Ri Science Podcast

This December, space scientist and renowned science communicator Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be presenting the CHRISTMAS LECTURES in their 200th year titled ‘Is there life beyond earth?’.

Maggie joins us on the podcast this month to explore the history of space imaging and the huge number of projects she has worked on throughout her career, as well as her experiences navigating the scientific world and some of the biggest questions remaining in space science today.  

Tune into the CHRISTMAS LECTURES this December between Christmas and New Year, on BBC Four and iPlayer.  

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

In this month's 'From the Theatre' episode, we visited New Scientist Live at the Excel to explore what scientists are most excited about for 2026. From insects performing amputations to the latest developments at the Large Hadron Collider, discover what innovations are happening across a range of scientific disciplines.

This episode was recorded on Sunday 19 October 2025.

Presented and produced by Lia Hale

Music by Joseph Sandy

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

Mechanical engineer and broadcaster Shini Somara joins us this month to uncover some of the fascinating and often under-appreciated innovations in the world of engineering, ahead of her double bill of talks at the Ri on Saturday 1 November.  

Shini discusses how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) transformed our understanding and management of Covid-19, and how the field has changed dramatically with the computing advancements and introduction of AI in recent years.  

In this month's From the Theatre episode, we revisit past Christmas Lecturer Hannah Fry's talk on the power of algorithms to continue celebrating our Discover200 campaign.
Hannah Fry takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us. She lifts the lid on their inner workings, to demonstrate their power, expose their limitations, and examine whether they really are an improvement on the humans they are replacing.

This talk was filmed at the Ri on 30 November 2018.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!

Sickle cell disorder is an inherited blood disorder that affects the shape of red blood cells, and can have an extreme impact on all different areas of the body. September marks Sickle Cell Awareness Month, so we wanted to draw attention to the science underlying this often-misunderstood disease. We are joined by researcher Sara El Hoss and sickle cell patient and advocate Stephanie George to discuss everything from the diagnostic journey to the fascinating research investigating future treatment methods.  

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of depression and self-harm. If you are struggling with things of this nature, we have linked some resources below to help you find the right support for you.  

Mental health resources: