emissions to continue in half the world while the other half mops them up is both unsustainable and unfair. But this does not mean every country should reach net zero at the same time. Historical emitters like the UK should aim for net zero before the world as a whole, but a “staggered net zero” a…

1
Asymmetric Information in Finance Explained - Raghavendra Rau 1:01:22

29d ago1:01:22

1:01:22

In every financial transaction, one side has more information than the other. For example, when someone buys a used car, the seller will know better than the buyer whether the car is a plum or a lemon. Does more information leave you better off? One of the fascinating ideas behind the concept of asymmetric information is that more information can l…

1
S02 Ep.11 - Immunotherapy: Cure for Metastatic Cancers?, James Larkin 32:57

1M ago32:57

32:57

Send us a Text Message. This episode is part of a series of lectures called 'New Hope in Cancer' sponsored by Novartis. In which stage is the best time to use immunotherapy? What is the role of immunology in rarer cancers? Can or has artificial intelligence helped the advancement of immunotherapy? These and many more questions were put to James for…

1
Is Music Infinite? - Milton Mermikides 1:07:28

1M ago1:07:28

1:07:28

This lecture explores the very limits of music: investigating historical efforts to catalogue musical materials including the melacarta of Carnatic music, the wazn of Arabic maqam, Slonimsky’s Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns, Schillinger’s Encyclopedia of Rhythms, Forte numbers, and contemporary attempts to ‘pre-copyright’ every possible m…

1
Twentieth-Century Divas: Julie Andrews - Dominic Broomfield-McHugh 58:58

1M ago58:58

58:58

Starring in My Fair Lady (1956), The Sound of Music (1965) and Cinderella (1957) gave Dame Julie Andrews unparalleled profile. These were among the most successful Broadway, Hollywood and TV musicals of their time. Yet following this golden decade, she made few films and appeared in no Broadway shows during her forties and fifties, typically an art…

1
Health after Extreme Cold, Heat, Storms and Floods - Professor Sir Chris Whitty 54:31

1M ago54:31

54:31

Weather and climate-related events can cause significant mortality and disability. Sudden cold, heat, storms and floods all present risks to health, especially to the most vulnerable. Even in countries with temperate climates like the UK, weather-related deaths can be in the thousands, for example cold snaps causing cardiovascular deaths. In countr…

1
How to Prove 1=0, And Other Maths Illusions - Sarah Hart 1:03:37

2M ago1:03:37

1:03:37

In this lecture I will show you some mathematical illusions: “proofs” that 1=0, that fractions don’t exist, and more. There are curious and important implications behind what’s going on. These “proofs” reveal some very common logical slips that can go unnoticed when we are trying to prove more plausible statements. And the stakes are high. As I’ll …

1
Evolution Tomorrow and Beyond - Robin May 1:00:07

2M ago1:00:07

1:00:07

Evolution has led from amoebae to blue whales and from algae to giant redwoods. So what might it do in the future? What species might evolve in the next ten million years? How will evolutionary processes change as a result of human innovation and what are the risks of us getting it disastrously wrong? What might evolution look like if we ever set u…

1
The Next Fifty Years of Tech - Dr Victoria Baines 1:03:34

2M ago1:03:34

1:03:34

Come take a ride in the Tech Time Machine and explore how IT may change our lives in the next fifty years. By employing techniques used by science fiction writers, we can imagine how Artificial Intelligence, extended reality, mobile connectivity, quantum computing, and others will develop. How will they converge, enable and accelerate each other? W…

1
Musical Consonance and Dissonance: The Good, Bad and Beautifully Ugly - Milton Mermikides 57:05

2M ago57:05

57:05

What makes a piece of music challenging, bland, intriguing, beautiful or ugly? This lecture explores the concept of ‘musical flavour’ formed by intervallic, rhythmic and timbral components and how they contribute to a sense of consonance and dissonance. In particular we look at the interval vector, a system by which harmonic objects are analysed as…

1
Is it Aliens? The Most Unusual Star In The Galaxy - Chris Lintott 1:05:22

2M ago1:05:22

1:05:22

Boyajian's star, a faint and unprepossessing presence in the constellation of Cygnus, attracted astronomers' attention when it began to flicker alarmingly. We will discuss explanations for its behaviour, from disintegrating comets to alien megastructures, and consider how modern astronomy hunts for the truly unusual objects in the Universe. For thi…

