Professor Russell Foster
/In this post, there is a list of the advanced words and phrases from the BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs interview with Russell Foster, a neuroscientist. Aggie and I have created a podcast about Desert Island Discs called Radio English.
You can listen to the original BBC interview here
Here is the link to my podcast on itunes or just listen to it below:
We discuss these words from the interview on our podcast:
microscope
circadian
insomnia
lab
crude
took me under her wing
put down
regulate
fine tuning
to reset
a cacophony
a badge of honour
an all-nighter
INTRO
Describes field of study as most important behavioural experience we have
Modern day obsession
We spend 30% of our life doing it
Still don’t know exactly why we sleep
1:12 Developed a fascination with a toy microscope
1:17 Discovered a previously unknown light receptor that even in blind patients could receive light
1:30 In his role as Professor of circadian neuroscience, continued to explore circadian rhythms
“The one thing that really matters is to do the very best science you can”
1:54 Fight for this with every resource and ally you have
AUTHOR OF BOOKS
An understanding of the internal clock
WHY DO WE SLEEP
3:04 Time to integrate that information (in period of rest)
3:15 Built up toxins during the day, package them up and clear them at night
So much happens during the night in the brain that allows us to function optimally during the day
Period of inactivity to prevent us moving around in an environment to which we’re poorly adapted
HOW MUCH WE SLEEP
3:48 1⁄3 have difficulty sleeping, 12% have insomnia
What are the consequences of less sleep?
3:57 Short term sleep disruption is associated with profound brain disfunction
4:08 Lose our empathy
Tired brain remembers the negative stuff and forgets the positive stuff
Long term sleep disruption is associated with a whole range of major health problems
4:32 To even a greater susceptibility to cancer
HOW DO YOU SLEEP?
Very well! Decide when the meetings happen
At 10am when my younger colleagues will be at their most alert!
FIRST TRACK (ODE TO JOY)
5:17 I would dip into this
5:32 When first child was born we were cradling her in our arms whilst we watched the berlin wall come down as this piece played
PARENTS
Brought up in Aldershot, a nurse. Father was a lab worker
7:13 Science was in the mix from the beginning
As a youngster built my own lab in a shed in the garden
7:36 They (the experiments) were fairly crude
7:59 Everytime you would blink your eyelashes would
8:01 get in the way
→ Cut my eyelashes off because you could see the microscope better
My mother said listen, eyelashes you have them for a reason so its probably not a smart idea to have done that!
HOW WAS TIME SPENT
8:23 You were an only child
A lovely childhood, had books, microscope
8:33 I used to go fossil collecting
First memory was looking at a lizard on a rock
Used to swim competitively for Surrey, loved being in the water
FATHER LEAVING
When he was 11
9:09 Don’t regard it as a defining moment
Immensely lucky, mother + grandparents
9:24 It didn’t scar me
9:33 You’ve described yourself as being very black and white back then
Refused to see father after he left
9:51 It was a compartmentalisation
SECOND DISC (WAGNER)
University was very exciting, same passion
Exposed to live music for the first time
TRUSTEE OF LONDON’S SCIENCE MUSEUM
A keen visitor as a child
Such a privilege
11:50 Used to trundle up on the train from Aldershot
11:58 She sort of took me under her wing a bit (Head of education)
Showed Finches Darwin had collected
HEADMASTER’S COMMENTS
“Entirely non academic”
School system was very different
Lived in my own little world
We need to tick so many boxed in education system so being different can be misunderstood
13:04 I wish I could have conformed more
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE
Always wanted to be a biologist
Biology teacher - he was terrific
Slapped his chest
13:41 He wiped the sweat off his brow
Ruffled his hair
13:49 He said “Class what am I” we had absolutely no idea “I am a mammal”
“I breastfeed, I sweat and I have hair”
THIRD DISC (MOZART)
BIOLOGY TEACHER
A level biology teacher
15:43 Drawing looking at this human skull
15:59 In an attempt to impress her, “You do realise that the male cranial capacity is 10% larger than the female”
16:05 She said “Yes, of course it is, because you have to accomodate the male ego”
16:10 It was the most perfect put down
Obsessed with photoreceptors
PHOTORECEPTOR
Read a chapter about lampris (type of fish)
Other photoreceptors on the top of their skull as well as eyes
Worked with Alan (third year mentor)
Responsible for making animal swim when you dim the lights
MEETING WIFE
Knew Lizzie’s sister, invited him to Medic Ball, forgot about it, saw her in the lab
I was supposed to be hosting a dinner party, said I couldn’t go
Called up an old friend, are you free? Yes, Can you host a dinner party for me?
