Brainless
Matthew Syed looks for signs of intelligence in unexpected places as he is introduced to the phenomenon of Le Blob and examines what a mind really is.
Matthew Syed follows the extraordinary journey of a French scientist who found signs of learning, problem-solving and remembering - in a blob of slime. Not the Ghostbusters kind, but in a slime mould. It's a single celled, brainless organism that has become a bit of a star in France for its unexpected capabilities.
In this episode, Matthew considers the intelligence that lies in unexpected places, beyond the confines of a brain.
With contributions from Audrey Dussutour (Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, CNRS), Dr. Pamela Lyon (Independent Researcher and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide), and Dr. Michael Levin (Vannevar Bush Distinguished Professor of Biology and Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University and faculty member at the Wyss Institute at Harvard.)
Presenter: Matthew Syed
Producer: Vishva Samani
Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Production Manager: Joe Savage
Sound Design and Engineering: Nicholas Alexander and Daniel Kempson
Theme tune by Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for BBC Radio 4
On radio
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Broadcasts
- Yesterday 09:00BBC Radio 4
- Today 05:04BBC Radio 4
- Tomorrow 16:30BBC Radio 4
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Podcast
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Sideways
Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently.
