Science Of The Times

In this episode Tim and Syma talk to Adrian Woolfson about his new book, “On the Future of Species: Authoring Life by Means of Artificial Biological Intelligence” in which he makes the case that we can now edit genomes and will soon be able to design new species. These could help humanity eliminate disease and feed the world. Link to book: https://amzn.eu/d/03pbwIWpIf you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market.

Badly behaving billionaires can spark scandals that help democracy thrive!Tim and Syma talk to Pepper Culpepper about his new book in which he argues that corporate scandals might just save democracy. Learn about how political science works, and how misbehaving billionaires can generate a backlash from the public with profound political consequences.Link to Peppers book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Billionaire-Backlash-Corporate-Scandal-Democracy/dp/1399424106If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market.

Happy Christmas everybody! Syma and Tim discuss the science behind Christmas. From too much port to the way that reindeer survive in the cold, this is an episode not to miss.If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market.

Tim and Syma chat with Jamie Woodward, Professor of Physical Geography, at the University of Manchester about the history of our home planet. They cover 4.5 billion in 30 minutes, discussing snowball earths, the emergence of life, how earth shaped and vice versa, and a little on what the future might hold. Jamie’s new book “A little history of the earth” is published by Yale and is available from all good booksellers. And Amazon. https://amzn.eu/d/6EttzXLIf you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market.

Tim and Syma chat with Henry Gee about his two most recent books “The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire: Why our Species is on the Edge of Extinction” and “A (Very) Short History of Life On Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters”. We learn about giant lizards, the dinosaurs they evolved to become, and how we came to be, before discussing how it all might end. Will be it next week or thousands of years? Listen to find out.If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market.

Chronic pain is a blight on the lives on many. Recent research has found genes associated with chronic pain, and this has led to the identification of a key protein, paving the way for the possibility of drugs to effectively treat it. Tim and Syma are joined by Professor Simon Newstead and Professor David Bennet in this fascinating episode.If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Inside your stomach, on your skin, in your mouth, and up your nose are bacteria. They are abundant and they play a significant role in making you, you. Join Tim and Syma as they talk to Aura Raulo and Eveliina Hanski, two early career researcher who are fascinated by the microbiome and how it impacts everything from the food we choose to eat to our social relationships. If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Synthesis:Quantum computing has been argued to be the next big thing in computing. But what exactly is it, and is the hype justified? We talk to Professor Ian Walmsley who leads has recently been appointed as the head of Oxford Quantum Institute. Due to a few quantum issues yet to be solved, we conduct the interview in 0 and 1s rather than qubits. If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Tim and Syma talk to Yossi Yovel who is bringing together the disparate disciplines of ecology and neuroscience to help understand how animals see the world and communicate. Much of his work has focused on bats, who use echolocation to paint a picture of the world. But he also talks about the noises that plants make, and how moths and other insects use those noises. There is a whole cachophony of noises we pay no attention to that other animals use. Listen as Yossi tells us a little bit about what it is like to be a bat!Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Omar Yaghi is a chemist with an extraordinary vision. The pioneer of MOFs (metal organic frameworks) - materials built from the molecular equivalent of LEGO bricks. He tells Tim and Syma about his humble beginnings in a cramped room in Amman, Jordan- where the conditions were limited, but his vision certainly wasn’t. A chance encounter with a chemical model building kit, set him on a pathway of discovery. Flying in the face of conventional chemical wisdom, he built large, well defined, ultra porous chemicals structures from individual building blocks. These structures are now being explored to salvage water from arid enviroments, to extract carbon dioxide from the environment and keep it locked away so it cannot amplify the ‘greenhouse effect’.  His vision and the new chemistry it has produced has the potential to combat global warming, to provide clean drinking water and remove harmful plastics from the environment.If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Syma and Tim talk to Professor Joan Strassmann about the social life of birds. We cover a range of topics she writes about in her excellent new book, including flocking, social roosting, mating together, and raising chicks in a commune. Learn about redshanks seeking safety in numbers to neotropical cuckoos building communal nests and then pushing out the eggs of other females. Strassmann’s book is called “The Social Life of Birds: Flocks, Communes and Families”. It is published by Headline Press in the UK and Tarcher in the US.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Social-Lives-Birds-Joan-Strassmann-ebook/dp/B0DFTY5184/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2R65LGBAPF9YJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.imkNYnQMu1aTowV-UccyvA.B8ehnVRInjZzzwS4mm79Lwd7mKpMfhazgmKOQNNgY6U&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+social+life+of+birds&qid=1754064334&sprefix=the+social+life+of+birds%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Tim and Syma talk to Professor Dora Biro  about animal behaviour and cognition. Want to know why your kitten behaves differently from you, or discover that chimps become less competent at using tools as they age? This is the podcast episode for you. You can read Dora’s recent paper on tool use in chimps here: https://elifesciences.org/articles/105411Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

