In this edition: Differences between men’s and women’s hearts, how psychedelics can change our worldview, and introducing children to nanotechnology.

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News: Omicron latest and Three Wise Women – We learn about the latest research into Omicron and how it might evade immunity , the value of booster vaccines , and hear about three Imperial medical experts working on different aspects of the pandemic.

Women’s hearts – We meet Dr Paz Tayal , who is researching the differences between men’s and women’s hearts and why the problem has been understudied.

Psychedelics and worldview – How can taking psychedelics change your worldview, and your perceptions of reality? We meet the team exploring this question and how research into the effects can be conducted safely.

Nanotechnology for children – We catch up with Dr Jess Wade, hearing how her passion for both art and atoms collided in the children’s book Nano, of which 500 copies have been sent to UK primary schools thanks to the Department of Materials and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

You can also listen to an extended version of this interview .

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The podcast is presented by Gareth Mitchell, a lecturer on Imperial's MSc Science Communication course and the presenter of Digital Planet on the BBC World Service, with contributions from our roving reporters in the Communications and Public Affairs Division.