Would You Kill One Person To Save Five?

The Rest Is Science

Goalhanger

Physics, Science, Mathematics

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2026

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Can we store summer’s heat to warm our homes in winter? Could humans perceive a fourth dimension? And why does light bend around gravity even though it has no mass? Small questions from YOU which open doors to enormous worlds. In this episode of Field Notes, Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens discuss underground heat batteries in Canada and Einstein’s thought experiments, from how the universe hides its secrets and how we uncover them. Later, Michael presents a story which leads to an exploration of human behaviour, the experiments that reveal how authority influences our actions and why ordinary people can be pushed to act against what they say their values really are. Welcome to The Rest Is Science: Field Notes. Every Thursday, Hannah and Michael share the science behind the world around us from the surprising to the unsettling and show how it shapes both the universe and ourselves. ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit ⁠⁠https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience⁠⁠ Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Imee Marriott Producer: Becki Hills Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Cancer Research UK.
0:02.7	So when most people think of naked mole rats, their unusual relationship to cancer probably
0:08.5	isn't the first thing that comes to mind.
0:10.3	But maybe it should be because it is incredibly rare for them to develop cancer, which
0:16.0	could be partly down to their unique immune system, or it might be the way that their cells respond to damage.
0:22.6	So scientists are studying their biology for its cancer-fighting secrets.
0:26.6	It's a reminder that discoveries can sometimes come from places you don't expect.
0:30.6	Cancer Research UK is the world's largest charitable funder of cancer research.
0:34.6	Thousands of scientists of doctors and nurses work across
0:38.2	more than 20 countries to help turn discoveries in the lab into new tests, new treatments,
0:45.0	and new innovations. And the impact is clear. Over the past 50 years, the charity's pioneering
0:50.8	work has helped double cancer survival in the UK, meaning more people
0:55.3	living longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.
0:59.5	For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, their breakthroughs and how you
1:03.9	can support them, visit cancerresearch.org.org slash rest is science.
1:10.0	AI is incredible. They can teach you how to fry an egg and even write a poem, pirate style.
1:16.9	But it knows nothing about your work. Slackbot is different. It doesn't just know the facts.
1:24.1	It knows your schedule. It can turn a brainstorm into a brief and it doesn't need to be
1:29.4	taught. Because Slackbot isn't just another AI. It's AI that knows your work as well as you do.
1:36.1	Visit Slack.com forward slash meet Slackbot to learn more. Getting instant insights is amazing.
1:42.7	But if there are too many data points,
1:45.0	it can be hard to see what works.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Goalhanger, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Goalhanger and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.