Series 2 episode 2 - Brown Fat

In June 2019, 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/whats-on/2019/event/level-up-human

Episode summary

The team have brought news stories from the world of science to share before we kick off the pitches. Rach has news of the UK’s commitment to reduce the UK’s greenhouse emissions by 2050, Andy shares a discovery about the earliest recorded use of cannabis, and Sarah has a breakthrough in dementia research.

Then we hear pitches for how we should redesign the human body from each of the panellists, the studio audience and Mother Nature herself.

Sarah wants to level up fat, Andy is interested in a universal translator and we have pitches from the audience about empathy, full body transplants and more robust organs. Simon’s suggestion is borrowed from a warty comb jelly (Mnemiopsis leidyi), also known as a 'sea walnut.' I’m going to let you listen to find out what the suggestion is.

Which of these will make it onto Rach’s shortlist?

Mentioned this episode

UK commits to net zero emissions by 2050

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law

Earliest evidence of cannabis use

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/culture-history/2019/06/earliest-evidence-cannabis-smoking-discovered-ancient-tombs

Effect of late-life weight change on dementia incidence: a 10-year cohort study using claim data in Korea

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/5/e021739

Cryonics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics

The warty comb jelly: https://www.geek.com/news/scientist-discovers-jellyfish-like-creature-with-transient-anus-that-only-appears-when-it-is-needed-1777327/

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