Podcasts by Maths on the Move
Maths on the Move, the podcast from plus.maths.org, will bring you the latest news from the world of maths, plus interviews and discussions with leading mathematicians and scientists about the maths that is changing our lives. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
Further podcasts by The Plus team
Podcast on the topic Mathematik
All episodes
Bye bye 23, hello 24! from 2023-12-12T05:00
In this, the last episode of Maths on the move for this year, we look back on 2023 and forward to 2024. We talk about some highlights in our coverage of this year's mathematics, and some of the ...
Listen
Can we build a low carbon energy network from 2023-12-05T05:00
To help mitigate climate change the UK government has pledged to decarbonised UK electricity supply by 2035. That's a huge science and engineering challenge on a very tight deadline. In this epi...
Listen
The travelling salesman from 2023-11-28T05:00
We continue our series about bringing maths to the stage and screen by going back to 2012 when we were lucky enough to host the UK premiere of the news coverage claiming that scientist were on the verge of discovering a ...
Listen![news coverage](https://plus.maths.org/content/travell...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/the-travelling-salesman/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/the-universal-machine-putting-alan-turing-on-the-stage/">The universal machine: Putting Alan Turing on the stage</a><small> from 2023-11-21T05:00</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>When you think of Alan Turing you might think of his work breaking the Enigma code in World War II. Or you might think of his work that helped build the foundations of computer science and mathe...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/the-universal-machine-putting-alan-turing-on-the-stage/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/a-disappearing-number/">A disappearing number</a><small> from 2023-11-14T05:00</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>This is the second part of our mini series focussing on mathematics coming to life on stage and in film. We revisit our 2008 interview with mathematician and actor Victoria Gould and mathematici...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/a-disappearing-number/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/have-physicists-discovered-a-fifth-force-of-nature/">Have physicists discovered a fifth force of nature?</a><small> from 2023-11-07T14:50:25</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>In the summer we came across <a href=){kind=link}
Victoria Gould: Combining mathematics and acting from 2023-11-07T05:00
Victoria Gould has always known she would be an actor, and went straight from studying arts at school to running her own theatre company. But she eventually had to come clean about her guilty se...
Listen
How many dimensions are there? from 2023-10-24T05:00
How many dimensions are there? We might not be aware, but we are actually used to living in a curved, multidimensional Universe. In this episode theoretical physicist Living Proof podcast. In the episode Dan Aspel speaks to Listen
![Living Proof](https://www.qmul.a...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/how-many-dimensions-are-there/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/telescope-topology/">Telescope topology</a><small> from 2023-10-17T05:00</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>n this podcast we bring you breaking news from the world of topology! Four mathematicians, all in earlier stages of their career, have resolved the long-standing telescope conjecture which explo...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/telescope-topology/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/from-clicks-to-chords/">From clicks to chords</a><small> from 2023-10-03T05:01</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>How is mathematics related to frequency related to pitch? We found out from our favourite music correspondent, Oli Freke! In this podcast you can hear how the music we love emerges from pure mat...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/from-clicks-to-chords/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/how-does-human-noise-impact-whales/">How does human noise impact whales?</a><small> from 2023-09-26T05:00</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>We humans have many rules and regulations surrounding noise — because we recognise that noise disruption is annoying, stressful, and ultimately robs us of our health.</p>
<p>Spare a thought for ...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/how-does-human-noise-impact-whales/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/living-proof-the-irrational-diary-of-clara-valentine/">Living Proof: The irrational diary of Clara Valentine</a><small> from 2023-09-19T05:00</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>This week we co-host a fascinating episode of the Isaac Newton Institute){kind=link}
Mathematical summer fun from 2023-09-12T05:00
Did you do anything fun on your summer holidays? The mathematicians in this podcast spent some of their summer helping to create the perfect smoothie, getting the most sugar out of sugar cane, a...
