Against a backdrop of a cost of living crisis caused in part by soaring energy prices, the UK’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, appointed MP Jacob Rees-Mogg as secretary of state for business and energy. In this role, Rees-Mogg will have to tackle these issues while being responsible for the UK’s legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It is a goal he has previously described as ‘a long way off’. Madeleine Finlay hears from environment correspondent Fiona Harvey about his plans to extract ‘every last drop’ of oil and gas from the North Sea, the …
Tags: science weekly
Older Episodes
A groundbreaking new study has revealed how air pollution can cause lung cancer, and promises to rewrite our understanding of the disease. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Hannah Devlin about how scientists uncovered the link
Ian Sample talks to Prof Michael Cholbi about what grief is, how losing a public figure can have such a profound impact on our lives, and why there’s value in grieving
As cases of tick-borne Lyme disease grow around the world, a new vaccine will soon be tested on thousands of volunteers. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Eoin Healy about what causes Lyme disease and how the vaccine works, and hears from a special guest about their own experience of getting …
The recent shelling of attack of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – has triggered international concern. But what are the risks of a nuclear disaster? Ian Sample speaks to Prof Claire Corkhill about what will happen if the plant loses power, and how a nuclear meltdown could …
It is now less than 100 days until Cop15, the UN convention on biological diversity. With the Earth experiencing the largest loss of life since the dinosaurs, these talks will be critical for the future of the planet and humanity. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Phoebe Weston about how negotiations have …
Raw sewage, containing wet wipes, excrement and used sanitary products, is being regularly discharged into British rivers and seas. Last year, water companies released untreated sewage into waterways for 2.7m hours. Madeleine Finlay speaks to reporter Helena Horton about why this is happening and the damage it is doing to …
Todays’ teenagers don’t have it easy – they are faced with the aftermath of the pandemic, a cost of living crisis, the impacts of social media and an uncertain future caused by the climate crisis. It may be no surprise they are increasingly reporting mental health problems. But is this …
Mammals first appeared on Earth at least 178 million years ago, and have since shared the planet with dinosaurs, survived an asteroid, and made it through an ice age. Now, they’re facing their biggest threat yet – humans. Nicola Davis describes the incredible history of mammals and what it can …
Billions are being poured into scientific efforts to understand and stave off the effects of ageing. Ian Sample finds out about how Silicon Valley startups aim to keep the rich younger and healthier for longer
A study found more than 1 in 10 capsules were rancid. Yet, these supplements are part of a billion-dollar industry mining one of the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth
Ian Sample investigates whether western lifestyles, from fast foods to urbanisation, could be behind the rapid rise in autoimmune diseases around the world
Madeleine Finlay speaks to conservation scientist Dr Charlie Gardner about why many researchers around the world are leaving their labs to protest – and why he thinks civil disobedience is the only option left
Global environment editor Jonathan Watts describes the incredible legacy left behind by the scientist, inventor and maverick James Lovelock. Best known for the Gaia hypothesis of the Earth as a self-regulating system, Lovelock’s immense influence on the environmental movement will continue to be felt in the critical decades ahead
Anand Jagatia speaks to Linda Geddes and Dr Tim Nutbeam about new research on the best way to free someone from a wreckage
Ian Sample chats to Fiona Harvey about which of the final two Tory leadership candidates is the ‘least bad’ when it comes to green policies, and why one of the world’s most urgent issues has taken a back seat in the contest
Anand Jagatia speaks to psychotherapist Caroline Hickman about climate anxiety, and how we can turn feelings of doom into positive action
Ian Sample speaks to Prof Elizabeth Bomberg about recent developments that have hobbled the US government on climate action
Avian influenza is sweeping across the world, killing millions of birds. In the UK, wild seabird populations are being hit hard. Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay about the devastating impact
Astronomer Prof Ray Jayawardhana speaks to Ian Sample about the first spectacular images from the JWST – and what they tell us about the cosmos