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 radio 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label radio 4. Show all posts
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Saturday, 3 December 2011
Favourite Podcasts - 19 - In Our Time
Melvyn Bragg is a national treasure, very few people know such a huge amount about a huge amount of topics, and can speak about them passionately and eloquently.
He can also be a very, very grumpy man.
Which is the combination that can make Radio 4's In Our Time a great listen. Melvyn and three experts in their field talk about a topic. Topics are drawn from history, science, philosophy, culture and religion.
Some of my favourite topics in the last year have been Dave Hume, The Hippocratic Oath, Cogito Urgo Sum, The Moon, and free will.
At it's best the conversation is lively and your head will explode with ideas, Melvyn makes sure that no one contributor dwells on a detail too long, and is not scared to tell them to shut up!
At it's worst it is very dull, but I am not scared to turn it off and delete the episode anymore! A lot is dependent on the topic that week.
Download at the BBC Radio 4 website.
He can also be a very, very grumpy man.
Which is the combination that can make Radio 4's In Our Time a great listen. Melvyn and three experts in their field talk about a topic. Topics are drawn from history, science, philosophy, culture and religion.
Some of my favourite topics in the last year have been Dave Hume, The Hippocratic Oath, Cogito Urgo Sum, The Moon, and free will.
At it's best the conversation is lively and your head will explode with ideas, Melvyn makes sure that no one contributor dwells on a detail too long, and is not scared to tell them to shut up!
At it's worst it is very dull, but I am not scared to turn it off and delete the episode anymore! A lot is dependent on the topic that week.
Download at the BBC Radio 4 website.
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