Listen
Gravitational waves reveal cosmic hum from 2023-07-25T05:00
There's been some huge news in the world of cosmology: for the first time scientists have detected a low frequency hum of gravitational waves. The new results were published by the Listen
![](http...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/gravitational-waves-reveal-cosmic-hum/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/sarah-hart-once-upon-a-prime/">Sarah Hart: Once upon a prime</a><small> from 2023-07-18T05:00</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>People don){kind=link}
A very old problem turns 30! from 2023-06-23T05:00
"I think I'll stop here." This is how, on 23rd June 1993, Andrew Wiles ended his series of lectures at the Listen
![](http://www.newton...</p>
<a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/a-very-old-problem-turns-30/" class="btn btn-primary">Listen</a>
<!--<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Last updated 3 mins ago</small></p>-->
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card mb-3">
<div class="row no-gutters">
<div class="col-md-2">
<img class="card-img" src="https://static.yiuu.de/artwork/V/F/N/W/X/c/VFNWXc_350.jpg" alt="Maths on the Move">
</div>
<div class="col-md-10">
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title"><a href="/podcast/plus-podcast-maths-on-the-move/chocolate-and-mayonnaise/">Chocolate and mayonnaise</a><small> from 2023-05-23T05:00</small></h5>
<p class="card-text"><p>Chocolate and mayonnaise are two of our all time favourite foods, so we were very happy to get the chance to talk to <a href=){kind=link}
New ways of seeing with the INTEGRAL project from 2022-01-27T10:24:55
We ask the INTEGRAL team about their innovative machine learning approaches to understanding remotely gathered images, and the significant impact these technologies can have on the world.
Listen
On the mathematical frontline: Ellen Brooks Pollock and Leon Danon from 2021-07-29T10:25:11
Hear from the epidemiologists that have been fighting the pandemic in our special podcast series.
Listen
On the mathematical frontline: Mike Tildesley from 2021-07-22T15:18:28
What do you actually do when you are modelling the COVID-19 pandemic? Find out with epidemiologist Mike Tildesley in our new podcast series.
Listen
How to predict our changing climate from 2021-05-04T12:08:17
In this podcast we ask two experts to explain the models that predict how the Earth's climate will behave in the future.
Listen
All about Plus on the Living Proof podcast from 2021-03-19T16:48:04
We are very proud to have been invited to Living Proof, the podcast of the iconic Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge!
Listen
Reducing NHS waiting lists in times of COVID from 2021-03-08T12:05:37
Mathematicians meet clinicians to challenge the NHS backlog on cardiovascular disease — find out more in this podcast!
Listen
The maths and magic of shuffling from 2021-03-02T10:35:17
In this podcast mathematician Cheryl Praeger and magician Will Houstoun reveal the maths and magic behind shuffling cards.
Listen
On the mathematical frontline: Julia Gog from 2021-02-22T10:31:58
What's it like advising government on the maths behind COVID-19? Find out with epidemiologist Julia Gog in this new podcast series.
Listen
Plus podcast 22, February 2010: Evaluating a medical treatment from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
New treatments and drugs are tested extensively before they come on the market using randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We talk to David Spiegelhalter (Winton Professor of the Public Understandin...
Listen
Plus podcast 21, December 2009: Protecting the nation from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Vaccination is an emotive business. The furore around the MMR vaccine and autism has shown that vaccination health scares can cause considerable damage: stop vaccinating, and epidemics are sure to ...
Listen
Cosmic imagery - visual version from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
From the complexity of the snowflake, to the London tube map and the spiralling Andromeda galaxy, imagery has always been a vitally important ingredient of science. This week, Plus talks to John ...
Listen
Podcast 6, January 2008: Interdisciplinary Maths, from life on Mars to cancer development from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
We talk to four researchers from UCL's centre for mathematics and physics in the life sciences and experimental biology (COMPLEX) about the role of maths in such fields as astrobiology, cancer mode...
Listen
John Milnor: A conversation with a mathematical legend from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Why doing maths is like being Lewis Carroll's Red Queen and how to keep going beyond the formidable age of 84.
Listen
Maths busking from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The 6th European Congress of Mathematics, which took place in Krakow at the beginning of July, wasn't just about mathematicians talking to each other. On the streets of Krakow maths buskers were ...
Listen
Bang, crunch, freeze and the multiverse from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
What's a multiverse? What's the future for intelligent life? And what happened 380,000 after the Big Bang. Find out in these interviews with the physicists David Spergel and Raphael Bousso, who we...
Listen
AI, babies, and agency from 2020-08-07T14:03:49
In this podcast we find out why true artificial intelligence will only become possible once machines have something that babies are born with: agency.
