I love science, but am often confused by the details of theories and the technical side. What I always like though is the real lives of the people who do science, the accidental discoveries, the rivalries, and the interesting stories that surround particular areas of science.
That is why I have really enjoyed listening to BBC Radio 4's podcasts The Life Scientific, where Jim al-Khalili chats to a leading scientist about their life and work.
Past guests have included Paul Nurse, Jocelyn Bell-Burnell and Colin Pillinger, but the two I have really found interesting were Steven Pinker talking about his studies into language, and reflecting on some of the controversies he has caused, and also Robert Winston on his work on fertility (this podcast has oddly vanished, despite being on only being a few weeks ago).
I really hope this podcast continues and the BBC don't stop it (like they recently did with the excellent Home Planet) , as I think it is up there with In Our Time as the most interesting show and podcast they have done for years.
Download a selection of episodes here at the BBC podcast site.
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Favourite Podcasts - 16 - Guardian Science Podcast
More Science! On the back of the Naked Scientists podcast here is another science based podcast I listen to.
This is pretty much a big trailer for the Guardian Newspapers science coverage, and it's not as great as it was a few years ago, but still a good round up of science news from the week, with occasional longer features.
Being the Guardian they do have access to great guests to interview, and the production is very slick. Alok Jha is a great host. It gets you interested in a topic and leads you to want to find out a bit more, it also jumps on any scientific controversy almost with the relish of a tabloid paper... which can be fun!
Download at the Guardian website here.
This is pretty much a big trailer for the Guardian Newspapers science coverage, and it's not as great as it was a few years ago, but still a good round up of science news from the week, with occasional longer features.
Being the Guardian they do have access to great guests to interview, and the production is very slick. Alok Jha is a great host. It gets you interested in a topic and leads you to want to find out a bit more, it also jumps on any scientific controversy almost with the relish of a tabloid paper... which can be fun!
Download at the Guardian website here.
Favourite Podcasts - 15 - The Naked Scientists
Science is so trendy at the moment, comedians seems to be into it, Professor Brian Cox is a TV superstar, atheists seem to treat is as their religion sometimes, and people like Ben Goldacre are all over the newspapers exposing when science is done badly.
But science is not a flash in the pan fad, it has been critical for human development for years, and will continue to be so long into the future.
Despite this many people are still terrified of science, and think that it may bring down the downfall of the world, and other scary things!
The Naked Scientists is a podcast that provides an uplifting, positive view of science. It does not focus only on the bits of science that are currently fashionable (physics, astrophysics etc) but covers the whole range of topics.
The last few weeks podcasts have already covered cancer, stem cells, plant pests, seaweed, bio fuels and cheese.
Chris Smith heads up the team, who are based at Cambridge University and exist to communicate science clearly to the public. Thankfully they don't do this in a patronising way (like the embarrassing outside visitors coming into school that I remember), they credit their audience with intelligence and are not scared to go in depth with topics, even at the risk of losing some of the listeners (and I have not always understood everything they discuss)
The team are brilliant, Dr Chris Smith is already up there in my 'five people I would invite to a dinner party' list, Then there is Dave Ansell who is a physics expert (and also enjoys setting fire to things and blowing stuff up). Kat Arney who specialises in cancer related topics, and is all round nice person. Helen Scales, expert in all things in the ocean, Dominic Ford, who has his eyes firmly to the night skies, Ben Valsler who seems to know everything about everything and is a great host, and there are many others I have forgotten!
As well as the main podcast there are spin off podcasts about Astronomy, the Oceans, Archaeology and other occasional special podcasts.
If this podcast had been around when I was at school (which is of course impossible, podcasts did not exist!) then perhaps my science lessons would not have been so painful, and I might have got better then a grade D!
Download the main Naked Scientists Podcast here.
Wikipedia page about the podcast here.
But science is not a flash in the pan fad, it has been critical for human development for years, and will continue to be so long into the future.
Despite this many people are still terrified of science, and think that it may bring down the downfall of the world, and other scary things!
The Naked Scientists is a podcast that provides an uplifting, positive view of science. It does not focus only on the bits of science that are currently fashionable (physics, astrophysics etc) but covers the whole range of topics.
The last few weeks podcasts have already covered cancer, stem cells, plant pests, seaweed, bio fuels and cheese.
Chris Smith heads up the team, who are based at Cambridge University and exist to communicate science clearly to the public. Thankfully they don't do this in a patronising way (like the embarrassing outside visitors coming into school that I remember), they credit their audience with intelligence and are not scared to go in depth with topics, even at the risk of losing some of the listeners (and I have not always understood everything they discuss)
The team are brilliant, Dr Chris Smith is already up there in my 'five people I would invite to a dinner party' list, Then there is Dave Ansell who is a physics expert (and also enjoys setting fire to things and blowing stuff up). Kat Arney who specialises in cancer related topics, and is all round nice person. Helen Scales, expert in all things in the ocean, Dominic Ford, who has his eyes firmly to the night skies, Ben Valsler who seems to know everything about everything and is a great host, and there are many others I have forgotten!
As well as the main podcast there are spin off podcasts about Astronomy, the Oceans, Archaeology and other occasional special podcasts.
If this podcast had been around when I was at school (which is of course impossible, podcasts did not exist!) then perhaps my science lessons would not have been so painful, and I might have got better then a grade D!
Download the main Naked Scientists Podcast here.
Wikipedia page about the podcast here.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Favourite Podcasts - 9 - Dr Karl on Up All Night
Dr Karl is a super celebrity in Australia, he is the Brian Cox of down under... yet he seems to know so little, but he communicates his lack of knowledge well!
Let me explain, early on Thursday mornings BBC 5live has a science phone in hosted by the brilliant Rhod Sharp, and then Dr Karl Kruszelnicki joins down the line from Australia to answer questions. Mostly mad people ring in with science questions. Dr Karl is usually out of his depth with the questions (although about one in 5 he answers very well) and calls for an expert to ring in and help him.
This should be annoying, someone like Dr Chris Smith (we will come to him on a later blog entry) would have the answer there and then, but Dr Karl will fumble about, try and work something out from 'first principles' on the spot, give half an answer and then give up.
But I love this approach, it gives me hope that I can work some science stuff out for myself, and even a super star like Dr Karl needs experts in the field to help him. He makes me feel less stupid and gives me pointers on how a normal person can work stuff out for themselves... in fact he is a great Skeptic (see Pod Delusion).
Oh, and also it is great fun to laugh at the strange people who ring in to the show...
Download at BBC 5live website here.
Let me explain, early on Thursday mornings BBC 5live has a science phone in hosted by the brilliant Rhod Sharp, and then Dr Karl Kruszelnicki joins down the line from Australia to answer questions. Mostly mad people ring in with science questions. Dr Karl is usually out of his depth with the questions (although about one in 5 he answers very well) and calls for an expert to ring in and help him.
This should be annoying, someone like Dr Chris Smith (we will come to him on a later blog entry) would have the answer there and then, but Dr Karl will fumble about, try and work something out from 'first principles' on the spot, give half an answer and then give up.
But I love this approach, it gives me hope that I can work some science stuff out for myself, and even a super star like Dr Karl needs experts in the field to help him. He makes me feel less stupid and gives me pointers on how a normal person can work stuff out for themselves... in fact he is a great Skeptic (see Pod Delusion).
Oh, and also it is great fun to laugh at the strange people who ring in to the show...
Download at BBC 5live website here.
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