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These podcasts from the University of Bath's public lecture series feature leading names from the worlds of science, humanities and engineering talking about the latest research in their field. The podcasts are downloaded around 250,000 times a year by people in 50 countries. The University won the European Excellence Award for its podcasts in 2007.
Paul Ormerod, the author of three best-selling books on economics talks about what mainstream economists have to say about the turmoil of world economy.
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Professor Peter Coles from the School of Physics & Astronomy at Cardiff University will talk about the large scale structure of the Universe and the ideas that physicists are weaving together to explain how it came to be the way it is.
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Martin Sturge talks about Lady Anna Miller of Batheaston. Mr Sturge is deeply involved with the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution and sponsored the rebinding of a rare volume of Lady Miller's Poetical Assemblies held in the institution's historic library.
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Professor Malcolm Johnson from the Department of Social and Policy Sciences at the University of Bath looks at the changing face of death in an ageing society.
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Professor Tamas Szekely, from the University of Bath's Department of Biology & Biochemistry, will discuss his research that dispels the harmonious impression of bird families. He will talk about how sex, conflicts and cooperation shape their lives.
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Author and archaeologist Bob Clarke charts the progress of aviation through airfields and asks why some stations are located where they are.
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Freelance garden historian Russell Bowes looks at the history of gardening giving a virtual tour of some of the great art galleries of the world.
Download MP3 [26MB] | Press release | Slides
Lord Joel Joffe believes that there is an 'urgent need' to change the law on assisted dying and will argue in his lecture that assisted dying and palliative care are essential and complementary aspects of care for people suffering from painful incurable diseases.
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Professor Alan Cottenden, from University College London, describes new technology for managing incontinence.
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Stuart Robertson, the director of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society, gives a personal view of the great Scottish architect and designer.
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In this Charter Day lecture, Dr Alexander Kelle, from the University of Bath's Department of European Studies and Modern Languages, talks about biological research and its possible applications for good, and ill. Illustrating a track record over a century long of biological developments being put to uses outside their original purpose, he proposes the creation of an International Framework Agreement to ensure that we learn from the mistakes of the past.
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Forensic anthropologist Kathleen Conabree discusses issues surrounding what really goes on at a crime scene and what the term forensic actually means.
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Professor Chris Budd from the University of Bath takes mathematics into the dark territory of murder, suicide, love, sex and conquest.
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Florence Muringi Wambugu talks about the contribution of bio-technology, including GM crops, for improving the sustainable livelihoods of resource poor families in Africa.
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Nicholas Fogg describes life at the Court of the Great Moghul, his campaigns, his foibles and his lasting impact on the history of India.
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Professor Bas Verplanken from the University of Bath talks about the psychology of habit and how much of what we do is done at the same time in the same location.
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Members of the new Bath Centre for Pain Research celebrate its launch. The lecture is introduced by Professor Chris Eccleston, the centre's director, and includes an address by Dr Lindsey Cohen and talks by Dr Lance McCracken, Dr Candy McCabe and Dr Ed Keogh.
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Professor Guy Standing from the University of Bath talks about work after globalisation.
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Professor Dame Janet Finch talks about how academia and government can work together.
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Professor Geof Wood of the University of Bath investigates our human motivations for sustainable behaviour beyond our own immediate interest.
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Professor Melanie Welham from the University of Bath's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology talks about the benefits of stem cells.
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David Rogers talks about how entrepreneurs use innovation and creativity to survive and thrive in hard times.
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Professional photographer Roger Vlitos talks about nature writer Richard Jefferies, who coined the phrase Spirit Country for the west of England countryside that inspired him and many other followers.
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Professor Simon Wood from the University of Bath talks about smoothing, letting data speak without telling it what to say.
Download MP3 [19MB] | Press release | Slides
Dr Momna Hejmadi, from the University of Bath, explores some of the non-conventional patterns of behaviour and links them to how the brain works.
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Dr Alexander Sturgis, Director of the Holburne Museum, talks about its plans for the future. He gives an insight into what visitors will be able to see in the renewed museum and the ways in which the development will allow it to play its part to the full in the cultural life of the city and region.
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Professor Andrew Plummer, Director of the Centre for Power Transmission and Motion Control, discusses recreating earthquakes in a laboratory to test how buildings perform under extreme conditions.
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How vulnerable are our historic buildings to earthquakes and how can we preserve them from seismic tremors? Dr Dina D'Ayala from the University's Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering discusses the development of methods to protect and preserve historic buildings from seismic damage.
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Michael Lemonick, a freelance science journalist from Princeton University, looks at the discoveries of William and Caroline Herschel.
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Dr Glen Patrick of Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxford, talks about how its possible to probe the hidden universe and what particle physics can tell us about it's secrets.
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Professor Richard Whitman from the Department of European Studies & Modern Languages discusses Muscles from Brussels: a 21st Century Superpower. Where does the EU fit in global politics? How do we explain the role that the EU currently plays within international politics and what is the impact of a developing international role for the EU on its member states' foreign security and defence policies?