Listen
Emergence and the dynamics of crowds: The podcast from 2020-08-04T16:53:24
In this podcast we talk about magical concept of emergence and how we can model the behaviour of crowds of people.
Listen
Machine learning and artificial intelligence from 2020-08-03T13:36:08
In this podcast find out the basics of machine learning, and why time travel and immortality might be easier to achieve than human level artificial intelligence.
Listen
What is constructor theory: The podcast from 2020-07-29T09:57:25
We talk to Chiara Marletto about a new way of looking at the physical world that may solve some of the problems physicists are currently struggling with.
Listen
Synchronised swimming: The podcast from 2020-07-23T13:30:37
How do green algae manage a perfect breaststroke even though they haven't got a brain? Enter the maths of synchronisation.
Listen
The power of ants: The podcast from 2020-06-30T11:35:15
In this podcast we explore how ants have helped humans to solve some very difficult problems.
Listen
How do you calculate herd immunity? from 2020-05-22T17:37:01
Listen to Plus editor Rachel Thomas explain herd immunity on the Guardian Weekly Science podcast.
Listen
Meet your digital twin from 2020-05-07T10:14:11
Will we one day have digital versions of our entire body to help us make medical and life style decisions and see what medical treatments are right for us? Find out in this podcast.
Listen
A tour through maths and music from 2020-04-30T14:49:13
Explore the connections between mathematics and music at the La La Lab exhibition.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #24: Stephen Hawking's 70th birthday from 2018-12-24T12:11:35
At Stephen Hawking's 70th birthday symposium we talked to Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, some of Hawking's former students, and his graduate assistant.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #22: Bang, crunch, freeze and the multiverse from 2018-12-22T11:56:46
What's a multiverse? What's the future for intelligent life? And what happened 380,000 after the Big Bang. At Stephen Hawking's 70th birthday conference we talked to physicists David Spergel and R...
Listen
Ramanujan, dream of the possible from 2018-12-22T11:29:14
On the 100th anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan being elected fellow of the Royal Society Ken Ono tells us about his work.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #21: Are the constants of nature really constant? from 2018-12-21T11:01:58
Are the unchanging numbers that define our universe really unchanging?
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #20: It's all maths! from 2018-12-20T10:47:47
Could it be that the Universe is a mathematical structure? Find out more with Max Tegmark.
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #19: Flying home with quantum physics from 2018-12-19T16:51:56
Find out why scientists trying to build quantum computers might do worse than talk to birds.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #18: The Gauss Prize 2018 from 2018-12-18T15:58:12
If you have ever been in an MRI scanner you'll appreciate David Donoho's work, which has revolutionised this imaging technique.
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #17: Protecting the nation from 2018-12-17T11:57:38
The furore around the MMR vaccine and autism has shown that vaccination can be an emotive issue. We talk to an expert about the math used to make sure it's safe.
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #14: The Fields medals 2018 from 2018-12-14T15:52:41
We revisit this year's Fields medals, which were awarded in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #16: The puzzle of time from 2018-12-14T11:51:57
Time is a problem, not just for you and me, but also for philosophers. What exactly is time? Why does it have a direction? And was there a beginning of time? Find out more in this podcast.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #15: Sexual statistics from 2018-12-14T11:44:46
How many times do we think of it a day? How many times we do it? And with how many people? Find out about the stats of sex with David Spiegelhalter.
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #13: Does infinity exist? from 2018-12-13T16:19:55
We explore infinity, from shock waves to black holes, and from Aristotle's ideas to Cantor's never-ending tower of infinities.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #12: How the velodrome found its form from 2018-12-12T16:59:02
Find out how maths gave the Olympic cycling venue in London its elegant form.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #11: The story of the Gömböc from 2018-12-11T18:14:30
It looks like an egg, it wriggles, and it shouldn't really exist: introducing the Gömböc.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #10: Small worlds on the brain from 2018-12-10T17:50:59
What do the human brain, the Internet and climate change have in common? They're all hugely complex and can only be understood with maths.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #9: Does quantum physics really describe reality? from 2018-12-09T17:46:46
Does it? We talk to some big names in the field to find out.
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #8: What happened before the big bang? from 2018-12-08T17:41:47
The Universe is an infinitely self-perpetuating foam of bubbles.
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #7: Was maths to blame for the financial crisis? from 2018-12-07T10:22:48
Can we blame maths for our money troubles? Find out behind door number 7!
