BBC Inside Science

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced plans this week to cancel $500 million dollars of funding for mRNA vaccine development. The research was focusing on trying to counter viruses that cause diseases such as the flu and Covid-19.Marnie Chesterton is joined by Professor Anne Willis, Director of the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge, to explore the claims made by The US Department of Health and Human Services that the technology “poses more risks than benefits”, and to look at the evidence behind the vaccines.We also visit the most powerful computer the UK has ever seen at the University of Bristol, and explore how the Isambard-AI supercomputer is being used to carry out groundbreaking new research.After last week’s call for our listeners to pay homage to the satirical songwriter and mathematician Tom Lehrer, who died at the age of 97, we hear a range of your brilliant musical tributes.And Marnie is joined by journalist Caroline Steel to explore the week’s fascinating scientific discoveries.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

A massive 8.8 magnitude mega earthquake off Russia's east coast sent tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the US west coast this week. While more than two million people across the Pacific were ordered to evacuate, there were no immediate reports of any fatalities. After recent devastating tsunamis like the ones that hit Fukushima in 2011 and the Boxing Day disaster of 2004, we speak to Environmental Seismology lecturer at University College London, Dr Stephen Hicks, to ask why this quake didn’t cause anywhere near the same amount of harm.After the Lionesses successfully defended their UEFA European Women’s Championship, Marnie Chesterton is joined by Professor of Sports Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University, Steve Haake, to looks at the role data analysis and Artificial Intelligence is now playing in football and other sports.We hear about fascinating new research from primatologist Professor Cat Hobaiter at the University of St Andrews into what we can learn about our evolution by studying how apes eat alcoholic fermented fruit.And Marnie is joined by technology broadcaster Gareth Mitchell to hear about the week’s brand new scientific discovery news, and for a musical homage to the satirical songwriter and mathematician Tom Lehrer, who died this week at the age of 97.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

We discuss the incredible science of the animal kingdom, focusing on the latest fascinating research into animal culture, society and communication.Victoria Gill is joined by a panel of experts in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival to hear about their research all over the world into animal behaviour.Taking part are:Jemima Scrase, who is currently finishing her PhD at the University of Sussex investigating matriarchal leadership in African elephants, and has spent most of the last few years out in the field in Kenya, working in collaboration with the charity Save the Elephants.Dr Manon Schweinfurth, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, who runs a lab investigating the evolutionary and psychological origins of cooperation.And Andy Radford, a Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Bristol, who studies social behaviour and communication, and particularly how vocalisations are used to mediate cooperation and conflict.

After three UK heatwaves, we turn to science for solutions that could keep us safer, and cooler, in our homes. Professor of Zero Carbon Design at the University of Bath, David Coley, explains how our houses could be better designed to handle climate change.This week the UK Space Conference has come to Manchester. Victoria Gill is joined by Tim O’Brien, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, for the latest space science news.We also hear from technology journalist Gareth Mitchell on a curious headache for the tech companies rolling out driverless taxis, in the form of plastic bags. And we speak to a group of high school students who have been spending their lunch breaks extracting and analysing daffodil DNA.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell, Clare Salisbury Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Next month world leaders will again gather to focus on dealing with our global plastic problem. So this week we’re looking for solutions. Marnie Chesterton hears from Professor of Sustainable Chemical Engineering at the University of Sheffield, Rachael Rothman on how we can engineer safer, more environmentally friendly plastics. And at the other end of the plastic spectrum, she hears about the clean up operation after the world’s biggest ocean spill of nurdles – tiny plastic pellets which are used to make plastic products. Investigative environmental journalist Leana Hosea brings the results of her investigation into the clean up after the X-Press Pearl container ship caught fire and sank 4 years ago.Mark Miodownik, University College London Professor of Materials & Society returns to the studio with the results of a citizen science project to try to get more data on potty training. It aims to encourage parents to get toddlers out of nappies earlier.And Penny Sarchet, managing editor at New Scientist brings her pick of this week’s newest scientific discoveries.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Clare Salisbury and Dan Welsh Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

