Discovery

Dr. Chris van Tulleken investigates eco-friendly chicken meat production, highlighting the dilemma between welfare and environmental impact. He questions if he should eat the happiest birds or the kindest to the planet, causing conflict on his poultry quest. The podcast delves into balancing animal welfare and sustainability, ethical food choices, and the challenges in the food industry.

Dr. Chris van Tulleken questions the ethics of chicken farming for meat consumption. Topics include chicken welfare, training possibilities, modern farming concerns, and the Better Chicken Commitment for industry improvements.

From a scrawny egg-laying bird to the most consumed protein, the podcast explores the history and consequences of chicken meat production. It delves into the evolution of farming practices, rise in consumption, and impact of antibiotics on the industry. Reflections on chicken slaughtering and welfare highlight the emotional challenges faced by farmers in the process.

Dr. Chris van Tulleken, a food researcher dedicated to uncovering dietary truths, dives into the fascinating history of chicken as a food source. He reveals how chickens evolved from revered animals to mass-produced commodities, raising questions about our food choices. The podcast explores the Chicken of Tomorrow contest and its impact on modern poultry breeding. Ethical dilemmas surrounding the treatment of chickens are discussed, spotlighting the tension between food security and animal welfare. It's a revealing journey into what’s on our plates.

Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber both have a love of science, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about some of the leading women at the front of the inventing game. In Unstoppable, Dr Julia and Dr Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the engineers, innovators and inventors they wish they’d known about when they were starting out as scientists. This week, the inventor whose incredible capacity to solve problems inspired today’s most popular period products. Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner – known as Beatrice – grew up in a family of inventors, creating her first invention at just six years old. And she didn’t stop there – she continued to invent throughout her adult life, including a new and improved sanitary pad in a time when there was still a big taboo around periods. However, as an African American woman during a time of racial segregation, Beatrice faced injustice and discrimination when trying to get her inventions patented. But if anything, this spurred Beatrice on, and at one point in time she held the most patents of any African American woman. Dr Julia and Dr Ella are joined by Professor Sharra Vostral and Ashleigh Coren as they tell Beatrice’s remarkable story. Presenters: Dr Ella Hubber and Dr Julia Ravey Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant producer: Sophie Ormiston Production co-ordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy Editor: Holly Squire

In her last year of high school, Olga González-Sanabria went on a field trip to the University of Puerto Rico’s school of engineering – and immediately knew that was what she wanted to do. She followed her passion and after university was recruited by Nasa, where she carried out instrumental work, without which we would not have the International Space Station.As the very first Latina woman working in engineering at Nasa, Olga’s career has not always been an easy ride, but is filled with remarkable achievements. Dr Ella and Dr Julia tell her story, and Olga herself gives us a first-hand account of her life so far.Presenters: Dr Ella Hubber and Dr Julia Ravey Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant producer: Sophie Ormiston Production co-ordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy Editor: Holly Squire (Photo: Olga González-Sanabria. Credit: Nasa Glenn Research Center)

Discover the inspirational journey of Asima Chatterjee, an Indian chemist who paved the way for modern chemotherapy treatments by extracting chemicals from plants in 1950s Kolkata. Overcoming financial constraints and gender biases, she made groundbreaking contributions to drug development, particularly in synthesizing alkaloids for medicinal purposes. Asima's relentless pursuit of knowledge and passion for organic chemistry continues to inspire generations of scientists.

Discover the unsung hero, Florence Bell, in the DNA story - mastered X-ray crystallography at Cambridge, pivotal discovery of DNA structure, overlooked legacy as an industrial chemist, and contributions to the scientific world.

Engineer Nzambi Matee shares her inspiring journey of turning plastic waste into eco-friendly bricks in Nairobi. Starting from her mother's backyard, she created a company, Gjenge Makers, producing bricks stronger than concrete. Nzambi's innovative approach to sustainability and community empowerment is a testament to the impact of small actions in driving positive change.

Dr Julia Ravey and Dr Ella Hubber both have a love of science, but it turns out there’s a lot they don’t know about some of the leading women at the front of the inventing game. In Unstoppable, Dr Julia and Dr Ella tell each other the hidden, world-shaping stories of the engineers, innovators and inventors they wish they’d known about when they were starting out as scientists. This week, the story of the Hollywood starlet whose brilliant ideas would go on to revolutionise the way we live. Known as the ‘most beautiful woman in film’ during the 1940s, Hedy Lamarr was one of the most in demand Hollywood actresses of her time. But she wasn’t just a movie star. From a young age, she also had a knack for inventing – she liked to take her toys apart just to see how they worked. And she carried this passion into her adult life – creating an invention that laid the groundwork for technology many of us couldn’t live without: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. But it didn’t come without struggle. Dr Julia and Dr Ella take us through Hedy’s remarkable journey, and we get a first-hand look into Hedy’s life from her daughter Denise Loder-DeLuca. Presenters: Dr Ella Hubber and Dr Julia Ravey Producers: Ella Hubber and Julia Ravey Assistant producer: Sophie Ormiston Production Coordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy Editor: Holly Squire(Photo: Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born American actress and inventor. Credit: Eric Carpenter/John Kobal Foundation/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)