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #6: Maths takes flight from 2018-12-06T10:16:08
Open door number 6 and step inside a mathematical space!
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #5: Catching waves from 2018-12-05T14:22:42
The Fourier transform is a piece of maths that is, almost single-handedly, responsible for the digital revolution. We asked Chris Budd what the Fourier
transform does, and how it does it. This ...
Plus Advent Calendar Door #4: What is a black hole - physically? from 2018-12-04T14:05:40
We asked cosmologist Pau Figueras everything we’ve ever wanted to know about black holes. In this podcast he explains what black holes are, physically, and how we hope to observe them.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #3: How to evaluate a medical treatment from 2018-12-03T16:54:59
It's the time of the year for cough sweets, flu medication and paracetamol. But how do we know these and other medicines really work?
Listen
Plus Advent Calendar Door #1: Stadium maths from 2018-11-30T13:25:43
Find out about what's involved in building a football stadium and why it requires listening to Belgian techno.
Listen
Plus advent calendar door #2: Packing spheres from 2018-11-13T16:48:11
We talk to Maryna Viazovska, who in 2016 made a breakthrough in the theory of sphere packings.
Listen
Ivan Smith: The podcast from 2018-08-08T19:42:02
In this podcast we talk to Ivan Smith, invited lecturer at the ICM, about his work and what he likes about the ICM.
Listen
The ICM 2022: The podcast from 2018-08-08T19:18:40
We talk to two of the organisers of the ICM 2022, which will take place in St Petersburg.
Listen
Nalini Joshi: The podcast from 2018-08-08T19:09:01
In this podcast we talk to Nalini Joshi, incoming President of the International Mathematical Union, about the IMU and her work.
Listen
Clément Mouhout: the podcast from 2018-08-07T21:09:41
Clément Mouhot tells us about his work trying to understand some of the most beautiful structures in mathematics and physics.
Listen
Cheryl Praeger: The podcast from 2018-08-07T20:55:41
We speak to Cheryl Praeger about her mathematics and encouraging the next generation of mathematicians.
Listen
Jack Thorne: The podcast from 2018-08-07T20:25:55
In this podcast Jack Thorne tells us how his work is a little like "faceting a gemstone."
Listen
Akshay Venkatesh: The podcast, part II from 2018-08-07T20:20:22
In this podcast we try to capture a flavour of Fields medallist Akshay Venkatesh's work.
Listen
Akshay Venkatesh: The podcast, part I from 2018-08-07T20:12:33
In this podcast we ask Akshay Venkatesh what it feels like to win a Fields medal.
Listen
June Barrow-Green: The podcast from 2018-08-07T20:06:41
In this podcast we talk to June Barrow Green about the history of women in mathematics.
Listen
Maria Esteban: The podcast from 2018-08-06T19:33:51
In this podcast we talk to Maria Esteban, mathematician and President of the International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
Listen
The Gauss Prize 2018: The podcast from 2018-08-05T19:26:08
In this podcast David Donoho talks to us about his work revolutionising MRI scanners.
Listen
The Nevanlinna Prize 2018: The podcast from 2018-08-03T19:49:45
In this video we talk to Nevanlinna Prize winner Constantinos Daskalakis about his work.
Listen
The Fields Medals 2018: The podcast from 2018-08-02T23:49:25
In this podcast we report on the prestigious Fields medals, which were awarded yesterday at the International Congress of Mathematicians, taking place in Rio de Janeiro.
Listen
Alessio Figalli: The podcast from 2018-08-02T23:02:47
In this podcast Fields medallist Figalli tells us about his work and what receiving such a high honour feels like.
Listen
Women of Mathematics: Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb from 2017-04-25T17:51:14
We talk to Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb, one of the women featured in the Women of Mathematics photo exhibition.
Listen
Women of Mathematics: Holly Krieger from 2017-04-25T17:46:37
We talk to Holly Krieger, one of the women featured in the Women of Mathematics photo exhibition.
Listen
Women of Mathematics: Julia Gog from 2017-04-25T17:39:47
We talk to Julia Gog, one of the women featured in the Women of Mathematics photo exhibition.
Listen
Women of Mathematics: Anne-Christine Davis from 2017-04-25T17:34:09
We talk to Anne-Christine Davis, one of the women featured in the Women of Mathematics photo exhibition.