In this weeks episode, Tim and Syma get the run down on wasps, courtesy of Seirian Sumner, entomologist and behavioural ecologist. Will Syma now forgive the wasps, following a recent encounter?Seirian's bookhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Endless-Forms-Secret-World-Wasps/dp/0008394512/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Tim and Syma talk to Ray Pirrehumbert, author of Planetary Systems: A Very Short Introduction, about planets orbiting far away stars. They learn how these distant objects that we will never visit are detect, a little bit about a few of them, and how we might detect life on a far-away planet. If you are interested where aliens might live, this is the podcast episode for you.Ray's Book:https://global.oup.com/academic/product/planetary-systems-9780198841128?cc=gb&lang=en&Ray's Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/climatebook.bsky.socialOur sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Tim and Syma talk to Adam Becker about his stunning new book, "More Everything Forever". They explore how the philosophy of effective altruism aligns with flawed scientific ideas about how humanity can create super-intelligent AI before colonizing the galaxy. The philosophy is as flawed as the science.Your likes and subscriptions are really important for our growth. Please like and subscribe!Adams fantastic book:https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/adam-becker/what-is-real/9781473661349/If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Tim and Syma talk to dinosaur expert, Roger Benson, from the American Museum of Natural History. They learn why there were no small dinosaurs, how the animals lived their lives, and why they are relevant today. Interested in #T.Rex #Diplodocus or #Velociraptor? This is the episode for you.Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Syma gives the second annual Ibn Sina lecture in Bradford City Hall.  The event was hosted by the Muslim Institute and the Lord Mayor of Bradford. She discusses her work on using computer simulations to understand how harmful bacteria protect themselves. It is important we understand how they do this, so we can thwart them with new antibiotics.To view the full vide go here: https://youtu.be/OlTE0n9Bc00?feature=sharedFor more information on the Muslim Institute, visit them here:https://musliminstitute.org/If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

In This episode Tim & Syma talk to Jonathan Amos - recently retired science correspondent at the BBC. Jon talks us through his fascinating journey falling in love science through exposure to it via journalism and then going to study it more formally. From setting up the BBC website to breaking some of the big science stories - Jon tells his story honestly and engagingly. Whether your interest is science, journalism or both - please listen in!Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Some biological  molecules can be left handed or right handed - the sugars that are found in nucleic acids are right handed, whereas 19 of the 20 amino acids that make up proteins are left handed. And intriguingly samples of amino acids found on meteorites such as those brought back from the OSIRIX-REx missing from Bennu were present in mixtures containing roughly equal amounts of the left and right handed versions. So why does biology on our planet favour left handed amino acids?A team of researchers led by Professor Tom Richard at the University of Oxford have shown that lipid membranes that surround and protect our cells and importantly control which types of molecules can get in and out are more leaky to left hand amino acids.This may suggest why left handed amino acids are the ones from which our proteins are constructed.A link to Toms Paper:https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003155Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Migration is in the news continuously and everyone has an opinion. What does the science of migration reveal? Tim and Syma talk to Ian Goldin, an expert on the pros and cons of migration and migrants.Ian's book: http://oldstreetpublishing.co.uk/100/the-shortest-history-of-migrationDo you have any questions you would like to ask Tim and Syma? Drop us a line:[email protected] first sponsor on this episode is PinGui-Bags! Thank you.https://www.pingui-bags.com/Starting in the UK in Doncaster Market in 2005, PinGui has a good and well established history of selling bags and fashion accessories. One of the more colourful stall holders in Doncaster and later York, PinGui moved to Oxfords famous covered market in 2007.Whilst we still sell good and popular lines of fashion and everyday bags and fashion accessories, we have expanded our ranges to include travel bags and luggage, silver jewellery and gifts. All our items are ethically sourced and of course sustainable. Everyone, wherever and whoever is always welcome here. PinGui supplies worldwide.Our second sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

