Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Science

Throughout the ages, human beings have had a profound fascination with the natural world. It has influenced all aspects of our civilisation, from science and religion to music, art, literature and film. These 12 episodes, taken from Radio 4's epic series Natural Histories, find presenter Brett Westwood exploring two major groups of animals - fish, who have lived on Earth for over 450 million years, and invertebrates, who make up 97 percent of all species worldwide - to find out how our perception and representation of them has changed over time.

For as long as humans have existed, animals have got under our skin, enthralling us with their wildness, enriching our lives and influencing art, literature, science and religion. And we feel perhaps the deepest connection with mammals, as we too are members of this same vast group. In these engrossing episodes from Radio 4's landmark series, Natural Histories, Brett Westwood tells the stories of 10 of the most mesmerising mammals, illuminating the often surprising ways they have shaped society.

Celebrating the wonders of the universe since 2009, The Infinite Monkey Cage combines wit and wisdom to explore scientific concepts in an entertaining, accessible way. In these four series, physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince are back to 'put a smile on the face of science' (The Independent). They're joined by a wealth of boffins, brainiacs and celebrity science enthusiasts, all keen to share their hard facts, soft theories and bold comic deviations. 

For over five decades, Living World has been introducing audiences to the astonishing diversity of British wildlife. Its veteran presenters have travelled the length and breadth of the British Isles, venturing far and wide with their microphones to immerse the listener and capture the excitement of getting close to nature. Hosted by Lionel Kelleway, Brett Westwood, Peter France and Michael Scott, these 15 archive episodes are hand-picked by Lindsey Chapman, who also gives an introduction to each one, bringing us up to date on developments since the initial broadcast.

Over billions of years, animals have evolved and adapted, learning through trial and error the best strategies for surviving and thriving. So who better to help us humans when it comes to solving our own challenges? In this fascinating series, biologist and wildlife filmmaker Patrick Aryee tells the incredible stories of some remarkable animals and the surprising ways they have enabled us to make technological and scientific breakthroughs

Beating climate change takes the best ideas from the smartest minds, and in this programme, Tom Heap reveals 39 ways to relieve the stress that climate change is exerting on the planet. Our brightest brains are developing potent carbon-cutting ideas - from the paddy fields of the Punjab to the Siberian permafrost. We hear about incredible new solar panel materials and robots repairing wind turbines, as well as thinking about biodiversity, trees and blue carbon - the marine and coastal ecosystems that are so important for storing carbon and preventing coastal erosion.

When it comes to our health, what constitutes 'normal'? Who decides, and where do they draw the line? Is 'normal' the same for everyone? And if you don't tick the box marked 'normal', do you need treatment or are you simply different? In these 34 episodes, science writer and broadcaster Vivienne Parry attempts to answer these questions and work out what 'normal' means with regard to our bodies and minds.

Author, filmmaker and conservationist Roger Deakin first came to fame with his best-selling book Waterlog, which brought wild swimming into the mainstream and pioneered the 'new nature writing' genre. Published posthumously, his second travelogue, Wildwood, and collected journals, Notes from Walnut Tree Farm, were also hailed as classics.

Presenters Becky Ripley and Emily Knight mull over a multitude of bewildering and brain-teasing questions as they try to make sense of what we humans are all about - with a little help from some other species. What can the swirling patterns in a starling murmuration tell us about the way our ideas spread? Can ants teach us anything about avoiding a pandemic? And how could a brainless single-cell slime mould help to solve our trickiest problems?

Art and science are often considered to be in conflict, with art dealing in creativity and science in cold, hard facts. But the two disciplines have always been interconnected, taking inspiration from each other and shaping each other's worlds. In this fascinating 20-part series, Sir Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum, and Dr Tilly Blyth, the Science Museum's Head of Collections, reveal how science's ingenuity has been incorporated into artistic expression - and how art's creativity has stimulated scientific progress and technological change.

These 29 episodes encompass classic cosmic conundrums - including whether there is intelligent alien life out there, if infinity exists and how wormholes could allow us to time-travel - as well as probing more down-to-earth human quirks like our differing pain thresholds, our attraction to 'bad' foods like chips and chocolate and our varied regional accents. Plus, the duo embarks on a cheery evolutionary thought experiment as they wonder what would happen if humanity became extinct....

There are still dark corners of our planet that are yet to be explored. In this remarkable book, Steve Backshall offers an unflinching account of his adventures into these uncharted territories around the globe, in search of world firsts. Each location brings its own epic challenges - whether it's the first climb of an arctic ice fall in Greenland, the first recorded navigation of a South American river, or the first exploration of the world’s longest cave system in Mexico. But all of them represent new tests of the limits of human endeavour. 

 This 'shamelessly nerdy...deeply silly' (Radio Times) space extravaganza features fewer close-ups of Professor Brian Cox looking cool in front of a rocket than Wonders of the Universe but more weird, wonderful and occasionally woeful stories about the geniuses, Nazis and Satanists who plotted to propel humankind to the stars. Find out the many and varied ways to leave the planet as It Is Rocket Science takes you on a 'gleefully irreverent' (The Scotsman) whistle-stop comic tour of the Great Brains who put monkeys, ladies, dogs and gentlemen into orbit.     

The long history of science is illuminated by eureka moments - occasional and startling breakthroughs that change the way we think about ourselves and our universe. Adam Hart-Davis guides us through the history of science by examining 16 of the most formative years for our understanding of astronomy, medicine, biology, space and time. Episodes include 1965, in which Adam examines how mankind's peculiar gift for self-destruction fuelled the race to the moon. He leafs through a book published in 1628, which described, for the first time, how blood circulates around the human body. 

Presenter Brett Westwood joins forces with BAFTA award-winning producer and naturalist Stephen Moss for six delightful and informative series, introducing us to some of Britain's most popular and best-loved birds. Together with wildlife sound recordist Chris Moss, they tour the UK, tracking down the rich variety of species that make their home there - from garden and woodland birds to ones that live on water, by the coast, on farms and in the mountains and moors. 

In his first BBC radio series, New Comedy Award finalist Jacob Hawley examines one of the most important issues affecting young people today, looking into every aspect of British drug culture to discover its scope and effects. As a recreational drugs user for almost a decade, Jacob thought he knew more than most about the topic - but was shocked by how much he still had to learn.

Join world-leading scientists as they delve into the incredible stories behind 16 elements, including the dark and controversial history of gold; how a solar eclipse in 1868 led to the discovery of the periodic table's most notorious escape artist, helium; the role of iron in the rise and fall of human civilisations; why you might find iodine in British milk, but not necessarily anywhere else in the world; and how a discovery in boiled urine led to the trade union movement and a chemical weapon.

Tony Hill, Director of Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry, honours the scientists who revolutionised microscopic technology, electrical power, air navigation, gyroscopic travel and digital sound. In their day they were dismissed as blue-sky time-wasters but now we recognise their genius. Hear how in these five episodes, as heard on BBC Radio 4.

In Britain, we're sometimes inclined to think of science as happening far away from us - in labs or universities or even in the past - and having little impact on our lives. In this groundbreaking series, Lisa Jardine weaves science back into the everyday by showing how the concerns of scientists have always been the concerns of us all. Starting in Restoration England, we travel through seven ages to examine Britain's unparalleled contribution to science.