We might think there are certain characteristics essential to human beings alone. But where do those boundaries lie or is it just a sense we have? As we excel at flexing our imaginations around new discoveries, we must be aware that the rules and what we ‘know to be true’ will move with us. The…
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Today we’d love to recommend The Story Collider, a podcast that’s setting out to show a different side of science. At iOi we’re always looking to make learning and STEM accessible for all. This podcast is a great example of making new pathways into subjects that many feel aren’t relatable. We’ve all got a story…
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As this article from The Guardian points out, research into prehistoric DNA is only small steps – but they are steps all the same. By looking into what made ancient people, science enables us to imagine how we lived in the past and so what has informed us as modern humans. One of the most…
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This article into a new area of research, dubbed culturomics, is fascinating. Long before massive digital infrastructure and the concept of ‘big data’, humans have been creating a record. What we thought culturally important to write down tells our story, not just our tales. And more important than anything is to get the measure of…
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Starting with the first episode, ‘Planes’, we’re taking a look at this fascinating TV series, a co-production between BBC Four and PBS. What we found most interesting about Revolutions was how it frames the stories around humanity’s journey to the discoveries – it shows that our technological advances are much more deep rooted than we…
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We read a lot about machines “taking over“, but what’s behind this fear, could it be a lack of trust? We believe in the power of empathy to foster bonds, and it seems a university team in the US is taking this thinking digital. For us it is an important way in which creative thinking…
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Curiosity is an essential ingredient for imagining. The want and need to explore is what drives creative thinking. Reminding ourselves is essential to developing the skills in young people, which is why we’ve partnered with OKIDO to bring you a Lab Live on curiosity next month. Let’s discover the wonder of wondering. Why? “That’s the…
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We’ve talked a lot about cultivating empathy through creativity. Expanding on this thought, this article on The Conversation, from Elizabeth Reid Boyd, Arts and Humanities Lecturer at Edith Cowan University, looks at the concept of ‘moral imagination‘. It’s rare in all our explorations that we exercise and ‘train’ this tool, and especially with such a…
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What is normal? Most of us would think that we’re aware of dangerous generalisations, or even prejudices, when it comes to characterising human nature. However, as this thought-provoking article from The Conversation shows, inherent biases can run deep in the research, actually influencing our baseline assumptions without us knowing. Over the last century, behavioural researchers…
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Exciting news about our 2019 Cultural Residency, exploring the Imagination Matters theme – Empathy. Each year here at the Institute of Imagination we run a residency inspired by one of our Imagination Matters themes. Through our Imagination Lab in Lambeth, the residencies deliver collaborative, interdisciplinary projects with visitors. Following 2018’s Places to Imagine residency and the wonderful…
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