The Life Scientific

BBC Radio 4

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future

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20 episodes
Updated May 26

Episodes20

Newest first

May 26 · 28 min
Dean Lomax on discovering ichthyosaurs and defying nay-sayers
Dean Lomax on his unconventional route into palaeontology and making BIG discoveries.
May 19 · 28 min
Helen Hastie on the future of human-robot relations
Professor Helen Hastie on the positive future role for robots in our world.
May 12 · 28 min
Seth Berkley on the importance of vaccinating the world
Epidemiologist Seth Berkley on a career trying to get vaccines to those in need.
May 5 · 28 min
Hiranya Peiris on unravelling the story of the universe
Hiranya Peiris on discovering the origin and evolution of the universe.
April 28 · 28 min
Washington Yotto Ochieng on the navigation tech that keeps our world moving
Washington Yotto Ochieng reveals just how dependent we are on navigation systems like GPS.
April 21 · 28 min
Lucy Carpenter on how our oceans are destroying ozone
Atmospheric chemist Lucy Carpenter explains how natural marine processes impact ozone.
April 14 · 28 min
Jens Juul Holst on the gut hormone discovery behind weight-loss drugs
Physiologist Jens Juul Holst on how gut hormone GLP-1 paved the way for weight loss drugs.
April 7 · 28 min
Jim Ashworth-Beaumont on how a near-fatal accident made him a better clinician
Orthotist Jim Ashworth-Beaumont on how the body can adapt to life-changing injuries.
January 27 · 28 min
Jehane Ragai on the science of authenticating artworks
Egyptian chemist Jehane Ragai on proving forged paintings and uncovering masterpieces.
January 20 · 28 min
Tony Juniper on parrots, princes and environmental protection
Tony Juniper, head of Natural England, shares his hopes and fears for the state of nature.
Dec 9, 2025 · 28 min
Pierre Friedlingstein on carbon’s pivotal role in climate change
Pierre Friedlingstein on the pivotal role of carbon in predicting climate change.
Dec 2, 2025 · 28 min
Julia Simner on tasty words and hearing colours
Professor Julia Simner tests Jim for synaesthesia with surprising results.
Nov 25, 2025 · 28 min
Caroline Smith on meteorites and potential ancient life on Mars
Caroline Smith on meteorites, rocks on Mars and the potential for ancient life there.
Nov 18, 2025 · 28 min
AP De Silva on building molecular fluorescence sensors for healthcare
Photochemist AP De Silva on engineering molecular sensors to help revolutionise healthcare
Nov 11, 2025 · 28 min
Peter Knight on quantum technologies
Peter Knight on quantum computing and the strange physics of light.
Nov 4, 2025 · 28 min
Eleanor Schofield on conserving Tudor warship the Mary Rose
Materials scientist Eleanor Schofield on conserving a 500-year-old wooden warship.
Oct 28, 2025 · 28 min
George Church on reimagining woolly mammoths and virus-proofing humans
Geneticist George Church on mapping the world's DNA and a mammoth 'de-extinction' project.
Oct 21, 2025 · 28 min
Gareth Collett on a career in bomb disposal
Gareth Collett on explosives engineering, bomb disposal and his move from army to academia
Oct 14, 2025 · 28 min
Sonia Gandhi on building model brains to tackle Parkinson’s disease
Sonia Gandhi on trying to tackle the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world.
Oct 7, 2025 · 28 min
Mark O'Shea on close encounters with venomous snakes
Mark O'Shea on how a boyhood interest in snakes paved the way for a globe-trotting career