Episodes

  • The science behind hantavirus

    The science behind hantavirus
    May 14 2026
    Following three deaths linked to the deadly hantavirus disease on a cruise ship this month, the scientific community is racing to answer the many unknown questions surrounding the outbreak.Tom Whipple speaks to Dr Emma Hodcroft, an epidemiologist at the University of Basel and co-founder of Pathoplexus, an online database of pathogen genomes, to explore what the new hantavirus genomic sequences can tell us.He also hears from Dr Nicole Luri, Executive Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response from the NGO The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI), to hear what steps would be taken if the hantavirus strain had the potential to become a pandemic, and how far their "100 days" mission has come. With less than a month until the men’s football World Cup kicks off in the United States, Canada and Mexico, there are warnings from climate scientists that football’s global governing body FIFA needs to do more to combat the risks from the high temperatures both players and fans are expected to face. We speak to Dr Theodore Keeping from the World Weather Attribution team at Imperial College London to hear about the predicted conditions and the concerns they are raising.Plus, mathematician Kit Yates from the University of Bath brings us his pick of the week’s science news you might have missed, including new hearing technology that might help you follow conversations in rowdy parties.Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Alex Mansfield Editor: Ilan Goodman Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Should Pluto become a planet again?

    Should Pluto become a planet again?
    May 7 2026
    "Make Pluto a planet again" was the call this week from Donald Trump’s NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman. The icy body was first seen in 1930 and was the only planet whose discovery was claimed by the United States. In 2006, though, it was officially stripped of its planet status. Tom Whipple is joined by astronomer Chris Lintott to discuss the debate that has raged ever since over whether Pluto should or shouldn’t be reinstated as the solar system’s 9th planet.We also hear about the big money scientific prize hoping to lead to breakthroughs in how humans can communicate with animals. Head judge Professor Yossi Yovel, from Tel Aviv University, and finalists Dr Catherine Crockford, from the CNRS Institute for Cognitive Sciences in Lyon, and Professor Nicolas Mathevon, from the University of Saint-Etienne, tell us what the Coller Dolittle Challenge is hoping to uncover.Plus, Penny Sarchet from New Scientist brings us the science news that might have slipped under the radar this week, including why there’s a scientific gap in the dating lives of over 50s.Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Alex Mansfield Editor: Ilan Goodman Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Why is Europe the fastest-warming continent?

    Why is Europe the fastest-warming continent?
    Apr 30 2026
    The latest European State of the Climate report has found that Europe is once again getting warmer, and at a rate that is twice as fast as the global average. Tom Whipple is joined by Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, to understand the driving forces behind this stark difference and anticipate what Europeans can expect in the coming years as a result.We also remember Dr J Craig Venter, one of the famous founders of what we might now call the genomic age of science who dies this week. In the lead-up to the 100th birthday of the world-famous broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, Inside Science is shining a spotlight on a species of scientific importance that has been named after him. This week, Dr Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou shares his treacherous search for a unique species of echidna previously thought to be extinct. Plus, science journalist Caroline Steel fills us in on the latest science news that you might have missed - from the surprising growth rates of Neanderthal babies to 10,000 newly discovered planets. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Alex Mansfield Assistant Producer: Katie Tomsett Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Can we prevent the next pandemic?

    Can we prevent the next pandemic?
    Apr 23 2026
    A phase 3 clinical trial is underway to determine the effectiveness of an mRNA vaccine for H5N1, a strain of influenza that is currently of concern. The virus, which is commonly found in birds across the world and is rarely transmitted to humans. However, when it is transmitted, the disease is often fatal, and scientists fear that if the virus were to mutate, it could lead to rapid, widespread infection. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world are keen to be better prepared for future threats. These latest efforts aim to develop an mRNA vaccine that could be rolled out on an unprecedented scale if the worst were to happen. John Tregoning, author of Infectious: Pathogens and How We Fight Them and Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London, joins Tom to explain how these mRNA vaccines could revolutionise preparedness. In the lead-up to the 100th birthday of the world-famous broadcaster and behavioural ecologist Sir David Attenborough, Inside Science is shining a spotlight on a species of scientific importance that has been named after him. This week, Dr Frankie Dunn describes her discovery of a fossil that we now know to be the earliest animal predator. And Lizzy Gibney, senior reporter at Nature, shares the latest science news that may have slipped under the radar but is well worth your attention. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Harrison Lewis & Katie Tomsett Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Forty years on from nuclear disaster

    Forty years on from nuclear disaster
    Apr 16 2026
    For 40 years scientists have been fascinated by the exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Professor Jim Smith from the University of Portsmouth is one of those scientists, a frequent visitor over the past 20 years. He joins Inside Science to explain whether the region still suffers after the nuclear fallout and how how it has shaped European energy production.It is a month for anniversaries, and with David Attenborough turning 100, each week we take a look at a species which has found itself named after the behavioural ecologist.And finally, the latest science news in the world of astronomy brought to you by astronomer Dr Jeni Millard.

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Return to the moon

    Return to the moon
    Apr 9 2026
    This week, humans once again looked down on the magnificent desolation of the lunar surface, from the orbit of the moon itself. They saw earth rise and earth set. They named the craters on the far side. They travelled further from Earth than any human has travelled before. Now, the Artemis mission returns home. Libby Jackson, Head of Space at the Science Museum, joins Inside Science to illuminate whether this lunar flyby is nothing but a test ride or significant for the future of human spaceflight and science. Nasa believes Artemis II will pave the way to not only land on the moon but establish a lunar base. Kelly Weinersmith, author of A City on Mars, joins Tom to discuss the complications that are likely to arrive when and if humans attempt to establish a semi-permanent presence on the lunar surface. Is it really possible?Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Harrison Lewis and Katie Tomsett Editor: Martin Smith

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Responding to your science questions

    Responding to your science questions
    Apr 2 2026
    This week, we’re letting you run the airwaves. Victoria Gill puts your science questions to Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, and Penny Sarchet, Managing editor of New Scientist. If you’ve ever wondered why men have nipples, how gravity slingshots work, or whether photosynthesis could solve our energy problems, that’s all on this week’s BBC Inside Science.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Ella Hubber & Debbie Kilbride Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Recommending: 13 Minutes Presents Artemis II

    Recommending: 13 Minutes Presents Artemis II
    Mar 30 2026
    Humans are returning to the Moon - hear all about it on the BBC’s space podcast. 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II is following Nasa’s mission to loop around the Moon, with a new episode every day. Starts on Monday 30 March 2026. Search for 13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Follow or subscribe now so you don’t miss an episode. Nasa plans to return to the Moon for the first time in more than half a century. Its Artemis II mission aims to send four astronauts to loop around the Moon. They are planning to go further from Earth than any human in history. The story of Artemis II will be told by space scientist, Maggie Aderin and British astronaut, Tim Peake, with regular guest, US space journalist Kristin Fisher. 13 Minutes is the BBC’s space podcast, telling epic space stories, including the first Moon landing, Apollo 13 and the space shuttle. Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

    99% of users are being tracked by the algorithm.
    If you are part of the 1% who demands pure, untracked intelligence, you just found the bypass. Get the raw feed now. No trackers. No BS.

    🔴 INITIALIZE DIRECT DOWNLOAD

    ⚪ GET THE UNFILTERED STREAM
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins