It’s the biggest story of recent weeks. Literally. Trillion-tonne iceberg A23a is on the move. But where is it headed and why – and what might it mean for the scientists and penguins in its path? And from a giant ‘megaberg’ to a giant pile of highly radioactive material, we find out what locking away a load of radioactive waste has in common with baking a cake. And we’re joined by science journalist Caroline Steel to guide us through this week’s science news. We’ll hear about the first study int...
Feb 06, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast How will science shape up in 2025? Marnie Chesterton is joined by a panel of science watchers to discuss what we can expect from the year ahead. We'll talk big science, small science - and the plain cool. What will science do for us in the coming year? On the Inside Science panel, we have: - Tom Whipple, science editor of The Times - Shaoni Bhattacharya, former acting science editor of The Observer & freelance editor at Research Professional News - Penny Sarchet, commissioning editor at New ...
Feb 06, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why do we laugh more when we’re with others? Are humans the only animals that laugh? Does ‘laughter yoga’ actually do anything? We're delving into the neurobiology, evolutionary history, and health effects of a good old chuckle. Live from the Hay Festival Winter Weekend, Marnie Chesterton is joined by laughter expert and neuroscientist, Professor Sophie Scott, and an expert in making people laugh, comedian Miles Jupp, in this side-splitting panel show. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer: Ella...
Jan 30, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s that time of the year when many of us are at home with friends and family, losing track of time, eating leftovers, and, of course, playing games. This festive season, we look at the science of games and, of course, play some ourselves. It’s presenter Marnie Chesterton versus producer Florian Bohr at Marnie's kitchen table.... Who will win the Inside Science games special? Irving Finkel from the British Museum tells Marnie about the Royal Game of Ur, one of the most ancient board games which...
Jan 23, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast We look back on 2024 in science, from billionaires in space, to record-breaking heat here on Earth, and the meteoric rise of new weight-loss drugs. From the biggest stories to the unsung and the plain fun, Inside Science presenter Victoria Gill hosts a special panel, featuring: - Libby Jackson, head of space exploration at the UK Space Agency - Penny Sarchet, managing editor of New Scientist - Mark Miodownik, a materials scientist from University College London Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers...
Jan 16, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast More species infected than ever, an uptick in human cases, and some concerning biological modifications. How close are we to a bird flu pandemic? We digest the last year of bird flu changes with virologist Tom Peacock and public health journalist Melody Schreiber. Also this week, we address the absurd problem of transporting something that can't be touched, we find out how animals make their epic migratory journeys, and Victoria Gill visits a town which has learnt to ward off a fearsome predator...
Jan 09, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some social media users have been pouring milk down the drain and chucking their butter in the bin in protest over a new additive in cow feed that claims to reduce methane emissions. The online posts, attacking Arla Food’s trial of Bovaer with three big supermarkets and 30 farms in the UK, have had millions of views. So, what do we know – what is this additive and how is it going to tackle burpy cows? And what is the evidence it is safe? We interrogate the science with Sharon Huws, professor in ...
Jan 02, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The south Wales town of Pontypridd saw cars submerged, people bailing floodwater out of their homes using bins, and the beautiful park and lido transformed into a brown mess, as parts of the UK were flooded. But, it's nothing new. Pontypridd was severely flooded just four and a half years ago – and these are scenes that play out around the UK every winter. So, is the way we warn people about floods failing? We’re going to unpick exactly how floods are forecast – and what went wrong – with natura...
Dec 26, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast As conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to dominate the news, many Inside Science listeners have been in touch with the same question: What is the carbon footprint of war? How significant is the impact – and is it crass to even talk about it? We’re joined by Benjamin Neimark from Queen Mary University in London. Also this week, we chat to the incoming DG of Europe’s particle-smashing facility Cern, what have we learnt by defrosting an extinct big cat and, the beetle that could ruin ...
Dec 19, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast A shortage of medical isotopes used to detect cancer has experts concerned that the shortfall could be delaying diagnosis and could even be costing lives. Exactly what these nuclear medicines are and how they are made is key to understanding the national scarcity. So, we’re going back to basics and learning all about medical isotopes. We also speak to world-famous conservationist and primatologist Jane Goodall who, now aged 90, continues to travel the globe campaigning to protect the natural wor...
