What's it like living underwater for two weeks? What's the trickiest part of training to be an astronaut? What are the most memorable sights you see from space? Several extreme questions, all of which can be answered by one man: Major Tim Peake.After a childhood packed with outdoor adventures, via the Cub Scouts and school Cadet Force, Tim joined the British Army Air Corps and became a military flying instructor then a test pilot; before eventually being selected as a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut.In 2015, Tim became the first British ESA astronaut to visit the International Space Station. Over the course of a six-month mission, he took part in more than 250 scientific experiments and worked with more than two million schoolchildren across Europe.In a special New Year’s episode recorded in front of an audience at London’s Royal Society, Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to Tim about his lifelong passion for adventure, the thrill of flight and why scientific experiments in space are so important.Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor

Anna Korre, an environmental engineer at Imperial College London and Co-Director of the Energy Futures Lab, dives into the complexities of carbon capture and sustainability. She shares her journey from Greece, overcoming societal expectations to become a leader in STEM. Korre discusses her innovative research in sub-surface CO2 storage and its potential for decarbonizing industries. The conversation highlights the importance of scientific evidence in environmental debates and the need for public engagement to combat climate change effectively.

Rosalie David, a trailblazer in Egyptology, discusses her groundbreaking work on mummies, highlighting the fusion of ancient history and modern medicine. She reveals her early adventures in Egypt and the pivotal shift in studying mummies as valuable sources of historical insight. David shares startling findings, including a forensic investigation into a young woman's murder 3,000 years ago and the establishment of the world's first mummy tissue bank, uncovering a complex understanding of ancient Egyptian health and society.

Peter Stott is a climate scientist at the UK's Met Office Hadley Centre and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In this conversation, he recounts how the devastating 2003 heatwave inspired his research into extreme weather and human impact on climate change. He confronts climate denialism with hard evidence and shares his journey from physics to atmospheric science. Peter also discusses significant moments in his career, particularly his battles with skeptics and the importance of effective science communication in addressing global warming.

Ijeoma Uchegbu, a Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London, discusses the groundbreaking potential of nanoparticles in medicine. She explains how these tiny carriers can deliver drugs to hard-to-reach areas, aiming to revolutionize treatments for conditions like blindness and pain management. Ijeoma shares her inspiring journey from a foster child in rural Kent to an innovative scientist, highlighting her creative approaches, including stand-up comedy, to communicate complex scientific ideas and engage others.

Darren Croft, a researcher and Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter, dives into the fascinating world of killer whales. He examines the crucial role of matriarchs in orca family units, revealing how these elder females guide their pods. The discussion also touches on the evolutionary enigma of menopause in killer whales, a rare phenomenon that may enhance the survival of their offspring. Croft's personal journey from dyslexia to animal behavior research adds a heartfelt touch, showcasing both struggles and triumphs in the pursuit of understanding these majestic marine mammals.

Bill Gates is one of the world's best-known billionaires - but after years at the corporate coalface building a software empire and a vast fortune, his priority now is giving that wealth away. And his ethos for doing it has been shaped by science.Famed for co-founding Microsoft, in recent decades Bill’s attention has turned to philanthropy via The Gates Foundation: one of the largest charities in the world. Since its inception in 2000, the organisation's helped tackle issues around health, education, inequality and climate change in some of the world’s poorest countries, with an undeniable impact: from contributing to the eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa, to helping halve global child mortality rates within 25 years. But, as Jim Al-Khalili discovers, for a man with lofty ambitions and an even loftier bank balance Bill has surprisingly humble tastes - from cheeseburgers and a bingeable spy series, to a good game of pickleball... Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor

Kip Thorne, an Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech, shares his remarkable journey through groundbreaking research on black holes and gravitational waves, which won him a Nobel Prize. He discusses his childhood in Utah and how it shaped his passion for science. The conversation flows into his Hollywood ventures, revealing how he infused scientific accuracy into films like Interstellar and Oppenheimer. Thorne also highlights the interplay of creativity and science, demonstrating how storytelling can spark public interest in complex scientific concepts.

It's summer - no really - and although the weather might have been mixed, the sporting line-up has been undeniably scorching - from the back-and-forth of Wimbledon, to the nail-biting Euros, to the current pageantry of the Summer Olympics.Next month the 2024 Paralympic Games get underway in Paris, involving the world’s very best para athletes; and Professor Vicky Tolfrey is at the forefront of the science that makes their sporting dreams a reality. Vicky is the Director of the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at Loughborough University, a hub for elite para-sport research. She’s worked with stars from the worlds of wheelchair athletics, basketball, rugby and tennis, amongst others – and in 2017, became the first European recipient of the International Paralympic Committee’s prestigious Scientific Award.She tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili about her work with elite para athletes, her experiences at major international sporting events, and her childhood dreams of becoming an Olympian herself.Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor

The engineering industry, like many other STEM sectors, has a problem with diversity: one that Dawn Bonfield believes we can and must fix, if we're to get a handle on much more pressing planetary problems...Dawn is a materials engineer by background, who held roles at Citroën in France and British Aerospace in the UK. But, after having her third child, she made the difficult decision to leave the industry - as she thought at the time, for good. However a short spell working in post-natal services and childcare gave her new skills and a fresh perspective. This led to Dawn rehabilitating the struggling Women in Engineering Society and creating ‘International Women In Engineering Day’, which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary.Today, she’s Professor of Practice in Engineering for Sustainable Development at King’s College London, and the founder of Magnificent Women: a social enterprise celebrating the story of female engineers over the past century. She’s also President of the Commonwealth Engineers’ Council and has had her work supporting diversity and inclusion recognised with an MBE.Dawn talks to Professor Jim Al-Khalili about why 'inclusive engineering' should not be dismissed as tokenism, and why she's optimistic about the engineering sector's power to change the world.Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor