Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what... more
As the famous frog once said, it's not easy being green. And when it comes to decarbonising industry, indeed, reducing... more
Rosalie David is a pioneer in the study of ancient Egypt. In the early 1970s, she launched a unique project... more
In the summer of 2003, Europe experienced its most intense heatwave on record - one that saw more than 70,000... more
Imagine a nanoparticle, less that a thousandth of the width of a human hair, that is so precise that it... more
Darren Croft studies one of the ocean’s most charismatic and spectacular animals – the killer whale. Orca are... more
Bill Gates is one of the world's best-known billionaires - but after years at the corporate coalface building a software... more
The final episode in this series of The Life Scientific is a journey through space and time, via black holes... more
It's summer - no really - and although the weather might have been mixed, the sporting line-up has been undeniably... more
The engineering industry, like many other STEM sectors, has a problem with diversity: one that Dawn Bonfield believes we can... more
In recent decades, we've taken huge steps forward in treating formerly fatal viruses: with pharmacological breakthroughs revolutionising treatment for conditions... more
From anorexia nervosa to binge-eating, eating disorders are potentially fatal conditions that are traditionally very difficult to diagnose and treat... more
Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that makes renders the body’s connective tissues incredibly fragile; this can weaken the heart,... more
Many of us have heard of seismology, the study of earthquakes; but what about asteroseismology, focusing on vibrations in stars?Conny... more
What is the universe made of? Where does space dust come from? And how exactly might one go about putting... more
With 86 billion nerve cells joined together in a network of 100 trillion connections, the human brain is the most... more
The reputation of the nuclear industry has had highs and lows during the career of Dr Fiona Rayment, the President... more
We are fascinated by dinosaurs. From blockbuster hits to bestselling video games, skeleton exhibitions to cuddly plushies, the creatures that... more
Dr Sheila Willis is a forensic scientist who was Director General of Forensic Science Ireland for many years. She has... more
Professor Charles Godfray, Director of the the Oxford Martin School tells Jim Al-Kahlili about the intricate world of population dynamics,... more
Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, or ‘JVT’ as he's arguably better known, first came to widespread public attention in his role as... more
Humans have a long-held fascination with the idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a dystopian threat: from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,... more
How do you solve a problem like CO2? As the curtain closes on the world’s most important climate summit, we talk... more
The Life Scientific zooms in to explore the intricate atomic make-up of metal alloys, with complex crystalline arrangements that can... more
“Big data” and “data science” are terms we hear more and more these days. The idea that we can use... more
Professor Jim Al-Khalili meets one of Britain's greatest physicists, Sir Michael Berry. His work uncovers 'the arcane in the mundane',... more
People around the world are living longer and, on the whole, having fewer children. What does this mean for future... more
Our primate cousins fascinate us, with their uncanny similarities to us. And studying other apes and monkeys also helps us... more
The Life Scientific returns with a special episode from the USA; Princeton, New Jersey, to be precise.Here, the Institute for... more
With the world's biodiversity being lost at an alarming rate, Alexandre Antonelli, Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens,... more
Astronomer Paul Murdin believes a good imagination is vital for scientists, since they're so often dealing with subjects outside the... more
Some of the most complex medicines available today are made from living cells or organisms - these treatments are called... more
How much more of our world could we understand, if we could take stock of it, one atom at a... more
Reproductive science has come a long way in recent years, but there's still plenty we don't understand - particularly around... more
We’re used to hearing the stories of scientists who study the world as it is now but what about the... more
If you’ve ever seen the ocean during a storm, you’ll understand the extraordinary power contained in waves. On an island... more
Imagine a world in which your laptop or mobile device accesses the internet, not via radio waves – or WiFi... more
Our genes can tell us so much about us, from why we look the way we look, think the way... more
Anne-Marie Imafidon passed her computing A-Level at the age of 11 and by 16, was accepted to the University of... more
From landslides and wildfires to floods and tornadoes, Bruce Malamud has spent his career travelling the world and studying natural... more
How often do you think about chemistry?The chances are, not often - but it is vital to every part of... more
The world around us is three-dimensional. Yet, there are materials that can be regarded as two-dimensional. They are only one... more
There are almost a million people in the UK living with dementia, and Alzheimer’s is the most common form. But... more
Since 1900, our best estimates suggest that earthquakes have caused around 2.3 million deaths worldwide; we saw the devastating effects... more
Marie Johnston is a pioneer in the field of health psychology: the discipline that seeks to understand how psychological, behavioural... more
Professor Dame Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, is an engineer whose fascination with metals, and skill for handling both... more
Jim Al-Khalili talks T cells, our immune response and Long Covid with Prof Danny Altmann. Danny Altmann joined ‘team T... more
Jim Al-Khalili talks to astrophysicist Haley Gomez about defying expectations and becoming a world expert on cosmic dust.For centuries, cosmic... more
How a once-derided approach to statistics paved the way for AI. Jim Al-Khalili talks to pioneering mathematician, Professor Sir... more
Clifford Johnson's career to date has spanned some seemingly very different industries - from exploring quantum mechanics around string theory... more
A fur-stripped mouse carcase might not sound like the cosiest of homes – but that’s where the burying beetle makes... more
Motor Neuron Disease (MND) is a degenerative disease that relentlessly attacks the human nervous system, deteriorating muscle function to the... more
Professor Chris Elliott is something of a ‘food detective’. A Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology at Queen's University Belfast and... more
What use to science is a pesky organism that feeds on rotting fruit? Professor Bambos Kyriacou has spent fifty years... more
Leon Barron monitors pollution in our rivers, keeping tabs on chemicals that could be harmful to the environment and to... more
Tim Lamont is a young scientist making waves. Arriving on the Great Barrier Reef after a mass bleaching event, Tim... more
Daphne Koller was a precociously clever child. She completed her first degree – a double major in mathematics and computer... more
Emily Holmes is a distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology at Uppsala University and a neuroscientist who struggled to learn... more
Think Sahara Desert, think intense heat and drought. We see the Sahara as an unrelenting, frazzling, white place. But geo-archaeologist... more
Nobel Prize-winning chemist Frances Arnold left home at 15 and went to school ‘only when she felt like it’. She... more
Who could forget the beginning of 2020, when a ‘mysterious viral pneumonia’ emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Soon,... more
Vlatko Vedral describes himself as a quantum information practitioner, who believes that our universe is made up of quantum... more
Ant-loving professor, Adam Hart, shares his passion for leaf cutting ants with Jim Al Khalili. Why do they put leaves... more
When a person with severe anorexia nervosa refuses food, the very treatment they need to survive, is that refusal carefully... more
Pete Smith is very down to earth. Not least because he’s interested in soil and the vital role it plays... more
Chi Onwurah tells Jim Al-Khalili why she wanted to become a telecoms engineer and why engineering is a caring profession.... more
Ailie's first engineering challenge was working out how to get the solids to settle in a mixture of raw sewage... more
Ben Garrod is an obsessive bone collector and wild animal behaviourist. He was destined for a career in medicine but... more
Steve Brusatte analyses the pace of evolutionary change and tries to answer big questions. Why did the dinosaurs die out... more
Sir Shankar Balasubramanian is responsible for a revolution in medicine. The method he invented for reading, at speed, the unique... more
Early in her career, Julia wanted to know if it was possible to get someone to believe they committed a... more
Steve Brusatte analyses the pace of evolutionary change and tries to answer big questions. Why did the dinosaurs die out and the... more