Dec 12, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast This year is set to be the world’s hottest on record, likely shattering the aspiration to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. So where does this leave COP29, the upcoming UN climate conference in Azerbaijan? This week Inside Science is asking, are climate summits really working? What is the point of them - and are they doing enough? Joining Marnie Chesterton to discuss this are: - Joanna Depledge, expert on international climate negotiations at the University of Cambridge -...
Dec 05, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s our Halloween special from a rain-soaked Jodrell Bank in Cheshire. We find out what you can see in a dark, dark Halloween night sky with space-watcher and Professor of astrophysics Tim O’Brien. Also this week, we meet some blood-sucking leeches, the horrors of pumpkin waste and could zombies ever be real? Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth To discover more fascinating science...
Nov 28, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Twenty years ago this week two physicists at the University of Manchester published a ground-breaking paper describing the extraordinary qualities of graphene. The thinnest and strongest material known to exist – and better at carrying electricity than any metal – its discovery was hailed as revolutionary. But two decades on, it doesn’t seem to have changed the world, or if it has, it is doing so very quietly. So, what happened? We go on the trail of graphene, meeting Nobel Prize winner and Godf...
Nov 21, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Earth’s natural carbon sinks absorb half of our pollution. But now, they appear to be collapsing. Why is this happening – and will we be able to reach our climate goals without them? Also this week, why a psychologist won the Nobel Prize in Physics, the culprit behind the second biggest mass extinction event, and does playing video games make you smarter? Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Ella Hubber, Anna Charalambou Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Andre...
Nov 14, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast A woolly mammoth by 2028. That’s the bold claim from US company Colossal Biosciences, who say research is under way that will make this possible. But even if we have the technology to bring back a long dead species, should we? We hear the arguments for and against de-extinction. Also this week, what will Europa Clipper find when it heads to one of Jupiter’s icy moons and how to win a Nobel Prize. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin...
Nov 07, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast “That’s the end of coal in the UK for electricity.” The UK’s last coal-fired power station has closed, ending Britain's 142-year reliance on coal. But what difference will the closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar make – and could it mark a new dawn for clean energy? After 20 years of research into microplastics and headline upon headline on their potential harms, how much do we really know about these tiny particles? Also this week, Marnie turns lab rat for a navigation experiment, and why are we all so...
Oct 31, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The images beamed back to Earth of the first civilian spacewalk have prompted a very pertinent question from one Inside Science listener: What effect is space travel having on our climate? We're used to delving into the carbon footprint of Earth-bound travel – so this week we’re going to explore the impact of the rapidly growing space industry on our climate. How does a rocket launch compare to a flight taking off? Do we even know the true cost yet – and if it’s significant, what might the solut...
Oct 24, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lab-grown meat, cultivated meat, cultured meat, in-vitro meat - whatever you call it, the industry claims it could be a game changer. Not just economically, but for feeding the planet in a sustainable way. But is it too good to be true? And will people even eat it? In this special episode of Inside Science, we take a deep-dive into lab-grown meat; visiting a production facility to see how it's made, hearing about the nuanced perspectives of British farmers, asking if this new industry can learn ...
Oct 17, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today incredible images were beamed around the world of civilians walking in space – for the very first time. All eyes were on businessman Jared Isaacman and engineer Sarah Gillis as they ventured outside a Space X capsule. But is this an historic space exploration milestone - or just a very exciting holiday for a billionaire? We'll find out more from the BBC’s own expert space-watcher Jonathan Amos. Also this week, we visit Sellafield which processes and stores more radioactive material per squ...
Oct 10, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the long-awaited final report into Grenfell Tower is made public, we look at the cladding that has been at the centre of the story for seven years. We ask Richard Hull, an expert in chemistry and fire science who’s been following the story, why it was used in the first place and what made it so dangerous. Also this week, the neuroscience of the Oasis queue, the technology powering Paralympic athletes and strange sounds from space... Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Ella Hu...
