BBC Inside Science

BBC Radio 4

A weekly programme that illuminates the mysteries and challenges the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.

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20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Thursday · 26 min
Are we alone in the universe?
What if the Goldilocks zone is for idiots?
July 23 · 26 min
Testing testosterone testing
Will the US army benefit from testing its male soldiers for testosterone levels?
July 16 · 26 min
How might we spot nukes in space?
What’s the point of having a treaty banning nukes in space if we can’t spot them?
July 9 · 26 min
Are we one step closer to creating life in a lab?
Researchers say they have created a synthetic cell-like system that can grow and divide.
July 2 · 26 min
How do you immortalise natural history?
The latest cutting-edge research on show at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.
June 25 · 26 min
Can we engineer ourselves out of a heatwave?
Is it time to start considering solar geoengineering to help us combat extreme heat?
June 18 · 26 min
Finding the evidence for the social media ban
How do you research the impacts of social media on young people?
June 11 · 26 min
How do you build an unbuildable tower?
How engineers fulfilled Gaudi’s once impossible vision for the Sagrada Familia.
June 4 · 26 min
How is AI going to change science?
What role will humans play in the future of scientific research?
May 28 · 26 min
Plankton's untapped potential
From Hay Festival 2026, a dive into a big year for our oceans.
May 21 · 26 min
El Niño is nigh, but so what?
El Niño is stirring in the Pacific Ocean and may well be one of the strongest yet.
May 14 · 26 min
The science behind hantavirus
What do we know about the disease following its outbreak on a cruise ship this month?
May 7 · 26 min
Should Pluto become a planet again?
We explore whether Pluto should regain its title as the solar system’s ninth planet
April 30 · 26 min
Why is Europe the fastest-warming continent?
We explore the mechanisms causing Europe's warming twice as fast as the global average.
April 23 · 26 min
Can we prevent the next pandemic?
Creating and manufacturing a novel vaccine capable of combatting bird flu.
April 16 · 26 min
Forty years on from nuclear disaster
What was learnt from the Chernobyl disaster and how has it shaped UK energy production?
April 9 · 26 min
Return to the moon
What have we learnt from Artemis II?
April 2 · 26 min
Responding to your science questions
Why men have nipples and how gravity slingshots work; your science questions answered.
March 26 · 26 min
The future of space travel
A nuclear-powered spacecraft promises deeper and more explorative space travel.
March 19 · 26 min
Is quantum computing having its moment?
The UK government announces a £2billion investment in quantum computing.