RadioTime: what's on radio.

Ideas (Science-Technology)

Last updated 268 days ago Update show info

The Art Instinct

Mon, Nov 2 Listen
Human tastes in the arts are evolutionary traits shaped by natural selection. So says Denis Dutton who argues that our love of beauty is inborn and shaped by evolution. Beauty, pleasure and skills are essential human values.

Personalized Genomics

Mon, Oct 26 Listen
Personalized genetic screening tests are now commercially available. Are they a tool for a disease-free future or a white elephant? Medical geneticists Cynthia Kenyon, Muin Khoury, and Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus discuss the science and the issues, in a forum moderated by former NBC correspondent Charles Sabine. Recorded at the Chan Centre at the University of British Columbia in March 2009.

Science at the Summit

Mon, Oct 12 Listen
Two leading Canadian medical researchers – Benjamin Neel, and John Wallace – discuss what it takes to rise through the ranks and ultimately arrive at the lofty pinnacle where true scientific advancements are made. Both received the $5 million 2009 Premier's Summit Awards. John Dirks, President of the Gairdner Foundation, moderates the discussion, recorded at the MaRS innovation centre in Toronto.

Walking at the Edge of Reason and Awe

Mon, Oct 5 Listen
Reason has been a blessing for humanity, but often at the cost of dulling our ability to appreciate the ineffable – that dimension of human experience that evokes wonder and awe. Frank Faulk seeks a balance between reason and the ineffable.

Minding Memory

Mon, Sep 28 Listen
What's in a memory? An original in the field of memory research, Endel Tulving shares his insights. Mental time-travel through what he terms "episodic memory" may have been one of "the drivers of the evolution of culture". A free-wheeling conversation with Marilyn Powell about memory and the mind.

The Biology of Mind

Mon, Sep 21 Listen
According to molecular biologist and Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel, mental functions are the result of different brain processes. The task of neuroscience is to discover "which particular processes combine to provide the richness of human mental experience.” Eric Kandel talks to Marilyn Powell about what he calls the "biology of mind".

Public Apology: Good PR or Powerful Healing?

Mon, Sep 14 Listen
Public apologies are becoming more common. Many jurisdictions have passed legislation protecting governments, corporations and individuals, who offer sincere apologies, from legal liability. A Calgary community seminar examines public apologies, the strategies behind them and their consequences. Co-sponsored by IDEAS and the Calgary Institute of the Humanities at the University of Calgary.

The Cure Within

Mon, Sep 7 Listen
Alternative medicine and therapies are a huge business. They appeal to people who believe their emotions and their health are intertwined. Such beliefs have a long history. Harvard professor Anne Harrington walks us through the terrain of mind- body medicine.

The Dalton Camp Lecture 2009

Mon, Aug 31 Listen
Kenneth Whyte, Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s weekly newsmagazine, MacLean’s, delivers the Dalton Camp Lecture in Journalism before a student and community audience at St. Thomas University in Fredericton.

The Great Library 2.0

Mon, Aug 24 Listen
There’s been nothing like it since ancient times. As producer Sean Prpick explains, Google’s computers will soon hold the largest collection of books in history. What will this mean for our culture and the way we get our information?

Entitled Opinions

Mon, Aug 17 Listen
Robert Harrison is an eminent American scholar and a Dante specialist by trade. He wants the humanities to ask big and searching questions. He even runs an intellectual talk show from his perch at Stanford University.

You Are "Pre-Diseased" - Part Two

Mon, Aug 10 Listen
Why wait until you are diagnosed with cancer, if you can hunt it down before it could kill you? Why not get a simple high tech CT scan to see if you are harbouring signs of pre-disease in your heart, your lungs, your breasts or your bowels? Those are the questions that dog Health Researcher Alan Cassels as he voyages inside the world of cancer screening, taking him from his own doctor's office to the world's biggest medical meeting.

You Are "Pre-Diseased" - Part One

Mon, Aug 3 Listen
Why wait until you are diagnosed with cancer, if you can hunt it down before it could kill you? Why not get a simple high tech CT scan to see if you are harbouring signs of pre-disease in your heart, your lungs, your breasts or your bowels? Those are the questions that dog Health Researcher Alan Cassels as he voyages inside the world of cancer screening, taking him from his own doctor's office to the world's biggest medical meeting.

The Deniers

Mon, Jul 27 Listen
“The science is settled” is now the mantra of climate change activism. Those who disagree are either in denial or in the pay of an oil company. But long time environmentalist and energy activist Lawrence Solomon says no, the science is not settled. He talks with Ideas producer David Cayley.

Wachtel on the Arts - William Kentridge

Mon, Jul 20 Listen
William Kentridge is South Africa’s most renowned living artist, famous for his charcoal drawings and animated films that address the social and political realities of South Africa, both during and after apartheid. Eleanor Wachtel, arts journalist and host of Writers & Company, talks to William Kentridge about growing up as the child of anti-apartheid lawyers, his struggle to find his way as an artist, and how South Africa has changed since the end of apartheid.