Listen
Women of Mathematics: Nilanjana Datta from 2017-04-25T17:29:37
We talk to Nilanjana Datta, one of the women featured in the Women of Mathematics photo exhibition.
Listen
Women of Mathematics: Natalia Berloff from 2017-04-25T17:13:31
We talk to Natalia Berloff, one of the women featured in the Women of Mathematics photo exhibition.
Listen
Calculating the multiverse from 2016-08-24T10:57:39
If there's a multiverse, then how many of its component universes are like our own?
Listen
Laws versus outcomes: The podcast from 2016-02-16T12:23:23
John D. Barrow talks to us about the laws of nature, how the complexity of the world conceals elegant mathematical symmetries, and how chaos can arise from order.
Listen
Big data and shorter queues from 2015-12-18T16:19:30
Chris Budd tells us how big data can be used to model riots, analyse photos and shorten airport queues.
Listen
What are sigma levels? from 2015-12-16T14:02:41
What do physicists at CERN mean when they talk about "sigma levels"?
Listen
What is a black hole – mathematically? from 2015-11-13T14:13:44
Pau Figueras explains how Einstein's theories predicted the existence of black holes, and how to describe them mathematically.
Listen
What is a black hole – physically? from 2015-11-13T14:00:08
We asked cosmologist Pau Figueras everything we’ve ever wanted to know about black holes. In this podcast he explains what black holes are, physically, and how we hope to observe them.
Listen
Sexual statistics: The podcast from 2015-04-02T13:24:26
David Spiegelhalter's new book Sex by numbers takes a statistical peak into the nation's bedrooms. In this interview he tells us some of his favourite stories from the book.
Listen
Cosmology, philosophy and the multiverse from 2014-10-13T10:58:07
Is cosmology a science or a branch of philosophy? Mathematician and astronomer Bernard Carr gives some answers.
Listen
Maths takes flight! from 2014-10-07T16:14:15
We talk to Shajay Bhooshan about his design for the new maths gallery at the Science Museum London.
Listen
Why does cosmology need philosophy? from 2014-09-14T09:59
In this podcast George Ellis explains why the study of the cosmos poses some deep philosophical questions.
Listen
Meet the next generation from 2014-08-29T10:06:55
If you're going to excel in maths it helps to start early — and that's what Peter Scholze certainly did.
Listen
The importance of a mathematical community from 2014-08-28T16:35:01
Ingrid Daubechies, President of the International Mathematical Union, about the importance of community in mathematics.
Listen
Maths for the future from 2014-08-20T06:49:59
Martin Grötschel, Secretary of the International Mathematical Union, about maths at school, integrating developing nations, and his dream of putting all maths that's ever been produced online.
Listen
The Fields Medals 2014: Interview with Manjul Bhargava from 2014-08-20T03:27:12
Manjul Bhargava tells us why playing with maths in important in finding your own way of thinking.
Listen
The Fields Medals 2014: Interview with Artur Avila from 2014-08-16T08:23:10
Artur Avila tells us about taming chaos.
Listen
The Fields Medals 2014: Interview with Martin Hairer from 2014-08-13T13:06:51
How burning paper can win you a prestigious maths prize.
Listen
Einstein's evolving Universe from 2014-05-30T16:36:21
Cormac O' Raifeartaigh recently made a surprising discovery – an unpublished paper by Albert Einstein that sheds light on how Einstein's thinking about the Universe changed as he tackled some of th...
Listen
When worlds collide from 2014-04-10T12:17:06
Fields medallist Cédric Villani talks to us about our solar system, chaos, and what it's like being a mathematical superstar.
Listen
It's all maths! from 2014-02-10T09:22:21
In this podcast we talk to Max Tegmark about his hypothesis that the Universe we live in is a mathematical structure.
Listen
Mathematical theatre with X&Y from 2013-10-09T17:09:06
Mathematics and theatre are both imagined things that need to be consistent. So what better way to explore mathematical ideas than through theatre? We talk to Marcus du Sautoy, Victoria Gould and ...
Listen
Putting Turing on stage: The podcast from 2013-06-13T10:03:34
The universal machine is a musical about Alan Turing, the mathematician and WWII code breaker who was convicted of homosexuality in the 1950s, chemically castrated as a result, and died young in ...