A microscopic water flea that could help monitor our waterways for pollution, turning both quantum circuits and facial expressions into music, and how animals use vibrations to sense the world around them.These are some of the cutting edge research projects being presented at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London. Victoria Gill is joined by Caroline Steel for a special episode from the exhibition, meeting the researchers showcasing their work and getting hands on with the science on display.We speak to Daisy Shearer from the National Quantum Computing Centre, PhD student Clelia Altomonte from King's College London, Dr Beth Mortimer from the University of Oxford who leads its Animal Vibration Lab (the multisensory experience was developed and narrated by Dr Alice Morrell), Dr Katie Reilly from the University of Birmingham, the CEO of the charity Drake Music, Sally Currie, and the designer of the PhotoSYNTH accessible musical instrument, Zenon Olenski.

All eyes have been on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities this week. The targets of an attack on Saturday by the United States. Marnie Chesterton asks Professor Simon Middleburgh, nuclear materials scientist at the Nuclear Futures Institute at Bangor University what the impact could have been.As the first images are revealed from the world’s most powerful optical telescope, Professor Chris Lintott brings us news of how you can get involved in scouring the depths of the universe. Caroline Steel brings us the science news that has scientists excited this week, and Marnie visits the first new dinosaur to go on show at London’s Natural History Museum for more than a decade.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell & Clare Salisbury Editor: Glyn Tansley Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

As a new warning is released by scientists that trying to offset our carbon emissions by planting trees alone won’t work, we investigate the role the Earth’s forests are playing in the fight against climate change.Marnie Chesterton is joined by Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, to help answer our top five questions about trees and CO2. We also speak to science writer and New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer about his new book ‘Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe’, and what it tells us about what we’re breathing into our lungs each day. After we reported on the plight of some of our UK wild bird species earlier this year, many listeners got in touch wanting to know more about one species in particular: house sparrows. To look at why their numbers have been declining so sharply, and what we might be able to do about it, we hear from Imperial College London’s Dr Julia Schroeder, who has been studying the birds for 15 years.And Marnie is joined in the studio by Lizzie Gibney, Senior Reporter at Nature, to explore some of the fascinating research from around the world in this week’s science journals.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh and Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

How do you plan for the scientific discoveries of the future? That’s the question Chancellor Rachel Reeves had to try to answer with this week’s Spending Review. She allocated more than 22 billion pounds a year by 2029/30 for research and development which was described as a boost for science. Robin Bisson, UK News Editor for news website Research Professional News, and Dr Alicia Greated, Executive Director at the charity Campaign for Science and Engineering in the UK, explain where the money will go.As the UN’s Ocean Conference continues in Nice, France, we get the latest developments from Science and Climate Correspondent Esme Stallard, before diving into a kelp forest in our own UK waters with reporter Graihagh Jackson. It’s hoped that encouraging the seaweed could help sequester carbon dioxide. We hear about the dinosaur discovery that’s rewriting the evolutionary story of the Tyrannosaurus Rex with University of Calgary palaeontologists Professor Darla Zelenitsky and Jared Voris.And journalist Caroline Steel is in the studio with her round up of science stories straight from the researcher’s labs.

More than 2,000 marine scientists have come together at the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice, France. It is a gathering that will bring marine experts from all over the world together to share the latest discoveries about the health of our seas and oceans. It is an issue at the centre of the world’s attention, because from 9th June, leaders and negotiators from 200 countries will arrive in Nice for the crucial United Nations Conference on the Oceans (UNOC3). Presenter Victoria Gill is joined by Murray Roberts, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Edinburgh to find out what is at stake when leaders come together to work out a global plan to save our oceans from multiple threats, including climate change, pollution and overfishing. Professor Amanda Vincent from the University of British Columbia in Canada joins the Inside Science team to reveal her insights into the destruction caused by the controversial fishing practice of bottom trawling, which she explains is devastating marine life. Victoria also joins a team of acoustic marine scientists on their research boat the “We Explore” off the coast of Nice to listen for whales and dolphins under the surface. Their sound recordings reveal how animals of different species eavesdrop on each other and how to stop boat noise from drowning out whale communication. We also meet a team from a charity in Plymouth that is helping people who are living with poor mental health by prescribing ocean-based activities. Freyja Thomson-Alberts from the organisation the Ocean Conservation Trust explains why the ocean is central to our physical and mental wellbeing.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Dan Welsh, Clare Salisbury, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