Aboriginals and New Canadians: The Missing Conversation

Mon, Jul 13 Listen
The words, "We are a Metis nation" open John Ralston Saul's recent book, A Fair Country. In the 2009 UBC-Laurier Institution Multiculturalism Lecture, he argues that aboriginal values have fundamentally shaped the character of Canadian society.

The 2009 LaFontaine Baldwin Lecture

Mon, Jul 6 Listen
What kind of leadership will Canada need to help us deal with such issues as the economy and the environment? Sheila Watt-Cloutier discusses how we can look to the Arctic for solutions and to Inuit culture for its wisdom and sustainability. The annual LaFontaine Baldwin Lecture is organized and supported by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Dominion Institute.

From Here To Maternity - Part Two

Mon, Jun 29 Listen
For decades men have donated sperm for baby-making. But in recent years egg donation has become a growing business and concern. Moms-in-waiting can purchase tourism packages to the Czech Republic or pay a university student in Boston for her eggs. Science journalist and IDEAS contributor Alison Motluk deconstructs the new motherhood.

From Here To Maternity - Part One

Mon, Jun 22 Listen
For decades men have donated sperm for baby-making. But in recent years egg donation has become a growing business and concern. Moms-in-waiting can purchase tourism packages to the Czech Republic or pay a university student in Boston for her eggs. Science journalist and IDEAS contributor Alison Motluk deconstructs the new motherhood.

The Munk Debates - Foreign Aid

Mon, Jun 15 Listen
"Be it resolved foreign aid does more harm than good.". The debaters are Dambisa Moyo, Hernando de Soto, Paul Collier, and Stephen Lewis.

Extraordinary Montrealers

Mon, Jun 8 Listen
For the gala closing event of the 2009 Blue Metropolis Literary Festival, IDEAS host Paul Kennedy convenes a panel discussion about four famous Montrealers featuring four eminent Canadians who have recently written their biographies: Margaret Macmillan on Stephen Leacock, Adrienne Clarkson on Norman Bethune, M. G. Vassanji on Mordecai Richler, and Nino Ricci on Pierre Trudeau.

Wachtel on the Arts: Shirin Neshat

Mon, Jun 1 Listen
Shirin Neshat is the most famous Iranian artist in the world, even though she’s spent a large part of her adult life in exile. Her work is both intensely personal and intensely political, dealing with Iranian identity, Islamic society, and the role of women in both. Eleanor Wachtel, host of Writers & Company, talks to Shirin Neshat about growing up in pre-revolutionary Iran, her work as an artist, and why it’s a deep expression of her own conflicted relationship with her homeland.

Talking Philosophy: Democracy, Part Two

Mon, May 25 Listen
Almost everyone thinks democracy is a good thing (though we all have different views of what it is, or what it ought to be). Philosophers Michael Blake, Simone Chambers, Arthur Ripstein and IDEAS host Paul Kennedy wrestle with ideas about democracy, as democratically as possible, of course.

Talking Philosophy: Democracy, Part One

Mon, May 18 Listen
Almost everyone thinks democracy is a good thing (though we all have different views of what it is, or what it ought to be). Philosophers Michael Blake, Simone Chambers, Arthur Ripstein and IDEAS host Paul Kennedy wrestle with ideas about democracy, as democratically as possible, of course.

A Novel Approach

Mon, May 11 Listen
Neuroscience and psychology explore why we think what we do. But how does what we read affect our minds? Hassan Santur delves into the works of Jane Austen and James Joyce to understand how novels work on our consciousness.

A Choice of Enemies

Mon, May 4 Listen
The Middle East is like a great series of pots, which all the players are stirring. A new American president adds another cook and hope for a new recipe. So suggests Sir Lawrence Freedman, winner of the prestigious Gelber Prize for non-fiction.

Muslims in Contemporary Society

Mon, Apr 27 Listen
Oxford scholar Tariq Ramadan is a leading advocate for a revitalized Islam. His most recent book, Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation, explores how Western Muslims can remain faithful to universal Islamic principles and still participate in the cultural and political realities of western societies. Recorded at Simon Fraser University.

The Enright Files - Charles Darwin Celebration

Mon, Apr 20 Listen
Our monthly Monday night feature with Michael Enright, host of The Sunday Edition. Tonight Michael marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin in conversation with scientists, biographers and a very special poet. And what's a party with out song, excerpts from Charles Darwin Live and In Concert.

Sanctuary

Mon, Apr 13 Listen
What are the elements of a haven? Can it be safe in these times of insecurity? Cindy Bisaillon ruminates on the idea of sanctuary in her off-the-grid cabin in the woods, interweaving her thoughts with tales from a naturalist, a refugee and a monk. She discovers clues to our future survival.

Entitled Opinions

Mon, Apr 6 Listen
Robert Harrison is an eminent American scholar and a Dante specialist by trade. He wants the humanities to ask big and searching questions. He even runs an intellectual talk show from his perch at Stanford University.

© 2009 RadioTime. All Rights Reserved. Trademarks displayed do not imply endorsement by their holders.