Discovery

The animal employment agency

<p>We live in a time of automation and robotics; the machines run the factories, and AI will soon take all the jobs. Yet, even today, there are certain niche jobs where only an animal will do. Comedian and biologist Simon Watt meets some of them and the people who train them, study them, and love them. </p><p>He starts with a business of ferrets (yes, that is their collective noun) at the National Ferret School in Derbyshire, who have swapped rabbit holes and trouser legs for drain-clearing, rewiring, and laying fibre optic cables. Ferret Trainer James McKay demonstrates why they are perfect for the job, as he casually folds one trainee into a tight pretzel.</p><p>Simon visits the HQ of Medical Detection Dogs, a training facility in Milton Keynes where dogs are being trained to sniff the tell-tale signs of a host of diseases. You may have heard of their 'cancer dogs', but it goes much further - epilepsy, malaria, Parkinson's, even Covid-19. Dr Claire Guest explains.</p><p>Although we have no real idea exactly how dogs do what they do, AI may be on the cusp of solving this puzzle for us. Simon speaks to Dr Andreas Mershin from start-up Realnose, which is developing “electronic noses".</p><p>Finally, Simon meets some real heroes - HeroRats, to be precise. Not the same species that haunts our sewers, these are African Giant Pouched Rats, and their job as landmine detection specialists is saving lives across Thailand, Mozambique, Cambodia and Zimbabwe. Dr Cynthia Fast from UCLA trains them for the job.</p><p>Presenter: Simon Watt Producer: Emily Knight</p>

Bodies

<p>The London Anatomy Office accepts around 350 human bodies donated for medical research and education annually. You may imagine that these bodies are presevered in chemicals for medical students to study over weeks and months. And some are. But many are used - almost fresh - to train surgeons in the procedures which may one day save your life.</p><p>Journalist Jenny Kleeman gains rare access to a surgical training course at Brighton and Sussex Medical School which uses these "fresh" donor bodies. She talks to the people who work with them every day and the surgeons who have come to be trained to find out how they feel about the people who have given the ultimate gift and if we still need real human cadavers in medical education.</p><p>Presenter: Jenny Kleeman Producer: Ella Hubber</p>

The Life Scientific: Kevin Fong

<p>There can't be many people in the world who've saved lives in hospital emergency rooms and also helped care for the wellbeing of astronauts in space – but Kevin Fong’s career has followed a singular path: from astrophysics and trauma medicine, to working with NASA, to becoming an Air Ambulance doctor.</p><p>Kevin is a consultant anaesthetist and professor of public engagement and innovation at University College London. He’s worked on the front line in hospitals, dealing with major incidents and helping shape policy; but he's also stayed true to his childhood passion for space, working on multiple projects with NASA and even going through the astronaut application process himself. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also become a well-known figure in science broadcasting through his various radio and TV shows.</p><p>Speaking to Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Kevin admits it hasn't always been an easy path – but his passion for both space and medicine have got him through. And today, he's channelling his energies into ensuring we protect the NHS's most precious commodity: its staff.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor Revised for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Dame Pratibha Gai

<p>Chemical reactions are the backbone of modern society: the energy we use, the medicines we take, our housing materials, even the foods we eat, are created by reacting different substances together. If we zoom in, it’s the atoms within these substances that rearrange themselves to give rise to new substances with the properties we need.</p><p>However, chemical reactions are far from perfect. They're often inefficient and their waste products can be harmful to the environment. Getting to grips with what goes on at the scale of individual atoms has long been a sticking point.</p><p>Dame Pratibha Gai has spent much of her career pioneering novel microscopes to bring this seemingly inaccessible atomic world into sharp focus. Now Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at York University, her microscope, known as the environmental transmission electron microscope, is housed in labs around the world. It allows scientists, like herself, to observe chemical reactions in real-time, in exquisite atomic detail, and tinker with them to create products that are not only better for all of us, but also the environment.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Beth Eastwood Revised for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Catherine Heymans

