The Life Scientific podcast

The Life Scientific

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future

 

#353

Hiranya Peiris on unravelling the story of the universe

Hiranya Peiris is playing a starring role in a movie that promises to tell perhaps the gre... more

05 May 2026

28 MINS

28:20

05 May 2026


#352

Washington Yotto Ochieng on the navigation tech that keeps our world moving

As a child growing up on the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya, Washington Yotto Oc... more

28 Apr 2026

28 MINS

28:25

28 Apr 2026


#351

Lucy Carpenter on how our oceans are destroying ozone

Working on a remote tropical island in the Atlantic might sound like some sort of romantic... more

21 Apr 2026

28 MINS

28:23

21 Apr 2026


#350

Jens Juul Holst on the gut hormone discovery behind weight-loss drugs

As recently as a few years ago, the idea of a self-administered injection that would deliv... more

14 Apr 2026

28 MINS

28:25

14 Apr 2026


#349

Jim Ashworth-Beaumont on how a near-fatal accident made him a better clinician

It's a rare thing to encounter a medical specialist who has experience of his field from t... more

07 Apr 2026

28 MINS

28:27

07 Apr 2026


#348

Jehane Ragai on the science of authenticating artworks

Ever heard of the unsuccessful Dutch painter who decided to humiliate his critics by forgi... more

27 Jan 2026

28 MINS

28:10

27 Jan 2026


#347

Tony Juniper on parrots, princes and environmental protection

Tony Juniper is an environmentalist who has worn many hats, over the course of his career.... more

20 Jan 2026

28 MINS

28:31

20 Jan 2026


#346

Pierre Friedlingstein on carbon’s pivotal role in climate change

The COP30 climate summit is taking place in the Brazilian city of Belém, a gateway to the ... more

09 Dec 2025

28 MINS

28:10

09 Dec 2025


#345

Julia Simner on tasty words and hearing colours

Imagine if you were listening to an opera or a Taylor Swift concert, and as the lights in ... more

02 Dec 2025

28 MINS

28:22

02 Dec 2025


#344

Caroline Smith on meteorites and potential ancient life on Mars

Caroline Smith is passionate about space rocks, whether they’re samples collected from the... more

25 Nov 2025

28 MINS

28:24

25 Nov 2025


#343

AP De Silva on building molecular fluorescence sensors for healthcare

From humble beginnings in his native Sri Lanka, to a more than 40 year academic career at ... more

18 Nov 2025

28 MINS

28:11

18 Nov 2025


#342

Peter Knight on quantum technologies

There are problems and tasks so hard and complicated that it would take today’s most power... more

11 Nov 2025

28 MINS

28:09

11 Nov 2025


#341

Eleanor Schofield on conserving Tudor warship the Mary Rose

In July 1545, King Henry VIII watched from Southsea Castle on England's south coast as his... more

04 Nov 2025

28 MINS

28:20

04 Nov 2025