The Science Show - Separate stories podcast

Fear as support for eugenics rises

The rise of eugenics troubles Professor of Psychology, Rebecca Sear, at Brunel University in London. Very powerful, influential, wealthy people are on board with eugenics

Genetics brings the beauty of biology

Chloroplasts in plant cells and mitochondria in animal cells were once free-living organisms. Now they are organelles fully incorporated in animal and plant cells. So how

The impact of ships in port

Southampton’s population is 260,000. When 5 cruise ships dock, some carrying 10,000 people, the city’s power demands can be almost 15-20% higher. Then there’s the impact

New methods to track population

Population data is vital as countries allocate resources. But it is costly to collect and data can quickly become out of date. Andy Tatem is using new sources of data fro

Earliest example of long-distance ocean voyaging by first Australians

Oceans were the focus at the opening of this year’s British Science Festival in Southampton UK. Professor of Maritime Archaeology Helen Farr describes the first example o

Lab Notes: Bogong moths bounce back?

Across south-eastern Australia, bogong moths seem to be everywhere. A few years ago, it was a different picture: scientists witnessed a population crash, and habitat thr

Call for accuracy in dinosaur displays

Theme parks and museums draw big crowds for dinosaurs. Kids love them. But palaeontologist James Ronan says some displays are based on ideas from the 1970s and present so

The battle between reptiles and mammals

Why did reptiles prevail for so long and why did mammals take so long to become dominant predators? Adam Lindholm is looking at body size, availability of prey and enviro

Climate change to increase pressure on lions in Africa

Lions are under considerable stress across Africa. Their habitat is fragmented and impacted by human activity such as agriculture. Being unable to roam freely, has led to

How bees protect their hives from disease

Bees survive by collaboration. To fight infection, bees arrange their honey and other stores in ways that repel disease. Microbiologist and bee researcher Kenya Fernandes

Togetherness - Symbiosis and the hidden story of life’s hidden collaborations

No more “Red In Tooth and Claw”? Well, that’s not the only story in evolution – from the beginning. Rowan Hooper in his latest book, Togetherness, shows how lichens, cora

Lab Notes: What's in store for wildlife this summer?

Over the past few years, our environment seems to have experienced multiple extreme events in quick succession. With a summer fuelled by what may be the strongest and we

Crossing the language barrier teaching astronomy and physics

As a professor in astrophysics, Katherine Blundell studies variable objects in the night sky. These are colliding or exploding objects. She uses spectroscopy to infer the

Investigating primary sclerosing cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare, chronic liver disease characterised by inflammation, scarring, and narrowing of bile ducts. Scar tissue restricts the flow

Breeding potatoes is like herding cats

So says potato geneticist Ingo Hein. It’s due to the chaos which results when two potato plants are crossed. The result can be one of tens of thousands of variations, whi

London street trees threatened by changing climate

Trees in Kew Gardens, like many across Europe this year, have suffered intensely from baking hot summers. The head of the gardens’ tree collections, Kevin Martin, reports

Some success with palm oil. Nickel mines the next challenge

Brendan May is a London-based environmental adviser to businesses around the world and has been specialising in South Pacific regions including Indonesia and South-East A

Lab Notes: When astronomers make mistakes

In March 2018, a South African astronomer looking into the distant universe "discovered" a bright red spot in the sky that hadn't been there previously; it felt like an e

First major biography of Francis Crick

Crick: A Mind in Motion – from DNA to the Brain was published in 2025, full of new information and the disposal of false tales. The story is so vibrant that, after the We

Air fryer vs deep fryer: Which produces more indoor air pollution?

Poor household air quality can affect people’s health, and high pollution levels lead to increased risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological disease. With the