Science Podcasts

This week, how plants keep track of time, viruses spread by sapsuckers, smoke makes fire-sensitive seeds germinate, and...

A massive tornado a mile wide ripped through the town of Moore, Oklahoma. But what's the science behind these...

Simon Cotton introduces us to cathinone, the active ingredient in the stimulant Khat

Infected by earworms, does Mozart make you smarter, plus are creativity and delusions linked?

Why are bubbles always white? What does a thrusting rocket push against? How do we know a random number is random?

How are random numbers generated, and how could it be proved - to the satisfaction of a mathematician, that a number...

We find out what is wind and why do we have it? Plus we ask, why and how do plants always grow upwards?

Actress Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy because she carries a gene called BRCA1, which greatly increases her...

How are weather forecasts made? Are they accurate, and if not why not? And how do we know when extreme weather is on...

Emma Stoye on digoxin, a toxic product of foxgloves, and the birth of modern pharmacology

Genetic technology is expanding at a pace that few can keep up with, but is this explosion of information delivering...

A campaign has been launched to stop science toys being sold by some stores as "toys for boys". But what does...

Does cold exposure cause colds? What consitutes safe drinking water? Why do distant lights and stars flicker? What is...

The Space Boffins visit Europe's largest space company and find out how to get rid of space junk.

We find out if living in the big smoke is better for your immune system in the long term. Plus we ask, what is wind and...

How new flu viruses, including H7N9, arise, and the threat from extensively resistant tuberculosis

Neil Withers recalls making this groundbreaking superconductor as a student

Does what we eat alter how we smell? Why does the severed tail of a lizard still wriggle? How does the nervous system...

Face-lift for old artwork - Ginny Smith visited the Fitzwilliam Museum to find out how oil paintings are restored to...

Naked Archaeologist Diana O Carroll dates ancient artefacts. Plus we ask, is city living an immune booster?

Lars Öhrström gets his teeth into the first sandwich compound

We find out how scientists and art conservationists work together to develop new techniques to preserve our cultural...

Why do adults smell more than children? How are bionic implants contributing to longevity? What is progeria? How do...

Lars Öhrström finds a link between Napoleon III and rhubarb