<p>Have you ever considered the lighter side of dark matter? Comedy has proved an unexpectedly succesful way to engage people with science - as today's guest knows first-hand.</p><p>Astrophysicist Catherine Heymans is a Professor at the University of Edinburgh and the current Astronomer Royal for Scotland. She’s spent her career studying dark matter and dark energy: the mysterious ingredients that make up an estimated 95% of our cosmos, but which we still know surprisingly little about. Using increasingly powerful telescopes, both on earth and in space, Catherine has spent years building detailed maps of dark matter - even to the extent of capturing rare images of this mysterious cosmic component.</p><p>On top of her research achievements, she's committed to making science accessible to all; not least by taking an astronomy-themed comedy show to the Edinburgh Festival and beyond.</p><p>In conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Catherine talks about her passion for sharing the joys of astrophysics - and reveals how health challenges over the last few years have forced her to readdress her career, her ambitions and even her sense of self...</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor Revised for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Tim Coulson

<p>As a young man, traveling in Africa, Tim Coulson - now Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford - became seriously ill with malaria and was told a second bout would probably kill him. Aged only 20, this brush with his own mortality led him to promise himself he would write a complete guide to science: life, the universe and everything. His aim was to understand the existence of all living things - no mean feat!</p><p>Over the course of a colourful career, Tim's work has taken him all over the world: including researching wolves in Yellowstone National Park, little fish called guppies in the rivers of Trinidad and silvereye birds on Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Using complicated mathematical models he builds up a picture of ecosystems seeking to explain how predators impact both evolution and ecosystems. And finally, more than thirty years after he vowed to write the book that would explain everything we know about science, he's done just that.</p><p>In conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Tim talks about his journey from youthful ambition to science demystifier.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Geraldine Fitzgerald Revised for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Brian Schmidt

<p>Have you ever pondered the fact that the universe is expanding? And not only that, it's expanding at an increasing speed - meaning everything around us is getting further and further away? </p><p>If that isolating thought makes you feel slightly panicked, don't worry: this programme also contains wine! </p><p>Brian Schmidt is a Distinguished Professor of Astrophysics at the Australian National University, known for his work on supernovae: massive explosions that take place when stars come to the ends of their lives. They are among the most energetic events in the universe and incredibly difficult to find; but that’s what his High-Z Supernova Search Team did, identifying enough of these rare and distant explosions to measure just how fast they were moving away from us. </p><p>This led them to the realisation that, contrary to long-held belief in cosmology, the expansion of the universe was speeding up; a discovery which earned Brian a share of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics. As if that wasn't enough, he's gone on to discover one of the earliest stars in the universe; run a university; and become a winemaker, at his very own vineyard just outside Canberra. </p><p>In a conversation spanning the genius phraseology of writer Douglas Adams, the importance of pisco sours, and the similarities between astronomy and viticulture, Brian tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili how his supernovae breakthrough paved the way for a revolution in astronomy - and where the field needs to go next... </p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor Revised for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Jane Goodall

<p>The celebrated primatologist Jane Goodall died last week at the age of 91. In tribute, we’re re-sharing this interview from 2020, where she reflects on the years she spent living with the wild chimpanzees in Gombe in eastern Tanzania and why she believes the best way to bring about change is to ‘creep into people’s hearts’. </p><p>Jane shot to fame when she appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1963 and appeared in a documentary film directed by Orson Welles. Her ground breaking observations introduced us to the social and emotional lives of wild chimpanzees and changed our view of what it is to be human. Images of her younger self play-wrestling with baby chimps make Jane feel slightly apprehensive now but at the time she didn’t give it a second thought. However, she did take care to protect her young son. Seeing distressing footage of chimps who were living in captivity, she gave up fieldwork to become an activist, working to liberate chimpanzees that were being used for medical research or sold for meat or as pets, and setting up chimp sanctuaries for animals that were no longer able to live in the wild. For the last thirty years, she has campaigned gently but relentlessly to protect wild animals and wild places, touring the world and performing on stage in front of huge audiences. Her global youth programme, Roots and Shoots has inspired and empowered millions of people to understand and respect nature, leading some to call her ‘the mother Theresa of the environment’. A label she dislikes.</p><p>Producer: Anna Buckley</p>

