2005 Series Jan-Mar

Chris Smith

Kat Arney

This week we look at the scary, squeamish and sinister side to science. Dr Tim Wreghitt, from Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, discusses the threat of avian flu, viruses and why we keep catching the common cold, Dr Ian Burgess, director of Insect Research and Development Ltd, is itching to discuss bed bugs, head lice and fleas, and John Emsley from Bedfordshire talks about the chemistry of poisoning and his new book 'Elements of Murder'. Anna Lacey asks the chief executive of the RSPB, Graham Wynn, why conservation is so important, and Philippa Law provides an alarming conclusion to our series on Einstein's influence in our everyday lives by finding out how smoke detectors work.

Chris Smith

This special Brain Awareness Week show exercises the grey matter as Professor Chris McManus from the Department of Psychology at University College London talks about left-handedness and why the two halves of the brain are different, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, discusses autism and a process called synesthesia, where people hear colours and taste shapes, and Professor Seth Grant from the Sanger Institute at Hinxton describes how genes help your brain to work, and discusses whether they make you intelligent. Continuing our series on Einstein's influence in the home, Philippa Law stews over Brownian Motion and the science in a cup of tea, and Sarah Urquhart, Brian Wallace and Anna Lacey join the fun at the Cambridge Science Festival.

Chris Smith

Helen Scales

In this show we look at the causes and effects of global warming. Professor Lloyd Peck from the British Antarctic Survey discusses how giant sea spiders cope with extreme Antarctic cold, Professor Howard Griffiths, from the Plant Sciences Department at Cambridge University, describes the link between carbon dioxide and climate change, and discusses how plants help to control global warming, Professor Harry Elderfield from Earth Sciences at Cambridge University tells us how carbon dioxide is making the ocean acidic, and Professor Chris Llewelyn-Smith, from the UK Atomic Energy Authority, suggests that nuclear fusion may be an alternative energy solution for the future. And continuing our series on Einstein's contribution to science in the home, Philippa Law gets turned on by the photoelectric effect.

Chris Smith

Helen Scales

This week we're picking the brains of two top experts on the science of hypnosis. Dr Peter Naish from the Open University discusses what hypnosis is, how stage hypnosis differs from therapeutic hypnosis, how new evidence suggests that hypnosis isn't just 'all in the mind', and whether hypnosis can reveal your former life, while Dr Tannis Laidlaw from Imperial College London talks about how hypnosis can help people give up smoking, reduce stress and improve well-being. In our second look at how Einstein has influenced science in our living rooms, Philippa Law accounts for how calculators work.

Chris Smith

Kat Arney

This week we've dug up three bona fide scientists to talk about what fossils tell us about the past. Dr David Norman, the director of the Museum of Earth Sciences at Cambridge University, discusses the science of dinosaurs, Dr Tamsin O'Connell from Cambridge University describes how isotope markers in ancient bone and hair can tell us what animals were eating, and Dr Paul Willis from Sydney, Australia, talks about how new crocodile fossils help us understand crocodile evolution. In the first of our series on how Einstein has influenced our everyday lives, Philippa Law has a laser-sharp look at how a CD player works.

Kat Arney

Helen Scales

Mandy Morton

In this week's show, Professor Fran Balkwill from the Cancer Institute at St. Bartholomew's and The Royal London, and Professor Andrew Wyllie, Head of the Department of Pathology at Cambridge University, discuss cancer, how cancer spreads and how the body responds, Dr Toby Murcott, a science writer and broadcaster, talks about complementary medicines and how they might be tested, and Dr Chris Smith flies through a host of discoveries from the other side of the pond, where he reports live from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington.

Chris Smith

Kat Arney

Today's show is about Cupid's Chemistry - the science of sex, smell and pheromones - with Cambridge University olfaction and pheromone researcher Dr. Peter Brennan, who joins us to discuss how the nose picks up smells, Prof. Steve Jones, from University College London who describes why animals and plants have sex, Keele University chemist Dr. Graeme Jones who discusses the role of pheromones, and how ants and other insects use smell to find their way back to their nest, and Dr. Steve Yanoviak drops in from the rainforest canopy in Peru to talk about ants that can glide...

Helen Scales

Chris Smith

On today's show Prof. Roger Pedersen, from Cambridge University, joins us to discuss what are stem cells, what is their role in the developing embryo, and how can they be used to repair or replace damaged tissues, and Dr Huseyin Mehmet, from Imperial College London, discusses how he is developing therapies for cerebral palsy based on stem cell repair. Also joining us on today's show is Soren Müller Bested, from Singapore's umbilical cord blood stem cell bank, CordLife, to discuss how discarded umbilical cords of new born babies are a rich source of stem cells.

Helen Scales

Chris Smith

On today's show we go in search of life's origins, extraterrestrial life, and the ingredients that make a planet a good home with astronomer Dr. Simon Goodwin, from the University of Cardiff, and Dr. Monica Grady, from the Natural History Museum, London. Also joining us on the programme are theoretical physicist Professor Michio Kaku, from City University New York, to discuss the possible existence of parallel universes, and NASA plant scientist Dr. Volker Kern, who describes interesting results when moss grows in the absence of gravity aboard a spaceship...

Kat Arney

Chris Smith

On this week's show we are joined by microbiologist and probiotic expert Professor Glenn Gibson, from the University of Reading, to talk about friendly bacteria and how they can affect human health, and bioremediation researcher Professor Lynne Macaskie, from the University of Birmingham, who explains how bacteria can be used to help clean up the environment by eating concrete and oil spills. Also joining us are pathologist Professor John Lee, who discusses his new TV programme "Anatomy for Beginners" featuring human dissection, and space scientist Professor John Zarnecki who brings us up to speed with the success of the Huygens mission to Titan, Saturn's largest moon.