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This podcast collection is now unavailable. To continue listening, search for and follow the main In Our Time podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you find your podcasts. New episodes arrive weekly.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ scientific principles and breakthroughs • ocean and deep-sea exploration • evolution, paleontology, extinctions • microbiology and cell biology • astronomy, planets, habitability, stellar physics • mathematics and computing • key scientists’ lives and discoveriesThis podcast explores scientific ideas, discoveries, and the people who helped shape them, using long-form discussions with academic experts. Across the episodes, the emphasis is on explaining core principles—how scientists know what they know, how theories developed over time, and how evidence from observation, experiments, and instruments has changed our understanding of the natural world.
A major strand is physics and astronomy, covering foundational concepts in modern science such as quantum mechanics, relativity, particle physics, and the behavior of matter under extreme conditions. Space and planetary science also features strongly, from the dynamics and histories of planets and stars to broader questions about what makes a world habitable and how we might detect life elsewhere.
Another recurring theme is life science and evolution, including major transitions in the history of organisms, the development of key biological systems, and the hidden work of cells and microbes. The podcast also examines ecological relationships and ocean life, linking biological processes to planetary systems and environmental change, with attention to deep-sea exploration and the challenges of studying remote habitats.
Interwoven throughout are episodes in the history and philosophy of science: biographies of influential scientists and mathematicians, the social and political contexts around major research programs, and the evolution of scientific tools and classification systems. The overall result is a cross-disciplinary survey of science as both a body of knowledge and a human endeavor.
| Episodes: |
New Series2026-Oct-14 less than a minute |
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A Message from Misha 2026-Oct-12 less than a minute |