Listen to the programme
The Forum, the BBC World Service programme which boldly crosses boundaries: scientific, creative and geographic. This week presented by philosopher and classicist Angie Hobbs.

In this week's programme, why humans will always want to create ever higher buildings, the power of poems to transport us back through time and why finding life on Mars could be very bad news for mankind.

Meet the guests

Argentinian architect Cesar Pelli, one of the ten most influential architects today, has designed some of the world's tallest buildings including the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and Canary Wharf in London. He explains why he feels it is in our very physical nature to aspire to build higher.

Click here to see buildings designed by architect Cesar Pelli

Author and poet Elaine Feinstein describes her journey to meet the ghosts of Russia's literary past who inspired her new memoir and novel The Russian Jerusalem and why poetry is a potent vehicle for expressing deeper truth.

Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom is a thinker on a grand scale. As Director of Oxford Universities Future of Humanity Institute he researches subjects ranging from the ethics of human enhancement to global catastrophe. On The Forum he tells us why, for the sake of humanity, he hopes scientists do not discover life on Mars.

Listen to the 60 second idea

Each week we give one of our guests the chance to change the world and present an idea they feel could make all the difference.

This week it's the turn of philosopher Nick Bostrom.

Listen to more 60 second ideas