Download MP3 [28MB] | Press release | Slides
Professor John Wells from the Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Science Research Department at University College London discusses whether we are wasting time on irregular spellings and holding our children back with spelling tests.
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Professor Peter Walker discusses research into new ways of using traditional building materials such as earth, hemp and straw as a greener choice for modern construction. Professor Walker is Director of the BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials at the University.
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Richard Jones, professor of Physics at the University of Sheffield, looks at how we can manipulate matter at the level of individual atoms and molecules and the possible impact this will have on advances of medicine, energy and information technology.
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Professor Mark Birkinshaw talks about the effect of gravity on light as part of the 2008 Herschel lecture, named in remembrance of the Bath astronomer who discovered the planet Uranus in 1781.
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Writer and journalist Nicholas Fogg, sheds light on the historical conundrums of Shakespeare's sonnets. The sonnets represent one of the great literary enigmas and have given rise to endless speculation and debate.
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Stuart Roberts, research fellow at the University of Reading, discusses the decline of bees and its effect on the environment. Evidence is presented on the state and trends of bees, the likely drivers of change and the possible long term effects.
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This lecture looks at medicines available over the counter from pharmacies as well as those available from supermarkets, grocery stores and garages. Trained pharmacist Denise Taylor discusses readily available medicines and how safe they are.
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Roger Vlitos, writer and photographer, discusses how Stonehenge has been seen in every age, from it's first appearance in medieval manuscripts to the present day.
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Professor Tom Kirkwood, Director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University, explores how the ageing process is influenced by a broad range of lifestyle and environmental factors
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Dr Jane Davis tells stories about the value of great books in ordinary lives. Jane left school at 16 with 2 GCSEs but now leads an organisation which wants a bigger place in the nation's heart for books and reading. Later in life she returned to education and graduated with a 1st class degree in English and spent 3 years writing a PhD.
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Particle Physicist Dr Glenn Patrick talks about the Large Hadron Collider. Based at CERN, in Geneva, the collider is the largest scientific machine in the world. It started operation in the summer of 2008 and aims to produce colossal amounts of data, which thousands of scientists around the world will analyse to further our understanding of the universe.
Download MP3 [24MB]
Professor Anil Markandya, from the Department of Economics & International Development, gives the Charter Day lecture in which he explores more sophisticated ways of measuring a country's wellbeing than just looking at GDP; these include assessing its ecological footprint, rating in the Corruption Perception Index and number of happy life years. Using these techniques, there are some surprising winners and losers.
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Professor Chris McMahon, from the University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, considers some of the most complex design challenges faced by engineers through the ages, from designing ships in the 17th century, to the modern computer-assisted design of cars and planes.
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Professor Melanie Welham and Dr Paul De Bank from the University's department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology talk about stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
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Professor Allan Kellehear from the Centre for Death & Society at the University of Bath talks about the point of death and organ retention.
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Professor Chris Eccleston, Dr Linda Bauld and Professor Chris Garland talk about their research and how it is helping to improve health and healthcare.
Download MP3 [33MB] | Press release
Dr Sandra Gilbert, Professor Emerita of English at the University of California, Davis, outlines the challenges of 21st century grief.
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Dr Steve Dorus from the Department of Biology & Biochemistry reveals how cataloguing the DNA blueprint of humans is revealing the evolution of human traits.
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General Sir Rupert Smith, the general who commanded the British Armoured Division in the first Gulf war and led the UN protection force in Bosnia, questions how military force is used to solve political problems.
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Professor Phil Diamond, Director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, talks about the research activities at the observatory, home to one of the world's biggest and most powerful radio telescopes.
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Professor Allan Kellehear, Professor of Sociology at the University of Bath's Centre for Death & Society, gives an overview of the changing attitudes and behaviour of human beings and other hominids in their response to death, dying and loss over the last two million years.
Download MP3 [26MB] | Press release
Professor Steven Blair, from the University of South Carolina, USA, talks about the causes of the obesity epidemic in the US, the relationship between weight and fitness levels, and the importance of physical activity in a healthy lifestyle.
Download MP3 [28MB] | Press release
Professor Geoff Hammond, Director of the interdisciplinary International Centre for the Environment (ICE) at the University of Bath, looks at the global challenges and local opportunities for lowering our carbon footprint.
Download MP3 [24MB] | Press release
In this Charter Day lecture, Professor Tamas Szekely, from the University of Bath's Department of Biology & Biochemistry, talks about conflict and cooperation in the family life of birds.
Download MP3 [9MB] | Press release
Dr Ken Bray, from the Sport & Exercise Science group in the University's School for Health, reveals the science behind the swerving free kick, using scientific videos and match footage.
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Award-winning space historian, Piers Bizony, presents an illustrated account of the Space Age, from the first tiny satellites to America's colossal project to land men on the moon.
