Pakistan plans to scrap its 18% tampon tax. On Unexpected Elements last week, that story led @tahtone.bsky.social, @cvmota.bsky.social and I into the science of periods: how cycles affect drug uptake in the brain and what periods in space are really like🩸🚀 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, Stuck in a cycle

The removal of sales tax on period products in Pakistan has us talking biological cycles.

bbc.co.uk

What would count as evidence that an animal is interested in the past? For the latest CrowdScience, I visited some baby jays who from a young age remember things from the past. But answering whether they "care" quickly leads into questions about consciousness… www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - Do animals care about the past? - BBC Sounds

The past matters to humans, but does it matter to animals?

bbc.co.uk

CrowdScience listener Haruka has been making origami cranes since she was a child. Creating one out of a cloth napkin, however, was a challenge. It made her wonder: why does paper remember its creases? I had an origami lesson and visited a paper mill to find out. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Why does paper fold so well?

Origami is the art of folding paper, but what makes paper remember its creases?

bbc.co.uk

I was Inside Science today, chatting about the best science news from this week. ☄️The crater left by the asteroid that wiped out dinos may stayed hot for 8 million years. 🦟 Is DEET doomed? Research finds mosquitoes learn to associate the smell of DEET with food. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, How do you build an unbuildable tower?

How engineers fulfilled Gaudi’s once impossible vision for the Sagrada Familia.

bbc.co.uk

What’s the deal with tongues? There are some weird examples of tongues out there. Snapping turtles have tongues which look like worms and lure prey into their mouths, parrots have bones in their tongues to crack open nuts, and cats have tiny keratin hooks on theirs. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - What's the deal with tongues? - BBC Sounds

Why do different animals have such different tongues?

bbc.co.uk

I was on Inside Science last week, chatting about science news. My fave: How do astronauts do laundry? They don’t. When clothes become too smelly, they're thrown back down to Earth to burn up in the atmosphere. Engineers may have a solution involving lasers. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

BBC Inside Science - How is AI going to change science? - BBC Sounds

What role will humans play in the future of scientific research?

bbc.co.uk

Happy 100th Birthday to broadcasting legend David Attenborough 🎉 I will always cherish this letter from him (even if it’s a polite rejection), which he wrote at 99! What an incredible man.

I was on Inside Science today, chatting to @tomwhipple.bsky.social about: 🌍 why Europe is the fastest warming continent 🏃 How Sawe broke the sub-2 hour marathon 🧠 Neanderthals grew up much faster than us - with 6-month-old babies the size of 14-month-old modern humans www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

BBC Inside Science - Why is Europe the fastest-warming continent? - BBC Sounds

We explore the mechanisms causing Europe's warming twice as fast as the global average.

bbc.co.uk

Funerals are an important part of being human. Painful but important. So when young CrowdScience listener asked: do animals have funerals too? I thought the answer was no. Turns out I’m wrong. Thanks @corvidresearch.bsky.social for letting me bother you with my qs! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - Do animals hold funerals? - BBC Sounds

Do animals mourn the dead?

bbc.co.uk

Will AI replace me? A CrowdScience lister asked if AI could present the show. I spoke the super knowledgeable @hern.bsky.social to find out. Plus I let the BBC AI team clone my voice… I’m not convinced but would love to know what you think. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, Could AI present CrowdScience?

AI is predicted to replace some human jobs – could it host this show?

bbc.co.uk

The worlds largest EVER census began this month. India is surveying its population. @chhavi.bsky.social and I talked about all things population science on Unexpected Elements. From how you count the number of humans on this planet to how much the internet weighs. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - Unexpected Elements, Is everyone accounted for?

India undertaking the world’s largest ever census has us exploring population science.

bbc.co.uk

How can we adapt to climate change? As a broadcaster talking about “adapting” can be scary. It means admitting we’ve not done enough to tackle climate change. But our climate is changing and threatening lives so we must. I had fun at Edinburgh Science Fest, with @susannahfisher.bsky.social.

What would you say if you could talk to animals? I’d ask my cat to explain the constant meowing. Talking to animals might not be as far-fetched as you think. I had a great time on What in the World covering how scientists are beginning to decode animal communication. youtu.be/TElyQ0_4J6s?...

How AI could help us talk to animals - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

YouTube video by BBC World Service

youtu.be

If your car key is running out of battery, I have a tip for you: hold it to your head… It sounds ridiculous - but there’s real physics behind it. I got to make an episode of CrowdScience all about this strange little trick. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - Can I unlock my car using my head? - BBC Sounds

Wireless keys work better if you press them against your skull. But why?

bbc.co.uk

I was on BBC Radio 4's Inside Science today, chatting about science news with @whippletom.bsky.social Whipple. ⚛️ CERN scientists have successfully transported antimatter by road. 🦫 Beavers! New research quantifying just how powerful they are as climate engineers. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

BBC Inside Science - The future of space travel - BBC Sounds

A nuclear-powered spacecraft promises deeper and more explorative space travel.

