Shows
Science Of The TimesThe Decline of the Primate HandymanTim and Syma talk to Professor Dora Biro about animal behaviour and cognition. Want to know why your kitten behaves differently from you, or discover that chimps become less competent at using tools as they age? This is the podcast episode for you. You can read Dora’s recent paper on tool use in chimps here: https://elifesciences.org/articles/105411Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to...
2025-08-1446 minScience Of The TimesWaspish BehaviourIn this weeks episode, Tim and Syma get the run down on wasps, courtesy of Seirian Sumner, entomologist and behavioural ecologist. Will Syma now forgive the wasps, following a recent encounter?Seirian's bookhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Endless-Forms-Secret-World-Wasps/dp/0008394512/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for...
2025-08-0742 minScience Of The TimesPlanet Hunters: Secrets of the Exoplanet BoomTim and Syma talk to Ray Pirrehumbert, author of Planetary Systems: A Very Short Introduction, about planets orbiting far away stars. They learn how these distant objects that we will never visit are detect, a little bit about a few of them, and how we might detect life on a far-away planet. If you are interested where aliens might live, this is the podcast episode for you.Ray's Book:https://global.oup.com/academic/product/planetary-systems-9780198841128?cc=gb&lang=en&Ray's Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/climatebook.bsky.socialOur sponsor...
2025-07-3140 minScience Of The TimesThe Madness of the Silicon Valley Ultra-richTim and Syma talk to Adam Becker about his stunning new book, "More Everything Forever". They explore how the philosophy of effective altruism aligns with flawed scientific ideas about how humanity can create super-intelligent AI before colonizing the galaxy. The philosophy is as flawed as the science.Your likes and subscriptions are really important for our growth. Please like and subscribe!Adams fantastic book:https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/adam-becker/what-is-real/9781473661349/If you are a business and would like to take advantage and leverage the power of the fast growing podcast...
2025-07-2445 minScience Of The TimesFossils and Feathers: Rethinking What We Know About DinosaursTim and Syma talk to dinosaur expert, Roger Benson, from the American Museum of Natural History. They learn why there were no small dinosaurs, how the animals lived their lives, and why they are relevant today. Interested in #T.Rex #Diplodocus or #Velociraptor? This is the episode for you.Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and...
2025-07-1736 minScience Of The TimesNew antibiotics are needed to change the game.Syma gives the second annual Ibn Sina lecture in Bradford City Hall. The event was hosted by the Muslim Institute and the Lord Mayor of Bradford. She discusses her work on using computer simulations to understand how harmful bacteria protect themselves. It is important we understand how they do this, so we can thwart them with new antibiotics.To view the full vide go here: https://youtu.be/OlTE0n9Bc00?feature=sharedFor more information on the Muslim Institute, visit them here:https://musliminstitute.org/If you are a...
2025-07-1021 minScience Of The TimesJonathan Amos The Voice Behind BBC Science A Day in the LifeIn This episode Tim & Syma talk to Jonathan Amos - recently retired science correspondent at the BBC. Jon talks us through his fascinating journey falling in love science through exposure to it via journalism and then going to study it more formally. From setting up the BBC website to breaking some of the big science stories - Jon tells his story honestly and engagingly. Whether your interest is science, journalism or both - please listen in!Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At...
2025-07-0335 minScience Of The TimesLife’s Left Turn: The Strange Science Behind Molecular AsymmetrySome biological molecules can be left handed or right handed - the sugars that are found in nucleic acids are right handed, whereas 19 of the 20 amino acids that make up proteins are left handed. And intriguingly samples of amino acids found on meteorites such as those brought back from the OSIRIX-REx missing from Bennu were present in mixtures containing roughly equal amounts of the left and right handed versions. So why does biology on our planet favour left handed amino acids?A team of researchers led by Professor Tom Richard at the University of Oxford have shown t...
