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5 of 629

What’s in the wording of the COP 30 negotiations?
COP 30 delegates from around the globe are about to depart the Amazon city of Belem in Brazil. But not before some very important documents are drawn up. Camilla Born, former advisor to Cop 26 president Alok Sharma speaks to Tom Whipple about the scientific significance of the language negotiators choose to use. As the Covid inquiry releases its second report looking at political decision making during the pandemic, Tom catches up with the virus itself. Adam Kucharski, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine updates us on what we know about the Covid-19 virus in Autumn 2025.And it’s the eve of The Ashes. As England Men’s Cricket Team line up against their Australian counterparts in Perth, cricket fans on both sides will be hoping for sporting records to fall. But is breaking those records getting increasingly less likely? And can some maths explain all? Tom asks Kit Yates, author and Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement at the University of Bath.Plus science broadcaster Caroline Steel is in the studio to discuss this week’s brand new scientific discoveries. If you want to test your climate change knowledge, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University to take the quiz. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Jonathan Blackwell, Ella Hubber, Tim Dodd, Alex Mansfield and Clare Salisbury Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
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Could technology replace animal testing in science?
This week the UK government set out its vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. Animal experiments in the UK peaked at 4.14 million in 2015 driven mainly by a big increase at the time in genetic modification experiments. By 2020, the number had fallen sharply to 2.88 million as alternative methods and technologies were developed. But since then that decline has plateaued. Could we see the end of animals being used in science labs? Presenter Tom Whipple is joined by Dr. Chris Powell, Director of Cambridge BioPharma Consultants Ltd. and honorary visiting scientist at Cambridge University and Dr. Natalie Burden, head of New Approach Methodologies at the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). And as world leaders gather for the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, we speak to glaciologist Dr. Matthias Huss. In the past decade, his data has shown that a quarter of Swiss ice has been lost, with hundreds of glaciers having disappeared entirely. But part of one of those glaciers remains in the freezer of his basement... Also Penny Sarchet, managing editor at New Scientist, brings us her take on the new science that matters this week. To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Clare Salisbury, Tim Dodd, Alex Mansfield, Jonathan Blackwell Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
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Is Dark Energy Getting Weaker?
Astronomers have new evidence, which could change what we understand about the expansion of the universe. Carlos Frenk, Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics at Durham University gives us his take on whether the dark energy pushing our universe apart is getting weaker.With the Turing Prize, the Nobel Prize and now this week the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering under his belt, Geoffrey Hinton is known for his pioneering work on AI. And, since leaving a job at Google in 2023, for his warnings that AI could bring about the end of humanity. Tom Whipple speaks to Geoffrey about the science of super intelligence. And Senior physics reporter at Nature Lizzie Gibney brings us her take on the new science that matters this week.To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Clare Salisbury Content Producer: Ella Hubber Assistant Producers: Jonathan Blackwell & Tim Dodd Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
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Is climate change to blame for Hurricane Melissa?
What’s been called the storm of the century - Hurricane Melissa – has barrelled through Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas over the past two days. Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology at the University of Reading, explains whether Melissa was caused – or made worse - by human-made climate change. As the H5N1 bird flu season picks up across British farms, virologist Ian Brown from the Pirbright Institute assesses its threat and turns our attention to a largely ignored strain of bird flu – H9N2 – which a recent study suggests is becoming adapted to human cells. The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas has inspired some bizarre theories about alien life coming into our solar system. BBC science journalist Roland Pease, who has been watching these cosmic events and the pseudoscientific myths that follow in their wake for decades, gives us his take. And mathematician Katie Steckles brings us her favourite finds from the world of science.If you want to test your climate change knowledge, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University to take the quiz.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Ella Hubber, Jonathan Blackwell, Tim Dodd Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
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27:59
Have scientists created a bionic eye?
The 'bionic eye' may make you think of Star Trek’s Geordi La Forge. Now, scientists have restored the ability to read in a group of blind patients with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). And they’ve done it by implanting a computer chip in the back of their eyes. Professor Francesca Cordeiro, Chair of Ophthalmology at Imperial College London explains how bionic technology might provide future solutions for more people with sight loss.Researchers at the University of Sheffield have come up with a way of extracting hormones from human remains dating as far back as the 1st century AD. Marnie Chesterton speaks to Brenna Hassett, bioarchaeologist at the University of Lancashire to find out how pregnancy testing skeletons could cast new information on human evolution. In a world of automation and AI, its easy to forget that every day, people around the UK record weather observations which contribute to our understanding of climate science. Marnie meets Met Office volunteer Stephen Burt and climate scientist at the University of Reading, Professor Ed Hawkins to find out more. And science broadcaster Caroline Steel brings us brand new discoveries changing the way we understand the world around us.If you want to find out more about volunteering to collect rain data, you can email: [email protected]. If you’re in Scotland, visit the SEPA website: https://www2.sepa.org.uk/rainfall/GetInvolvedTo discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producer(s): Clare Salisbury, Ella Hubber, Jonathan Blackwell, Tim Dodd Editor: Martin Smith Production Coordinator: Jana Holesworth
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