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Professor Matthew Davidson, from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath, describes how the development of biodiesel catalysts, fuel cell materials and solar cells could one day help mitigate many of the problems caused by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
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Philippe Blondel from the University's Centre for Space, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences takes a planetary journey through the solar system and discusses whether the discovery of water means there must be life on other planets
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Professor Saiful Islam, of the University's Department of Chemistry, gives a flavour of the fascinating chemistry behind green technologies such as hybrid petrol-electric cars and fuel cells
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Paul Stallard, Professor of Child & Family Mental Health at the University of Bath and a chartered clinical psychologist with the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Care Partnership Trust, describes CBT, its use with children and young people and takes a critical look at its future use.
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Leading figures from a range of social science disciplines discuss whether the theory of natural selection has anything to offer present-day students of cultures and societies.
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Lord Rees-Mogg, former Editor of The Times, gives a free public lecture on the changing international scene.
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Dr Adrian Scott, from the University's Department of Psychology, considers the fallibility of human memory and how past experience and knowledge of the world influence recollection.
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Duncan Morrow shares his experiences of working in the community, including as Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council which funds and develops inter-community relations practice and policy in Northern Ireland.
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Professor Ismet Gursul talks about his research into the most efficient wing structure for a tiny aircraft. He has found this is similar to the structure of insect wings.
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Lord Paddy Ashdown - former High Representative in the successful reconstruction of Bosnia and a former leader of the Liberal Democrats - severely criticises the reconstruction of Iraq, calling it a 'catastrophic failure' in which 'daily carnage' is taking place. This lecture was organised by the University of Bath and the Royal Society of the Arts.
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Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust archaeologist for Avebury, describes how a fresh look at the Neolithic Cotswolds brings to light how its people lived their lives.
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Professor Ursula King talks about how women across the world are reinterpreting their religious traditions through dialogue with people from different faiths.
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Steve Jones, professor of genetics at University College London, describes why he believes that creationism is wrong and evolution is right at a lecture organised by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath.
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Professor David Gillespie, from the University of Bath's Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, explores Russian culture and the country's search for a national identity.
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World-renowned physicist, Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell, looks at how poetry portrays astronomy.
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The 2006 Herschel lecture by Professor Brian Warner, University of Cape Town, explores the life of John Herschel, described as the 'first modern scientist', and the son of Bath's famous astronomer William Herschel.
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Professor Gus John - one of the country's leading commentators on British race relations - talks about his recently-launched book, Taking a Stand, in which he calls for a radical revaluation of Government policy to improve race relations.
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Professor Steve Ward from the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of Bath describes research into the chemical processes that control inflammation in the immune system that could help develop new treatments for diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis syndrome.
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Professor Nick Mitchell from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering describes research at the University of Bath that uses meteors - 'shooting stars' - to study the edge of space.
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Despite the last fifty years of debate and policy making, poverty is still rife in the world. In a lecture organised by the University of Bath and the Royal Society of the Arts, Lord Desai of St Clement Danes looks at poverty in both the developed and the developing world.
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For thousands of years astronomers have studied the sun to try and work out how it influences the life on earth. Professor Joanna Haigh from Imperial College London looks at the evidence for an influence of the sun on the lower atmosphere, and discusses recent work that is helping to unravel some of the physical mechanisms involved. Organised by the Centre for Space, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at the University of Bath.
Download MP3 [18MB] | Press release
Pain is an important condition that interrupts the flow of daily life - particularly for those with chronic or persistent pain. Professor Chris Eccleston from the Pain Management Unit at the University of Bath talks about the treatments developed in Bath to help patients live a satisfying life despite pain, particularly focusing on new treatments for children in chronic pain.
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TV presenter Adam Hart-Davis answers a range of everyday questions through the use of science. Organised as part of National Science Week.
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Stem cells and tissue engineering offer great potential for treating a variety of human diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Julian Chaudhuri, from the Department of Chemical Engineering, describes how research at the University of Bath is contributing the field.
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The UK is part of the problem when it comes to a world divided by poverty, but it could become part of the solution, according to Clare Short MP, former cabinet minister for international development.
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Ethnic conflicts have turned many parts of the world into war zones. Stefan Wolff, professor of political science at the University of Bath, explains why nationalism and ethnicity are still such powerful mobilising forces in turning neighbour against neighbour, and examines some of the options available to the international community.
Download MP3 [31MB] | Press release
The media's interest in death and dying is making the corpse the new "porn star" of popular culture, says Professor Jacque Lynn Foltyn from the National University, California. Organised by the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath.
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As scientists scour the heavens for signs of planets that could provide a habitat for alien life forms, Professor Barrie Jones from the Open University describes what astronomers are looking for and assesses the chances of finding intelligent life beyond our Solar System. Organised by the University of Bath and the William Herschel Society. This is a 40 minute long MP3 recording (~17MB).
Download MP3 [17MB] | Press release
