Life Solved marks series 13 with Halloween special

What is the real risk of radiation, are UFOs real, and when will the cost of living crisis end, are just some of the questions tackled in the new series of the University of Portsmouth podcast Life Solved, which returns this winter.

In each weekly episode, researchers talk in-depth about pioneering work and explore life-changing innovations in technology, medicine, the environment, social theory and beyond.

Life Solved series 13 launches today (Thursday 26 October), and airing just a few days from Halloween, the first podcast takes a deep dive into the world of horror.

Host John Worsey explores the history of the nail-biting genre with Dr Rebecca Janicker from the University's School of Film, Media and Communications, at one of the most haunted places in Portsmouth, The New Theatre Royal.

Research at the University of Portsmouth was rated as world-leading in the latest national assessment of the quality and impact of research in UK universities. It is also home to several high-profile innovation centres, faculties and facilities, including the Space Mission Incubator, Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality and the Portsmouth School of Law. 

The remaining seven episodes will run weekly every Thursday, and cover a whole range of topics, from Fukushima fake news, UFOs, Incels and TikTok, protest powers, seasides, how our senses affect addiction, and the cost of living crisis.

You can listen to Life Solved on all major podcast players, via Apple, Spotify, Castbox, Google Podcasts or other apps. Just search for ‘Life Solved’ and press the subscribe button. 

Life Solved is also available to stream via the University of Portsmouth website. 

Individual episodes will be available on the below release dates:

• The History of the Horror Genre (airing 26th October)

Featuring Dr Rebecca Janicker, Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Studies

• Realities of radiation and addressing Fukushima fake news (airing 2nd November)

Featuring Jim Smith, Professor of Environmental Science

• Saving seasides: Why countries need coastal communities  (airing 9th November)

Featuring Dr Tom Sykes, Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Global Journalism
Dr Louis Netter, Senior Lecturer in Illustration

• UFOs or UF-nos? (airing 16th November)

Featuring Dr Chris Pattison, Research Software Engineer in the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation

• Incels and TikTok (airing 23rd November)

Featuring Anda Solea, PhD researcher and Teaching Fellow

Dr Lisa Sugiura, Associate Professor in Cybercrime and Gender

• What powers do protesters have? (airing 30th November)

Featuring Leila Choukroune, Professor of International Law

• Smells like addiction (airing 11th January)

Featuring Dr Lorenzo Stafford, Associate Professor in Psychobiological Psychology

• When will the cost of living crisis end? (airing 25th January)

Featuring Dr Robert Gausden, Senior Lecturer in EconomicsDr Joe Cox, Associate Professor of Digital Economy