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Everyone loves a good magic trick. Take mind-reading, for instance. We can enjoy the stagecraft and illusion safe in the knowledge that it isn’t actually possible for someone to pry into our innermost thoughts. But what if it was? We may be on the verge of a technological breakthrough that takes mind-reading from illusion to reality. Brain scanning is one of the wonders of medical science. Its history goes back to 1924 and, over the years, the abstract signals and images coll

The designs of some of our greatest inventions are inspired by nature – from imitating birds to build flying machines, leaves to design solar panels, or brains to construct the neural networks behind AI. This concept of taking a leaf from nature's design book is called "biomimicry".  But we've only just scratched the surface of this vast encyclopedia of design inspiration. The natural world is the most advanced Research & Development lab in existence. It has spent billions of

What do you think of when you hear the words “magic mushrooms”? It’s likely that you may be picturing long-haired hippies, experimental rock bands or cross-legged gurus preaching about peace and love. Our view of psychedelic drugs like LSD and magic mushrooms is still largely shaped by events of the 1960s. In these ten years, they went from defining the art, music and politics of a generation, to being outlawed amid terrifying headlines about “bad trips” and damaged minds. It

Last month was the hottest ever recorded on Earth. It is a fact that the planet is heating up and, without drastic action, the changing climate threatens to unleash a wave of global disasters. Human activities are responsible for this and, while we are taking some gradual steps to become greener, we still generate most of our energy by burning heat-trapping carbon. But what if, in addition to reducing our carbon dependency, we could undo some of the damage we’ve already in

From eyes that see over a million different colours to ears that detect a staggering range of frequencies, the human senses are incredible. But none can hold a candle to the most powerful part of our sensory system: the brain. The human brain does the most impressive feat of data analysis imaginable – decoding electrical impulses from all over the body and combining them to create the rich, multi-modal experience we call reality. But what if a connection fails, and a sense is

Welcome to the second part of my article on microchips. Part one covered the invention of the transistor and a brief history of the microchip. Now, let’s bring things into the present with a look at how and where microchips are made today, their place in modern geopolitics and what might happen when we finally reach the limit of Moore’s Law. The most complex engineering process ever invented As microchips have got ever-smaller, the machines required to manufacture them have g

Advances in technology over the past century have been staggering. It took just 66 years to progress from launching the first airplane to landing on the moon. Life-changing new smart gadgets, revolutions in communication and miraculous medicines now come so thick and fast that we almost take them for granted. What has driven this incredible rate of innovation? It all comes down to a tiny piece of technology: the transistor.  Our ability to keep making these transistors smalle

If you’ve only heard of Adam Grant from his excellent WorkLife podcast and thought his talents end there, think again… Not only is Grant a successful organisational psychologist and TED talk extraordinaire, he’s also a New York Times bestselling author boasting a back catalogue that’s been translated into 35 languages. His books include Option B (with Sheryl Sandberg), Give and Take , Originals , and Think Again . Or to give its full title Think Again: The Power of Knowing

Netflix sent out its last red envelope in September 2023, marking an end to 25 years of mailing DVDs. Like me, you’re probably surprised to hear this side of the business still existed. Nowadays, Netflix is synonymous with modern-day entertainment as one of the world’s leading streaming platforms. You only reach such heady heights with a culture designed for success. And in the book, No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention , Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and

As technologies go, printing can feel fairly mundane and uninspiring. Sure, some impressive things are being done with 3D printing but that can feel pretty remote when you’re trying to fix yet another paper jam. What if I told you that printing might be on the verge of a huge breakthrough which would herald a revolution in medical science and save tens of thousands of lives a year? What if instead of just churning out paper and plastic, our printers could print… us? That’s th

When things go wrong, humans love to find someone to blame. It often seems to make sense, because it feels both fair and effective — people who screw up get punished and everyone learns not to make the same mistake again. But what if we’ve been getting this all wrong? Pointing the finger of blame might feel satisfying, but it can stop us from learning. And when you consider that we all make mistakes, that’s a lot of valuable learning we could be missing out on. Fortunately, t

If you think Marmite divides opinion, wait until you spend some time in the company of capitalism. Is it the greatest concept in the history of human civilisation? Or is it the root of all that is unfair in the world, helping the rich get richer at everyone else’s expense? It’s probably a topic best avoided at dinner parties. But, how well do we actually understand how economies work? In his book, Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism , Yani

Here’s a cheery question: what medical condition claims more lives than any other? The answer might surprise you. It’s not cancer, heart disease or strokes. It’s old age. That may sound a bit ridiculous – old age isn’t a disease, it’s just a fact of life. Right? But what if old age isn’t as inevitable as we think? Recent advances in medical science might help us to push back old age and even bring the idea of "eternal youth" out of the realm of fantasy and into the real world

Remember the time they changed the recipe of your favourite chocolate bar for no good reason? After sticking with its familiar squares of purple-wrapped chocolate for more than 100 years, the folks at Cadbury felt the full force of public fury back in 2012 when they rounded off the corners of Dairy Milk – with many decrying “cultural vandalism” over what was perceived to be the chocolate’s new, sweeter taste. The kicker? The recipe hadn’t changed! Watching from the sidelines,

The climate. You probably know a thing or two about where it's heading (somewhere bad), but you're not entirely sure how to improve it. After all, you're just one person. Do actions like recycling and using smart energy meters make that much difference? Is there a right and a wrong way to improve the environment? These questions and more are the focus of How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need, written by the one and only Bill Gat

Ever waited in line all night to get your hands on the latest iPhone or PlayStation? Or are you more of a casual consumer, buying technology products when needs must? Whatever category you fall into, tech brands know you well, and they’ve spent decades figuring out how to reel you in. In Crossing the Chasm, author and consultant Geoffrey Moore explores how tech companies transition from early adopters to the mainstream market. These key audiences have different wants and nee

Compared to Hollywood’s portrayal, life in the 21st century can sometimes feel a bit of a let-down. Where are the cities full of driverless cars? The hand-held lasers? The robotic killing machines who’ll stop at nothing to topple their human overlords? Ok, maybe not that last one... But what if some of these things are much closer to being realised than we thought? Enter LiDAR – short for Light Detection And Ranging. LiDAR scanners bounce laser beams off objects to calculate

Have you ever signed up for a free trial offer, only to find yourself still paying for it several months later? If it makes you feel any better, you’re not alone – welcome to the world of "nudge". “Few books can be said to have changed the world,” said the legendary psychologist Daniel Kahneman, “but Nudge did.” Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein’s book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness had a huge impact following its release in 2008. Within a

How objective are you? Most of us like to think that we always make rational and fact-based decisions, but studies show that we are often swayed by unconscious biases. Thankfully we can rely on science to give us an objective and unbiased take on the world, with its robust, impartial research and cold, hard data. Or can we? It turns out the truth is a bit more complicated… In a recent iluli video, I explored how science and technology have reinforced inequalities in our socie

Gym memberships, vegan diets, keeping a diary, reading challenges, Dry January… At this time of year, many of us will be in the early, optimistic days of putting into practice our New Year’s resolutions. Hopefully some might last the course, and this year you really will become that healthier, happier, more productive version of yourself that you committed to on January 1st. If experience is anything to go by, though, it’s likely that at least some of these good intentions wi