The Life Scientific

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

Radio 4,329 episodes

Episodes

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Anthony Fauci on a medical career navigating pandemics and presidents
Dr Anthony Fauci discusses his career spanning the worlds of medicine and politics.
29 Apr 2025,30 mins
Brian Schmidt on Nobel Prize-winning supernovae and the joys of making wine
Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Brian Schmidt talks supernovae studies and wine-making.
25 Mar 2025,28 mins
Jacqueline McKinley on unearthing bones and stories at Britain's ancient burial sites
Jim Al-Khalili digs into the subterranean world of ancient bones with Jacqueline McKinley.
18 Mar 2025,28 mins
Jonathan Shepherd on a career as a crime-fighting surgeon
Surgeon Jonathan Shepherd on developing the Cardiff Model of Violence Prevention.
11 Mar 2025,30 mins
Doyne Farmer on making sense of chaos for a better world
Doyne Farmer on how predict the future to help prevent climate change and win at roulette.
04 Mar 2025,28 mins
Tori Herridge on ancient dwarf elephants and frozen mammoths
Dr Tori Herridge on her fascination with Ice Age elephants and their evolutionary story.
25 Feb 2025,28 mins
Sir Magdi Yacoub on pioneering heart transplant surgery
Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub discusses his career at the cutting edge of transplant surgery.
18 Feb 2025,28 mins
Tim Peake on his journey to becoming an astronaut and science in space
Jim Al-Khalili talks to Tim Peake in a special event recorded at London's Royal Society.
31 Dec 2024,60 mins
Anna Korre on capturing carbon dioxide and defying expectations
Environmental engineer Anna Korre on the race to decarbonise British industry.
24 Sep 2024,28 mins
Rosalie David on the science of Egyptian mummies
Rosalie David on what mummies reveal about life, death and medicine in ancient Egypt
17 Sep 2024,28 mins
Peter Stott on climate change deniers and Italian inspiration
Climate scientist Peter Stott on taking on sceptics and modelling our climate impact.
10 Sep 2024,28 mins
Ijeoma Uchegbu on using nanoparticles to transform medicines
Ijeoma Uchegbu on using nanoparticles to transform medicines.
03 Sep 2024,28 mins
Darren Croft on killer whale matriarchs and the menopause
Killer whale matriarchs, their dependent sons and the evolution of the menopause
27 Aug 2024,28 mins
Bill Gates on vaccines, conspiracy theories and the pleasures of pickleball
Bill Gates talks philanthropy, the power of vaccines and dealing with conspiracy theories.
20 Aug 2024,35 mins
Kip Thorne on black holes, Nobel Prizes and taking physics to Hollywood
Astrophysicist Kip Thorne discusses his career, from researching black holes to hit movies
06 Aug 2024,35 mins
Vicky Tolfrey on parasport research and childhood dreams of the Olympics
Sports scientist Vicky Tolfrey on supporting para athletes and working with ParalympicsGB.
30 Jul 2024,28 mins
Dawn Bonfield on inclusive engineering, sustainable solutions and why she once tried to leave the sector for good
Dawn Bonfield on how engineering can save the world - if it becomes more inclusive.
23 Jul 2024,28 mins
Raymond Schinazi on revolutionising treatments for killer viruses
Raymond Schinazi on how he helped revolutionise treatments for viruses, from HIV to Herpes
16 Jul 2024,28 mins
Janet Treasure on eating disorders and the quest for answers
Professor of Psychiatry Janet Treasure discusses her career researching eating disorders
09 Jul 2024,28 mins
Anne Child on Marfan syndrome and love at first sight
Anne Child discusses her game-changing research into the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome.
02 Jul 2024,28 mins
Conny Aerts on star vibrations and following your dreams
Asteroseismologist Conny Aerts expalins what stellar oscillations can teach us about space
25 Jun 2024,28 mins
Mike Edmunds on decoding galaxies and ancient astronomical artefacts
Mike Edmunds on the chemical make-up of galaxies and decoding the Antikythera Mechanism
23 Apr 2024,32 mins
Hannah Critchlow on the connected brain
Neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow on connections within - and between - brains.
16 Apr 2024,28 mins
Fiona Rayment on the applications of nuclear for net zero and beyond
Jim Al-Khalili talks to the president of the Nuclear Institute about all things nuclear.
09 Apr 2024,28 mins
Nick Longrich on discovering new dinosaurs from overlooked bones
Jim Al-Khalili talks dinosaurs and ‘one in a million year’ events with Dr Nick Longrich.
02 Apr 2024,28 mins
Sheila Willis on using science to help solve crime
Forensic scientist Dr Sheila Willis on when the worlds of science and the law collide.
26 Mar 2024,28 mins
Sir Charles Godfray on parasitic wasps and the race to feed nine billion people
Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work.
19 Mar 2024,28 mins
Jonathan Van-Tam on Covid communication and the power of football analogies
Sir Jonathan Van-Tam discusses his work around infectious diseases and Covid-19.
12 Mar 2024,36 mins
Michael Wooldridge on AI and sentient robots
Michael Wooldridge, professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, talks AI.
19 Dec 2023,37 mins
Mercedes Maroto-Valer on making carbon dioxide useful
Jim Al-Khalili chats to a 'solutions scientist' about solving our CO2 problem.
12 Dec 2023,28 mins