Curious Cases Folgen

The team test the theory that you can use the weather to predict pain, separating science fact from fiction. It's an area with a huge amount of conflicting research, but one man who has investigated this is Professor Will Dixon, who explains that low pressure could be causing people's joints to ache more. Dara and Hannah are intrigued to hear our genes may also be responding to changes in temperature and hear how we might be pre-programmed to produce more inflammation during wintertime to fight off bugs - which has the unfortunate side effect of making other some conditions worse. But don't despair! The pair find out 21 degrees is the optimum temperature for health and wellbeing - a perfect English summer day.Contributors:Dr Chris Wallace Professor Will Dixon Professor Trevor Professor Trevor HarleyProducer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra FeachemA BBC Studios Audio Production

From mouldy bread to athlete’s foot, fungi don’t exactly scream “home improvement.” But what if this misunderstood kingdom is the secret to the sustainable materials of the future?Listener Alexis - definitely not a gnome - wants to know how much of our homes we could build with fungi. Professor Katie Field describes how the mushroom is the just tip of the iceberg - it’s the network of thread-like filaments called mycelium where fungi really do their best work. Architect Phil Ayers explains how fungi, like yeast in bread, can bind waste products into firm, MDF-like blocks. And while we’re not constructing skyscrapers with mushrooms just yet, it turns out fungi-based materials are already making waves in interior design. Think sound-absorbing wall panels or insulation that’s both eco-friendly and chic.And here’s a cool one: mushroom leather! Using discarded stalks from mushroom farms, one company is crafting strong, flexible material for trainers, handbags, and even car dashboards. Move over, cows - mushrooms are pushing their way up.Oh, and NASA? They’re dreaming big with fungi too - to grow habitats in space. From mould...to the moon! Contributors: Katie Field - Professor of Plant-Soil Processes at the University of Sheffield Phil Ayres - Professor of Biohybrid Architecture at the Royal Danish Academy Patrick Baptista Pinto - co-founder of Really Clever Maurizio Montalti - Co-founder and Chief Mycelium Officer of SQIM / MOGU Lynn Rothschild - Senior Research Scientist at NASA Ames research centreProducer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

What happens in your brain when Cupid’s arrow strikes? As a teenager, Alison developed an intense crush on George Harrison from the Beatles. But, she wants to know, why do we develop these feelings for pop stars we’ve never actually met? And what potent swirl of neurochemistry drives those fierce emotions?With neuroscientist Dr. Dean Burnett and evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Anna Machin as their guides, Hannah and Dara investigate everything from the brain’s chemical fireworks during a crush to the evolutionary perks of love and bonding. Along the way, they dissect teenage infatuations, lifelong love affairs with football teams, and why love can feel as addictive as heroin.There’s even a guest appearance from two cute rodents: the monogamous prairie voles and their more, shall we say, commitment-phobic cousins, the montane voles, who gave us early clues about the role of the ‘cuddle’ hormone oxytocin. Whether you're a hopeless romantic or a hard-nosed skeptic, prepare to fall head over heels for the science of love.Contributors:Dr Anna Machin - evolutionary anthropologist and author of Why We Love Dr Dean Burnett - honorary research fellow at Cardiff Psychology School, author of The Idiot Brain and The Happy Brain. Carmine Pariante - Professor of Biological Psychiatry at King’s College LondonProducer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production