The Life Scientific: Jacqueline McKinley

<p>How much information can you extract from a burnt fragment of human bone?</p><p>Quite a lot, it turns out - not only about the individual, but also their broader lives and communities; and these are the stories unearthed by Jacqueline McKinley, a Principal Osteoarchaeologist with Wessex Archaeology.</p><p>During her career, Jackie has analysed thousands of ancient burial sites across the British Isles, bringing to life the old traditions around death via often cremated human remains. She's also assisted criminal investigators with forensic analysis, and contributed to some of the UK's best-loved archaeological TV shows. And one thing she’s absolutely clear about: far from being macabre, osteoarchaeology is more about the living, than the dead...</p><p>In conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Jackie talks about the stories we can derive from skeletal remains, how western attitudes to death have gone through a major recent shift, and why she's kept some of her late father's bones.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Jonathan Shepherd

<p>Surgeons often have to deal with the consequences of violent attacks - becoming all too familiar with patterns of public violence, and peaks around weekends, alcohol-infused events and occasions that bring together groups with conflicting ideals.</p><p>Professor Jonathan Shepherd not only recognised the link between public violence and emergency hospital admissions, he actually did something about it.</p><p>As a senior lecturer in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the early 1980s, Jonathan started looking into this trend - and his research revealed that most violent assaults resulting in emergency hospital treatment are not reported to police.</p><p>As a result, he devised the ‘Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention’: a programme where hospitals share data about admissions relating to violent attacks with local authorities. He also went on to study various aspects of violent assault and deliver evidence-based solutions - from alcohol restrictions in hotspots, to less breakable beer glasses in pubs.</p><p>The impacts have been significant, delivering reductions in hospital admissions and in violent attacks recorded by police; not only in Cardiff, but in cities around the world where the model is used. Today, as an Emeritus Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Cardiff University - where he’s also Director of their Crime, Security and Intelligence Innovation Institute - Jonathan continues to bring together the medical sector with local authorities, finding practical ways to make cities and their residents safer.</p><p>But his career, straddling the worlds of practise, science and policy, is an unusual one; here he talks to Professor Jim Al-Khalili about what drove him to make a difference.</p><p>Presentedby Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Doyne Farmer

<p>Doyne Farmer is something of a rebel. Back in the seventies, when he was a student, he walked into a casino in Las Vegas, sat down at a roulette table and beat the house. To anyone watching the wheel spin and the ball clatter to its final resting place, his choice of number would’ve looked like a lucky guess. But knowing the physics of the game and armed with the world’s first wearable computer, which he’d designed, a seemingly random win was actually somewhat predictable.</p><p>Doyne is an American scientist and entrepreneur who pioneered many of the fields that define the scientific agenda of our time, from chaos theory and complex systems to wearable computing. He uses big data and evermore powerful computers to apply complex systems science to the economy, to better predict our future. Much like roulette, economics can appear random but, with the right tools and understanding, it is anything but.</p><p>Now Director of the Complexity Economics Programme at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at Oxford, Doyne says there’s a real need to act, to use these powers of prediction to help resolve one of the most pressing questions of our time - how best to prevent climate change.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Beth Eastwood Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Tori Herridge

<p>Elephants are the largest living land mammal and today our planet is home to three species: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant.</p><p>But a hundred thousand years ago, in the chilly depths of the Ice Age, multiple species of elephant roamed the earth: from dog-sized dwarf elephants to towering woolly mammoths.</p><p>These gentle giants' evolutionary story and its parallels with that of humankind has long fascinated Dr Tori Herridge, a senior lecturer in evolutionary biology at the University of Sheffield, where - as a seasoned science broadcaster - she's also responsible for their Masters course in Science Communication.</p><p>Tori has spent much of her life studying fossil elephants and the sites where they were excavated; trying to establish facts behind relics that are far beyond the reach of Radio Carbon Dating. To date she's discovered dwarf mammoths on Mediterranean islands, retraced the groundbreaking Greek expedition of a female palaeontologist in the early 1900s, and even held an ancient woolly mammoth’s liver. (Verdict: stinky.)</p><p>But as she tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili, this passion for fossil-hunting is not just about understanding the past: this information is what will help us protect present-day elephants and the world around them for future generations.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Sir Magdi Yacoub