Listen
Do infinities exist in nature? The podcast from 2013-04-29T10:27:53
Is the Universe finite or infinite? Is there infinity inside a black hole? Is space infinitely divisible or is there a shortest length? Can infinity occur at all in the cosmos or is it a mathematic...
Listen
The mathematical Universe from 2013-02-27T09:41:22
Mathematics does incredibly well at describing the world we live in. Could that be because the Universe itself is a mathematical structure? It's a suggestion that has been put forward by the cosmol...
Listen
Rolling out the red carpet for the Travelling Salesman from 2012-12-10T15:21:03
Travelling Salesman is an unusual movie: despite almost every character being a mathematician there's not a mad person in sight. Moreover, the plot centres on one of the greatest unsolved problems...
Listen
How many dimensions are there: the podcast from 2012-10-10T11:00:07
How many dimensions are there? In the latest online poll of our Science fiction, science fact project you told us that you'd like an answer to this question. So we went to see theoretical physici...
Listen
The European Congress of Mathematics from 2012-07-17T10:54:50
At the beginning of July Plus went to the European Congress of Mathematics in Krakow! Around 1,000 mathematicians came together there for a week-long programme of talks and seminars. To give you a...
Listen
Does infinity exist: the podcast from 2012-07-02T13:52:47
In the latest poll of our Science fiction, science fact project you told us that you wanted to know if infinity exists. In this interview the cosmologist John D. Barrow gives us an overview on the ...
Listen
The puzzle of time: The podcast from 2012-05-18T13:31:41
This podcast comes to you from a conference on the nature of time. We talk to philosophers of physics Jeremy Butterfield and David Wallace, as well as the eminent Roger Penrose about the puzzle tim...
Listen
Imaginary Barcelona from 2012-05-04T02:23:37
Imaginary is an interactive mathematics exhibition that inspires the imagination with beautiful images. And what is more exciting it allows anyone to step into the world of maths and play with bea...
Listen
Probing the dark web from 2012-02-28T10:25:31
Networks loomed large at the AAAS annual meeting in Vancouver, in particular the one you're looking at right now: the Internet. Plus went along to a session on web surveillance. It sounds sinister ...
Listen
AAAS meeting in Vancouver, Day 2 - What happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic from 2012-02-18T20:49:50
In this, our second podcast from the AAA Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, we speak to Marcel Babin about using satellite images to measure the amount of organisms, such as phytoplankton, in the Arctic...
Listen
AAAS meeting in Vancouver - Day 1 from 2012-02-18T00:55:31
From flattening the Earth to dining with the jellyfish, Plus chats about our first day at the AAAS meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
Listen
Supergravity to the rescue? from 2012-01-23T09:36:21
This is one of our podcasts from Stephen Hawking's 70th birthday conference, which took place in January 2012 in Cambridge. Rachel Thomas talks to Renata Kallosh from Stanford University about a th...
Listen
Happy 70th birthday Stephen Hawking! from 2012-01-09T21:36:59
"Astronomers are used to large numbers, but few are as large as the odds I'd have given this celebration today," is how Astronomer Royal Martin Rees started his presentation at Stephen Hawking's bi...
Listen
What is time: The podcast from 2011-08-23T16:02:44
This podcast featuring Paul Davies, a theoretical physicist and cosmologist at Arizona State University and Director of BEYOND: Centre for Fundamental Concepts in Science, explores this difficult q...
Listen
How the velodrome found its form from 2011-08-05T11:07:56
The Velodrome, with its striking curved shape, was the first venue to be completed in the London Olympic Park. Plus talks to structural engineers Andrew Weir and Pete Winslow from Expedition Engi...
Listen
Making gold for 2012: The podcast from 2011-04-04T10:40:41
Last month leading researchers in sports technology met at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London to demonstrate just how far their field has come over recent years. The changes they make to at...
Listen
Facing the climate challenge from 2011-03-10T13:32:20
Some have suggested that the changes that are needed to meet the climate challenge are similar in scale to the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. And since the built environment is responsi...
Listen
Flying home with quantum physics from 2010-10-27T10:52:46
The words quantum physics are usually associated with the weirder end of physics, including strange phenomena like superposition or quantum entanglement, the "spooky action at a distance" as Einste...
