Podcast: Monkey sex, walking robots, and DNA health

In this edition: We learn how same-sex sexual behaviour is common in macaques, how to teach robots to walk like dogs, and how DNA affects your health.

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News: Same-sex sexual behaviour in monkeys – We learn how research has revealed that same-sex sexual behaviour among male macaques in one colony is widespread and may be beneficial.

How do you make a robot walk? – We talk to Dr Antoine Cully about what goes into making a functional robot. Should they walk on four legs like dogs or two legs like humans? What if one of the legs fails? And how do you integrate the latest AI?

DNA and your health – From the DNA& podcast, we get a refresher on the basics of DNA, and learn how Genome UK is hoping to improve prediction and diagnosis in healthcare, moving from treatment to prevention.

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The podcast is presented by Gareth Mitchell, a lecturer on Imperial's MSc Science Communication course. He’s also a longstanding BBC presenter and reporter. Gareth is joined each month by our roving reporters in the Communications Division.