The Mind Numbing Medicine

We may think of tessellation as being about how to tile a flat plane but this week we reveal how repeating patterns actually occur all over the place, and can even help us solve some of nature's most complex problems.The presenters start with the simple principal that for shapes ...  Show more

We often associate yawning with being tired or bored - but this week's episode explores whether it could be a clever way to cool down our brains?Hannah and Dara discover humans aren't the only species that yawn. From cats to chimpanzees and even fish, plenty of other vertebrates ...  Show more

This episode will render you oblivious, conked out and blissfully unaware. It’s about anaesthetics: those potent potions that send you into a deep, deathly sleep. Listener Alicia wants to know how they work, so our sleuths call on the expertise of consultant anaesthetist Dr Fiona ...  Show more

What does it mean to be in a coma? How can we tell if someone on life support is actually conscious? And how can scientists use synchronised heart rhythms to predict which comatose patients are likely to wake up? In this focus episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva Higg ...  Show more

The use of general anesthesia is less than 200 years old. Before doctors were able to cause unconsciousness in patients, surgery was brutal for all involved. But despite this advancement in medicine, science still has no idea how it works.