Many factors can lead to a failed experiment -- human errors, errors in measurement, and sometimes just random errors. In this week’s episode, both of our storytellers share tales of when their experiments didn’t go as planned.
Part 1: As a new science teacher, Zeke Kossover is determined to capture the attention of his students.
Part 2: While on a field exp ... Show More
Today
Blood & Guts: Stories about hemoglobin and intestines
In this week’s episode, we wade into the bloody (and sometimes gory) side of science. Part 1: Shawn Musgrave wants to donate blood, but runs headfirst into the FDA’s lifetime ban on gay men as donors. Part 2: While working with the condor recovery program, Molly Astell opens a fr ... Show More
24m 37s
Jan 2023
The James Webb Space Telescope - the first 6 months
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has produced amazing images in its first 5 months, but amazing science as well. Roland hears from one of the leading astronomers on the JWST programme, Dr Heidi Hammel, as well as other experts on what they are already learning about the first ga ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2023
Babbage: Summer science lessons
How much science do you remember from school? Do you know how a simple electric motor works, or what the Doppler effect is? Basic physics is taught early in schools, but is easily forgotten.
To learn some basic science, we travel this week to the Royal Institution (RI) in Londo ... Show More
37m 31s
Nov 2023
The unexpected outcomes of artist-scientist collaborations
Artist and illustrator Lucy Smith helps botanists to identify new species. Usually they request a set of drawings, she says, with a detailed set of requirements.
But Smith, who joined London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, more than 20 years ago, says: “We also feed back to the sci ... Show More
23m 48s