This week Tim and Syma talk to Max Telford, author of The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest Puzzle published by John Murray. They explore LUCA, penis worms, and other oddball species.Max's book 'The Tree Of Life' can be found here:https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/max-telford/the-tree-of-life/9781399806374/Do you have any questions you would like to ask Tim and Syma? Drop us a line:[email protected] first sponsor on this episode is PinGui-Bags! Thank you. https://www.pingui-bags.com/Starting in the UK in Doncaster Market in 2005, PinGui has a good and well established history of selling bags and fashion accessories. One of the more colourful stall holders in Doncaster and later York, PinGui moved to Oxfords famous covered market in 2007.Whilst we still sell good and popular lines of fashion and everyday bags and fashion accessories, we have expanded our ranges to include travel bags and luggage, silver jewellery and gifts. All our items are ethically sourced and of course sustainable. Everyone, wherever and whoever is always welcome here. PinGui supplies worldwide.Our second sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

In our latest science explainer release Syma chats to David Pyle, world renowned volcanologist, about the recent Mount Etna eruption. 

In this episode Syma and Tim conduct a Q and A session for the many fantastic questions that have been hitting our email inbox over the last three months or so. They also review some of their favourite episodes so far. Do you have any questions you would like to ask? Drop us a line at:[email protected] leave a comment on our YouTube channel!Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Surely there is not much more to football than kicking a ball.?  Wrong, There is a whole science behind it. Professor Robbie Wilson explains his work in this area and even puts Tim and Syma through their paces in the park!Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

In this explainer, Syma discusses some of the methods bacteria use to defend themselves from attack from external threats such as antibiotics. These ostensibly simple organisms have elaborate and sophisticated defence mechanisms which is why it is so hard to kill bacteria.

Dan MacNulty has studied the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park since 1995. His research, and that of his colleagues, has revealed that the narrative that wolves have changed the park, leading to forests coming back, and rivers being diverted is not true. The Yellowstone story is more complicated than you might think, and endlessly fascinating. Join us as we talk about wolves, mountain lions, elk, beavers, bison and bears and learn how wolves have been good for the park, but not in quite the way you might think. For this episode Syma joins the discussion remotely.  https://qcnr.usu.edu/directory/wild/faculty/macnulty-danielOur sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Tim breaks down a game-changing shift in global science research: as U.S. funding for future research faces uncertainty, UK funding agencies are seizing the moment—offering incentives to attract  scientists currently working in the US to relocate and thrive in the UK.

In this short bonus episode Syma talks to Philipp Kukura. Philipp led the development of a technique called mass photometry which enables tracking the movement of individual proteins. Here he briefly describes the technique, but importantly emphasises the need for more women in the areas of instrument and technology development in the physical sciences.Link To Philipp's Paper:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-021-01261-w

In this third quick hit explainer of the week. Why are most ginger cats male? Simple genetics — the orange fur gene is on the X chromosome. Males only need one to flaunt that fiery coat, while females need two, making ginger ladies much rarer.And as for wolves — not all are grey! Some are black. Nature loves a remix.

If we don’t build a more sustainable world our civilisation will collapse, potentially in the coming decades. Paul Behrens spends his time researching our impact on the world, and working out how civilisation can transition to a sustainable future. Covering multitudes of Lego to plant-based diets and solar power, we explore how we can create a civilisation to help humanity thrive in the future.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53230928-the-best-of-times-the-worst-of-timesOur sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

In our second quick-hit explainer episode this week, Tim breaks down how AI might be disrupting—not advancing—health science. Is the hype overshadowing real medical insight? Tune in for a sharp take on where AI could be leading us astray.

In this quick bonus episode, Tim breaks down one of science’s most intriguing mysteries as featured in BBC News today: the difference between matter and antimatter. Join us for a bite-sized explainer that sheds light on the surprising facts behind this cosmic puzzle!

Theoretical physics has two theories at its core that are not straightforward to link – quantum mechanics and general relativity. Lee Smolin, one of the world’s greatest living theoretical physicists, has spent his career working out why the theory of quantum mechanics is incomplete and how it might link to general relativity. He is an advocate of versions of quantum loop gravity. His work to marry the two theories resulted in him developing the theory of cosmological natural selection. Join Syma and Tim as they talk to Lee about theoretical physics. His book is called Einstein's Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum and was published in 2019 by Penguin.  https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/269402/einsteins-unfinished-revolution-by-smolin-lee/9780141979168Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we’re passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Biodiversity is under threat, and there are many ongoing efforts to help save it, including from within universities. But are academic contributions doing any good? Our cohost Tim Coulson discussed this topic with Professor Dame EJ Milner-Gulland in the Oxford Martin School (OMS) in April. Thanks to Carlyn Samuel, OMS and the OMS team for hosting the debate and allowing us to record. 

