Level Up Human

S2E12: Level Up Human is a podcast on a mission to redesign the human body.

Simon and Rach chat to biologist and science YouTuber Sally Le Page and science communicator James Piercy.

We discuss periods, expanding skulls and a rebooted ear.

In the news 

Female female aggression in fruit flies: https://bit.ly/LUHfruitflies

The new kilogram: physicsworld.com/a/new-definition-of-the-kilogram-comes-into-force...

Simon and Rach consider regeneration. Humans are pretty rubbish at it. Some lizards, newts and salamanders are INCREDIBLE at it. How do we get it, and would we really want to?

Check out…

The Shining: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/

THAT tweet: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1256239815256797184

Bee sniffing tech: https://phys.org/news/2010-03-bee-sniffing-technology-dangerous-vapors.html

FaceTime some Japanese eels: http...

S2E11: Level Up Human is a podcast on a mission to redesign the human body.

This week, Simon and Rach chat to naturalist and broadcaster Steve Backshall and visual perception scientist Kate Storrs.

We discuss enhanced vision, limb regeneration, gecko hands, super kidneys and re-breathing.

Extended show notes including edited transcripts are available here.

In the news 

Kate is tickled and baffled by a news story abou...

Episode summary

Simon and Rachel take a detailed look at flight. Why can’t we fly, how could we achieve it, and wouldn't it be exhausting?

An edited transcript is available here.

Mentioned this episode

Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, the most attractive man in the world, according to Simon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZhCCu-2gbw

Starlink: https://www.starlink.com/

Hitchh...

Simon and Rachel recap Episode 10 of Series 2, where we chatted with immunologist Professor Sheena Cruickshank and microbiologist Dr. Chloe James. Plus Simon has good news for Eurovision fans.

We dive deeper into what RNA is, how to train bacteriophages, and how we know humans are still evolving.

An edited transcript is available here.

Mentioned this episode

2001: A Space Odyssey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_S...

Rachel and Simon are locked down in London. Joining them from Liverpool and Manchester are microbiologist Dr. Chloe James and immunologist Professor Sheena Cruickshank.

A full transcript is available here.

Episode summary

We discuss if it’s possible for scientists to work from home, cytokine storms and a brand new 'magic' toilet.

Our panellists this week make pitches for command over our internal armies of bacteri...

In the last of our Barbican centre recordings from November 2019, Simon and Rachel are souping up the homo sapien once again. Our guest experts are professor of experimental psychopathology from the university of Birkbeck, Naz Derakshan, and Hephzi Tagoe, a skin specialist from Queen Mary, University of London.

Episode summary

We discuss resilience as well as the impacts of skin conditions on psychological health and well...

Simon and Rachel report from their respective bunkers during the March 2020 coronavirus pandemic. We take a long hard look at disease. Are humans a particularly diseased species? What can we learn from pandemics and is panic buying inevitable?

Mentioned this episode

NHS advice on coronavirus: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Pandemic board game: https://www.zmangames.com/en/games/pandemic/

28 Days Lat...

Simon and Rachel are souping up Homo sapiens once again, live at the Barbican Centre with guest experts: reproductive physiologist Kim Jonas, and cardio-vascular pharmacologist, Michael Preedy. This episode was created with the support of the Physiological Society and the Biochemical Society.

Episode summary

We discuss the weirdest reproductive physiology on the planet, hypersexuality and how stem cells can now be reprogr...

Simon and Rachel are live at the Barbican with marine biologist, writer and documentary maker, Helen Scales and KCL professor of developmental neurobiology, Robert Hindges.

Episode summary

First we look at human enhancements from around the world. Helen brings news of a man with an exo-skeleton allowing him to walk.

Robert tells us about developments in prosthetics which allow users to experience feedback from artifi...

Simon and Rachel are live at the Barbican with heart specialist Dr. Vanessa Lowe and comedian, podcaster and researcher, Dr. Cerys Bradley.

Episode summary

First we look at human enhancements from around the world. Vanessa has news of a heart attack vaccine from Harvard.

Cerys tells us that there is a back-up ‘fight or flight’ system in the bones. Rach has found evidence of the loudest mating call on Earth.

Next...

Simon and Rachel are live at the Bluedot festival. They are joined by geomicrobiologist, Sarah Jones, and Holly Shiels, reader in cardiac physiology at the University of Manchester.

Episode summary

The news is first up as we explore some of the latest human enhancements around the globe. Sarah has a story about some scientists working on the first synthetic microbiome – but how do we ensure it stays in the body?

Holl...

Simon and Rachel skype in with some interesting items from the science news.

Episode summary

On this episode of Level Up Human Extra, we have news that scientists have managed to build the first organic robots using stem cells from the African clawed frog.

A team from Japan have successfully cultured an elusive species of archaea and Diego the sex tortoise is retiring.

Mentioned this episode

Organic robots: htt...

Simon and Rachel are joined by writer and computer scientist Dr. Kate Devlin and digital artist Eric Drass.

Episode summary

We dive into the latest human enhancement developments before getting into pitches. Rach has news of a potential Alzheimer’s vaccine; Kate found a robotic tail at a conference and Eric warns of ‘rooms full of people’ listening as we chat to Alexa, Siri and Google.

Next: pitches from our guest expert...

Simon and Rachel are joined at the Barbican centre by renal-cardiovascular physiologist Keith Siew and evolutionary psychologist, Dr. Gillian Forrester.

Episode summary

The team have brought news stories from the world of science to share before we kick off the pitches. Gillian shares a study that suggests that babies can recognise faces in utero, Keith has news that salt makes us hungry rather than thirsty and Rach reports o...

In June, Level Up Human went to Hatch in Manchester for the Microdot festival.

Simon and Rachel are joined by bioethicist Prof. Andy Miah and physiologist and cardiovascular specialist Dr. Sarah Withers, both from the University of Salford.

If you’d like to see us live, we’re in the middle of a residency at the Barbican in London. Please join us on November 7th 2019. You can reserve free tickets at https://www.barbican.org.uk...

Level Up Human is back redesigning the human body! This series we are supported by the Physiological Society. This episode was created with the help of the Society for Endocrinology, a world leading authority on hormones.

This episode was recorded at the Barbican as part of the Life Rewired season. Host Simon Watt and judge Rachel Wheeley are joined by Dr. Miles Levy, consultant endocrinologist and honorary associate professor a...

Simon breaks exciting news about the brand new series of Level Up Human - hitting your podcast device next Wednesday October 23rd.

We've been recording episodes as part of our residency at the Barbican and you can join us at two more recordings happening on October 28th and November 7th.

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/level-up-human

This series of Level Up Human is supported by the Physiological Society. S...

Rach and Simon dive into lab grown meat. Would you eat it, what are the pros and cons and as always, is this the beginning of the end of civilisation? Our theme music was written and performed by Laurence Owen. Graphics by Theo Weedon, web design by Ian Bridgeman, support from the Wellcome Trust. The producer is Rachel Wheeley. More information about the series is at www.leveluphuman.com and you can support us at www.patreon.com/le...