1
The Western Magical Tradition - Ronald Hutton 1:05:58

2M ago1:05:58

1:05:58

This lecture makes a survey of learned ceremonial magic in Europe throughout history and demonstrates that both of the customary claims made for it by practitioners since the Middle Ages are actually correct: that there is a continuous tradition of it and that it is ultimately derived from ancient Egypt. In doing so, it also shows what is distincti…

1
Locating Queer History - Matt Cook 56:45

2M ago56:45

56:45

Queer urban life has changed dramatically in England over the last seventy years. Shifts in the economy, culture, attitudes, and technology have all played their part in this. London has often been used as the barometer for these shifts, suggesting they were experienced in similar ways across the nation. In an exploration of the queer contours of L…

1
Refugees: English Law's Protection or Persecution? - Leslie Thomas KC 1:09:39

2M ago1:09:39

1:09:39

How are refugees protected in English law? This lecture traces the history of refugee protection, the limits of the Refugee Convention, and changes to the law in recent decades that have made refugees’ lives increasingly difficult. The Government’s latest tranche of policies: the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Rwanda offshoring scheme, ar…

1
The Geopolitical Risks of Climate Change - Myles Allen 1:03:54

2M ago1:03:54

1:03:54

Climate Change is predicted to spark increasing threats to food security and demands for climate reparations, fuelling geopolitical instability. Probably the greatest risk of all, is tension over solar geo-engineering: the idea of reflecting away sunlight deliberately to modify global climate. Recognizing solar geo-engineering as an inherently dest…

1
S02 Ep.10 - Modern Concepts of ADHD, Peter Hill 52:23

2M ago52:23

52:23

Send us a Text Message. Are there any overlaps between ADHD and Autism? Does your childhood determine whether you more susceptible to ADHD later in life? Can you have an Attention Deficit and not Hyperactivity? These and many more questions were put to Peter for episode 10 of our new series! This podcast followed his lecture ‘Modern Concepts of ADH…

1
Sustainable Energy in Refugee Camps - Dr Sarah Rosenberg-Jansen 56:32

2M ago56:32

56:32

Most of the world’s 102 million forcibly displaced people – refugees – lack access to reliable, affordable, sustainable energy. Attempts to provide such energy in refugee camps have been marred by governance challenges, and a lack of technical expertise within humanitarian organisations. But new research discussed in this lecture on the lived exper…

1
What went wrong in Latin America? - Martin Daunton 1:10:10

2M ago1:10:10

1:10:10

In the Great Depression, producers of food and raw materials complained that they received low prices and paid high prices for industrial imports. Latin America adopted ‘import substituting industrialisation’ to encourage production behind tariff barriers. This approach continued after the war as more countries gained independence. Did this policy …

1
Lead: A Toxic Legacy - Dr Ian Mudway 1:05:33

3M ago1:05:33

1:05:33

Evidence that childhood lead exposure caused stunted intelligence and behavioural problems motivated efforts to ban lead in petrol, with the world finally eradicating leaded fuel in 2021. This is a public health success story, but it took a long time to force industry to take action. The lead released from historic emissions persists within the env…

1
Twentieth-Century Divas: Shirley Bassey - Dominic Broomfield-McHugh 1:05:10

3M ago1:05:10

1:05:10

The Black Welsh singer started out recording cover versions of American songbook classics but rose to international fame after her performance of the title song of Goldfinger. Movie songs, successful albums and popular television specials followed, but so too did personal tragedy and a highly critical (and gendered) reputation of her professional b…

1
S02 Ep.9 - Changes in the Concept of Autism, Francesca Happé CBE 32:32

3M ago32:32

32:32

Send us a Text Message. What do we know about autistic women's experience of menopause? Is there any link between being an older mother/older parents and having a autistic child or is there no proven correlation? These and many more questions were put to Francesca for episode 9 of our new series! This podcast followed her lecture ‘Changes in the Co…

