Discovery

In this enlightening discussion, Professor Tebello Nyokong shares her remarkable journey from herding sheep in Lesotho to becoming a leading figure in nanotechnology and cancer treatment. Overcoming systemic educational barriers during apartheid, she emphasizes the importance of mentorship and the transformative power of education. Tebello passionately details her groundbreaking work in photodynamic therapy, aiming to establish Africa as a science superpower. Her story is a testament to resilience, ambition, and breaking gender stereotypes in the scientific community.

Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, a Māori marine scientist is combining indigenous knowledge with marine science to save the oceans that are so integral to her heritage.Growing up in 1970s New Zealand, Kura-Paul Burke faced stigma due to her Māori roots. But, after finding herself studying marine science as an adult, Kura leaned on her heritage to take on a problem where many had already failed: restoring a lost population of precious, green-lipped mussels. Discover how Māori ancestresses, tribal elders and centuries-old knowledge inspired the ingenious methods of Aotearoa's first female Māori professor of marine science.Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Dr Kura Paul-Burke Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire(Image: Dr Kura Paul-Burke. Credit: Dr Kura Paul-Burke)

Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, the story of a young PhD student whose discovery of a previously unknown object in the universe won a Nobel Prize...but not for her.On a cold night in 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell sits alone in an observatory, reading the data from a radio telescope. As the pattern in the data suddenly changes, she realises she has discovered an entirely new kind of cosmic phenomenon. Uncover her life story, from getting snubbed for the Nobel Prize to paving our knowledge of distant and invisible aspects of the universe.Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire (Image: Jocelyn Bell Burnell attends the 2019 Breakthrough Prize at NASA Ames Research Center on November 4, 2018 in Mountain View, California. Credit: Kimberly White/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)

Discover the incredible story of Tu Youyou, a young scientist who pursued ancient remedies to tackle malaria during a tumultuous time in Chinese history. Uncover how she combined traditional medicine with modern science, leading to a groundbreaking cure. The podcast dives into the political complexities of medical interventions during the Vietnam War and sheds light on the science behind artemisinin, a life-saving treatment. Her journey showcases the power of perseverance and the intersection of history, politics, and innovation.

Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber are both scientists, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about the women that came before them. In Unstoppable, Julia and Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the scientists, engineers and innovators that they wish they’d known about when they were starting out in science. This week, the story of an Indian conservationist who combines stork preservation with female empowerment. On the banks of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian state of Assam, a young Purnima Barman discovers a love of storks whilst singing songs with her farmer grandmother. Fast forward decades later, she has created a community like no other by recruiting an army of over 20,000 village women to bring the Hargila storks from her childhood back from the brink of extinction. With their shared goal of restoring the relationship between the people and the wildlife, discover how Purnima is empowering women in the face of gender inequality. Presenters: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Guest Speaker: Dr Purnima Devi Barman Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant Producers: Sophie Ormiston, Anna Charalambou and Josie Hardy Sound Designer: Ella Roberts Production Coordinator: Ishmael Soriano Editor: Holly Squire(Image: Purnima Devi Barman. Credit: Purnima Devi Barman)

Anna Korre, an environmental engineer at Imperial College London and Co-Director of the Energy Futures Lab, shares her insights on the urgent need for decarbonisation in British industry. She discusses the complex relationship between fossil fuels and everyday products, and the challenges posed by corporate greed and short-term policies. Korre also highlights her innovative research into underground CO2 storage as a potential solution for climate action. Personal stories from her Greek upbringing add depth to her journey in a male-dominated field.

Rosalie David, a trailblazer in Egyptology and the UK's first female professor in the field, discusses her groundbreaking research on mummies. She reveals the shocking health issues uncovered in ancient mummies, like that of Asru, showcasing the evolution of mummification techniques. Rosalie shares captivating anecdotes from her travels in 1960s Egypt and highlights the interdisciplinary approach that led to the creation of the world’s first mummy tissue bank, offering new insights into ancient medical practices.

In the summer of 2003, Europe experienced its most intense heatwave on record - one that saw more than 70,000 people lose their lives. Experiencing the effects whilst on holiday in Tuscany, climate scientist Peter Stott was struck by the idea that just maybe, he could use a modelling system developed by his team at the UK’s Meteorological Office, to study extreme weather events such as this very heatwave mathematically; and figure out the extent to which human influences were increasing their probability.That’s exactly what he went on to do - and, through this work and more, Peter has helped to shine a light on the causes and effects of climate change. His career, predominantly at the Meteorological Office, has seen him take on climate change sceptics and explain the intricacies of greenhouse gas emissions to global leaders. His work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change even earned him a share of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.But the biggest challenge remains: Peter talks to Jim Al-Khalili about whether humanity can adapt quickly enough to deal with the increasingly dangerous effects of our warming world...

Ijeoma Uchegbu, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London, is revolutionizing drug delivery with nanoparticles that target hard-to-reach areas in the body. She shares her inspiring journey from being a foster child to a single mom pursuing a PhD. Ijeoma's groundbreaking research aims to treat conditions like blindness with innovative eyedrops. Passionate about equity in science, she also discusses her role in promoting diversity and her unique approach of using stand-up comedy to make complex science accessible.

Darren Croft studies one of the ocean’s most charismatic and spectacular animals – the killer whale. Orca are probably best known for their predatory behaviour: ganging up to catch hapless seals or attack other whales. But for the last fifteen years, Darren Croft’s focus has been on a gentler aspect of killer whale existence: their family and reproductive lives . Killer whales live in multi-generational family groups. Each family is led by an old matriarch, often well into her 80s. The rest of the group are her daughters and sons, and grand-children. Especially intriguing to Darren is that female orca go through something like the menopause - an extremely rare phenomenon in the animal kingdom, only documented in just five species of toothed whales and of course in humans. Halting female reproduction in midlife is an evolutionary mystery, but it is one which Darren Croft argues can be explained by studying killer whales. Darren is Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter. He talks to Jim Al-Kalili about his research on killer whales, his previous work revealing sophisticated social behaviour in fish, his life on the farm, and the downsides and upsides of being dyslexic.