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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
James Randerson

Science Weekly: Magic and the brain

Welcome to Science Weekly, the show that combines chin-stroking discussions about the nature of free will with a rap about particle physics.

James Randerson and the team are joined by philosopher and neuroethicist Prof Julian Savulescu as we ask, should athletes be allowed to use drugs or genetic manipulation to boost their performance at the Olympics? And what about similar manipulations in the classroom or exam hall?

We also ask magician and arch-sceptic James Randi - aka the Amazing Randi - about what conjurors can teach scientists about how the brain works. And as promised, here's the video in which Jonny Carson puts one over on Uri Geller.

Ian Sample and BA Media Fellow Marcus Pearce are also on hand to chat about finding water on Mars, a drug that mimics exercise, and the Large Hadron Collider rap.

You can listen to this week's show here. Post your comments on the blog below or on our Facebook Wall. And feel free to peruse all our past coverage of breaking news from Mars and in particle physics.

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