1
Artificial Selection: How Humans have Shaped Evolution - Robin May 59:49

3M ago59:49

59:49

We often think of evolution as ‘something that happened’ in the past. But of course, evolution is a constant, powerful process and one that is often unleashed by human behaviours. Often this is deliberate, we’ll look at how artificial selection has shaped our crops, livestock and domestic pets, and we’ll find out how modern science is uncovering th…

1
Data Protection for Thrillseekers - Dr Victoria Baines 57:16

3M ago57:16

57:16

We increasingly share with online services intimate details of our lives, such as mental health and reproductive data. Far from being a ‘tick box’ legal exercise, data protection is about fair and responsible use of our personal information. It gives us rights which we are entitled to exercise against mega corporations, governments, and anyone who …

1
The Human Cost of Immigration Detention - Dr Greg Constantine 1:00:59

3M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Governments increasingly use detention as a central component of immigration and asylum policy. The lecture addresses several important questions. What does immigration detention look like? How is it a reflection of those societies that tolerate its use and the policies that support and endorse its expansion? What place does it have in the journeys…

1
Democracy: Ancient Models, Modern Challenges - Melissa Lane 58:17

3M ago58:17

58:17

Demokratia is the power (kratos) of the people (demos). But what kind of power, and who constitutes the people? Although ancient democracy is often stylized as “direct democracy” and so positioned as very different from modern “representative democracy,” in fact, issues of accountability are central to both. Ancient Greek models of holding leaders …

1
New Hope in Cancer: A Panel Discussion - Dr Richard Sidebottom, Sanjay Popat and James Larkin 55:08

3M ago55:08

55:08

In partnership with Novartis Treatments and research in cancer are moving very fast, giving new hope to many. This event will bring together speakers in the series to delve further into new treatments and research in cancer, including immunotherapy, genomics and AI imaging. This lecture was recorded by Parker Moss, Dr Richard Sidebottom, Sanjay Pop…

1
Modern Concepts of ADHD - Peter Hill 1:15:57

3M ago1:15:57

1:15:57

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a combination of hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention which significantly impacts those living with the condition. The medical approach to the ADHD pattern of behaviour has been very successful in childhood but the results have been somewhat less impressive in adulthood. This has led to a r…

1
Ancient Greek Ideas of Equality under the Law - Melissa Lane 1:00:52

3M ago1:00:52

1:00:52

The Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen has posed the question, ‘equality of what?’ The value of equality depends on what standard is chosen. As ancient Greek thinkers recognized, equality can be deployed to exclude as well as to liberate, and its relationship to law and freedom needs to be interrogated. If equal social freedom is a product of iso…

1
Ritual Nudity in History and Religion - Ronald Hutton 57:58

3M ago57:58

57:58

This lecture looks at the role played by nudity in European religion and magic from ancient times to the present, with some reference to a global context. It reveals the unexpected pattern and explains why it has been marginal to religion, except in initiation ceremonies, but very important in magical practices. This lecture was recorded by Ronald …

1
Climate Tipping Points in Oceans, Ice, Forests - Myles Allen 59:43

4M ago59:43

59:43

The impacts of climate change that probably worry people the most are irreversible changes that affect the entire world, such as a collapse of the west Antarctic ice sheet, shutdown of the global thermohaline circulation, loss of the Amazon biome, or a melting of Arctic permafrost. Sudden, unpredictable and irreversible changes can happen in respon…

1
The Mathematics of Coincidence - Sarah Hart 58:07

4M ago58:07

58:07

We regularly hear of amazing coincidences – people winning the lottery twice, or getting a phone call from a long-lost friend just when you were thinking about them. Is this telepathy? Is there a greater power at work when someone survives seven lightning strikes? There can be terrible consequences from the misunderstanding of coincidence. This lec…

1
Wealth Inequality: English Law's Unintended Legacy? - Leslie Thomas KC 1:02:23

4M ago1:02:23

1:02:23

Today, the UK is a deeply unequal society. This lecture critically evaluates the relationship between English law and capitalism and explores how legal changes over the past 30 years, such as deregulating the housing market and weakening trade unions, have widened wealth inequality. The lecture examines the role of lawyers in addressing these issue…

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