2025-06-2634 minScience Of The TimesThe Good the Bad and the MigrantMigration is in the news continuously and everyone has an opinion. What does the science of migration reveal? Tim and Syma talk to Ian Goldin, an expert on the pros and cons of migration and migrants.Ian's book: http://oldstreetpublishing.co.uk/100/the-shortest-history-of-migrationDo you have any questions you would like to ask Tim and Syma? Drop us a line:scienceofthetimespodcast@gmail.comOur first sponsor on this episode is PinGui-Bags! Thank you.https://www.pingui-bags.com/Starting in the UK in Doncaster Market in 2005, PinGui has a good and...
2025-06-1947 minScience Of The TimesHow did the diversity of life come about?This week Tim and Syma talk to Max Telford, author of The Tree of Life: Solving Science's Greatest Puzzle published by John Murray. They explore LUCA, penis worms, and other oddball species.Max's book 'The Tree Of Life' can be found here:https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/max-telford/the-tree-of-life/9781399806374/Do you have any questions you would like to ask Tim and Syma? Drop us a line:scienceofthetimespodcast@gmail.comOur first sponsor on this episode is PinGui-Bags! Thank you. https://www.pingui-bags.com/Starting in the UK in...
2025-06-1244 minScience Of The TimesScience Explainer: Recent Mount Etna EruptionIn our latest science explainer release Syma chats to David Pyle, world renowned volcanologist, about the recent Mount Etna eruption.
2025-06-0808 minScience Of The TimesQuestion and Answer Time!In this episode Syma and Tim conduct a Q and A session for the many fantastic questions that have been hitting our email inbox over the last three months or so. They also review some of their favourite episodes so far. Do you have any questions you would like to ask? Drop us a line at:scienceofthetimespodcast@gmail.comOr leave a comment on our YouTube channel!Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we...
2025-06-0534 minScience Of The TimesThe Science Of FootballSurely there is not much more to football than kicking a ball.? Wrong, There is a whole science behind it. Professor Robbie Wilson explains his work in this area and even puts Tim and Syma through their paces in the park!Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we are passionate about vintage knitwear. From classic fair isle, to one-of-a-kind artisan hand knits and vibrant mohair. Visit our Etsy store, Grace and Garbo, for our unique collection of vintage knitwear'
2025-05-2938 minScience Of The TimesScience Explainer: Why is it so hard to kill bacteria?In this explainer, Syma discusses some of the methods bacteria use to defend themselves from attack from external threats such as antibiotics. These ostensibly simple organisms have elaborate and sophisticated defence mechanisms which is why it is so hard to kill bacteria.
2025-05-2606 min
Science Of The TimesWhy Wolves Don’t Change RiversDan MacNulty has studied the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park since 1995. His research, and that of his colleagues, has revealed that the narrative that wolves have changed the park, leading to forests coming back, and rivers being diverted is not true. The Yellowstone story is more complicated than you might think, and endlessly fascinating. Join us as we talk about wolves, mountain lions, elk, beavers, bison and bears and learn how wolves have been good for the park, but not in quite the way you might think. For this episode Syma joins the discussion remotely. https://qcnr.u...
2025-05-2247 min
Science Of The TimesScience Explainer: New Funding for US based scientists looking to move to the UK.Tim breaks down a game-changing shift in global science research: as U.S. funding for future research faces uncertainty, UK funding agencies are seizing the moment—offering incentives to attract scientists currently working in the US to relocate and thrive in the UK.
2025-05-1903 minScience Of The TimesBreak Barriers: Women, the Physical Sciences Need You Now!In this short bonus episode Syma talks to Philipp Kukura. Philipp led the development of a technique called mass photometry which enables tracking the movement of individual proteins. Here he briefly describes the technique, but importantly emphasises the need for more women in the areas of instrument and technology development in the physical sciences.Link To Philipp's Paper:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-021-01261-w
2025-05-1903 minScience Of The TimesWhy Ginger Cats Are Mostly Boys (and Why Some Wolves Are Black!)In this third quick hit explainer of the week. Why are most ginger cats male? Simple genetics — the orange fur gene is on the X chromosome. Males only need one to flaunt that fiery coat, while females need two, making ginger ladies much rarer.And as for wolves — not all are grey! Some are black. Nature loves a remix.
