logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2024
28m 20s

Wimbledon Grass Science

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

We visit Wimbledon’s iconic Centre Court... but we’re not interested in the tennis, we want to know all about the grass.

Just how important is science to cultivating the perfect playing surface?

Also this week, we discuss the aims and ethics of human stem-cell-based embryo models in research after a new code of practice for the UK made headlines.

And we answer a listener question about whether white paint could help tackle climate change.

Send your burning science questions to insidescience@bbc.co.uk. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston & Gerry Holt Editor: Colin Paterson Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Up next
Jul 3
Can science save our oceans?
More than 2,000 marine scientists have come together at the One Ocean Science Congress in Nice, France. It is a gathering that will bring marine experts from all over the world together to share the latest discoveries about the health of our seas and oceans. It is an issue at the ... Show More
28m 11s
Jun 26
Your science questions answered
We’ve been rummaging through the Inside Science mailbox to pick out a selection of the intriguing science questions you’ve been sending in, and assembled an expert panel to try to answer them. Marnie Chesterton is joined by Penny Sarchet, managing editor of New Scientist, Mark Ma ... Show More
28m 7s
Jun 19
Does the pandemic agreement make the world safer?
The World Health Organisation has agreed a treaty looking at tackling the issue of future pandemics. It’s hoped it will help to avoid some of the disorganisation and competition for resources like vaccines and personal protective equipment that were seen during the Covid-19 outbr ... Show More
27m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 23
Your Questions Answered
The Climate Question panel discuss how to make homes - and ships - better for the climate. Plus, what about our own carbon footprints? And are oceans or forests better at storing carbon?Answering your head-scratchers are Justin Rowlatt, BBC climate editor; Akshat Rathi, senior cl ... Show More
26m 28s
Nov 2024
The Climate Question x Global News Podcast: Listeners Questions Special
In a special programme, The Climate Question join forces with The Global News Podcast to tackle listeners' climate questions from around the world. How does war impact climate change? How can we protect small island nations? And what practical actions can we all take as individua ... Show More
50m 57s
Sep 2024
Sheila Willis
Dr Sheila Willis is a forensic scientist who was Director General of Forensic Science Ireland for many years.She has spent her life using science to help solve cases, working on crime scenes and then analysing material in the lab, and presenting scientific evidence in court.It’s ... Show More
27m 38s
Jun 2023
John L. Rudolph, "Why We Teach Science (and Why We Should)" (Oxford UP, 2023)
Today I talked to John L. Rudolph about his book Why We Teach Science (and Why We Should) (Oxford UP, 2023).Few people question the importance of science education in American schooling. The public readily accepts that it is the key to economic growth through innovation, develops ... Show More
36m 54s
Jan 2025
Could ancient rice seeds help fight climate change?
How farmers and scientists in eastern India are using ancient rice seeds to fight flooding, increasing soil salinity and drought. The BBC’s William Kremer tells Graihagh Jackson about his visit to the Sundarbans in West Bengal, where cyclones and rising sea levels have devastated ... Show More
27m 12s
Jan 2025
Combatting Climate Anxiety through Community Science
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the news these days and to fear for the future. What if you could interrupt doomscrolling and contribute to conservation at the same time? That’s the idea behind programs like Adventure Scientists, eBird and iNaturalist. Guest Gregg Treinish, fo ... Show More
14m 34s
Jul 2
A magical world at the ocean’s edge
In coastal California, researchers grapple with potentially losing a landscape they love. Guests: Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences; Peter Roopnarine, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology & Geology at t ... Show More
38m 42s
Sep 2023
Tree Soil, Rodent Biologist, Soundscape Artist. Sept 8, 2023, Part 2
Where Soil Grows Above The TreesYou might be used to the feeling of Earth under your feet, but did you know that there’s soil high above your head? Way up in the treetops, where ferns, mosses, flowers, and even trees grow on top of the forest. A new study in Geoderma describes th ... Show More
46m 56s
Aug 2024
The not-so-secret life of plants
From the perspective of Western science, plants have long been considered unaware, passive life forms; essentially, rocks that happen to grow. But there’s something in the air in the world of plant science. New research suggests that plants are aware of the world around them to a ... Show More
35m 49s