2015 was the International Year of Light and in Brainwaves, Pennie Latin explored the impact light has on all our lives with the help of landscape photographer, Colin Prior, expert in sleep and circadian rhythms, Professor Steve Lockley, a nightshift worker and someone who is rapidly losing light from their life.

Mark Stephen presents a special edition of Brainwaves from the Edinburgh Science Festival with guests Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University, Amanda McDonald Crawley from New York and Andrew Barnett of the microbrewery, Barney's Beer. The theme will be sensory dining, exploring the science behind eating.

In the year that Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games, another chance to hear our Brainwaves episode on competitiveness... Where does competitiveness come from? Are we born or bred competitive? And, does it actually make us any more likely to succeed in whatever field we choose to do battle?

As obesity figures in Scotland rise, Pennie Latin explores the science of hunger and diet. She talks to Dr Alex Johnstone and Dr Dan Crabtree from the Rowett Institute about their research, psychologist Professor Patrick O'Donnell and weight-loss surgeon Professor Duff Bruce as well as hearing the personal stories of the challenges of losing weight.

This week, Pennie speaks to Professor Sheila Rowan, Director of the Institute for Gravitational Research at Glasgow University. Sheila is an astrophysicist whose work is concerned with creating the technology to detect gravitational waves in the universe. This is truly groundbreaking research, and if everything goes according to plan, the first wave detectors will be operational towards the end of the decade. Detecting gravitational waves should offer answers to some of the fundamental questions at the core of all of us - where did we come from and how did it all begin?

Metal Mickey, R2D2, K9, proper walking, talking, interacting, arguing robots - the stuff of great science fiction. Up until now that's exactly where those kinds of robots have remained, between the covers of a book or credits of a film.

As home energy bills soar our thoughts turn to ways of saving money. In this edition of Brainwaves, Pennie Latin finds out about the latest scientific developments in energy saving technology which might help us avoid fuel poverty and have more energy efficient homes.

Pennie Latin is in conversation with Professor Helen Sang from the Roslin Institute. She hears about Helen's work with genetically modified chickens which could lead to the eradication of bird flu, the provision of food for the world's growing population and the production of drugs to treat diseases like cancer.

For literally millennia we have written about it, sung about it, cried over it, fought duels and built monuments to it.....LOVE. You'd have thought by now we'd have figured it all out - how to spot, attract and land our perfect partner. However, just because we find someone visually appealing it doesn't necessarily mean we're going to 'click'.

This week, Pennie speaks to child psychiatrist, Dr Helen Minnis. Helen is a Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow. Her research focusses on Reactive Attachment Disorder in children. She first observed this behaviour whilst working as a doctor in an orphanage in Guatemala. The children there showed no inhibitions when meeting new people, flocking to the feet of strangers. But when she returned to Scotland, she began to discover that children in Glasgow were also suffering from the condition, which is really the result of emotional neglect. Since then, her work has centred on diagnosing RAD in Scotland - it's thought that around 4 percent of children have it, roughly the same percentage as autism - and establishing a way of treating the condition.

Helen also talks about how her work has influenced - or otherwise - her approach to bringing up her own children. But also the challenges - and advantages - of being a working mother in the scientific community.