<p>What does it take to earn the nickname, ‘The Leonardo da Vinci of heart surgery’?</p><p>That's the moniker given to today's guest - a man who pioneered high-profile and often controversial procedures, but also helped drive huge medical progress; carrying out around 2,000 heart transplants and 400 dual heart-lung transplants during his 60-year career.</p><p>Sir Magdi Yacoub is Emeritus Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London, and Director of Research at Harefield Hospital’s Magdi Yacoub Institute. Inspired by a surgeon father and impacted by the tragic early death of his aunt from a heart condition, his medical career includes various surgical firsts alongside numerous research projects, to further our understanding of and ability to treat heart disease. He headed up the teams that discovered it is possible to reverse heart failure, and that successfully grew part of a human heart valve from stem cells for the first time.</p><p>But it hasn't always been plain sailing. At times, his work – such as early, unsuccessful transplant attempts, or using a baboon as a life-support system for a baby – attracted serious public criticism.</p><p>Speaking to Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Sir Magdi reflects on the highs and lows of his cardio career, and offers his advice to the next generation of surgeons and researchers hoping to make their mark in heart medicine.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Claudia de Rham

<p>Claudia de Rham has rather an unusual relationship with gravity.</p><p>While she has spent her career exploring its fundamental nature, much of her free time has involved trying to defy it - from scuba diving in the Indian Ocean to piloting small aircraft over the Canadian waterfalls. Her ultimate ambition was to escape gravity’s clutches altogether and become an astronaut, a dream that was snatched away by an unlikely twist of fate.</p><p>However, Claudia has no regrets - and says defying gravity for much of her life has helped her to truly understand it.</p><p>As Professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London, she now grapples with deep mathematics, where the fields of particle physics, gravity and cosmology intersect, on a quest to understand how the universe really works. She is a pioneer of the theory of massive gravity, a theory which could take us beyond even Einstein’s theory of relativity and shed light on why the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing rate.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Beth Eastwood Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Neil Lawrence

<p>When you think of Artificial Intelligence, does it inspire confidence, or concern?</p><p>Although it's now generally accepted that this technology will play a major role in our future, a lot of conversations around AI and machine learning come back to the argument over us losing control and robots taking over.</p><p>Happily, Neil Lawrence has a more optimistic view of the power of AI, and how we might navigate the potential pitfalls. Neil is the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, and over the course of his career has been involved in deploying AI and machine learning in both academic and commercial scenarios, with a stint at Amazon as well as working across fields as varied as movie animation, Formula 1 strategy, and medical research.</p><p>Speaking with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Neil says ultimately his efforts are all about making a difference to our everyday lives - and that we need to learn how to embrace AI, albeit with a healthy dollop of scepticism; not least when it comes to how our data is used, and the power of 'the digital oligarchy'...</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Liz Morris

<p>A frozen, white world at the far-reaches of the globe, where you're surrounded by snow and silence, might sound rather appealing. Factor in temperatures that drop to -57°C and a few of us might be put off - but for glaciologist Liz Morris, that's very much her happy place.</p><p>Liz is an Emeritus Associate at the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute, and was among the first British women scientists to work on the planet’s coldest continent, Antarctica. Over the course of her career, Liz has gathered vital data on polar ice sheets and how they’re affected by climate change. She's also made numerous research trips across the Greenland Ice Shelf, and has a glacier named after her in Antarctica.</p><p>In conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Liz discusses her fascination with glaciers and ice - and explains her unwavering determination to break into what was once a heavily male-dominated field.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

