Imperial News

Podcast: Credit rating inequalities, making mosquito music, and better batteries

by Hayley Dunning, Julie Hoeflinger, Maxine Myers, Gareth Mitchell

In this edition: How AI has magnified credit disparities, how malaria research was translated into sound, and how batteries can make a better world.

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News: Boosting sex drive and sourcing dark energy – We hear about how the hormone kisspeptin can help people with low sex drive, and why black holes may be the source of dark energy.

Magnifying disparities with machine learning – We talk to Professor Tarun Ramadorai about new research that shows how machine learning is exacerbating inequalities in credit ratings – and who gets approved for a mortgage.

Sonifying malaria research – How do you turn data about genetically modified mosquitos and their egg-laying rates into music? Target Malaria scientist Dr Federica Bernardini brought in creative composer Jamie Perera to take up the challenge.

Batteries for a sustainable world – We catch up with Dr Billy Wu to find out the state of battery research, and how more sustainable batteries can help power a fossil-fuel-free world.

Find out more about Sustainability Week at Imperial.

Download the complete podcast (mp3)

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.