We’ve been rummaging through the Inside Science mailbox to pick out a selection of the intriguing science questions you’ve been sending in, and assembled an expert panel to try to answer them. Marnie Chesterton is joined by Penny Sarchet, managing editor of New Scientist, Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London, and Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, to get to the bottom of your scientific mysteries.Why is the moon sterile when the earth is so full of life? Are new organisms going to evolve to eat microplastics? And did Nikola Tesla really find a way of creating free electricity?Listen in as we try to uncover the answers.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Dan Welsh & Debbie Kilbride Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

The World Health Organisation has agreed a treaty looking at tackling the issue of future pandemics. It’s hoped it will help to avoid some of the disorganisation and competition for resources like vaccines and personal protective equipment that were seen during the Covid-19 outbreak. Victoria Gill speaks to global health journalist Andrew Green from the World Health Assembly in Geneva to ask if this will help to make the world a safer, fairer place.Marnie Chesterton visits Kew Gardens in London to speak to some of the artists and scientists behind a new installation that’s digitally recreated one of the site’s most famous trees.As it’s announced the iconic American children’s TV programme Sesame Street is moving to Netflix, Victoria speaks to the programme’s scientific advisor and Associate Professor of Elementary and Environmental Education at the University of Rhode Island, Sara Sweetman, about exactly how the likes of Elmo, Big Bird and the Cookie Monster go about informing young people about science.And Caroline Steel joins Victoria in the studio to look through the most fascinating highlights from the world’s scientific discoveries this week. Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Jonathan Blackwell, Dan Welsh Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

40 years ago scientists in Antarctica discovered a hole in the Ozone layer. The world acted quickly, phasing out harmful CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons. Evidence suggests the hole has been getting smaller. But in 2025, there are new pollutants threatening to slow progress. Eloise Marais is Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality at University College London and tells Victoria Gill about her work monitoring the impact of space travel on the Ozone layer.It's the first day of the traditional ‘bathing season’ when wild swim spots are regularly tested throughout the UK summer. Victoria asks Professor of Environmental Microbiology and Health at Lancaster University, Roger Pickup to break down the science behind our water quality classifications. And May also means wildflowers. Dr Sarah Scott is pollinator ecologist and toxicologist at Cambridge university. She has a warning that planted in the wrong place, wildflowers could be harming bumble bees.Gareth Mitchell, broadcaster and lecturer in science communication at Imperial College London is in the Inside Science studio to bring Victoria new scientific findings which will shape our future.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

It’s often said we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the Earth’s deep sea, and a new study is backing that up. Research from the Ocean Discovery League says just 0.001% of the world’s deep seafloor has ever been seen by humans.We speak to lead author and deep sea explorer Dr Katy Croff Bell and marine biologist Dr Anna Gebruk from the University of Edinburgh, to ask whether we should be making more effort to investigate our oceans.As events take place to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, presenter Victoria Gill also speaks to Professor David Edgerton from King’s College London to discuss what impact the Second World War had on scientific research and innovation.We’re also joined by Penny Sarchet, managing editor at New Scientist, to look through some of the top science stories you might have missed this week. And as David Attenborough celebrates his 99th birthday with the release of his latest film Ocean, we take a trip through the archives to hear some of his finest moments from more than 70 years of broadcasting.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Severe power cuts hit Spain, Portugal and parts of France this week, cutting the lights and stopping flights, trains, and ATM machines in their tracks. The Spanish grid operator has said it’s ruled out a cyber-attack, but the reason behind what happened is still unclear. We speak to Keith Bell, Professor of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, and David Brayshaw, Professor of Climate Science and Energy Meteorology at the University of Reading, to ask whether the UK’s power supply could be just as vulnerable to a major blackout.Presenter Victoria Gill hears about how cyborg cockroaches are being developed to try to help at disaster scenes. We’re also joined by science journalist Caroline Steel to discuss the week’s standout science news. And we find out how a critically endangered salamander, the axolotl, could hold the biological key to repairing damaged spinal cords.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh and Gerry Holt Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Progress has been made in our search for alien life. So announced a team of scientists from Cambridge university last week who, using a powerful space telescope, have detected molecules which on Earth are only produced by simple organisms. All in all, it’s been a busy week for space science. And all against a backdrop of a US government request to cut NASA’s funding. The proposals would need to be approved by the Senate before any cuts are made. But scientists and journalists are asking what it could mean for the future of space science around the world. Science journalist Jonathan Amos and space researcher Dr Simeon Barber discuss.Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Richard Binzel updates the programme on plans to learn from an asteroid called Apophis, due to fly past us in four years time. Back on Earth, or rather in it, Victoria Gill gets up close to Roman remains which show that gladiators once fought lions. And Tim O’Brien, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester joins Victoria Gill in the studio to discuss the week’s other science news. Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Jonathan Blackwell, Debbie Kilbride Editor: Colin Paterson Production Co-ordinator: Josie Hardy

