FutureProof Gold: The Pentagon's Brain

Can we apply the logic of mathematics to human interactions? What about the wild altercations of the animal kingdom? Game Theory is the study of how we can use mathematical models to understand the interactions of self-interested actors; the application of it may help us in many endeavours from negotiating better wages to even deterring nuclear war. To tell us more about it we're joined by associate professor of philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University Kevin Zollman. First aired on 19/12/2015

Last December, Voyager II became the second man-made object to reach interstellar space. Travelling at a speed of 17 km per second, the Voyager spacecraft will continue on their journey into the vast emptiness of space for the next 5 billion years. Jonathan is joined by Professor Christopher Riley to discuss updating the recordings on the Voyager probes before we lose contact with them, and alter our message to the stars.

Jonathan speaks to American palaeontologist, Jack Horner about his long and illustrious career. Amongst other thing, Jack discusses the process of going out on excavations, cracking open ancient dinosaur eggs with a hammer, the prospect of someday creating our very own dinosaurs as well as his work as technical adviser on the Jurassic Park films.

In this week's Futureproof Gold we look back at Jonathan's discussion with Dr Luciano Rezzolla, professor of relativistic astrophysics and numerical relativity at the Goethe University Frankfurt. During the course of their discussion they touch upon the discovery of gravitational waves and their behaviour, as well as the incredible nature of Neutron Stars.