BBC Inside Science

Is gene therapy the future?


Listen Later

Last week, a girl who was born deaf had her hearing restored following gene therapy. In the US, the first commercial gene therapy for sickle cell disease has just begun. And Great Ormond Street Hospital has found great success in their trials and a gene therapy for children lacking an immune system. Gene therapy is clearly having a moment. But how do these groundbreaking therapies actually work? And will they ever be truly accessible to everyone? Geneticist Professor Robin Lovell-Badge answers all.

Also this week, atmospheric scientist Laura Wilcox answers an interesting listener question about the effect volcanoes can have on the weather and sticks around to dig into the connection between aerosols and weather in different regions.

The exhibition “Bees: A Story of Survival” opened at the World Museum in Liverpool this month. Part of the show explains the how honeybees communicate through vibration. Physicist Martin Bencsik, who collected and studies these vibrations, plays us a few and explains their meaning.

And did you get a chance to see the auroras that covered a large part of the Northern Hemisphere last weekend? The intense solar activity that caused them has some people alarm. Jim Al-Khalili, who has written a science fiction novel based on the concept, talks what is protecting us from solar flares and what could go wrong.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton

Producers: Ella Hubber, Sophie Ormiston and Hannah Robins
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

BBC Inside ScienceBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

285 ratings


More shows like BBC Inside Science

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,724 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

530 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

881 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,055 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

299 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,527 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,793 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

742 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,111 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,961 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

601 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

969 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

415 Listeners

Inside Health by BBC Radio 4

Inside Health

98 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

765 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

737 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

237 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

333 Listeners

Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

Unexpected Elements

361 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

477 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

348 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

235 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

328 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,218 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

114 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

73 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

686 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

578 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

627 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

374 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

244 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

55 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

79 Listeners

The History Bureau by BBC

The History Bureau

107 Listeners