Dive deep into the world of science and engineering with engaging discussions and thought provoking debates. The team share insights from careers in science and engineering, combining expert knowledge and scientific thinking with a touch of humour to make even the most complex topics accessible and entertaining for both enthusiasts and casual listeners.
Sometimes we’re funny, often we’re opinionated, always we’re entertaining.
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This episode delves into the science of aging, focusing on telomeres and their role in cellular health, highlighting how lifestyle choices can influence them. The hosts explore how aging isn't linear, discussing age-related diseases and the impact of genetics versus environment. They also examine extraordinary longevity in the animal kingdom, from naked mole rats to Greenland sharks, and debate human anti-aging strategies, including the controversial pursuit of extreme lifespan.
It takes a long time for medicines to be developed. Looking at drugs used in women's health and more, Laura and Ellie look at what goes into their development, how the risks are weighed against the benefits, and how the known benefits of a drug can change as we learn more about them. Fact check: A review of paracetamol/Tylenol development Statistics on drug development How much paracetamol is consumed in the UK in a year Thalidomide is still in use , but not for treating morning sickness Quinine...
Saving endangered species is vital for a healthy planet and cloning individual animals can help. Ellie and Laura look at the black-footed ferret, discuss some other endangered species that cloning is helping to save, and look at the history and challenges of cloning. Fact check: Cloning the black-footed ferret Prairie dogs A history of cloning Controversy around claims of human cloning Dolly the sheep Endangered wild sheep in the Mediterranean...
When you care about sustainability, you can bet that becomes your focus. Laura and Antonia look at how to solve climate change through social engineering and behavioural science that involves brain chemistry as well as solving the problem of having finite resources that create inequality. Fact check: MRI scans can lead to better understanding of the brain One gene variation can affect serotonin signalling in the brain...
We’re using more energy and in the UK a lot of this goes into heating or cooling our homes but can we use natural processes to make this happen? Laura, Rwayda and Antonia discuss how using traditional clay in the Caribbean keeps houses cool while a smart architect in India has used fundamental physics to achieve the same feat. In the UK, passive houses with thick insulation are a thing but could we use these smart ideas to work with natural processes, rather than against them? Fact check: Buildi...
In the UK it feels like winters are getting warmer but the entire year is usually rainy. We remember things being a bit different when we were younger. Laura, Antonia and Ellie discuss evidence for changing of the seasons and look at the effect this has globally on extreme events such as wildfires, animal migration and plant growth. They also look at some research that identified new seasons and suggests humans should change their relationship with them. Fact check: Seasons on a social level Sum...
A special type of in-vitro fertilisation, that uses material from three people, has made some interesting headlines recently. Laura and Ellie discuss the technique and consider some of the major advancements that went into in-vitro fertilisation, also known as creating test-tube babies, and uncover some surprising facts. Did you know that research began in the 19th century? Fact check: Recent news coverage with what we think is a sensible headline News on the first baby born using the three-pare...
From unintentional acidification to fishing and conservation, there’s a lot going on. Antonia, Laura and Ellie talk about the link between greenhouse gas emissions and changing ocean chemistry which is affecting the delicate balance of marine life, speculate about what a rather nifty deep-sea research station could uncover as well as how biochemistry discovered in the deep sea has already proven useful, and discuss why trawling the sea bed for food is bad whereas marine conservation can actually...
It’s due to be retired on 2030 when it will crash back to Earth so was it worth it? Ellie, Antonia and Laura look at just some of the scientific discoveries it’s helped with, including the many processes involved in ageing, getting a clearer understanding of how plaques form in the brain, the fundamental physics of water boiling and some nifty science of scent molecules. Fact check: Cost of keeping the ISS alive Low gravity water boiling The NPR article Laura mentioned which gives an overview of...
New research has found a startling link between types of bacteria that live in our gut and whether we become addicted to food. Laura, Jasmin and Emma discuss this, wonder about the connection between the gut and the brain which seems to provide two way communication, and speculate about the challenges of doing this research as well as what the future might hold. Fact check: The research that shows the correlation between gut microbe communities and addiction A quick summary of some ways the gut ...
Tech has advanced rapidly and the future hold exciting possibilities, even some of the stuff that’s now obsolete was pretty nifty. Ellie, Laura and Antonia start off by looking at cathode ray tubes, which are a pretty old way of generating moving pictures. They also look at the large hadron collider and consider what sort of technology we might have in the future, whether that is teleportation or autonomous plants. Fact check: Particle acceleration at CERN The particle accelerator with the large...
Why would you do it and how does it compare to other alternatives to cow hide? Ellie, Laura and Antonia look at the process of growing skin in the lab to turn in to leather, so-called vegan alternatives, and what animal skins you can make leather from. They also consider ethics and sustainability. Are we better off continuing to make leather from livestock or should humanity pursue alternatives? Fact check: News about making T-rex leather because the collagen has endured for millions of years A ...
Taking a deeper dive into the biology behind how cows produce methane, and the two methods being researched to reduce production. Jasmin and Laura discuss feed additives, the importance of hydrogen and the various ways it can be used to make things that aren't methane. They also review some genetics research that focusses on the microbiome and how hereditable traits of the cow can influence it. They draw on experience of chemical engineering to consider how the microbiome can be optimised for en...
With an audience from the Engineering Development Trust’s virtual routes to STEM course, Laura, Emma, Antonia and Rwayda talk about their diverse careers in physics and engineering to find common ground. They talk about how they chose what to study at university and provide details on what some engineers do beyond applying scientific principles to solve a challenge. Emma talks about how a degree in physics led her to study a doctorate in DNA and cancer, Antonia explains how chemical engineering ...