The Life Scientific: Anthony Fauci

<p>Welcome to a world where medicine meets politics: a space that brings together scientific research, government wrangling, public push-back and healthcare conspiracies…</p><p>Dr Anthony Fauci was the Director of America’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades, during which time he not only helped study, treat and prevent viruses such as HIV/AIDS and Covid-19; he also advised seven US Presidents, from Ronald Regan through to Joe Biden.</p><p>Along the way, Tony Fauci's picked up a public profile and taken a fair amount of flack; not least because of his complicated relationship with President Donald Trump. But he's also made great strides in medical research and policy, from working with activists who initially challenged him on the government response to HIV/AIDS - to spearheading the USA's PEPFAR project to share vital medication with developing nations.</p><p>In a candid conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Tony discusses his childhood in Brooklyn, the dark early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and lessons from the Covid-19.</p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor Reversion for World Service by Minnie Harrop</p>

Tooth and Claw: Praying Mantises

<p>Investigating an insect known for eating its prey alive – including, at times, its own species - the praying mantis! With bulging eyes and a triangular head, this predator uses it specially adapted front legs to trap its prey. </p><p>Able to predate animals of a size much larger than themselves, including birds, lizards and even fish, presenter Adam Hart hears about their cultural significance to human populations all around the world, as well as addressing their reputation for sexual cannibalism. We also hear about their biomaterial qualities and potential importance in agriculture, and also look into a parasitic relationship the praying mantis has with a worm in South America which has given them the name ‘the mother of snakes’.</p><p>Contributors:</p><p>Dr. Julio Rivera, entomologist and researcher at the Université de Montréal in Canada and research associate at the Montréal Insectarium.</p><p>Dr. Bianca Greyvenstein, postdoctoral fellow at North-West University in Potchefstroom and an expert in the praying mantises of South Africa.</p><p>Presenter: Professor Adam Hart Producer: Jonathan Blackwell</p><p>(Photo: Praying Mantis, Credit: Paul Starosta via Getty Images)</p>

Tooth and Claw: Leopards

<p>Investigating an elusive big cat known for its excellent tree climbing abilities - the leopard! This master of camouflage is found from the south of Africa to the far east of Asia – a spotted predator that stalks and ambushes its prey!</p><p>Presenter Adam Hart will investigate their relationships with tigers and lions, as well as learning about a recent discovery that leopards each have their own unique roar. He’ll also discuss the future of the Arabian leopard and the potential for a reintroduction to Saudi Arabia, and find out about the role of synthetic fur capes known as ‘Heritage Furs’ in leopard conservation. </p><p>Contributors:</p><p>Dr. Gareth Mann, who is based in South Africa, is Leopard Program Director for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organisation.</p><p>Dr. Charlotte Searle, postdoctoral researcher and conservationist based in Tanzania, who is associated with the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at the University of Oxford.</p><p>Presenter: Professor Adam Hart Producer: Jonathan Blackwell</p><p>Photo: Leopard in tree Credit: Valentin Wolf via Getty Images</p>

The Thirst for Water

<p>On this episode of The Evidence, Claudia Hammond discusses all things hydration with a panel of experts. Where do our hydration guidelines come from? How do we determine the perfect amount of water we should drink? What are the issues with water access that people and populations face aroud the globe? And how will climate change affect the amount of water we need, and our access to it. In front of a live audience at the Wellcome Collection in London, Claudia discusses these questions and more with Neil Turner, nephrologist and professor emeritus at Edinburhg University, Yael Velleman, Director of Policy and Innovation at Unlimit Health, working at the intersection of water access, sanitation, and disease; and Anthony Acciavatti, an associate professor at Yale Architecture School and creator of the exhibtion Groundwater Earth: The World Before and After The Tubewell.</p>

