BBC Inside Science
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BBC Inside Science
A weekly programme that illuminates the mysteries and challenges the controversies behind the science that's changing our world.
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Could we have evidence of life on Mars?
News broke this week that rocks picked up by NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars may have found chemical signatures left by living organisms.
Wit...
What does caffeine do to our bodies?
Sweet, caffeinated energy drinks are in the headlines again as the UK Government says it wants to ban under 16s from buying them. Some can contain the...
Does warm weather mean more rats in UK towns and cities?
Summer heatwaves and missed bin collections have created panic in the press that rat numbers in the UK are increasing. We ask Steve Belmain, Professor...
Could solar panels in space be the energy source of the future?
As new research looks at the financial and environmental case for solar panels in space, we explore how likely the technology could be to power our fu...
What will we be wearing in the future?
What are you wearing today? What processes, chemical and otherwise, have gone into creating the garments in your wardrobe? And how might they be impro...
What’s the evidence for vaccines?
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced plans this week to cancel $500 million dollars of funding for mRNA vaccine development. The research...
Why wasn’t the Russia mega earthquake as damaging as previous ones?
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...
The surprising culture of the animal kingdom
We discuss the incredible science of the animal kingdom, focusing on the latest fascinating research into animal culture, society and communication.
How can we keep our homes cool in a changing climate?
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...
How can we reduce the impact of plastic on the environment?
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 Chest...
How do you turn facial expressions into music?
A microscopic water flea that could help monitor our waterways for pollution, turning both quantum circuits and facial expressions into music, and how...
What happens when you bomb a uranium enrichment site?
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...
Are trees the answer to solving climate change?
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...
What science is the UK government funding?
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 Spend...
Can science save our oceans?
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 exper...
Your science questions answered
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 assemb...
Does the pandemic agreement make the world safer?
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 diso...
Will the Hole in the Ozone Layer Close?
40 years ago scientists in Antarctica discovered a hole in the Ozone layer. The world acted quickly, phasing out harmful CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons....
The mysteries of the ocean floor
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 th...
How vulnerable is our power supply?
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...
What would cuts to Nasa mean for space science?
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...
Answers to Your Science Questions
We’ve thrown open the airwaves to you. Marnie Chesterton puts your science questions to Penny Sarchet, Managing editor of New Scientist, Mark Maslin,...
How can science help us fight wildfires?
In the past few days, UK firefighters have been tackling wildfires across the UK. As global temperatures rise, fires are likely to increase in strengt...
Is this finally the moment for UK tidal power?
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 re...
Is everything we know about the universe wrong?
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, w...
Wild birds in crisis
Every species of wild bird in the UK is continuing to decline at a stark rate – according to the latest data.
Guest presenter Ben Garrod wants...
Are boys doing better than girls at maths and science?
There’s a big “gender gap” between boys and girls in maths and science - that’s according to a new report out this week.
Boys in England in yea...
Better Than Gold: Critical Minerals
Critical minerals have hit the headlines of almost every news outlet this week as US President Donald Trump made his desires to mine them in Ukraine c...
AI in Science: Promise and Peril
This week, Google has launched a new AI tool called Co-Scientist. We hear from one researcher who has tried it out with stunning results. But how much...
Biotech Risks and Asteroid Anxiety
Scientists gather this week to tackle emerging risks from cutting-edge biotech, echoing the landmark Asilomar conference that shaped genetic engineeri...
US science in chaos
The United States is the world’s science superpower. But right now, much of its research community is in a state of confusion.
In the past few w...
The World’s Biggest Iceberg
It’s the biggest story of recent weeks. Literally.
Trillion-tonne iceberg A23a is on the move. But where is it headed and why – and what might...
Is 1.5 still alive?
1.5C.
It’s THE number we talk about when we talk about climate change.
But what does 1.5C actually mean now – and as the world saw recor...
Next-gen batteries and 'dark oxygen'
Following a devastating fire at the world’s largest lithium-ion battery plant, Inside Science probes the present and future of a technology we rely on...
UK AI & science-optimised pasta
Artificial intelligence is the big talking point of the week, with UK PM Sir Keir Starmer announcing a drive to unleash its full potential.
It’...
Science in 2025
How will science shape up in 2025?
Marnie Chesterton is joined by a panel of science watchers to discuss what we can expect from the year ahead...
The Science of Laughter
Why do we laugh more when we’re with others? Are humans the only animals that laugh? Does ‘laughter yoga’ actually do anything? We're delving into the...
Board Game Science
It’s that time of the year when many of us are at home with friends and family, losing track of time, eating leftovers, and, of course, playing games....
The Year in Science
We look back on 2024 in science, from billionaires in space, to record-breaking heat here on Earth, and the meteoric rise of new weight-loss drugs.
The rising threat of bird flu
More species infected than ever, an uptick in human cases, and some concerning biological modifications. How close are we to a bird flu pandemic?