Business Daily

When you’re conducting a scientific experiment, you must prepare for it to fail.Lab researchers work by this motto. But for Dr Natalie Kenny, founder of international lab testing and medical training firm BioGrad, it’s proved true in every aspect of life.It’s been a whirlwind ride: from growing up in a working-class family in Liverpool, England, to battling tropical diseases in the Amazonian rainforest, and losing almost everything before going on to found a multi-million dollar business.In this episode of Business Daily, she sits down with Alex Bell to reflect on a remarkable life in science, discussing the pharmaceutical industry, gender equality in the laboratory, and being on the frontlines of the Covid pandemic. as well as the personal tests she’s had to overcome.(Picture: Dr Natalie Kenny at BioGrad’s headquarters in Liverpool, UK. Credit: BioGrad.)

Kenyan farmers are using social media apps to share farming tips and reach consumers directly. Challenges include poor internet and high data costs. Global leaders are investing in digital infrastructure for economic growth. Female farmers face obstacles in accessing loans for their businesses.

University sport in the US has become huge business. For decades, students' share of those earnings only came in the form of scholarships. As television contracts got bigger, so did the calls for change - and last year students were granted the right to earn off their name, image and likeness. A year on, Will Bain explores how it’s shaken up college sports, providing opportunities and unforeseen challenges. Hear from former SMU college football player and professional artist Ra’Sun Kazadi, Texas A&M University Athletic Director Ross Bjork, CEO of MSP Recovery John H Ruiz and Courtney Altemus of Team Altemus, part of the advance group of NIL advisers.Presenter / producer: Will Bain Image: Quarterback Kellen Mond from Texas A&M; Credit: Getty

As many as 7 million Americans who could work, aren’t. These are people who have dropped out of the workforce - they have given up on finding a job or are simply not looking.And similar trends can be seen in other wealthy countries. So what is going on? Ed Butler speaks to Nicholas Eberstadt, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute. He’s recently updated a book which examines the extraordinary increase in men – and it is mainly men in the US - who’ve decided they don’t just want to quit their jobs, they want to leave the workplace for good. And it’s something that’s been going on since the 1960s.Presented and produced by Ed Butler.(Image: Men on a building site. Credit: Getty)

Greensill Capital was a UK based finance firm and a darling of investors which made its money by lending to businesses. It went into administration in March 2021, leaving investors facing billions in losses.What went wrong with Greensill? Why did leading politicians like former British Prime Minister David Cameron get involved?And what does it teach us about the way modern entrepreneurs, like Australian-born Lex Greensill, try and promote themselves?Ed Butler speaks to Duncan Mavin, a financial journalist who followed the downfall of Greensill – he’s written a book about what happened. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: James Graham(Image: Lex Greensill. Credit: Shutterstock)

New York’s Penn Station is the busiest transport hub in the United States - as many as 650,000 people pass through it in a day. But this intercity hub is widely agreed to be outdated and unloved.Now there are plans to pour billions of dollars into a station facelift - in the hope it will attract Americans back to trains.In this episode, Laura Heighton-Ginns hears from key stakeholders Amtrak and the Regional Plan Association on why they believe a major overhaul is needed.Laura also takes a tour of the station and finds out about its much-admired predecessor - the Pennsylvania Station of the early 20th Century.And she explores the site of the planned demolition work, which controversially includes historical buildings and a busy community church.Presented and produced by Laura Heighton-Ginns.(Image: Penn Station scaffolding. Credit: BBC)

In this episode we explore mental health provision in Pakistan. Pakistan has a population of more than 200 million people but only around 500 working psychiatrists. This means around ninety percent of those with common mental health issues go untreated.We hear from Mahira Kahn, a multi award winning Pakistani actress, in April this year Mahira was appointed as an Ambassador for the British Asian Trust. Mahira works with the trust to promote and support it’s current Peace of Mind campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and needs in Pakistan. Mahria tells us about her work with the trust and how her job has affected her own mental health. We also speak to Sanaa Ahmad who is the British Asian Trust's Mental Health programme manager, and Dr Iffa who works with communities in Pakistan providing mental health treatment. Presenter / production: Emb Hashmi Producer: Carmel O'GradyPhoto: Mahira Khan; Credit: Getty

A British businessman has come up with a bold plan to turn the floating seaweed sargassum into cash, and tackle global warming at the same time. In this episode, Justin Rowlatt meets John Auckland. He is the man behind Seafields, which aims to create a floating farm 'the size of Croatia' far out in the South Atlantic ocean. The plan is to harvest the seaweed, sink it to the seabed and earn cash from carbon credits. Justin also speaks to Professor Victor Smetacek, an expert in marine biology - the project is based on his ideas. And Dr Nem Vaughan, associate professor in climate change at the University of East Anglia talks Justin through some of her questions around how or whether the project will work. Presenter: Justin Rowlatt Producer: David Reid (Image: Sargassum being harvested. Credit: BBC)

The use of robots in North American workplaces has increased by 40% since the start of the pandemic and the small to medium sized businesses, which never automated before, are getting in on the act. The robotics industry has responded to the global increased demand by creating more and more customisable robots, which can be leased or hired. Ivana Davidovic explores what effect this has had - and could have in the future - on the labour markets, innovation, but also on social inequality. Ivana hears from a small restaurant owner from California who wouldn't be without her server robot Rosie any more, after months of being unable to fill vacancies. Joe Campbell from the Danish company Universal Robots and Tim Warrington from the British company Bots explain how they are taking advantage of the post-pandemic "great resignation" and which industries are next in line for a robotics boom. Karen Eggleston from Stanford University explains her research into the consequences of the use of robots in over 800 nursing homes in Japan and Daron Acemoglu from MIT discusses whether robots in workplaces will liberate their human colleagues or simply entrench inequality. Presented and produced by Ivana Davidovic (Photo: Robot waitress serving dessert and coffee on a tray in a cafe. Credit: Getty Images)*This episode was originally broadcast on 10 February 2022.

Is space the final frontier for meat grown from animal stem cells?Elizabeth Hotson asks whether growing steaks under micro gravity conditions could help in the quest for food security and whether, back on earth, consumers could be persuaded to stomach meat reared in labs.We hear from Didier Toubia, the CEO of Aleph Farms who defends his space meat mission from accusations of gimmickry.Seren Kel, the science and technology manager for the Europe region of the Good Food Institute, gives her view on the environmental impact of cell-gown meat and Dr Jason Michael Thomas, senior lecturer in psychology at Aston University explains how reluctant consumers might be persuaded to try new and strange-sounding foods.Presenter: Elizabeth Hotson Producer: Elizabeth Hotson(Photo description: The Solar system. Credit: Getty Images)