Ri Science Podcast

Henry Marsh, author of the bestseller Do No Harm, and Jim Olson, paediatric oncologist from Seattle Children’s Hospital, share their experiences in medicine. Is it possible to light up a cancer cell in the brain? Could scorpion venom be the answer? Dr Jim Olson, Paediatric Haematology Oncology Specialist at Seattle Children's Hospital and a member of the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is developing a radical new technique in the field of fluorescent image-guided surgery, Tumor Paint, that has the potential to transform the way tumors are removed from the brain - by using a special paint the make the cancerous areas glow. Dr Henry Marsh is a leading British neurosurgeon whose pioneering work in brain tumour surgery has been the subject of major award-winning BBC documentaries. His extraordinary memoir, Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, is an international best-seller, nominated for eight major UK literary prizes and the Sky Arts South Bank Show 2015 Award recipient for Literature and PEN Ackerley Prize. He was made a CBE in 2010.

Russell Foster, Debra Skene and Stafford Lightman discuss the science of sleep. Why do we need sleep and what are the physiological processes driving our circadian rhythm? When is our circadian clock disrupted and how does this affect our health? Cognitive neuroscientist Vincent Walsh chairs the debate. Subscribe to the podcast for regular talks from the world's sharpest minds. Search Ri Science Podcast in your app of choice.

An evidence-based discussion of the controversial topic of race, as science sees it. Do races even exist, biologically? Adam Rutherford hosts a panel of experts, including Kenan Malik, Aoife McLysaght and Heidi Mirza. Subscribe to the podcast for regular talks from the world's sharpest minds. Search Ri Science Podcast in your app of choice.

Evolutionary biologist Sean B Carroll reveals how a few simple rules govern all life on earth, from the cells in our bodies to populations of animals on the Serengeti. Subscribe to the podcast for regular talks from the world's sharpest minds. Search Ri Science Podcast in your app of choice.

Richard Dawkins discusses the key individuals, institutions and ideas that have inspired and motivated him since the publication of ‘The Selfish Gene’ in 1976 with Dr Alice Roberts.

The house always wins. Or does it? Mathematician Adam Kucharski looks at the mathematics, economics and physics of gambling.

Aerospace engineer Anita Sengupta takes us through the extraordinary engineering feat of landing NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars, going from 13,000 mph to 0 mph in 7 minutes, and discusses the current and future exploration of our nearest neighbour. In August of 2012 NASA landed the largest and most capable robotic geologist in history, on the surface of Mars. The Curiosity Rover is on a journey to determine past and present habitability of the Red Planet. Anita Sengupta is one of the lead NASA engineers who developed the system to land Curiosity. She describes the challenges of landing on Mars and what is over the horizon on our human journey to Mars.

Writer Ben Miller leads Jim Al-Khalili through our search for alien life in the Universe in the first of our new podcast series bringing you thought provoking lectures and discussions from the world's sharpest minds. For millennia, we have looked up at the stars and wondered whether we are alone in the Universe. In the last few years, scientists have made huge strides towards answering that question. Comedian and bestselling science writer Ben Miller is in conversation with Jim Al-Khalili, taking us on a fantastic voyage of discovery, from the beginnings of life on earth to the very latest search for alien intelligence.