Listen
Does quantum physics really describe reality? from 2010-10-19T15:49:05
Quantum physics is a funny thing. With counterintuitive ideas such as superposition and entanglement, it doesn't seem to resemble reality as we know it, yet quantum physics is an incredibly succes...
Listen
What's it like being a mathematician? from 2010-09-06T14:48:16
Why do people become mathematicians? What's it like being one and what are the perks of a job in academia? We talk to young mathematicians at the International Congress of Mathematicians, as well a...
Listen
And who chooses the winners? from 2010-08-31T17:20:25
What's the point of the Fields Medal and other maths prizes? Who decides who gets one? And when will we have the first female medallist? Rachel talks to László Lovász, current president of the Inte...
Listen
Interview with Brendan Mackay about the debunking of the bible code from 2010-08-27T07:57:02
We talk to Brendan Mackay, who spoke at the ICM, about how he debunked the bible codes.
Listen
Interview with Simon Singh at ICM 2010 from 2010-08-27T06:46:05
We talk to Simon Singh, winner of the Leelavati Prize for public outreach in maths, at the International Congress of Mathematicians 2010.
Listen
Interview with Stas Smirnov from 2010-08-26T19:17:47
We were lucky enough to interview Stas Smirnov at the ICM in Hyderabad, India. As well as being very pleased at winning the Fields Medal and being recognised by his colleagues, Stas reminded us th...
Listen
Interview with Cédric Villani from 2010-08-25T08:55:37
Here's the full and uncut version of our interview with Fields Medallist Cédric Villani. We'll publish a slightly more polished version when we get the time, with more explanations, but thought you...
Listen
How to protect your privacy from 2010-08-24T11:01:44
By cleverly cross-referencing different databases it can be possible for evil adversaries to reveal intimate information about individuals. Given that it's hard these days to keep your details off ...
Listen
Complex dining: day 2 at ICM from 2010-08-21T10:35:45
We're at the massive conference dinner, talking to Alex Bellos, author of best-selling popular maths book Alex's adventures in numberland, mathematician Colva Roney-Dougal, other delegates and our...
Listen
End of a long but exciting day at the ICM... from 2010-08-19T19:06:51
A very tired Marianne and Rachel discuss the atmosphere at the first day of the ICM when the Fields medals were awarded...
Plus at the International Conference of Women Mathematicians from 2010-08-18T17:24:01
We talk to delegates of the International Conference of Women Mathematicians, taking place in Hyderabad, India, about the challenges faced by female mathematicians around the world.
Listen
Plus Podcast 20, September 2009: How does gravity work? from 2009-09-29T11:00:32
In our fourth online poll to find out what you would most like to know about our Universe, you told us that you would like to know how gravity works. We took the question to Bangalore Sathyaprakash...
Listen
Plus Podcast 19, September 2009: The story of the Gomboc from 2009-09-03T15:00:32
A Gomboc is a strange thing. It looks like an egg with sharp edges, and when you put it down it starts wriggling and rolling around as if it were alive. Until quite recently, no-one knew whether Go...
Listen
Plus Podcast 18, July 2009: Are the constants of nature really constant? from 2009-07-24T11:00:32
As part of our celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 we brought you the article Are the constants of nature really constant?, in which John D. Barrow tells us how it all depends o...
Listen
Plus Careers Podcast 5, April 2009: Mathematics educator and author from 2009-04-21T11:00:32
If you're worried that a mathematics degree might limit your career options, then there couldn't be a better person to talk to than Steve Hewson. Find out how his varied career has taken him from t...
Listen
Plus Podcast 17, April 2009: What happened before the Big Bang? from 2009-04-08T11:00:32
In our online poll to find out what Plus readers would most like to know about the Universe, you told us that you'd like to find out what happened before the Big Bang. We took the question to the r...
Listen
Plus Podcast 16, March 2009: Lewis Carroll in numberland from 2009-03-06T15:00:32
We talk to Professor Robin Wilson, author of the book
Lewis Carroll in numberland, about the mathematical work of the famous author of the Alice books, whose real name was Charles Dodgson.
Plus Careers Podcast 4, December 2008: Actor and mathematician from 2008-12-23T15:00:32
Victoria Gould has always known she would be an actor, and went straight from studying arts at school to running her own theatre company. But she eventually had to come clean about her guilty secre...
