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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 4,348 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Jehane Ragai on the science of authenticating artworks
Egyptian chemist Jehane Ragai on proving forged paintings and uncovering masterpieces.
30 Dec 2025,28 mins
Tony Juniper on parrots, princes and environmental protection
Tony Juniper, head of Natural England, shares his hopes and fears for the state of nature.
23 Dec 2025,28 mins
Pierre Friedlingstein on carbon’s pivotal role in climate change
Pierre Friedlingstein on the pivotal role of carbon in predicting climate change.
11 Nov 2025,28 mins
Julia Simner on tasty words and hearing colours
Professor Julia Simner tests Jim for synaesthesia with surprising results.
04 Nov 2025,28 mins
Caroline Smith on meteorites and potential ancient life on Mars
Caroline Smith on meteorites, rocks on Mars and the potential for ancient life there.
28 Oct 2025,28 mins
AP De Silva on building molecular fluorescence sensors for healthcare
Photochemist AP De Silva on engineering molecular sensors to help revolutionise healthcare
21 Oct 2025,28 mins
Peter Knight on quantum technologies
Peter Knight on quantum computing and the strange physics of light.
14 Oct 2025,28 mins
Eleanor Schofield on conserving Tudor warship the Mary Rose
Materials scientist Eleanor Schofield on conserving a 500-year-old wooden warship.
07 Oct 2025,28 mins
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.
30 Sep 2025,28 mins
Gareth Collett on a career in bomb disposal
Gareth Collett on explosives engineering, bomb disposal and his move from army to academia
23 Sep 2025,28 mins
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.
16 Sep 2025,28 mins
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
09 Sep 2025,28 mins
Kevin Fong on medical planning for Mars and Earth-based emergencies
Kevin Fong on pestering Nasa, medical planning for Mars and handling major A&E incidents.
17 Jun 2025,28 mins
Dame Pratibha Gai on training atoms to do what we want
Pratibha Gai on her microscope that brought chemical reactions into sharp focus.
10 Jun 2025,28 mins
Catherine Heymans on the lighter side of the dark universe
Astronomer Royal for Scotland Catherine Heymans talks telescopes, dark matter and comedy.
03 Jun 2025,28 mins
Tim Coulson on how predators shape ecosystems and evolution
Professor Tim Coulson on how the wolves of Yellowstone National Park shape the ecosystem.
27 May 2025,28 mins
Claudia de Rham on playing with gravity
Claudia de Rham on defying gravity and understanding its fundamental nature.
20 May 2025,28 mins
Neil Lawrence on taking down the 'digital oligarchy' and why we shouldn't fear AI
Neil Lawrence on why we needn't fear the power of AI
13 May 2025,28 mins
Liz Morris on Antarctic adventures and the melting polar ice sheets
Liz Morris discusses being in the first wave of UK women scientists to work in Antarctica.
06 May 2025,28 mins
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 2025,45 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 2025,28 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