We’ve thrown open the airwaves to you. Marnie Chesterton puts your science questions to Penny Sarchet, Managing editor of New Scientist, Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London and Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh. So, if you’ve ever wondered why planets are round… or what geese are saying to each other as they fly in groups through the sky, listen in for the latest science and some educated hypothesising. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Dan Welsh & Debbie Kilbride Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

In the past few days, UK firefighters have been tackling wildfires across the UK. As global temperatures rise, fires are likely to increase in strength and number. We hear from Rory Hadden, Professor of Fire Science at the University of Edinburgh, and Aidan McGivern, meteorologist and weather presenter from the Met Office.Presenter Marnie Chesterton has been behind the scenes at Cambridge’s Natural History Museum with Assistant Director of the University Museum of Zoology Jack Ashby.Also, the woman who came third in the Brighton marathon in the middle of her hen weekend. We hear from Dr. Ann-Kathrin Stock, neuroscientist at Dresden University Clinics and member of the international Alcohol Hangover Research Group about the science behind hangovers and why it might not be such a good idea to run a marathon whilst hungover.And science journalist Caroline Steel has been scouring the science journals.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Why does the UK, an island shaped by its strong tides, still not have any major tidal energy schemes? Plans for tidal barrages in the UK seem to be regularly discussed but never come to fruition, but now a new report has suggested that a tidal lagoon should be created in the Severn Estuary to generate electricity. Guest presenter Tom Whipple speaks to Chair of the Severn Estuary Commission, Dr Andrew Garrad, about whether this will finally be the moment for tidal power that we’ve been waiting for. Also, earth scientists around the world are trying to understand why the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which struck Myanmar last weekend was just so devastating. Dr Ian Watkinson, structural geologist at Royal Holloway university, tells us about a theory that a seismic event called a ‘supershear earthquake’ took place. And a new bat is causing controversy in the baseball world! The ‘Torpedo Bat’, engineered by an MIT physicist, has helped the New York Yankees crush records in Major League Baseball. Steve Haake, Professor of Sports Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University explains why this bat has helped hitters hit so many home runs. Science journalist Caroline Steel drops in with her picks of the week’s news, including a new blood test for Alzheimer's disease, a potential new super collider and a new way to identify which bees are most hygienic. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Clare Salisbury, Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

For the last week or so, the world of physics has had just one conversation.Have we found a new way of understanding the universe? And if so, what does this mean for our understanding of how we all came to exist – and even our fate? These big questions were prompted by new data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument team at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. To explain what was found, whether it’s right and just how excited we should be, we’re joined by astrophysics professor Catherine Heymans and cosmologist Andrew Pontzen. Also this week, what became of the Winchcombe meteorite? We attempt to explain some seriously advanced maths in less than two minutes, and Penny Sarchet from the New Scientist brings us her picks of the week’s science news. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Gerry Holt, Ella Hubber & Sophie Ormiston Reporter: Gareth Mitchell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth