logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2025
28m 21s

What does caffeine do to our bodies?

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Feb 26
Does new science get us closer to finding out how life on earth began?
Perhaps it’s the biggest question science has left to answer, how did life begin? Now, molecular biologists in Cambridge university have discovered tiny molecules of RNA which they say might provide some clues. Science journalist and author Philip Ball explains what we know and w ... Show More
26m 29s
Feb 19
How to bury radioactive waste
A small but mighty problem: what to do with the radioactive waste we have already made? Professor Clare Corkhill from the University of Bristol gives us the run down on how radioactive waste is created. In Onkalo Finland, Victoria Gill visits the first national facility able to p ... Show More
26m 28s
Feb 12
Will there be a city on the moon in ten years?
Elon Musk says his company Space X will focus on establishing a ‘self-growing city’ on the moon before going to Mars. Why the pivot? And what would it take to build a lunar metropolis? Victoria Gill speaks to head of space at the Science Museum Libby Jackson. Can we stimulate the ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
Are psychedelics breaking science?
Drugs like ecstasy and mushrooms have shown promise as mental health treatments, but they’re also exposing some major cracks in how scientists study the brain. Guests: Jonathan Lambert, science journalist; Boris Heifets, professor at Stanford University of Medicine; Amy Mcguire, ... Show More
24m 40s
Sep 2024
Your Brain On... Coffee
<p dir="ltr"><strong>What does the most-purchased beverage in the world — coffee — do to your brain?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Five centuries after its discovery, coffee is deeply entrenched in our diets on a global scale. More than half the U.S. population drinks coffee daily. W ... Show More
41m 34s
May 2025
Imagine a sunset, now imagine you can't
Aphantasia is the inability to see with your mind’s eye. And its discovery has made scientists ask a surprising question: What is the mind’s eye even for? (First published in 2022.) Guests: Alice Coles, artist; Adam Zeman, cognitive neurologist at the University of Exeter Medical ... Show More
23m 45s
Dec 2021
Michael Pollan On Mind-Altering Plants, A Second Pandemic Winter. December 10, 2021, Part 1
<p>How America Is Preparing For Another Pandemic Winter</p> <p>The weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and the world is approaching the two year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like last year, experts are wary that a winter surge in cases could happen a ... Show More
47m 6s
Feb 2025
Recap: Is your morning coffee harming your health? | James Hoffmann
Today we’re diving into coffee. Most of us are greeted by its earthy aroma every single morning. It’s hot bitter taste signaling that the day has officially begun. Coffee is so ingrained into our daily routine we rarely pause to consider the effect of coffee on our health. So, wh ... Show More
12m 28s
May 2025
Do Mitochondria Talk to Each Other? A New Look at the Cell’s Powerhouse
Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell—but new research suggests they might be far more complex. Columbia University’s Martin Picard joins Scientific American’s Rachel Feltman to explore how these tiny organelles could be communicating and what that might mean for e ... Show More
27m 4s
Feb 2022
Science Advisor Resigns, COVID Drug Treatments, Science Drag Artists. Feb 11, 2022, Part 1
<p>An Abrupt Departure For Biden’s Science Adviser</p> <p>This week, Eric Lander, the Presidential science advisor and head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/eric-lander-resignation/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast& ... Show More
53m 30s
Jan 2025
Titans of Science: Marc Abrahams
Dr Chris Smith and the Naked Scientist team present the latest science news, analysis and breakthroughs.Including the news that the US has recorded their first human death from bird flu, and should we be concerned? Plus a new drug to treat drug resistant prostate cancer, and new ... Show More
51m 30s
Sep 2025
The Dead Composer Whose ‘Brain’ Still Makes Music
In a hauntingly innovative exhibit, brain cells grown from the late composer Alvin Lucier’s blood generate sound. Set in a museum in Perth, Australia, the installation blurs the line between art and neuroscience. Host Rachel Feltman and associate editor Allison Parshall explore t ... Show More
25m 25s
Sep 2025
The Dead Composer Whose ‘Brain’ Still Makes Music
In a hauntingly innovative exhibit, brain cells grown from the late composer Alvin Lucier’s blood generate sound. Set in a museum in Perth, Australia, the installation blurs the line between art and neuroscience. Host Rachel Feltman and associate editor Allison Parshall explore t ... Show More
25m 25s