Artificial intelligence is a modern-day technology that will impact the way we live much as past innovations like mastering fire, and inventing the printing press, home computers and the internet changed civilisation. But what exactly is it, how does it work, and what are the opportunities and risks of its continued development? We talk to Chris Summerfield about Artificial Intelligence and his fabulous new book, “These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means” recently published by Penguin.https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/460891/these-strange-new-minds-by-summerfield-christopher/9780241694657Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we’re passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast ad stream market, and in particular sponsoring 'Science Of The Times', please drop us a line - [email protected] via podcasts is a cost efficient way of reaching a wider market. 

Colossal Bioscience has brought genetic variation back from the grave. It is a remarkable technological achievement, but is it species de-extinction? In this second part of this podcast we talk to Professor Peter Hudson FRS,  a world-leading ecologist, who is concerned by Colossal’s claims and what they might mean.

Colossal Bioscience has brought genetic variation back from the grave. It is a remarkable technological achievement, but is it species de-extinction? We talk to Professor Bridgett vonHoldt, a world-leading dog geneticist, who was involved in Colossal Bioscience’s recent dire wolf de-extinction work that has caused some controversy. In part 2 of this podcast we talk a world-leading ecologist who gives us his - different - take.The link below is a genetics paper, not talking about de-extinction.https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.09.647074v1

A bonus episode in which Tim and Syma discuss how the zombie ant-based creatures seen on popular dystopian future drama Last of Us are based on real fungi (Cordyceps) which infect ants - and then exploit the now zombie ants to produce more fungi, killing the ants in the process. Yes it’s a bit gruesome, but it’s science!

Syma and Tim are joined by Nobel Laureate David Baker, one of the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on computational protein design. This follows the interview with Tim Jenkins, and Susana Vasquez in Episode 7 who worked with David. After the interview Tim asks Syma to explain in simple terms the process of protein design and what may be possible in the future.

Colassal says it has de-extincted an animal. Is this a dire wolf or a dire mistake? Join Tim and Syma on this short bonus edition!

Proteins are the workhorses of life, with thousands overseeing and getting involved in reactions within our cells. Biologists have long dreamed of being able to make designer proteins to do specific tasks, and recently a team of  scientists have made this happen. Syma and Tim talk to researchers who designed, and then made, a protein that neutralises a type of snake venom. In the first release we talk to Susana Vázquez and Tim Jenkins who were key members of the team, and in the second release, on Sunday, we chat with David Baker who was one of the recipients of 2024 Nobel prize for Chemistry for de novo protein design.The paper is available here:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08393-x

Dogs are people’s best friend, but how did that happen?  Did we tame them or did they train us, or is it a bit of both?  Join us as we discuss domestication with Greger Larson and Lachlan Scarsbrook

Not all Birds are the same. In analyses of thousands of hours of bird song our guests, Nilo Merino Recalde and Ben Sheldon found predictable variation in the calls of great tits. Showcasing the power of AI in analyses of data from the natural world they show birds show cultural differences much like humans do.https://nilomr.github.io/

OSIRIS-REx is a space craft that visited the asteroid Bennu, returning samples to Earth in late 2023. The first exciting results from the analyses of these samples are just being published. In the first part of the Podcast we talk to Sara Russell about the mission and her recently published results, and then in the second Part we talk to Addy Pross on what the insights mean for the emergence of life elsewhere in the cosmos. Link to Sara's paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08495-6Link to Addy's book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Life-Chemistry-Becomes-Landmark/dp/0199687773

Tim and Syma’s guests are Gordon Sanghera and Lakmal Jayasinghe of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. They discuss how their elegant technology is transforming the ease with which we can now learn what information is contained in our genes and how this is being used already in hospitals to detect for example, cancers in children. Gordon gives his vision of what might be achievable in the future.

Later in this episode, Tim flies solo in the wake of Syma's imminent departure for duties on the west coast of the US!Tim's guests are Ivan Vinogradov and Michael Jennions, both of the Australian National University, and co-authors of the scientific paper 'Paternity analysis reveals sexual selection on cognitive performance in mosquitofish".It would appear that smarter male fish are more likely to mate and produce more offspring! How on earth could this be true?!! Join Tim, Ivan and Michael to find out.Link to the paper - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02645-3

In this introductory episode, Syma and Tim introduce themselves and explain what subjects and ideas they hope to bring to their audience, and some of the things they will be covering in future episodes.  Subscribe now for future episodes!