2025-05-1603 min
Science Of The TimesHow To Build A Sustainable WorldIf we don’t build a more sustainable world our civilisation will collapse, potentially in the coming decades. Paul Behrens spends his time researching our impact on the world, and working out how civilisation can transition to a sustainable future. Covering multitudes of Lego to plant-based diets and solar power, we explore how we can create a civilisation to help humanity thrive in the future.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53230928-the-best-of-times-the-worst-of-timesOur sponsor for this episode is Grace and Garbo! Thank you.https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GraceandGarbo'At Grace and Garbo we...
2025-05-1555 minScience Of The TimesAI Undermines Health ScienceIn our second quick-hit explainer episode this week, Tim breaks down how AI might be disrupting—not advancing—health science. Is the hype overshadowing real medical insight? Tune in for a sharp take on where AI could be leading us astray.
2025-05-1405 minScience Of The TimesWhy Is There A Universe? Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?In this quick bonus episode, Tim breaks down one of science’s most intriguing mysteries as featured in BBC News today: the difference between matter and antimatter. Join us for a bite-sized explainer that sheds light on the surprising facts behind this cosmic puzzle!
2025-05-1305 minScience Of The TimesThe Quantum Revolution: Lee Smolin’s Bold Theory to Unite PhysicsTheoretical physics has two theories at its core that are not straightforward to link – quantum mechanics and general relativity. Lee Smolin, one of the world’s greatest living theoretical physicists, has spent his career working out why the theory of quantum mechanics is incomplete and how it might link to general relativity. He is an advocate of versions of quantum loop gravity. His work to marry the two theories resulted in him developing the theory of cosmological natural selection. Join Syma and Tim as they talk to Lee about theoretical physics. His book is called Einst...
2025-05-0832 minScience Of The TimesSpecial Edition- Can academia provide solutions to threats to biodiversity?Biodiversity is under threat, and there are many ongoing efforts to help save it, including from within universities. But are academic contributions doing any good? Our cohost Tim Coulson discussed this topic with Professor Dame EJ Milner-Gulland in the Oxford Martin School (OMS) in April. Thanks to Carlyn Samuel, OMS and the OMS team for hosting the debate and allowing us to record.
2025-05-021h 09Science Of The TimesShould we fear AI?Artificial intelligence is a modern-day technology that will impact the way we live much as past innovations like mastering fire, and inventing the printing press, home computers and the internet changed civilisation. But what exactly is it, how does it work, and what are the opportunities and risks of its continued development? We talk to Chris Summerfield about Artificial Intelligence and his fabulous new book, “These Strange New Minds: How AI Learned to Talk and What It Means” recently published by Penguin.https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/460891/these-strange-new-minds-by-summerfield-christopher/9780241694657Our sponsor for this episode is Grace and...
2025-04-2555 minScience Of The TimesNatural and artificial genetic hybrids: dogs, coyotes and dire wolves. PART 2Colossal Bioscience has brought genetic variation back from the grave. It is a remarkable technological achievement, but is it species de-extinction? In this second part of this podcast we talk to Professor Peter Hudson FRS, a world-leading ecologist, who is concerned by Colossal’s claims and what they might mean.
2025-04-1833 minScience Of The TimesNatural and artificial genetic hybrids: dogs, coyotes and dire wolves.Colossal Bioscience has brought genetic variation back from the grave. It is a remarkable technological achievement, but is it species de-extinction? We talk to Professor Bridgett vonHoldt, a world-leading dog geneticist, who was involved in Colossal Bioscience’s recent dire wolf de-extinction work that has caused some controversy. In part 2 of this podcast we talk a world-leading ecologist who gives us his - different - take.The link below is a genetics paper, not talking about de-extinction.https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.09.647074v1
2025-04-1738 minScience Of The TimesWill Zombie ants be the last of us?A bonus episode in which Tim and Syma discuss how the zombie ant-based creatures seen on popular dystopian future drama Last of Us are based on real fungi (Cordyceps) which infect ants - and then exploit the now zombie ants to produce more fungi, killing the ants in the process. Yes it’s a bit gruesome, but it’s science!
