When it comes to the effects of ageing on our bodies, there are many more factors at play than simply the number of years we’ve been alive. It turns out, that for some people, there is a huge gap between their chronological age and their biological age – the scientific measure of how well our cells, tissues and organs are functioning compared to the global average. But what are the main drivers of this difference, and what can we do to keep our bodies younger and healthier for longer?

In this episode, we’re joined by ageing and longevity expert and research director at Inserm in France, Jean-Marc Lemaitre to talk about his latest book, Choose Your Age – Unlocking the Cellular Science of Longevity.

He talks us through the many factors that lead to some of us ageing more quickly than others, tells us what researchers can learn from how the world’s centenarians live their lives, and explains why we still don’t know what the limit for the human lifespan could be.

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The truth is, when most of us think of wasps, our minds will likely go to memories of irritating winged pests landing in our drinks when we’re trying to have a nice summer picnic or perhaps one of the times we got a nasty sting when we were out playing in the park as children. It’s fair to say wasps have a pretty bad rap. But if we look more closely, it soon becomes clear that most of us are getting these fascinating insects entirely wrong.

As part of our Nature’s Unsung Heroes miniseries, we’re joined by BBC broadcaster, author and entomologist based at the University of Gloucestershire Prof Adam Hart to talk about the many benefits wasps bring to the ecosystems they live in.

He tells us how wasps act as the wardens or guardians of our gardens and agricultural land by keeping pests under control, how they act as essential pollinators that help the ecosystems they live in thrive, and how they act as one of the natural world’s most sophisticated architects and engineers.

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These days the supplement industry is booming – supermarket shelves are stacked high with all manner of pills and powders claiming to do everything from helping us to live longer or improving our digestive health to boosting our energy levels or even improving our ability to concentrate and focus. How have we reached this point, why do many of us feel our diets aren’t giving us everything we need to stay healthy and productive, and do these supplements live up to the bold claims that many manufacturers make for them?

In this episode, we’re joined by dietician and author Josie Porter to talk about her latest book, How Not to Take Supplements – A Dietician’s Guide to Thriving on Real Food.

She tells us how our busy lifestyles are leading more of us to turn to dietary supplements, talks us through the rise in the consumption of protein powders and meal replacement drinks, and explains how, underlying health conditions aside, we can all get everything our bodies need to stay healthy by eating a balanced diet.

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Although it often goes unnoticed, plankton is the most abundant form of life in Earth’s oceans, making up 95 per cent of all oceanic biomass. These tiny organisms are responsible for generating around half of the planet’s oxygen, play a vital role in the oceans’ food chains and were around for millions of years before we humans came onto the scene. Simply put, without plankton, the world would be a very different place.

As part of our Nature's Unsung Heroes miniseries, we’re joined by senior advisor to the United Nations on oceans Vincent Doumeizel to talk about his latest book, The Power of Plankton – How Plankton Made Life on Earth Possible and Why It’s Key to Our Future.

He tells us how these often-ignored organisms played an essential part in the evolution of life on Earth, tells us the many ways plankton acts as the caretaker of the entire planet, and makes a passionate case for why we should be paying more attention to these fascinating, ancient organisms.

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Every minute of every day, our bodies are flooded with a complex web of hormones – chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream, coordinating everything from our blood pressure, body temperature, metabolic rate and even our emotions. When this system is functioning correctly, we barely notice its actions, but if it begins to misfire, it can lead to profound issues in everything from fluctuations in our energy levels or moods to the way our bodies develop as we age and even our appearance.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Saira Hameed, an endocrinologist based at Imperial College London NHS Trust and best-selling author, to talk about her latest book Signal – The Inside Story of Our Hormones.

She tells us how, despite being so tiny, the many hormone-producing glands situated throughout our bodies have a huge impact on our health and wellbeing, the many issues that can arise due to the overproduction or underproduction of hormones, and the new therapies in the pipeline we may be able to use to bring our bodies back into balance.

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Becoming a parent is undoubtedly one of the biggest events that can occur in any of our lifetimes – suddenly we have a tiny living being to take care of that demands the majority of our thoughts, time and attention. Of course, this can at times feel overwhelming and often leads us to look for help and advice from our parents, grandparents or close friends. But what strategies do parents in the animal kingdom use to raise their young, and is there anything we humans can learn from them?

As part of our Nature's Unsung Heroes miniseries, we’re joined by science writer Elizabeth Preston to talk about her latest book, The Creatures’ Guide to Caring – How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care.

She tells us how orca grandmothers pitch in to help with the raising of their grandchildren, how in some species of monkeys the father takes on most of responsibility for taking care of their offspring, and how we can learn so much more about ourselves as humans by paying deeper attention to the wider world we live in.

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While the larger, more impressive or charismatic animal and plant species often receive the most attention, the natural world is filled with lesser-known or even misunderstood organisms without which life on planet Earth would look very different indeed.

If you’d like to learn how plankton plays a vital role in regulating the health of the entire planet, how, despite being a bit icky, parasites play an essential part in helping the ecosystems they live in thrive, or why we have many fascinating lessons to learn from the different strategies animals use to raise their young, why not check out the four-part Nature’s Unsung Heroes miniseries starting Friday 5th June!

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In June of every year, the LGBTQ+ community across the world comes together to celebrate Pride Month – an annual event that began in 1970 to promote awareness, visibility and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.

In this episode, to coincide with Pride Month, we’re joined by Dr Julia Shaw, a broadcaster, best-selling author and psychologist based at University College London, to talk about the science and history of bisexuality.

She tells us about the fascinating historical and scientific origins of the term bisexuality, how studies have found that there are likely far more bisexual people than you may think, and how bisexuality isn’t unique to humans.

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Whether it’s the swab tests many of us use to help us piece together our family trees, the painstaking detective work carried out by forensic scientists, or its use in medical screening to look for signs of our predisposition to develop certain diseases, DNA science has become a regular fixture in news stories, pop culture and dinner table conversations in many of our homes. But how exactly do these processes work, what can they really tell, or not tell us, and what developments can we expect in the future?

In this episode, we’re joined by Prof Turi King, the director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, co-presenter of the BBC’s DNA Family Secrets and best-selling author, to talk about her latest book, The Secrets of DNA – How Genetics has Changed the World.

She tells us about the fascinating stories surrounding the development of fingerprinting techniques that now allow us to identify unique individuals based on their DNA alone, how forensic scientists really use DNA science to solve crimes, and why our DNA is still hiding many more secrets that are waiting to be discovered.

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Traditionally, ecologists wanting to take stock of the diversity, health and population levels of animal species within a given environment have needed to tie on their boots, get out in the field and painstakingly record what they are able to observe manually. But the emerging field of ecoacoustics – the use of sound recording to survey the biodiversity within ecosystems – is promising to be a game-changer in the way researchers are able to approach this work.

As part of our Science of Sound miniseries, we’re joined by Dr Sarab Sethi, the head of the ecosystem sensing research group at Imperial College London. To talk about his work in this exciting new field.

He tells us how advances in technology are providing new methods of monitoring wildlife in greater detail than ever before and why cross-collaboration between engineers and conservationists is vital in the fight against biodiversity loss.

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