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to the climate emergency. Intensive farming can lead to cows contributing significantly to levels of this gas in the atmosphere. Antonia, Ellie and Jasmin discuss the latest research to reduce the amount of methane cows produce through burps and flatulence. They look at additives to cow feed, using seaweed as an alternative feed, and selectively breeding the cows. They consider whether people should eat less meat and look at cultural and geogr...
Most clothes are made of a mix of natural and synthetic fibres which makes them difficult to recycle back into clothing once they’re worn out. Antonia and Laura discuss an exciting new research project that has separated four different types of fibre from a single scrap of cloth using microwaves. They compare this to an alternative method which uses enzymes found in bacteria to recycle polyester and consider what these efforts might mean for a future circular economy where clothing is infinitely...
And what does it take to win an award for it? Ellie, Rwayda and Laura discuss the Dalian Bay Undersea Tunnel in China which won Global Project of the Year 2024 for its novel construction methods and use of first-of-a-kind technologies, including floating giant concrete tubes into the bay to submerge and then connect them, an on-site laboratory so that experiments can inform the construction, and use of sensors in the specially developed cement which is designed to last an impressive 100 years in...
Science is always finding new ways to harness nature. Antonia, Ellie and Laura discuss what the blood from a certain type of sea creature is used for, and how scorpion venom is being studied for a whole host of medical research. They also look at Pangolin scales used to treat some ailments and a giant tuna which sold for a small fortune, but might not necessarily be worth their price tag. Fact check: The cost of crab blood The news article from NPR about crab blood Facts about bacterial toxins N...
And can natural genetic changes lead us to develop superpowers? Laura, Emma and Jasmin talk about different natural processes can lead to mutations, how our bodies detect and repair some mutations, and how some changes can lie hidden. The article that inspired this episode: We are all genetic mosaics , from Knowable Magazine. Fact check: How many cells are in the adult human body How long it takes for most cells in the human body to divide Some more background on cell division The DNA molecular ...
The UK has plans to change how drinks containers are collected from consumers for recycling, but recent news stories indicate that glass could be excluded from this scheme. Laura, Antonia and Jasmin discuss what responsibilities packaging producers have, how glass and plastic are currently recycled, and consider what changes need to be made. There were a lot of references in this fact-filled episode: Government target for recycling rates at gov.uk Amounts of litter, from Keep Britain Tidy (2020 ...
Is the internet really a useful tool for learning or is it a place where you shouldn’t believe what you see or read? Laura, Antonia and Ellie discuss what they have learned online, from detailed scientific information to practical skills like fixing a bicycle, and what they struggle to find. Laura and Ellie also share their insight as professional science communicators while Antonia explains how she finds information in her job as an energy analyst where she focusses on sustainability. There's a...
What is cyber hacking and what can we do about it? Jasmin, Ellie and Antonia explore the different types of cyber hacking, compare it to the movies, and consider whether it can ever be ethical or "good"? They also discuss the best ways to combat cyber-attacks personally, and what companies are doing to protect us and their client information.
You might know that nuclear reactors are used along with turbines to generate electricity but what else could nuclear technology power? While battling brain fog brought on by fatigue, Laura and Antonia discuss future uses of high temperature heat to feed industrial clusters and look at two novel uses of nuclear power production that don't require reactors, but could be used to power space missions. Read about heat requirements of smelting metals , power requirements of the experimental rig known...
How do we debunk myths and see through fake news? Ellie, Antonia and Emma come together to discuss common myths and how they resist change both in academia and in a general population. They also discuss the impact of social media, AI and how we can learn to look at things with a critical eye. Watch the video from Münecat. Read research about countering misinformation and how one research group has tackled misinformation in real time during a US presidential election . Antonia mentioned research ...
And how are researchers tackling it? Antonia, Emma and Ellie discuss how we got here and what might be done in the future to counteract these drug resistant bacterial strains. Plus we take a sneak peak into the life of PhD student Emma and explore how computational simulations could be helping develop the antibiotics of the future.
We’ve seen how science can rapidly alter how nations respond to emergencies like a pandemic, but why is the response to the climate emergency so slow? Laura and Antonia discuss multiple ways that scientists can help shape national policy, how people’s beliefs and behaviours are accounted for, and how the general public can have a voice too. A guide by the British Ecological society helps explain how policy relates to legislation . You can read more about how many civil servants we have in the UK...
Everything humanity does has an impact on the natural world, but we’re also highly dependent on it. Laura, Ellie and Jasmin discuss how panda populations have declined and then improved, the work of zoos, instances of adapting nature to live with us, and how research is uncovering complex way that wildlife, farming, fishing and garden birds interact with us. Here’s the study that Ellie mentions about artificial reefs dramatically improving marine species numbers . Read news of some specific stud...
Could mining on the Moon become a future industry? Ellie and Jasmin hold a "Dragons Den" style discussion in which the pros and cons and of course the financial details of what it would take to set up a Moon mining operation are discussed. They take a look at private space as it looks today and consider the legal implications. They even explore whether the mining practices could be expanded to other planets and asteroids in Solar System.
They come up in some surprising places and movies have been made about them but why should we care? Antonia, Jasmin, Laura and Soo-Mei talk about a type of forever chemical called PFAS, discuss the important aspect of their chemistry, talk about the environmental and health impacts, and make a decision about actions they will take.
Technology has changed a lot, but does it make our lives better? Ellie, Laura and Antonia discuss the differences between invention, product development and scientific discovery. They take a look at some technology we use today including the internet, music platforms, air conditioning and sewing machines. They also speculate about what we might have in the future based on current scientific discoveries including a tiny gallium person that can melt though bars (watch the video here ), semi-transp...
