Science Interviews

The Future of Scientific Journals

It looks as if the world of scientific papers is about to be transformed. Cell Editor, Emilie Marcus, explains:Emilie Marcus, Editor-in-Chief, Cell

Improving IVF

Many people manage to get pregnant doing it nature’s way. But some people need a little bit of medical help and that’s when they turn to In Vitro Fertilization. For some people, this is the only they're able to have their own children, but at the moment, it is far from perfect and there’s quite a high failure rate. Dr. Dagan Wells joins us...Dr Dagan Wells, Oxford University

Blood Tests for IVF Success

We've now heard how you can test embryos for vital clues as to which ones are probably the healthiest and therefore likely to result in a successful pregnancy, but what about testing mothers directly so that you can predict who's got the best IVF prospects? Well Dr Cathy Allen is at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin where she's been working on just that sort of idea...Dr Cathy Allen, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin

Stress During Pregnancy

Pregnant women are advised to eat well, to lay off the booze, not to smoke and to take it easy and put their feet up. But little is said about avoiding stress. Now, it seems that stress during pregnancy might affect the way that the foetus would develop as Meera Senthilingam found out when she met Imperial College London’s Professor Vivette Glover at the Royal Society’s summer exhibition...Professor Vivette Glover, Imperial College London

This week in science history - The first demonstration of dynamite

This week in science history saw, in 1867, Alfred Nobel first demonstrate dynamite in the UK, at Merstham Quarry in Surrey. Nobel had invented dynamite two years earlier and this demonstration was the first step towards a lucrative UK patent for the substance...Sarah Castor-Perry

The Rap Guide to Evolution

Darwin meets Hip hop at Baba Brinkman unveils his Rap Guide to Evolution at Cambridge University's Darwin Festival...Baba Brinkman, babasword.com

Deep Sea Sight

In the deep sea, where sunlight cannot reach, seeing is a particular challenge. We find out ways in which animals overcome this challenge, including one fish that does it with mirrors...Professor Ron Douglas, City University

Paying Attention

Information is constantly going into the brain, but how does it decide what to pay attention to and what to ignore? We find out what we know, and what we have left to learn, about this problem...Professor Alex Thiele, Newcastle University

Learning from Bee Brains

The brain's processing of visual input is complex, we find out how optical illusions and bees are helping us understand what our brain does when we see colours...Beau Lotto, University College London

The World Conference of Science Journalists

Earlier this week, it was the World Conference of Science Journalists. Nearly a thousand science writers and broadcasters from all over the world got together in Westminster, not at the houses of Westminster, but down just the road from there, to help each other out and to share some ideas and here’s Laura Soul to tell us a bit more...Laura Soul

Maker Faire Africa

Back in April, our technology correspondent Chris Vallance reported on the UK’s first Maker Faire. It’s now gone global, and so he’s back to tell us more...Chris Vallance, BBC Technology Correspondent

This week in science history - The birth of Hans Spemann

This week in science history saw, in 1869, the birth of Hans Spemann, a German embryologist who won a Nobel Prize for his work on embryonic development and discovery of ‘organiser’ areas in the embryo...Sarah Castor-Perry

Racing Green - Electric and Hybrid Supercars

Electric and hybrid cars do have a bit of an image problem. Many people think they're a bit slow, a bit goody, goody, perhaps a bit worthy, but this week, Meera Senthilingam visited Imperial College London to find out how electric and hybrid cars could soon rival modern petrol hungry muscle cars.Dr. Greg Offer & Aaron Kankiwala, Imperial Racing Green

Bipolar Batteries could be Better

So far, we’ve heard that electric cars have a great deal of potential but they're held back by their weight, capacity and the expense of their batteries. So new types of batteries are actually essential to seeing more electric cars on the road...Dr Andrew Loyns, Atraverda

Filling Up with Algae

Now, electric cars are not the only option we have for sustainable personal transport. Already, there are a number of vehicles on the roads that use biodiesel and that’s diesel that doesn’t come from fossil fuel but from living creatures, from living plants. Now, Anna Stephenson is a PhD student at the University of Cambridge and she’s looking at alternative ways to meet the demand for biodiesel...Anna Stephenson, Cambridge University

The Plight of the Bumblebees

We investigate why bee numbers are falling and what effect this will have on our agriculture.Bridget Nicholls, Pestival; Pat Goodwin, Wellcome Trust; Steve Benbow, the London Honey Factory

Transgenic Plants

Production and Advantages of Transgenic PlantsProfessor Jonathan Jones, The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich

Biodynamic pest control on organic farms

Biodynamic pest control on organic farmsProfessor Jane Memmott, University of Bristol

Seawater Greenhouses

Using greenhouses to create freshwater from seawater in arid countries.Charlie Paton, Seawater Greenhouse Ltd

The Importance of World Hepatitis Day

Dr Joe Grove explains why World Hepatitis Day is so important, as one in 12 people worldwide are living with the disease...Dr Joe Grove