18:15 As I was leaving the toast was to absent hosts
Met Lizzie at this ball, 6 months later we were engaged
FOURTH DISC (SWEET DREAMS)
Amazing voice
WORKING IN AMERICA
Why leave the UK?
The UK scientifically was an odd place
Interviewed for a job in a great Northern University, and person across the table said “I see you’ve been in America, Germany, Holland, Italy…
19:54 Would you continue with this gallivanting if you came here?
This is beyond a joke, yes I’m very sorry but gallivanting is a fundamental part of my nature
Joy of doing science
Continued work on photoreceptors
PHOTOSENSITIVE CELLS
Biological clock is only useful if set to external time
20:48 Mammals have only eyes which regulate internal time
20:56 Used mice with hereditary retina problems, visually blind
Looking to see if they could regulate their body clock, and they could!
Discovery that there is a third class of light sensitive cell which is regulating a range of our biology including body clock
Took a decade to convince
21:42 Eye is the organ of sight and of time!
FIFTH DISC (ELGAR)
We got homesick, family in the UK
22:25 It’s so evocative
Played at grandmother’s funeral - determination to make life better
RETURN TO UK - CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS
Worked in Imperial
Published rhythms of life
24:23 Internal clock which is fine tuning our behaviour to the varying demands of activity and rest
24:29 Incredibly dynamic physiology that we’ve largely ignored
Hormonal levels, released in sleep episode, blood pressure varies
25:00 Response to immunisation
Morning immunisation, much greater chance of raising antibodies
Between 6am and 12 noon there is a 50% greater chance of having a heart attack
25:29 There is a circadian surge of blood pressure to prepare for activities
Giving birth, early hours of the morning
RESETTING BODY CLOCK
Hugely complex calendar inside us
26:08 Why is it important that our body clocks are reset every day
26:13 The classic mismatch between internal and external time is jetlag
Whole of circadian architecture are out of phase
It’s like an orchestra, conductor sending out signal to billions of clocs
26:38 Without that synchronisation, they all play at a slightly different time
26:42 So instead of a symphony it’s a cacophony
SIXTH DISC (MICHAEL NYMAN BAND)
26:55 I was just bowled over
It’s just joy!
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AT A GOVERNMENTAL LEVEL
27:48 WHO just declared shift work a probable
27:50 Carcinogen
If regular sleep is so important, what should the government be doing
28:00 24/7 society is here to stay
Night shift work - what can we do to mitigate some of the problems?
→ Higher frequency medical checks in these workers
Provide food on night shift that is appropriate
Provide young people with education
EDUCATION ON SLEEP
28:40 Going without sleep is seen as a badge of honour
28:45 In the old days people used to bounce into work and say “woah I’ve done another all-nighter”
Increasingly, we will regard people who disregard their sleep as almost like smokers !!!
Most medics have 1 or 2 lectures about sleep in 5 years of training
Estimated that as a GP 30% of problems they will encounter will be directly or indirectly related to sleep problems
29:23 → They aren’t armed
Developing a fully online sleep medicine programme
SEVENTH DISC (THE MIKADO)
Evokes happy memories
Camping holidays
Drive through France, this is what we listen to, kids singing along
All the success that one may or may not have, if you have a loving family and children then I think you can die happy
They’re all coming home for christmas
CURRENT ARGUMENTS ABOUT SLEEP
Go to bed earlier, turn off devices!
Bedroom should be dark and comfortable
32:14 Make the bedroom a haven for sleep, not just another place to work
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW
Understanding fundamental mechanisms and translating into better health and wellbeing
Development of educational tools, working with teachers!
32:58 Our pilot studies have shown improvement
EIGHTH DISC (LET’S MISBEHAVE)
Love to cook, have this on with a cheeky G&T
SENDING TO ISLAND
Checking out the wildlife!
34:52 But will get adequate sleep so I can remain sharp for checking out the wildlife
Book: the Collected works of Adrian John Desmond
Explaining scientific work at that time
Luxury: A mask, snorkel, flippers, lab,
→ Snorkel and digital camera
Chosen Disc: Wagner
35:55 Music is just sublime