BBC Inside Science

BBC Radio 4

A weekly programme that illuminates the mysteries and challenges the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.

  • 28 minutes 10 seconds
    Whatever happened to graphene?

    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 Godfather of Graphene Andrew Geim, and learning what it has – and hasn’t – done and what might be next...

    Also this week, how to kill an asteroid and we talk the “other” COP with chief scientific adviser to the government, Dame Angela McLean.

    Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth 

    BBC Inside Science is produced in partnership with the Open University.

    21 November 2024, 5:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 16 seconds
    Are our carbon sinks failing?

    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: Andrew Rhys Lewis BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.

    14 November 2024, 5:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 14 seconds
    Should we bring back extinct animals?

    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 Smith Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Rhys Lewis

    BBC Inside Science is produced in partnership with the Open University.

    7 November 2024, 5:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 12 seconds
    Could coal shut-down mark new era for energy?

    “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 obsessed with Moo Deng?

    Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Rhys Lewis

    BBC Inside Science is produced in partnership with the Open University.

    If you want to test your climate change knowledge, head to bbc.co.uk - search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to the Open University.

    31 October 2024, 5:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 12 seconds
    How green is space travel?

    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 solution be?

    Also on the programme, a personal perspective from a remote island on worrying seabird declines, the results of a project to refreeze Arctic sea ice, and why new evidence unearthed about the Falkland Islands suggests it may once have looked very different...

    Presenter: Vic Gill Producers: Ella Hubber & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Rhys Lewis Studio Manager: Rhys Morris

    BBC Inside Science is produced in partnership with the Open University.

    If you want to test your climate change knowledge, head to bbc.co.uk - search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to the Open University.

    24 October 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 27 minutes 57 seconds
    Is lab-grown meat the future of food?

    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 from the failings of GM foods, and trying to figure out what the true environmental costs of entirely new way of producing food really is.

    Presenter: Victoria Gill Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Rhys Lewis

    17 October 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 5 seconds
    The first civilian spacewalk

    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 square metre than any other site in Europe. But it is getting full.

    So where is our nuclear waste going to go in future? As the UK searches for a new potential site, we look at the science of what we do with nuclear waste and why.

    We’ll also delve into the fascinating world of nuclear semiotics. How can we communicate the dangers of nuclear waste to people living 100,000 years from now?

    Presenter: Vic Gill Producers: Sophie Ormiston & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Studio manager: Cath McGhee Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Rhys Lewis

    10 October 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 1 second
    The Grenfell cladding

    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 Hubber & Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Studio Manager: Emily Preston Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Rhys Lewis

    3 October 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 50 seconds
    Predicting everything

    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 available on the NHS. But what is behind this decision, and what makes creating an Alzheimer’s drug so difficult? Professor Tara Spires-Jones from the University of Edinburgh talks us through the science.

    And could ‘smart paint’ supersize our fruit and veg? Reporter Roland Pease heads over to the experimental greenhouses of Cranfield University’s crop science unit to see if the technology works.

    Thee Paralympic Games are now underway in Paris, with athletes competing across 22 different events. But as competitors have a range of different impairments, how is it ensured that there's a level playing field? Professor Sean Tweedy from the University of Queensland calls in from Paris to explain how athletes are sorted into categories for competition.

    Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Sophie Ormiston and Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Andrew Lewis

    26 September 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 27 minutes 54 seconds
    Why aren’t we eating more insects?

    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 else should we visit? Send your suggestions to [email protected]

    Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer: Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Sound manager: Mike Cox Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

    19 September 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 10 seconds
    Beavers of London

    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-watching acuity of our beloved pets.

    And our guts are not the only places where bacterial communities thrive, new research tells us that our microwaves also have a microbiome. Should we be worried?

    Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston and Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinators: Jana Bennett-Holesworth and Andrew Rhys Lewis

    12 September 2024, 4:00 pm
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