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BBC Radio 4


Our bodies reflect change in the world around us. Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken ask - one body part at a time - how much control do we have?


Made of Stronger Stuff

As we change our world we alter our bodies. From personal to global shifts, Kimberley Wilson and Xand van Tulleken ask - a body part at a time - how much control do we truly have?

Welcome to Made of Stronger Stuff

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. 

In episode one, Kimberley and Xand take a closer look at the peepers, the mince pies… the eyes! They discover why we don’t always see reality, experience the power of sensory illusions, and hear the amazing story of Jason Esterhuizen, whose sight has been partially restored with the help of a brain implant. 

Producer: Dan Hardoon 
Executive Producer: Kate Holland 

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

The Eyes

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand take a deep breath and explore the lungs.

They’re taught how to belly breathe by a champion free diver, get to grips with the science of why deep breaths relax us, and find out how air pollution affects not just our lungs, but almost every part of our body.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Executive Producer: Kate Holland

A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

The Lungs

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand pull their shoulders back and examine the spine.

They debunk some myths about contortionists’ spines, ask whether standing tall can really improve your confidence, and explore how we can change our relationship with pain.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Executive Producer: Kate Holland
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

The Spine

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand focus on the heart, which has been branded the seat of emotion by generations of poets and songwriters.

They find out whether it’s medically possible to die from a broken heart, hear from a woman who lived for 16 months without a human heart, and Xand opens up about how Long Covid is affecting his heart.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Researcher: Emily Finch
Executive Producer: Kate Holland
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

The Heart

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. 

In this episode, Kimberley and Xand zoom in on the appendix, long written off as a useless body part. But new research reveals that this worm-shaped part of our digestive system can actually tell us a lot about human evolution, and the relationship between brain and body.

Xand and Kimberley find out the surprising truth about what the appendix actually does, hear how it might be implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, and peep behind the curtains of a nightmare appendectomy.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Executive Producer: Kate Holland
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

The Appendix

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, to find out what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand examine the nipples – the least rude naughty bits!

They hear from a nipple tattooist, explore why nipples are both milk dispensers and erogenous zones, and question why some nipples spark more outrage than others.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Researcher: Emily Finch
Executive Producer: Kate Holland
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

The Nipples

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, asking what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand muse on the personal and social significance of the liver.

They explore the amazing science of liver regeneration, discover the unexpected roots of our cravings for alcohol and fatty foods, and hear the poignant story of the first person in the UK to give part of their liver to a stranger.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Researcher: Emily Finch
 Executive Producer: Kate Holland
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

The Liver

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, asking what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand explore a body part they each thought they knew like the back of their hand.

They hear about a neural-enabled prosthetic hand which can relay the sensation of touch, and discover the brain’s extraordinary ability to accommodate extra fingers and missing limbs.

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Researcher: Emily Finch
Executive Producer: Kate Holland
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

The Hands

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson and Dr Xand van Tulleken take a journey around the human body, asking what it can tell us about our innate capacity for change. In this episode, Kimberley and Xand are on the trail of the body’s longest cranial nerve – the vagus nerve – a critical highway which unites the body and brain, and a key part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and relaxation.

They discover why you really are what you eat, find out how vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is being used to treat conditions including epilepsy and depression, and explore the future of bioelectronic medicine. And they answer the question: how much influence do our bodies have over our minds?

Producer: Dan Hardoon
Executive Producer: Kate Holland
A Whistledown Production for BBC Radio 4

Welcome to Made of Stronger Stuff

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

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