The Medical journal 'The Lancet' called Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) "the most important medical advance of the 20th Century". This simple, low-tech, low-cost treatment is able to prevent death stemming from diarrhoeal diseases. Incredibly, they account for 1 in 9 child deaths worldwide, making diarrhoea the second leading cause of death among children under the age of 5.

'Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake - its everything except what it is' - the real question we need to ask ourselves, is whether love can happen at first sight. According to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, love can indeed be instantaneous. Felica Isaacs explores this concept, to see if it has any biological basis. 

'Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock' - This is the second instalment in the series looking at 'The Science of Shakespeare', and rather fittingly, was recorded during the week of his birthday. English teacher Felicia Isaacs considers whether the jealousy displayed by Othello was predetermined - could, as the title suggest, it have already been hardwired into his genes?

'Macbeth does murder sleep' - is this the reason why Shakespeare's character has delusions and paranoid thoughts? In this podcast, I'm joined by English teacher Felicia Isaacs, who gives her perspective on whether Macbeth's paranoia can be attributed to his insomnia. This is the first instalment in a series of podcasts on 'The Science of Shakespeare'. 

Karyotyping is a laboratory procedure that allows your doctor to examine your set of chromosomes.  The karyotype of a living organism refers to the number and appearance of the chromosomes, and allows for both the determination of sex and identification of abnormalities and structural problems.

In this podcast, I discuss the cohesive, thermal and solvent properties of one of the most crucial biological molecules there is - water. By understanding the polarity of the molecule and the nature of hydrogen bonding, one can appreciate why this really is 'the molecule of life'.

The Pernkopf Topographic Anatomy of Man, an anatomy reference book published in 1937 by a Nazi doctor, continues to be the most widely used anatomy book by surgeons. Its' gruesome history, however, has forced people to question the ethics of using such a resource. Can something so tainted ever be viewed in a positive light? (With thanks to English teacher Felicia Isaacs for conducting the research and providing the content for this podcast)

If you're a fan of true crime stories or detective novels, you might think that gunshot residue, or a carelessly left fingerprint on a surface would be the keys to solving a big mystery. In reality, when combined with DNA analysis, it's Forensic Serology, and the detection of body fluids that often provides the indisputable piece of evidence that places a suspect at the scene of a crime - and ultimately secures a conviction!

Despite the several thousand cosmetic surgery operations performed each year in the UK, research carried out by the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons suggested that 65% of former patients regretted going under the knife. In addition, only 28% admitted to being completely happy with the results, with complications and unexplained side effects among the most common complaints. Given these shocking statistics, I explore in this podcast whether cosmetic surgery really is worth the risk.