Scientists in the Spotlight during the Pandemic

Jim Al-Khalili finds out how The Life Scientific has changed during the pandemic.

• 38 mins

Chris Jackson on sustainable geology

Geologist Chris Jackson on the earth's past, deep salt and abseiling into a volcano.

• 27 mins

Cath Noakes on making buildings Covid-safe

How good ventilation dramatically reduces the risk of inhaling tiny airborne pathogens.

• 29 mins

Giles Yeo on how our genes can make us fat

Giles Yeo reveals the role our genes play in the obesity epidemic.

• 27 mins

Anne Johnson on the importance of public health

From HIV to influenza and Covid-19, why prevention is better than cure.

• 30 mins

Jane Hurst on the secret life of mice

Jane Hurst reveals how mice are ruled by their noses.

• 27 mins

Richard Bentall on the causes of mental ill health

Why madness is in the world not in us. Prof Richard Bentall talks about his life and work.

• 41 mins

Sarah Bridle on the carbon footprint of food

Why did a rising star in the study of dark energy turn her attention to climate change?

• 27 mins

Mark Spencer on how plants solve crimes

Inside the mind of a forensic botanist, Mark Spencer.

• 28 mins

Theresa Marteau on how to change behaviour

Prof Dame Theresa Marteau tells Jim Al-Khalili about her life and work.

• 27 mins

Professor Martin Sweeting, inventor of microsatellites

How Martin Sweeting made a satellite on his kitchen table.

• 29 mins

Jane Clarke on Protein Folding

Jane Clarke unravels her discoveries into the molecular origami of our body's proteins.

• 28 mins

Peter Goadsby on migraine

Peter Goadsby on migraine attacks and the new treatments his research has inspired.

• 28 mins

Helen Scales on marine conservation

Fish watching and the downsides of deep sea mining. Helen Scales talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

• 34 mins

Nira Chamberlain on how mathematics can solve real-world problems

Jim Al-Khalili asks Nira Chamberlain how he uses maths to solve real-world problems.

• 28 mins

Mike Tipton on how our bodies respond to extreme conditions

Mike Tipton on cold water swimming.

• 32 mins

Tamsin Edwards on the uncertainty in climate science

All climate change models are wrong. Tamsin Edwards tells Jim Al Khalili why.

• 31 mins

Hannah Fry on the power and perils of big data

Why, in the Age of the Algorithm, humans have never been more important.

• 40 mins

David Eagleman on why reality is an illusion

Can we create new senses? Prof David Eagleman talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

• 28 mins

Brenda Boardman on making our homes energy efficient.

Can we achieve carbon net zero in our homes? Brenda Boardman talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

• 27 mins

Derk-Jan Dijk on the importance of sleep

How does sleep change as we age? Derk-Jan Dijk talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

• 27 mins

Hannah Cloke and predicting floods

Hannah Cloke talks to Jim Al-Khalili about predicting this summer's serious floods.

• 27 mins

The Life Scientific at 10: What makes a scientist?

Jim Al-Khalili and distinguished guests reflect on ten years of The Life Scientific.

• 56 mins

The Patrick Vallance Interview

Science and our future

• 37 mins

Tim Spector and personalised diets for long term health

Professor Tim Spector on fuelling gut microbes for long term health.

• 32 mins

Tim Clutton-Brock on meerkats, red deer and evolution

What makes meerkats so cooperative and why do sons cost mothers more than daughters?

• 29 mins

Sharon Peacock on hunting pandemic variants of concern

Leading the UK's hunt for new and dangerous Covid-19 variants.

• 28 mins

Julia Shaw on memories that aren't true

Can we trust our memories of events? Julia Shaw talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

• 38 mins

Shankar Balasubramanian on decoding DNA

The man who found a way to decode DNA at speed.

• 29 mins

Steve Brusatte on the fall of dinosaurs and the rise of mammals

How did mammals come to dominate our planet? Prof Steve Brusatte talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

• 40 mins

Ben Garrod on conservation and extinction

What can bones tell us about evolution, behaviour and extinction?

• 35 mins

Chi Onwurah on why engineering is a caring profession.

Why politics needs more scientists and engineers.

• 37 mins

Pete Smith on why soil matters

Restore peat bogs to mitigate climate change and improve bio-diversity.

• 31 mins

Jacinta Tan on anorexia nervosa and the mind

How does a person with anorexia nervosa think? Jacinta Tan talks to Jim Al-Khalili.

• 28 mins

Adam Hart on ants, bees and insect burgers

When does a waggle dance become a tremble dance?

• 28 mins

Vlatko Vedral on the universe as quantum information

A self-confessed physics fundamentalist decodes reality.

• 37 mins

Sir Martin Landray on saving over a million lives

Sir Martin Landray on how he discovered the drugs for Covid-19 with the RECOVERY Trial.

• 39 mins