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Sun, sea... and science
Misunderstood seagulls, ice cream chemistry and the science of sun safety.
Wimbledon Grass Science
Could white paint help tackle climate change? And 'synthetic embryos' for research.
Should Antarctica be off limits?
Also, we dip into the Seine’s Olympic clean-up, and is Flying Ant Day really just one day?
CERN’s Supercollider Plan
Is the 17 billion Euro project worth it?
How much of a risk is space junk?
Also, sex before sport and how oceans influence how hot it is.
Going for gold
Turning e-waste into jewellery and the genetics of a gold medal Olympian.
Beavers of London
As beaver kits arrive in London, we ask if we should bring wilderness back to UK cities.
Why aren’t we eating more insects?
We try some cricket tacos – and ask what role insects might play in our future diets.
Predicting everything
Also, the latest on Alzheimer's drugs and how we work out Paralympic classifications.
The Grenfell cladding
Why was the Grenfell Tower cladding so dangerous?
The first civilian spacewalk
Also, the science of what we do with our nuclear waste and why.
Is lab-grown meat the future of food?
From how it's made to farmers' perceptions, a deep dive into the edible innovation.
How green is space travel?
We discuss whether a boom in space travel could be a problem for Earth’s climate.
Could coal shut-down mark new era for energy?
What difference will closure of the UK’s last coal-fired power station make?
Should we bring back extinct animals?
A US company claims it will bring back a woolly mammoth by 2028 – how and why?
Are our carbon sinks failing?
What’s happening to our carbon sinks?
Whatever happened to graphene?
Twenty years on from the discovery of wonder material graphene, is it changing the world?
Spooky Science
It’s our Halloween special, featuring blood-sucking leeches, the undead and pumpkin waste.
COP29: Are climate summits working?
What is the point of UN climate conferences, and are they really doing enough?
Nuclear medicine shortages and Jane Goodall on COP29
What are medical isotopes and why are we short of them? And we chat to Jane Goodall.
The climate cost of war
What is the climate impact of conflicts around the world?
Is flood forecasting failing?
We find out how flooding is forecast – and ask what went wrong in the recent UK floods.
Fact-checking the Bovaer backlash
How is cow feed additive Bovaer tackling methane from burpy cows – and is it safe?
The rising threat of bird flu
How close is a bird flu pandemic? We explore a year of changes in this concerning virus.
The Year in Science
What were 2024’s biggest science moments?
Board Game Science
This festive season we unravel the science of games - and, of course, play some ourselves.
The Science of Laughter
A presenter, a comedian and a neuroscientist walk into a tent in Wales...
Science in 2025
What will happen in science this year?
UK AI & science-optimised pasta
The positives and pitfalls of AI in medicine and a pasta recipe with added physics.
Next-gen batteries and 'dark oxygen'
Is it time to replace the little chemical factories in our pockets with something better?
Is 1.5 still alive?
And new clues about how life on Earth began from a dusty old space rock.