2025-04-1605 minScience Of The TimesSPECIAL EDITION - Interview with David Baker 2024 Nobel Prize winner for ChemistrySyma and Tim are joined by Nobel Laureate David Baker, one of the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on computational protein design. This follows the interview with Tim Jenkins, and Susana Vasquez in Episode 7 who worked with David. After the interview Tim asks Syma to explain in simple terms the process of protein design and what may be possible in the future.
2025-04-1312 minScience Of The TimesDe-mything the hype around de-extinctionColassal says it has de-extincted an animal. Is this a dire wolf or a dire mistake? Join Tim and Syma on this short bonus edition!
2025-04-1008 minScience Of The TimesSnake venom 'milkers' beware the proteins and not the snake!Proteins are the workhorses of life, with thousands overseeing and getting involved in reactions within our cells. Biologists have long dreamed of being able to make designer proteins to do specific tasks, and recently a team of scientists have made this happen. Syma and Tim talk to researchers who designed, and then made, a protein that neutralises a type of snake venom. In the first release we talk to Susana Vázquez and Tim Jenkins who were key members of the team, and in the second release, on Sunday, we chat with David Baker who was one of the re...
2025-04-1041 minScience Of The TimesHow did dogs become our best friend?Dogs are people’s best friend, but how did that happen? Did we tame them or did they train us, or is it a bit of both? Join us as we discuss domestication with Greger Larson and Lachlan Scarsbrook
2025-04-0239 min
Science Of The TimesNot all birds are the sameNot all Birds are the same. In analyses of thousands of hours of bird song our guests, Nilo Merino Recalde and Ben Sheldon found predictable variation in the calls of great tits. Showcasing the power of AI in analyses of data from the natural world they show birds show cultural differences much like humans do.https://nilomr.github.io/
2025-03-2639 minScience Of The TimesOSIRIS-REx 'Touch and go' and the emergence of life elsewhere in the cosmos!OSIRIS-REx is a space craft that visited the asteroid Bennu, returning samples to Earth in late 2023. The first exciting results from the analyses of these samples are just being published. In the first part of the Podcast we talk to Sara Russell about the mission and her recently published results, and then in the second Part we talk to Addy Pross on what the insights mean for the emergence of life elsewhere in the cosmos. Link to Sara's paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08495-6Link to Addy's book: https://www.amazon.co...
2025-03-181h 12Science Of The TimesUnravelling the secrets of our genes.Tim and Syma’s guests are Gordon Sanghera and Lakmal Jayasinghe of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. They discuss how their elegant technology is transforming the ease with which we can now learn what information is contained in our genes and how this is being used already in hospitals to detect for example, cancers in children. Gordon gives his vision of what might be achievable in the future.
2025-03-1148 minScience Of The TimesSmart Male Fish Get The Girls!Later in this episode, Tim flies solo in the wake of Syma's imminent departure for duties on the west coast of the US!Tim's guests are Ivan Vinogradov and Michael Jennions, both of the Australian National University, and co-authors of the scientific paper 'Paternity analysis reveals sexual selection on cognitive performance in mosquitofish".It would appear that smarter male fish are more likely to mate and produce more offspring! How on earth could this be true?!! Join Tim, Ivan and Michael to find out.Link to the paper - https://www.nature.c...
2025-03-0530 minScience Of The TimesHello! Welcome to our new podcast.In this introductory episode, Syma and Tim introduce themselves and explain what subjects and ideas they hope to bring to their audience, and some of the things they will be covering in future episodes. Subscribe now for future episodes!
2025-02-2630 min
Phase Space Invaders (ψ)Episode 14 - Syma Khalid: New ways to fight bacteria, the bacterial envelope, and kindness & openness in academiaSend us a textIn the fourteenth episode, Syma Khalid and I talk about the challenges we're faced with when trying to understand the environment of the bacterial cell envelope, and the outer membrane in particular. We discuss how the lessons taken from the computational study of these structures can inform the design of future antibacterial agents. Then, we move on to consider strategies for making the scientific environment of one's research group a place to thrive, develop, and live a happy and fulfilling life.
2024-06-2523 min