{"podcast":{"title":"Instant Genius","slug":"instant-genius-226559","podcast_index_feed_id":226559,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/GLT7732401960","website_url":"http://www.sciencefocus.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f7c186ec-ab83-11ed-876d-531b385da704/image/1e3aeeafe7dbc619978cf0eccb54d269.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Our Media","episode_count":652,"summary":"Whether you’re curious about getting healthy, the Big Bang or the science of cooking, find out everything you need to know with Instant Genius. The team behind BBC Science Focus Magazine talk to world-leading experts to bring you two bite-sized masterclasses on a new subject each week. New episodes are released every Monday and Friday and you can subscribe to Instant Genius on Apple Podcasts to access all new episodes ad-free and all old episodes of Instant Genius Extra. Watch full episodes of Instant Genius on BBC Science Focus Magazine's YouTube channel. Follow us on X: @SFIGPod","last_synced_at":"2026-06-19T10:17:02.929921+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559"},"episode":{"title":"Why wasps are one of the planet’s most misunderstood insects","slug":"why-wasps-are-one-of-the-planet-s-most-misunderstood-insects","published_at":"2026-06-18T23:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559/why-wasps-are-one-of-the-planet-s-most-misunderstood-insects","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR8725613175.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR8725613175.mp3","summary":"The truth is, when most of us think of wasps, our minds will likely go to memories of irritating winged pests landing in our drinks when we’re trying to have a nice summer picnic or perhaps one of the times we got a nasty sting when we were out playing in the park as children. It’s fair to say wasps have a pretty bad rap. But if we look more closely, it soon becomes clear that most of us are getting these fascinating insects entirely wrong. As part of our Nature’s Unsung Heroes miniseries, we’re joined by BBC broadcaster, author and entomologist based at the University of Gloucestershire Prof Adam Hart to talk about the many benefits wasps bring to the ecosystems they live in. He tells us how wasps act as the wardens or guardians of our gardens and agricultural land by keeping pests under control, how they act as essential pollinators that help the ecosystems they live in thrive, and how they act as one of the natural world’s most sophisticated architects and engineers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"The truth is, when most of us think of wasps, our minds will likely go to memories of irritating winged pests landing in our drinks when we’re trying to h…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1875,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/instant-genius-226559/episodes/why-wasps-are-one-of-the-planet-s-most-misunderstood-insects/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/instant-genius-226559/why-wasps-are-one-of-the-planet-s-most-misunderstood-insects.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}