BBC Inside Science BBC Podcasts

As another week of disruptive Just Stop Oil protests grabs media attention, sociologist Dana Fisher discusses which actions might help a cause - and which could harm it.
Japanese scientists have developed artificial skin for robots made from real human cells. Inside Science producer Dr Ella Hubber digs into the uncanny invention.
Inside Science reporter Patrick Hughes goes on the trail of methane emissions from landfills.
And, as a heatwave smothers the UK, physiologist Damian Bailey helps us figure out what the perfect temperature for a human is.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Ella Hubber, Gerry Holt, Sophie Ormiston
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Taylor Swift fans danced so hard they made the ground shake at her recent Edinburgh gig so this week we’re meeting Earth Scientists Emma Greenough and James Panton to measure the Cardiff show - and explain some Swiftie Seismology.
We’re joined by the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring and Cardiff University's Professor Martin Innes to talk the science of tracking election disinformation on social media.
What’s in the election manifestos? BBC science correspondent Pallab Ghosh explains all.
And Marnie dashes to Kew Gardens to meet horticulturalist Solene Dequiret, hoping to be in time to see two very foul-smelling plants in very rare bloom.
Nose pegs at the ready...
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Gerry Holt, Katie Tomsett & Ella Hubber
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Elon Musk’s implanted brain chip, Neuralink, is coming to the UK for clinical trials. Is controlling computers with our minds a future reality or is it all hype? Neuroscientists Dean Burnett and Christina Maher weigh in.
Zoologist Jules Howard ponders the strange effects drugs in our sewage have on frogs from his garden pond.
How do we measure the distance to distant galaxies? Astrophysicist Edward Gomez answers a listener's burning question.
And a 101 on blood groups from Dr Lise Estcourt.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Ella Hubber, Gerry Holt, Sophie Ormiston
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.

The looming danger of antibiotic resistance may have fallen out of the public consciousness but is still very much in the mind of those in public healthcare and research. As promising new research is published, the University of Birmingham’s Laura Piddock and GP Margaret McCartney get to the bottom of why antibiotic resistance is still so difficult to tackle.
Marine biologist Helen Scales joins us in the studio to talk about her new book “What the Wild Sea Could Be” which uses changes in the Earth’s past to predict what we can expect to happen to our oceans in the coming years.
Cosmologist Andrew Pontzen speculates on what happens in and around the extreme environment of a black hole as news of the first observations of the “plunging zone” comes to light.
And as the EU head to ban smoky flavoured crisps we ask what the science behind this decision is with Food scientist Stuart Farrimond.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Ella Hubber and Hannah Robins
Researcher: Caitlin Kennedy
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Guest presented by Liz Bonnin.
We all instinctively know that sleep is incredibly important but science doesn’t actually have a satisfying answer for why we need to sleep. There are multiple theories, but now, new research from Imperial College London has suggested that the leading idea might actually be incorrect. Science journalist Ginny Smith explains.
Nearly 80 years ago, one of the rarest elements in the world, promethium, was first discovered, but it’s properties have only now been revealed. Andrea Sella, Professor of Chemistry at University College London, tells us what this means.
What’s the scariest animal on the planet? Lions, crocodiles, or maybe tigers might come to mind. Yet a recent study has found that animals around the globe fear our voices far more than sounds of any other predators. Professor Liana Zanette explains how her research could help conservation efforts.
Finally, we answer one of your questions. Listener Mary Evans got in touch to ask: ‘do you think it's likely that people who are widely travelled and used to eating local food and drinking tap water would have more diverse bacteria in their gut?’ Expert on all things microbiome, Megan Rossi, joins us in the studio to answer Mary’s query. If you have any questions you think we can tackle, you can always email us at insidescience@bbc.co.uk.
Presenter: Liz Bonnin
Producers: Hannah Robins, Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston
Researcher: Caitlin Kennedy
Editor: Martin Smith