Listen
Plus Podcast 15, February 2009: A disappearing number from 2008-12-23T15:00:32
Mathematics takes to the stage with A disappearing number, a work by Complicite, inspired by the mathematical collaboration of Hardy and
Ramanujan. Plus spoke to Victoria Gould and Marcus du Sa...
Podcast 14, December 2008: Small worlds on the brain from 2008-12-01T15:00:32
What do the human brain, the Internet and climate change have in common? They're all hugely complex, and while they're very different, the tools used to grapple with this complexity are likely to b...
Listen
Podcast 13, November 2008: Is maths to blame? from 2008-11-18T15:00:32
According to media reports there are two suspects in the
dock: the rocket scientists' (a.k.a. the financial mathematicians) who provided the information behind the market's decisions, or the g...
Plus Careers Podcast 3, September 2008: Systems engineer from 2008-09-05T17:00:32
Chuck Gill caught the space bug as a child when watching Alan Shepherd launch into space. Since then he's worked as a US Air Force navigator, a satellite operator, and in the US intelligence servic...
Listen
Podcast 12, September 2008: Universal pictures from 2008-09-05T15:00:32
Peter Markowich is a mathematician who likes to take pictures. At first his two interest seemed completely separate to him, but then he realised that behind every picture there is a mathematical st...
Listen
Podcast 10, June 2008: Maths in the Movies from 2008-06-05T17:00:32
Maths has long been a theme in the movies.
This week, Plus talks to Madeleine Shepherd, organiser of the
maths film festival at the recent Edinburgh science festival, about how
maths ha...
Podcast 11, June 2008: Catching waves from 2008-06-05T17:00:32
The Fourier transform is a piece of maths that is, almost single-handedly, responsible for the digital revolution. Digital music and images would be impossible without it and it has applications in...
Listen
Plus Careers Podcast 2, June 2008: Exhibition Curator from 2008-06-05T17:00:31
This podcast accompanies the career interview in issue 47 of
Plus. Barry Phipps is the first interdisciplinary fellow with the Kettle's Yard
gallery in Cambridge. His remit is to develop pr...
Podcast 9, May 2008: Cosmic Imagery from 2008-05-20T17:00:32
From the complexity of the snowflake, to the London tube map and the spiralling Andromeda galaxy, imagery has always been a vitally important ingredient of science. This week, Plus talks to John Ba...
Listen
Podcast 8, April 2008: Codes and codebreaking - the Enigma machine from 2008-04-18T12:00
The Enigma machine was once considered unbreakable, and the cracking of the "unbreakable code" by the allies changed the course of World War 2. This week, Plus talks to Nadia Baker from the Enigma ...
Listen
Podcast 7, March 2008: Biostatistics - From cradle to grave from 2008-04-03T09:00
Bacon sandwiches, drinking while pregnant, obesity - health risks are a favourite with the media. But behind the simple numbers quoted in the headlines lies a huge and sophisticated body of statist...
Listen
Podcast 4, November 2007: Leonard Euler and maths communication from 2007-11-01T14:30
We talk to Professor Chris Budd about the greatest mathematician of all - Leonard Euler. We also talk about maths communication, maths in the food industry and the best mathematical pickup lines.
Listen
Plus Careers Podcast, December 2007: Mathematical Modelling Consultant from 2007-11-01T14:30
We talk to Nira Chamberlain about his job as a modelling consultant involving aircraft carriers, telecommunication networks, staying slim and speaking French.
Listen
Podcast 5, December 2007: Stadium maths from 2007-11-01T14:30
We talk to Paul Shepherd about the maths of the Arsenal
football stadium and to David Youdan about applied maths in the classroom.
Podcast 1, August 2007: Breaking the ice from 2007-08-21T15:00:32
We talk to Shahn Majid about a whole new geometry of space, find out about how mathematics is combatting climate change, as well as all the latest news from the world of maths.
Listen
Podcast 2, October 2007: The geometry of viruses from 2007-08-21T15:00:32
Reidun Twarock finds symmetry in viruses and tells us about the maths used to understand them.
Listen
Podcast 3, October 2007: Women in mathematics from 2007-08-21T15:00:32
We visit the European Women in Mathematics conference and talk to two leading mathematicians, Caroline Series and Cheryl Praeger.
Listen