Tooth and Claw: Harpy Eagles

<p>Named after a beast from Greek mythology, the harpy eagle is widely considered to be the most powerful bird of prey due to its strong legs and huge talons. With a crown of feathers atop its head, and known for eating monkeys and sloths, this regal-looking raptor dominates the rainforest canopies across much of South and Central America. </p><p>Presenter Adam Hart looks into the folklore and cultural importance of these imposing birds, as well as finding out why these apex predators of the treetops are having to increasingly search for ground-dwelling prey such as armadillos. He also hears how harpy eagle researchers were the pioneers for biological applications of GPS in order to study and track these animals in the dense rainforest.</p><p>Contributors:</p><p>Dr. Helena Aguiar-Silva, biologist and associate research scientist at the National Institute for Amazonian Research and a member of Projeto Harpia Brasil.</p><p>Dr. Eduardo Alvarez founder of a non-profit organisation called EarthMatters.org, to concentrate on the study and conservation of harpy eagles and to preserve their rainforest habitat.</p><p>Presenter: Professor Adam Hart Producer: Jonathan Blackwell</p><p>Image: Harpy eagle and nest with chick Credit: João Marcos Rosa</p>

Tooth and Claw: Killer Whales

<p>Investigating the black-and-white apex predator of the sea – the killer whale! Able to predate even great white sharks, this marine mammal is the largest member of the dolphin family. From tropical seas, to the Arctic and Antarctic, killer whales (or orcas) are found across the world. Living in family groups and often led by a post-menopausal matriarch, killer whales have passed on their hunting methods, which vary depending on which prey they specialise in hunting, through the generations.</p><p>Presenter Adam Hart finds out about the killer whales incredible social behaviours (such as wearing salmon as hats) and hears how a dog is helping killer whale researchers access a gold mine of information about this predator. He also hears what challenges killer whale populations are facing and why killer whales may be attacking boats off the coast of the Iberian peninsula.</p><p>Contributors:</p><p>Dr. Leigh Hickmott, whale biologist and conservationist, who is an expert on Pack Ice killer whales, and whose research uses them as indicators to assess human disturbance of marine habitats.</p><p>Dr. Deborah Giles, who is an expert on Southern Resident killer whales, based with the SeaDoc Society, a program of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.</p><p>Presenter: Professor Adam Hart Producer: Jonathan Blackwell</p><p>(Photo: Killer Whales, Credit: Serge MELESAN via Getty Images)</p>

The Life Scientific - Tim Peake

<p>What's it like living underwater for two weeks? What's the trickiest part of training to be an astronaut? What are the most memorable sights you see from space? Several extreme questions, all of which can be answered by one man: Major Tim Peake. </p><p>After a childhood packed with outdoor adventures, via the Cub Scouts and school Cadet Force, Tim joined the British Army Air Corps and became a military flying instructor then a test pilot; before eventually being selected as a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. In 2015, Tim became the first British ESA astronaut to visit the International Space Station. </p><p>Over the course of a six-month mission, he took part in more than 250 scientific experiments and worked with more than two million schoolchildren across Europe. </p><p>In a special New Year’s episode recorded in front of an audience at London’s Royal Society, Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to Tim about his lifelong passion for adventure, the thrill of flight and why scientific experiments in space are so important. </p><p>Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor</p>

How does heat affect our health?

<p>What effect will warming temperatures have on health? One place to look for answers is Bulgaria. In the summer of 2023, Bulgaria experienced numerous heatwaves, leading to the country experiencing one of the highest rates of heat mortality in Europe. But how are these numbers calculated? How exactly does heat affect us? Who is most likely to suffer from ill health due to heat? And how can we protect ourselves in an increasingly warming world? Along with a panel of experts, Claudia Hammond will explore these questions and more with a live audience at the Sofia Science Festival in Bulgaria. Are we prepared for how rising temperatures will affect our health? This programme aims to find out.</p>

Unstoppable: Inge Lehmann

<p>From growing up in a progressive Denmark to studying mathematics at a gender-segregated Cambridge University, Inge Lehmann had to power through the shock of cultural change to pursue her love of mathematics. Whilst managing several seismological stations, Inge notices the peculiar readings in the data she was collecting. Was the Earth’s composition actually different to what the experts had thought?</p><p>Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber tell the story of Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann who used earthquakes to uncover the truth about the composition of the Earth’s inner core.</p><p>Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speakers: Dr Lif Lund Jacobsen and Dr Trine Dahl-Jensen Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound designer: Ella Roberts Production co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire </p><p>(Photo: Inge Lehmann Credit: Neuhaus, Even (6.2.1863-20.4.1946) /Royal Danish Library)</p>

