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Should we rethink navigating by GPS?
GPS is vulnerable to interference, so how can we make navigating at sea safer?
29 Jan 2026,·28 mins
Anaesthesia
What happens to our brains and our consciousness when we’re put to sleep?
24 Jan 2026,·49 mins
Why do I tan more in the US?
Namrata tans more in Boston than in India, and she wants to know why
30 Jan 2026,·26 mins
Rutger Bregman - Moral Revolution
4. Fighting for Humanity in the Age of the Machine.
Dutch historian Rutger Bregman gives his fourth and final Reith Lecture.
16 Dec 2025,·57 mins
Are you still with us?
China’s viral app has us contemplating the science of connection.
30 Jan 2026,·49 mins
AI's Bubble Trouble?
3. If the bubble bursts, where next for AI?
Aleks and Kevin look at what a burst AI bubble would mean for the future direction of AI.
11 Feb 2026,·28 mins
The Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle: 10. Return to flight
The space shuttle is back – and they’re ready for lift off
14 Jul 2025,·33 mins
5. Good Stress and Getting Over Yourself
Claudia Hammond concludes her look into the 21st-century phenomenon of overwhelm.
09 Jan 2026,·14 mins
What is climate anxiety and how can you cope with it?
Why millions of people experience strong emotions because of climate change
01 Feb 2026,·22 mins
Series 24
Frosty Fractals
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain investigate nature's most intricate patterns
02 Jan 2026,·29 mins
The Life Scientific: Peter Knight
Peter Knight on quantum computing and the strange physics of light.
26 Jan 2026,·26 mins
South African coming-of-age initiations
As 48 young men die due to complications from circumcision, what needs to change?
28 Jan 2026,·26 mins
China's AI progress
It's been a year since China's DeepSeek AI-chatbot shook the tech world.
27 Jan 2026,·26 mins
Jehane Ragai on the science of authenticating artworks
Egyptian chemist Jehane Ragai on proving forged paintings and uncovering masterpieces.
30 Dec 2025,·28 mins
Weight Loss Injections
Adam Walton discusses the science behind popular weight loss injections.
27 Jan 2026,·29 mins
Series 1
Sleep Deprivation and Insomnia
If we don't snooze, we lose. How badly does lack of sleep affect our mind and our body?
19 Dec 2017,·28 mins
8. The Terminator
Musk fears a 'Terminator future', where robots destroy humans. So why is he creating AI?
08 Apr 2025,·28 mins
AI: A Future for Humans?
The science sleuths unwrap some of the biggest ideas in this year's BBC Reith Lectures.
22 Dec 2021,·28 mins
Stewart Lee
Dave Gorman and Stewart Lee consider a CD player/microwave oven combo.
24 Nov 2005,·30 mins
How science got here, and where next
As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy have a future?
30 Oct 2025,·31 mins
The Hunting of The Quark
First broadcast in 1997. Inside protons and neutrons lurks the holy grail of physics
10 Dec 1997,·13 mins
Episode 4
Can we make it to the stars? Quirky true history with Helen Keen and Peter Serafinowicz.
30 Mar 2011,·15 mins
Omnibus Edition
A celebration of the first moon landing and the Welsh people who played vital roles.
22 Dec 2019,·60 mins
How Music Can Hold and Heal Us
We explore how music—especially lullabies—heals like medicine.
13 Mar 2025,·25 mins
Insects and mobile phone
Smart phones could become even smarter – thanks to ants, beetles, moths and spiders!
17 Jan 2022,·20 mins
Series 4
Strontium
Chemist Andrea Sella ends his festive series with fireworks and the element strontium.
27 Dec 2019,·14 mins
Newgenics
Could powerful genetic technologies usher in a new eugenic era?
27 Dec 2022,·28 mins
Doing the Maths
First broadcast in 2006. The mathematics of infinity are discussed
27 Sep 2006,·22 mins
Fitness in Old Age
First broadcast in 2000. How to stay fit in old age
16 Oct 2000,·13 mins
Omnibus 4
Ian Blatchford and Tilly Blyth on how art and science have inspired each other.
18 Oct 2019,·57 mins