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Gifts and Giving

What are the hidden messages behind the act of giving or receiving a gift?

• 40 mins

Hands

Do our hands mark us out as human? Plus hand transplants and hands that make music

• 40 mins

Twins and Doubles

Do twins really see the world differently from the rest of us?

• 40 mins

The Developing Child

What goes on in the brain of a baby and how does it develop?

• 40 mins

Scarcity

How does scarcity affect our behaviour and thinking?

• 40 mins

Modern Alchemy

Transforming waste into valuable products

• 40 mins

Traps

Catching neutrinos, unsuspecting gamers and pictures of elusive mammals

• 40 mins

Vanity

Trillions of dollars are spent on vanity megaprojects: is there no limit to human vanity?

• 40 mins

Revolutionary Freedom

When dictatorships are overthrown, how should societies rebuild themselves?

• 40 mins

Reality

What is the nature of reality and are there ways of gaining a new perspective of it?

• 40 mins

The Power of Expectation

Can our expectations affect the outcome of what we do?

• 40 mins

Reflecting on Love, Laughter and Friendship

A special programme from the London School of Economics Literary Festival 2014

• 40 mins

Social mobility: are we too complacent?

New research shows that moving up or down in society can still take hundreds of years.

• 40 mins

Spontaneity

Can you train to be spontaneous? And if so, should you?

• 40 mins

Counterfeiting

Fakes, forgeries and copies – how different are they?

• 40 mins

Uncharted

How close are we to mapping all the land, the seas and the clouds in the sky?

• 40 mins

Solitude

When being alone is a blessing and when it is a blight.

• 40 mins

Reinventing Peace

A look into new ways of thinking about conflict and reduce aggression

• 40 mins

Hair, Fur and Cilia

The fine thread-like strands that grow from our bodies and organs

• 40 mins

Future Cities

Smart and eco-cities are design buzz-words – but how realistic are such plans globally?

• 40 mins

Extrapolation

The dangers and advantages of using what we know to explain what we don’t know

• 40 mins

How we Perceive Art

Why do we like some art works but not others and what role does cultural background play?

• 40 mins

Gold

What makes gold so valuable?

• 40 mins

Social Intelligence

Some people seem to get on with anyone and everyone: is it down to talent or practice?

• 40 mins

Challenging Assumptions

What does it really mean to challenge received wisdom?

• 40 mins

Forgiveness

Can you have forgiveness without remorse?

• 40 mins

Indirect Experience

What can we learn by observing others?

• 40 mins

Invisibility

Is invisibility good or bad? Is it a matter of optics, morality or magic?

• 40 mins

Risor Festival: Outcasts

When is it better to remain an outsider? And what makes outcasts unwelcome?

• 40 mins

Time to Rethink What is 'Normal'?

Where is the dividing line between what is normal and what is a mental disorder?

• 40 mins