bbc.co.uk

Recently, a friend told me they were “manifesting” no-rain for my run tomorrow. Manifesting seems to be EVERYWHERE. People manifest everything from their dream job to perfect weather. But does manifesting mean? And does it actually work? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - Can I really manifest the future? - BBC Sounds

Can manifesting make your dreams come true?

bbc.co.uk

I was on the BBC team for the Carbon Brief quiz. I was expecting a climate pub quiz, but it was closer to University Challenge in vibes! Qs included: What % of energy consumption did electricity count for in 2024? No thanks to me, we came 🥉 @akshatrathi.bsky.social @esmestallard.bsky.social

🦫 Beavers! Can these furry engineers help us protect the planet? ⚡️Why is modernising electricity grids essential for climate change? I joined Graihagh Jackson on The Climate Question, to answer climate questions from listeners. youtu.be/VLI2PexSdXQ?...

Could beavers help us protect the planet? - The Climate Question podcast, BBC World Service

YouTube video by BBC World Service

youtu.be

I started this year in the best way - joining scientists planting coral on the Great Barrier Reef 🪸 In this episode of CrowdScience, I follow researchers as they grow baby coral in the lab & transport them to damaged reefs. Can we rebuild a reef the size of Japan? www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - CrowdScience, How can we save the Great Barrier Reef?

Coral is under threat from climate change – can these Australian scientists save it?

bbc.co.uk

If you fall asleep watching or listening to something, this one is for you! I a great time on Inside Science today, chatting about the latest science news with Vic Gill.

Victoria Gill@bbcvic.bsky.social · 7mo ago

On Radio 4 now - tech billionaires on the Moon, making the brain less selfish and navigating our way from fish discos to spinal injury breakthroughs. Joined by the excellent @libbyjackson.com and @carolinesteel.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

The BBC’s The Climate Question is now on YouTube! I had a great time alongside @akshatrathi.bsky.social answering questions from listeners. 🌱 How do I get a green job? 💨 Could nitrous oxide emissions become a problem in the future? 🧊 How do you age an ice core? youtu.be/iOa0-B27s2M?...

I’m on BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science NOW with @whippletom.bsky.social chatting about one of my favourite topics. Solar geoengineering ☀️ 🔧 Should we be meddling with our skies to try and slow climate change? Or do the risks outweigh the reward? www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, Should we rethink navigating by GPS?

GPS is vulnerable to interference, so how can we make navigating at sea safer?

bbc.co.uk

I got to submerge both a guitar and myself in a tank for our latest episode of CrowdScience: Can you play a guitar underwater? 🎸 💧 It’s one of my favourite episodes this year - a question that sounds obvious, but is packed full of unexpected science. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - Can you play the guitar underwater? - BBC Sounds

We explore underwater acoustics in search of a new music sensation

bbc.co.uk

I had a great time talking quantum physics with Paul Davies and Vlatko Vedral at the Hay Winter Literary Festival last weekend.  Is the many worlds interpretation real? Why is quantum so hard to understand? The answers are in Paul and Vlatko’s books which I highly recommend!

I’m on Inside Science NOW with @whippletom.bsky.social chatting about my fave science news. Satellites are photobombing images of space and why it’s a problem. Plus, scientists have made self-destructing plastic. Could this be the solution to our plastic problem? www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, A 'functional' cure for HIV?

Almost four decades after the first HIV treatment, is there finally a ‘functional’ cure?

bbc.co.uk

Why does coffee that’s passed through a civet taste so good? Why are you more likely to be allergic to an ugly plant than a beautiful one? I had a great time last week chatting about wierd and wonderful science on Unexpected Elements last week. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Why do we cry? 😢 I put blood, sweat & *tears* into this ep of CrowdScience - I collected my tears for a couple of weeks and then took them to the Netherlands (thank God I didn’t have to take liquids out of my bag at security…) to analyse them under a microscope. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - Why do we cry? - BBC Sounds

Only humans cry emotional tears, whether it’s tears of sadness or tears of joy. But why?

bbc.co.uk

Moss can survive 9 months in space! Plus, scientists have worked out why coffee that’s passed through the gut of a civet, tastes so good ☕️ Today I was on Inside Science with @whippletom.bsky.social & @kityates.bsky.social, chatting about my fave science news. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC Radio 4 - BBC Inside Science, What’s in the wording of the COP 30 negotiations?

As COP 30 draws to close in Brazil, we speak to a former negotiator.

bbc.co.uk

Do Aliens exist? 👽 We might be one step closer to finding the answer following the discovery of a possible nitrogen atmosphere around an Earth-sized planet called Trappist-1e. 🪐 I had a great time talking about the news on What in the World. youtu.be/P5VEx0OU76E?...

Are we now closer to finding life on another planet? - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

YouTube video by BBC World Service

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Did you know that the brain can be active for 20 minutes AFTER you die? Our latest CrowdScience explored the question: are near death experiences real? I spoke to the experts, including Jimo Borjigin who’s studied the brains of four people before & after death. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

CrowdScience - Are near-death experiences real? - BBC Sounds

Are near-death experiences visions of an afterlife?

bbc.co.uk