Unstoppable: Tebello Nyokong

<p>Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, the story of a woman who gained her education by herding sheep during her childhood to becoming one of Africa’s most prominent scientists.</p><p>Born under Apartheid in South Africa, Tebello Nyokong and her family uprooted their lives to escape the unequal education system enforced upon Black South Africans. After herding sheep proved she could do anything a boy could do, Tebello ended up studying science and found a love for chemistry. In the face of limited opportunities, she once again uprooted her life and took her studies oversees, but this was when she was introduced to something huge: a new, ground-breaking cancer treatment. Now Tebello is using nanotechnology to get this therapy off the ground, all while she fights to make Africa a science superpower.</p><p>Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Professor Tebello Nyokong Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire </p><p>(Image: Professor Tebello Nyokong. Credit: Professor Tebello Nyokong)</p>

Unstoppable: Kura Paul-Burke

<p>Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, a Māori marine scientist is combining indigenous knowledge with marine science to save the oceans that are so integral to her heritage.</p><p>Growing up in 1970s New Zealand, Kura-Paul Burke faced stigma due to her Māori roots. But, after finding herself studying marine science as an adult, Kura leaned on her heritage to take on a problem where many had already failed: restoring a lost population of precious, green-lipped mussels. Discover how Māori ancestresses, tribal elders and centuries-old knowledge inspired the ingenious methods of Aotearoa's first female Māori professor of marine science.</p><p>Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Dr Kura Paul-Burke Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire</p><p>(Image: Dr Kura Paul-Burke. Credit: Dr Kura Paul-Burke)</p>

Unstoppable: Jocelyn Bell Burnell

<p>Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, the story of a young PhD student whose discovery of a previously unknown object in the universe won a Nobel Prize...but not for her.</p><p>On a cold night in 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell sits alone in an observatory, reading the data from a radio telescope. As the pattern in the data suddenly changes, she realises she has discovered an entirely new kind of cosmic phenomenon. Uncover her life story, from getting snubbed for the Nobel Prize to paving our knowledge of distant and invisible aspects of the universe.</p><p>Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire </p><p>(Image: Jocelyn Bell Burnell attends the 2019 Breakthrough Prize at NASA Ames Research Center on November 4, 2018 in Mountain View, California. Credit: Kimberly White/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)</p>

Unstoppable: Tu Youyou

<p>Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, a Chinese malariologist who hunted for clues in ancient medical texts to find a cure for one of the world’s deadliest diseases. </p><p>During a time of global political tension, the Chinese government set up a top-secret project to help communist troops in North Vietnam struggling with malaria. And tasked with this mission was young scientist, Tu Youyou. With a drive to help people after falling ill as a teenager and seeing the horrors of malaria firsthand, Tu turned to traditional Chinese medicine to look for potential treatments. And, after finding a hit, decided she should be the one to trial it... </p><p>Named as arguably the most important pharmaceutical discovery in the last half-century, winning the 2015 Nobel Prize, discover how one woman used an overlooked herb combined with modern science to ultimately save millions of lives. </p><p>Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Dr Xun Zhou Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire </p><p>(Image: Chief Professor Tu Youyou, laureate of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine acknowledges applause after she received her Nobel Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony at Concert Hall on December 10, 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden. Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/WireImage via GettyImages)</p>

Unstoppable: Purnima Devi Barman

<p>Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, the story of an Indian conservationist who combines stork preservation with female empowerment. On the banks of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian state of Assam, a young Purnima Barman discovers a love of storks whilst singing songs with her farmer grandmother. Fast forward decades later, she has created a community like no other by recruiting an army of over 20,000 village women to bring the Hargila storks from her childhood back from the brink of extinction. With their shared goal of restoring the relationship between the people and the wildlife, discover how Purnima is empowering women in the face of gender inequality. Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Dr Purnima Devi Barman Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire</p><p>(Image: Purnima Devi Barman. Credit: Purnima Devi Barman)</p>