Fighting pandemics
The 2020 pandemic has transformed our world, but it won’t be the last to do so. How should we prepare for the future? Along with one of the...
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Education
The Big Idea
What are the big ideas shaping our world now?
The Big Idea Podcast Guide
Listen to The Big Idea, a Education podcast by BBC. Stream 42 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.
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Browse this show under Education podcasts.
Episodes
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Episodes
20 of 42 episodesThe science of addiction
Some people are addicted to drugs, others to alcohol. Addicts often crave a substance, and yet when they inject or consume it, it doesn’t br...
The new normal
Love him or loathe him, we can all agree that Donald Trump is not a ‘normal’ President. Previous presidents would never behave like Presiden...
Do cities need rules?
Have you ever thought that your city is too regulated? Or that the city you live in doesn’t do enough to police people who break the rules?...
The science of sleep
We spend around a third of our lives asleep, but the reason we sleep is still something of a mystery. Could it be the biggest mistake the ev...
The importance of fairness
Ernst Fehr is well named: he’s an economist who writes about fairness. In fact, until his pioneering work, economists had been dismissive ab...
How do we spot rogue cops?
David Edmonds speaks to a leading criminologist who says we can do much better in identifying rogue cops before they act. Produced by Robbie...
Understanding emotions: Should we follow our hearts?
Watching a scary movie, you feel scared. But how do our brain and body work together to tell us about our emotions? A brilliant young scient...
Ubernomics
Every time you book a journey from an app like Uber, you’ll be providing the company with data - and making one man in Chicago very happy. H...
Why living in the city could make you happier
Why is more than half the world’s population living in cities? Why are some more successful than others? And what is their future post-pande...
Why do we find things disgusting?
There are some things - cockroaches, poo, wounds - that most of us find disgusting. But is disgust useful? Can our sense of disgust be misus...
The fragility of choice
Do you know why you believe what you believe? Why you are left or right wing, say, or why you find another person attractive? You probably t...
The truth about marriage
When most couples get married they’re optimistic that their union won’t end in divorce. The statistics show this to be hopelessly naive. But...
How to topple a dictator
Suppose a country is ruled by a dictator. Suppose many people want to topple the dictator. What’s the best way of doing it – a campaign of v...
Why do we laugh?
There are thousands of academic papers about depression. There are, in comparison, virtually none about laughter. We’ve been talking to a le...
The Afterlife
Suppose you knew that after your natural death the human race would die out – perhaps, for some reason, humans had become infertile. How wou...
Why Are Some Nations Rich?
Some countries, like Norway, are rich. Other countries, like Niger, are poor. Why? Why do some countries succeed whilst others fail? There a...
How does language work?
Humans are a unique species in many ways, but an important one is that we communicate with sophisticated language, using words and grammar....
A Future Without Doctors?
Can you imagine a future without doctors? We’re in the midst of a robotics and Artificial Intelligence revolution. Many jobs humans currentl...
The Intelligent Tree
Are trees intelligent? We think of humans as intelligent – maybe animals too. But vegetation? Well, one of the world’s leading tree research...
Questions About The Big Idea
Where can I listen to The Big Idea episodes?
You can listen to The Big Idea episodes online on Radio and Podcast. Open an episode and the site player will stream the available audio.
What is The Big Idea about?
The Big Idea is listed as a Education show. The show language is listed as English.
How many The Big Idea episodes are listed?
This page lists 42 episodes for The Big Idea. More episodes are available from the View more button when the list continues.
Quick Answers About The Big Idea
Where can I listen to The Big Idea?
You can listen to The Big Idea episodes on this page by opening an episode and using the site player.
What type of podcast is The Big Idea?
The Big Idea is listed as a Education show by BBC.
How many episodes are available?
This page lists 42 episodes for The Big Idea where feed data is available.