How psychedelics could kickstart the next mental health revolution
Hippies, the Beatles, flower power, magic mushrooms, raves and festivals – that’s what most of us associate with psychedelics. But there is mounting evidence that these drugs could also be used medicinally, particularly to treat mental illnesses such as depression.
In this episode, we speak to Prof David Nutt, a psychopharmacologist who has spent decades researching how drugs affect the brain. Now a professor at Imperial College London, David has published more than 500 research papers, eight government reports, and 40 books – including one called Psychedelics, in 2023.
In this conversation, he explains how psychedelics affect the brain, how they alter people’s sense of self and perception of reality, and why they could revolutionise the future of mental health treatments.
Please note that psychedelics are Class A drugs according to UK law. Anyone caught in possession of such substances can face up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. Information and support for those affected by substance abuse can be found at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
The following conversation specifically concerns psychedelics when used in a clinical context, given at low doses and under medical supervision. Please don’t try this at home.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
38:13
--------
38:13
Don't miss the upcoming Future of Food miniseries!
What will we all be eating in 2050? How will it be produced? And how can our diets keep us healthier for longer? If these are questions you'd like answered, why not check out the upcoming Future of Food mini-series.
You'll discover how cutting-edge farming technology is helping us to produce food that's kinder to the environment, how overlooked foods such as algae and seaweed may soon become a common sight on our plates, and how new discoveries are uncovering the fascinating science of how our bodies all respond differently to the food we eat.
Tune in to the weekly four-part miniseries, starting Monday 3rd November.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
0:34
--------
0:34
How our bodies are host to mysterious cells that came from other people
The commonly held story goes that we all begin life as a single cell in our mother’s womb and go on from there to develop into fully formed adult human beings composed of cells of our own creation. However, recent research is showing that this isn’t quite the full picture. Not all of the cells in our bodies come from this single starting point. We are, in fact, all host to cells that have migrated from the bodies of other people – our mothers, grandmothers, siblings and even, in some cases, complete strangers.
In this episode, we’re joined by science writer Lise Barnéoud to talk about her latest book Hidden Guests - Migrating Cells and How the New Science of Microchimerism Is Redefining Human Identity.
She tells us how mothers and babies share cells across the placenta during pregnancy, how these cells make their homes within our organs and persist for our entire lives, and how this mysterious process led to a woman giving birth to the genetic children of her unborn twin sister.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
27:14
--------
27:14
How human consciousness emerged from the fundamental processes of nature
Thanks to hundreds of years of scientific progress we now know, that like every other living thing on Earth, human beings are simply assemblages of atoms and molecules that evolved over eons through a series of complex, iterative processes. But somewhere along this long and meandering journey we developed consciousness – the deep sense of self-awareness that allows us to think, feel and even allows us to attempt to understand what’s going on in the Universe around us.
In this episode, we’re joined by neuroscientist and author Dr Nikolay Kukushkin to talk about his latest book, One Hand Clapping – Unravelling the Mystery of the Human Mind.
He tells us how this entire process all started millions of years ago through the interactions of atoms such as carbon and oxygen, how taking a bottom-up approach to the development of consciousness can help to explain how human beings became such complicated entities and how the advent of artificial intelligence may, or may not, influence the future evolution of our species.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
38:04
--------
38:04
The hunt for the first stars in the Universe
Stars feel like a fundamental feature of the Universe – as essential as planets, galaxies and space itself. But since we know the Universe had a beginning (the Big Bang), there must also have been a first star. Before it, there was only darkness; after it, the cosmos as we know it began to take shape.
Exactly what those first stars were like – and how they transformed everything that followed – remains one of astronomy’s great mysteries. It’s a mystery that astrophysicist Dr Emma Chapman has dedicated much of her career to solving.
In this episode, Emma joins us to talk about her book First Light: Switching on the Stars at the Dawn of Time, recently updated to include discoveries from groundbreaking telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you a bite-sized masterclass on a new subject each week.
New episodes are released every Monday and Friday and you can subscribe to Instant Genius on Apple Podcasts to access all new episodes ad-free and all old episodes of Instant Genius Extra.
Watch full episodes of Instant Genius on BBC Science Focus Magazine's YouTube channel.
France