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The Forum, the BBC World Service programme which boldly crosses boundaries: scientific, creative and geographic. This week our guest presenter is philosopher and classicist Angie Hobbs.

On the programme this week, we travel to the future searching for traces of an extinct human race, explain why Hitler?s Third Reich was inspired by European colonialism and look at self and other in the face of death.

Meet the guests

British historian Mark Mazower from Columbia University examines the ideology which fuelled Hitler's plans for a Nazi Empire. His book Hitler's Empire: Nazi Rule in Occupied Europe draws comparisons with former European colonial powers.

Geologist Jan Zalasiewicz imagines a planet where mankind has long become extinct in his forthcoming book The Earth After Us. What sort of traces will be left of us in the rocks?

Uzbek novelist and broadcaster Hamid Ismailov explores how two old men - one a Muslim, the other a communist - are abandoned by their families in A Story of Two Old Men. Despite their opposing ideologies they discover they need each other.

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 geologist Jan Zalasiewicz.

Listen to more 60 second ideas