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Discovery

Explorations in the world of science.

World Service,1470 episodes

Episodes

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The power of celibacy
Lucy Cooke discovers why some species reproduce without sex or the need for males
01 Feb 2021,27 mins
The Evidence: The Shapeshifting Virus
Will new vaccines work against the more infectious versions of the coronavirus?
30 Jan 2021,50 mins
Science Trumped
Let science speak, health expert Tony Fauci pleaded last week. So how was it sidelined?
25 Jan 2021,33 mins
Plant scientist Dale Sanders
Why the world needs more plant scientists. Prof Dale Sanders talks to Jim Al-Khalili.
18 Jan 2021,27 mins
Astrophysicist Andy Fabian
Professor Andy Fabian on supermassive black holes and their dramatic hold over galaxies
11 Jan 2021,27 mins
Marine conservationist Heather Koldewey
Saving seahorses and turning old fishing nets into luxury carpets.
04 Jan 2021,27 mins
Climate meltdown
Wildfires, floods, hurricanes made 2020 record breaking. What it says about climate change
28 Dec 2020,37 mins
Hopes and fears for Covid-19 vaccines
Vaccines and virus mutations
26 Dec 2020,50 mins
Evolutionary biologist Alice Roberts
What can we learn from human remains? Alice Roberts talks bones with Jim Al Khalili
21 Dec 2020,27 mins
Steve Haake
Steve Haake talks to Jim al-Khalili about how technology improves sporting ability
14 Dec 2020,26 mins
The Space Burrito
Is there a point in space where the Sun could heat a burrito perfectly? And other puzzles
07 Dec 2020,27 mins
The Zedonk Problem
What are ligons and tigers? What is a species?
30 Nov 2020,27 mins
The Evidence: Pandemic rules: follower or flouter?
Why a sense of “we” rather than “I” makes us more likely to follow pandemic rules
28 Nov 2020,51 mins
The end of everything
When and how is the universe going to end?
23 Nov 2020,27 mins
Broad spectrum
Helen Keen had a diagnosis of autism as an adult. She explores how it appears in women
16 Nov 2020,26 mins
Birds: singing for survival
Birds are changing their tunes
09 Nov 2020,26 mins
Anatomy Of Touch
Touch hunger
Why we’re starved of touch
12 Oct 2020,26 mins
Anatomy Of Touch
Unwanted touch
How can we stop unwanted touch?
19 Oct 2020,26 mins
Anatomy Of Touch
Affectionate touch
How we experience gentle touch
26 Oct 2020,26 mins
Anatomy Of Touch
Digital touch
Can touch be replicated digitally?
02 Nov 2020,26 mins
The Evidence: Are national lockdowns evidence of policy failure?
Locked in the lockdown cycle – evidence for a more targeted response
31 Oct 2020,51 mins
Megadrought in Chile
Why Chile has a megadrought
05 Oct 2020,26 mins
The sting in the tail
What’s the point of wasps?
28 Sep 2020,27 mins
The Evidence: Covid lessons for safe school reopening
Will schools and colleges reopening fuel Covid-19 spread?
26 Sep 2020,50 mins
The seeded cloud
Can we make it rain?
21 Sep 2020,27 mins
The growling stomach
Why do our tummies rumble - and when they do, does it always mean we are hungry?
14 Sep 2020,27 mins
Return to Mars
How will NASA’s latest robot rover search for life on Mars?
07 Sep 2020,26 mins
Liz Seward
Jim Al-Khalili talks to Liz Seward, Senior Space Strategist for Airbus Defence and Space.
31 Aug 2020,26 mins
Professor Emma Bunce
Emma Bunce tells Jim Al-Khalili why she is intrigued by the gas giants Jupiter and Neptune
24 Aug 2020,26 mins
Frank Kelly
What difference has lockdown made to our air? Frank Kelly talks to Jim Al-Khalili.
17 Aug 2020,26 mins