That's Science!

Ever wonder why some scientific ideas change the world while others end up in the history books' reject pile?In this special crossover event, we’re handing the mic to Rita (Cosmology Researcher) and Sofie (PhD Student) from the University of Sheffield, the brilliant minds behind the Good in Theory podcast. Rita and Sofie bring us some of their favourite theories that just didn’t turn out to be right.From the mysterious planet Vulcan to what light needs to travel - Science isn't always a straight line to the truth, it's a messy journey filled with dead ends, wrong turns, and spectacular failures. Join us for part one and let's rethink how scientific progress actually works.

We often think of fire as purely destructive, but for some plant species, it’s actually the key to life!In our latest episode of That’s Science, we are joined by Dr Kimberley Simpson to  examine the complex relationship between wildfire and plant ecology. While fire is a destructive force, it is also a powerful evolutionary driver.

Have you ever been having a perfectly normal chat with your favorite AI large language model, only to realise it's been confidently lying to your face?In this episode of That’s Science, we dive into the glitchy, often confusing world of AI hallucinations - those moments when a large language model confidently feeds you a lie with a straight face. You aren't alone if you’ve felt misled by a chatbot.Joining us is Dr Wei Zing to break down why these digital delusions happen and explore the surprising reality that while developers have the power to eliminate these errors, they might just choose to keep them around.

The majority of us have heard about the placebo effect and the impact it can have on the brain and body. But have you heard of the nocebo effect? Placebo’s evil twin can affect us all and it is having a real impact on our health. This episode we talk to Dr Rebecca Webster about her research on the nocebo effect, a relatively new area of psychology research, and the impact that it is having on our health - particularly women's health and the relationship many women have with the contraceptive pill. We look at the factors that can cause it, the difficulties in researching this area and what might come next in the field. Dr Rebecca Webster is a lecturer in the School of Psychology whose research is in Health Psychology.

This episode we take a ride into the solar system and beyond. How are planets formed and how was our solar system formed? What are the long believed rules of planetary systems and why we now believe there is not one model that fits all. Dr Richard Parker is an astrophysicist in our School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. During the episode he takes us around the solar system and further into the Milky Way galaxy - discussing migrating planets and even whether life can jump between planetary systems.

We take a dive into the Wood Wide Web with Professor Katie Field. Katie takes us through where the theory came from, why it rose so quickly in popularity and why it isn’t exactly what we might think. Katie Field is a professor or plant - soil processes in The School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield. She has recently been awarded a Royal Society Fellowship that will fund her research for ten years.

Join us each episode where we talk with our academics to explore common beliefs and popular myths across Science. What will we discover?