FT Science Podcast

In this week's podcast: We talk to the head of science at the Royal Horticultural Society about the science of gardening and about a new competition he has launched to encourage biodiversity in gardens, called The Big Wildlife Garden; we talk to Amy Gutmann, chair of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, about an awful breach of ethics which involved US researchers in Guatemala infecting people with sexually transmitted diseases without their consent; and, Deborah...

We are live from the British Science Festival in Bradford, for this week's podcast. Astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, President of the British Science Association, joins Clive Cookson and FT Science regular, Diana Garnham, to talk about her presidential address, on the theme of science and culture. She also talks about the influence of poetry in her life and reads a couple of poems. Nadia Ramlagan from AAAS reports on the love songs male hummingbirds make with their tail feathers...

In this week's podcast: we review a report by the Science Council on the scientific workforce; we talk to Jonathan Wood, medical and scientific press officer for Oxford University, about his internship at the FT; and, Duncan Jarvies from the BMJ asks whether eating chocolate is really good for your health. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We discuss the science and business of vaccine development with chief executive of biotech company Seek, Gregory Stoloff and Nadia Ramlagan from AAAS reports on how electronic 'smart skin' will provide a new way to monitor the human body. Presented by Clive Cookson with Andrew Jack. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We talk to commissioning and governance director of the Genetics Labs at Guy's Hospital, London, Gail Norbury, about gene testing laboratories and patents on DNA; and, Harriet Vickers, from the BMJ, reports on mobile detection units for tuberculosis in the UK. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We talk to professor of medical immunlology at Leeds University and founder of biotech start-up Tissue Regenix, Eileen Ingham, about tissue engineering - how we can make new body parts to replace ones that have failed; and, we look at the health of Britain's science-based businesses with serial entrepreneur Hermann Hauser of Amadeus Capital Partners. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: we discuss the efficacy of alternative and complementary medicine with once advocate, now critic, Professor Edzard Ernst; and, we find out from Duncan Jarvies and the BMJ, how cities can be made more 'age-friendly' for increasingly ageing populations. Presented by Clive Cookson with Andrew Jack. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week’s podcast: We talk to Andrew Miller, Labour MP and chair of the Science and Technology Committee, about a new inquiry examining the importance of experiments in school science lessons, plus Duncan Jarvies reports for the BMJ on water and whether there is any scientific evidence that proves drinking too little is harmful. Presented by Andrew Jack with Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We talk to Francis Collins, head of the world's biggest biomedical research agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about translating basic science into clinical benefits; we discover the sound of graphs with a Bristol research team at this year's Royal Society Summer Exhibition; and, Duncan Jarvies from the BMJ reports on what really happened during the recent outbreak of e. coli in Germany. Presented by Clive Cookson with Andrew Jack. Produced by LJ...

In this week's podcast: we talk to vice-president of the Association of Healthcare Journalists and science editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Karl Stark, about the state of health/science journalism in the US and in Europe and we hear from AAAS about new enzymes linked to a cancer-related muscle wasting disorder called cachexia. Presented by Clive Cookson with Andrew Jack and Diana Garnham Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We take an optimist's tour into the future, with writer and comedian Mark Stevenson and Nadia Ramlagan from AAAS reports on why smoking can keep your weight down. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We talk to neuroscientist at King's College London, Christoph Anacker about how anti-depressants stimulate new cell growth in the brain and Duncan Jarvies from the BMJ reports on the chronic health effects from lack of sleep. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani and Martin Stabe

In this week's podcast: The sounds of science - we talk to composer Bill Dougherty about a piece of music composed for the Sound of Science day at the Science Museum called 'In Time'; plus we hear from Nadia Ramlagan from AAAS about how the sense of smell may have stimulated brain evolution in our mammalian ancestors 200 million years ago. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We talk to the new executive director of the International Aids Society, Bertrand Audoin about his role and the agenda for the IAS in the coming months; we hear from the National Gallery about using science to detect fakes, study art history and help restore Old Master paintings; Duncan Jarvies from the BMJ reports on the practice of substantial equivalence, which allows manufacturers of medical devices to make tweaks to products without having to go through lengthy...

In this week's podcast: We talk to David Clary, the first chief scientific adviser to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office about science and diplomacy and how the UK government finds out what is happening scientifically in other countries, and we hear from Professor Steven Bishop of University College London about an ambitious plan to computerise the social sciences and policy-making. Presented by Clive Cookson with Andrew Jack and Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We talk to professor of cell biology at St George's, University of London, Dorothy Bennett about her research into the mortality and immortality of cancer cells; we talk to a computer scientist from the University of Vermont, Josh Bongard, about his work enlisting evolution to help design robots; and, the British Medical Journal's contribution this week from Duncan Jarvies is on the prevalence of arsenic in drinking water in many parts of the world, particularly...

In this week's podcast: We hear about the latest discovery of dry ice on Mars and why the release of carbon dioxide has a cooling effect on the Martian climate; and, we talk to Jeremy Farrar, head of Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam about planning for emergencies. Presented by Clive Cookson with Andrew Jack. The AAAS contribution on the discovery of dry ice on Mars, is by Nadia Ramligan. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We talk to mathematician Tony Crilly about the role of maths in science and whether it's possible to determine a fair voting system by using a mathematical theory. We also talk about his latest book Big Questions: Mathematics. The British Medical Journal contribution by Duncan Jarvies is on the development of an artificial pancreas which could make life much simpler for diabetics. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani

In this week's podcast: We celebrate space science on the 50th anniversary of the day Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space - we talk to guest John Zarnecki, one of Britain's leading space scientists, inspired to become involved in space, after meeting Yuri as a school boy in north London. We also find out about the continuing battle against malaria with a report from Andrew Jack who has just returned from Senegal. Presented by Clive Cookson with Andrew Jack and Diana Garnham....

In this week's podcast: We look at the tobacco industry and ask Action on Smoking and Health campaigner, Deborah Arnott, whether companies which make huge amounts of money selling cigarettes can be trusted to develop safer alternatives to smoking; and we hear a report from Duncan Jarvies of the BMJ about whether screening for prostate cancer does more harm than good. Presented by Clive Cookson with Diana Garnham. Produced by LJ Filotrani