Oct 03, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Royal Society recently announced the shortlist for their annual Science Book Prize – and nominated is science writer and journalist Tom Chivers, author of the book Everything is Predictable. He tells us how statistics impact every aspect of our lives, and joins Marnie as a studio guest throughout the show. A drug – lecanemab – that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease has recently been approved for use in the UK, but the healthcare regulator NICE has said that it won’t be availabl...
Sep 26, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast We try some cricket tacos and ask what role insects might play in our future diets, in a special programme with a live audience at Green Man Festival in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in Wales. Our panellists: Peter Smithers, an entomologist and fellow of the Royal Entomological Society Aaron Thomas, co-founder of Yum Bug, which makes meat out of crickets Dr Emily Porter, a dietician and gut health specialist for the NHS and The Gut Health Clinic What else should we explore – and where els...
Sep 19, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Ealing Beaver Project has found success as two new beaver kits have been born in a park in London after being reintroduced last October. Marnie visits the site to learn more about the benefits they bring - but beavers are just a drop in the river of urban rewilding. We find out what the practicalities and pitfalls of letting nature take back space in our cities are. Do you feel like your dog is watching you? You're probably right. Zoologist and broadcaster Jules Howard ponders on the human-w...
Sep 12, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today we will be going for gold in more ways than one. Inga Doak, the Head of Sustainability at The Royal Mint, reveals how the company plan to ‘urban mine’ gold from household electronic waste and turn it into jewellery. But with tens of millions of tonnes of e-waste piling up every year, the environment policy adviser at the Royal Society of Chemistry, Izzi Monk unpacks how the UK can clean up its act. Vic puts her stable boots on to visit some very pampered thoroughbred foals to find out what...
Sep 05, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Space junk. It might sound like an out-of-this-world problem that we don’t need to worry about here on Earth – but is it? As we send more and more metal in the form of satellites up into space, scientists are warning it is becoming more of a risk both here – and up there. We dig into the problem and what’s being done to clean it up. Also this week, we answer a listener question about oceans and their influence on global temperatures, and we ponder the use – and sometimes abuse – of scientific la...
Aug 29, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast CERN’s plans to build a bigger, faster particle collider, with a hefty 17 billion Euro price tag, are in question. Physicists Andrew Pontzen and Harry Cliff discuss if the new machine is really worth it. A place on the podium or disappointment in the Olympics can come down to the precise position of a foot or angle of the hips. Science reporter Ella Hubber visits the University of Bath to check out the motion capture tech that makes these measurements. New research suggests our close cousins, th...
Aug 22, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Antarctica is a 'natural reserve, devoted to peace and science' - that’s according to an international treaty. But with visitor numbers at a record high, how does tourism fit into that – and what kind of impact is it having on its fragile ecosystem? We discuss whether tourists – and even scientists – should be allowed to go at all. Swimming in the Seine has been banned for more than a century because of pollution concerns. The main culprit? Human waste. We find out if it really will be safe in t...
Aug 15, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast We visit Wimbledon’s iconic Centre Court... but we’re not interested in the tennis, we want to know all about the grass. Just how important is science to cultivating the perfect playing surface? Also this week, we discuss the aims and ethics of human stem-cell-based embryo models in research after a new code of practice for the UK made headlines. And we answer a listener question about whether white paint could help tackle climate change. Send your burning science questions to insidescience@bbc....
Aug 08, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s election time but over here in Science Land, we’re heading off to the seaside for our summer special. We chat seagulls with Professor Paul Graham on Brighton beach and find out why they are so misunderstood - from what we call them to why they pinch our chips. We bust some sun safety myths with dermatologist Dr Jess Felton and find out why ice cream is such a chemical marvel with chef Terri Mercieca. And we join in the festivities at the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition. Presenter:...
Aug 01, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast As another week of disruptive Just Stop Oil protests grabs media attention, sociologist Dana Fisher discusses which actions might help a cause - and which could harm it. Japanese scientists have developed artificial skin for robots made from real human cells. Inside Science producer Dr Ella Hubber digs into the uncanny invention. Inside Science reporter Patrick Hughes goes on the trail of methane emissions from landfills. And, as a heatwave smothers the UK, physiologist Damian Bailey helps us fi...
Jul 25, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
