A Neuroscientist Explains

Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators. In this episode, Marina Hyde looks at the new additions to Downing Street (2m00s), Hadley Freeman interviews Hollywood actor Will Arnett (9m56s), Sirin Kale tries her hand at quiz show Mastermind (26m32s), and David Robson examines why we’re so stressed about stress (41m08s). If you like what you hear, subscribe to Weekend on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators. In our first episode, Marina Hyde reflects on another less than stellar week for Boris Johnson (1m38s), Edward Helmore charts the rise of Joe Rogan (9m46s), Laura Snapes goes deep with singer George Ezra (18m30s), and Alex Moshakis asks, “Are you a jerk at work?” (34m40s). If you like what you hear, subscribe to Weekend on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

Have you ever wondered what famous people actually eat? In our new podcast, Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent does just that, asking well-known guests to lift the lid on the food they turn to when they’re at home alone – and what comfort foods have seen them through their lives. In the first episode, screenwriter Russell T Davies tells Grace about his childhood in Swansea, the delights of Woolworth’s pork and egg pies, and how his husband’s death informed his latest TV series, It’s a Sin. Future guests will include Nish Kumar, Rafe Spall and Aisling Bea. Episodes willl be released every Tuesday – search for it wherever you get your podcasts

The Guardian has launched a new series called Reverberate that we think you’ll like. Each week, Chris Michael will explore incredible stories from around the world about when music shook history. In the first episode, we hear from Kashy Keegan, an unknown singer-songwriter in a sleepy English town who became the voice of Hong Kong’s nascent pro-democracy movement. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

We wanted to bring you another episode from our Innermost series. In the last episode of our first season, two callers tell Leah Green how their relationships sent them down unexpected paths, one with criminal consequences Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

The Guardian has launched a new series called Innermost that we think you will like. Each week, callers will tell Leah Green what’s going on behind closed doors. In the first episode, we hear how an uncle’s funeral and meals with an emotionally distant brother help James and Jess think about their families in new and unexpected ways. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

For our final episode of this series, Daniel Glaser (with a little misguided help from his producer Max) attempts to unpick what the brain does – and doesn’t do – when we read

When it comes to perceiving the world around us, how much of it is due to ‘bottom-up’ sensory data and how much comes from the ‘top-down’ predictions we make? Most importantly; how can the delicate dance between the two lead to hallucinations?

Daniel Glaser explores the complex relationship between mind and body when it comes to emotion

Daniel Glaser apprehensively revisits an article of his that saw some fallout due to a study he cited. But that study was not the only one involved in what is now being called a crisis for psychology and further afield

What clues can our evolutionary past give us about human behaviour in the here and now? And, bearing in mind the likes of the recent #MeToo movement, does social conformity have a dark side?

Dr Daniel Glaser is back. To kick off season two he asks whether there is a connection between reward and addiction. And can we really get addicted to Twitter?

Dr Daniel Glaser and Producer Max are back for a second season of A Neuroscientist Explains – and this time they’re going it alone!

Dr Daniel Glaser delves into the murky world of Artificial Intelligence and asks whether true intelligence can exist without an understanding of morality

Dr Daniel Glaser explores the history and science behind a well known method of brain imaging, including a trip for producer Max into an MRI scanner

Responding to some of our listener’s emails, Dr Daniel Glaser ponders whether dogs have a Theory of Mind, the neuroscience behind bilingualism, and the value of introspection

Dr Daniel Glaser explores what the wiring of the brain can tell us about how we perceive the world

Responding to some of our listener’s emails, Dr Daniel Glaser explores the role of photographs for recall, and the vividness of musical memory

What is the neuroscience behind empathy? When do children develop it? And can it be taught?

How do brains and computers differ when it comes to memory storage? And what clues can we get from the ageing brain?