Ri Science Podcast

We’re bringing you this month’s From the Theatre episode from the Space Park in Leicester, joined by Professor of Space Physics Suzie Imber. Suzie is a Co-Investigator on the Mercury Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer (MIXS) instrument onboard BepiColombo, the joint mission between ESA and JAXA currently on its way to Mercury. We explore the history of Mercury investigations, why it has been studied so much less than other planets, and what scientists are hoping to learn from BepiColombo. 

To discover more space science, tune into the 200th CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution with Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock on 28th, 29th and 30th December on BBC4 and BBC iPlayer.   

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

• Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website 

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok 

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale 

Music: Joseph Sandy 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This December, space scientist and renowned science communicator Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be presenting the CHRISTMAS LECTURES in their 200th year titled ‘Is there life beyond earth?’.

Maggie joins us on the podcast this month to explore the history of space imaging and the huge number of projects she has worked on throughout her career, as well as her experiences navigating the scientific world and some of the biggest questions remaining in space science today.  

Tune into the CHRISTMAS LECTURES this December between Christmas and New Year, on BBC Four and iPlayer.  

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

• Find out more about the 2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES 

• Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website 

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok 

Lead producer and presenter: Lia Hale 

Assistant producers: Mohsina Asif, Poppy Aves, Mia Buxton 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's 'From the Theatre' episode, we visited New Scientist Live at the Excel to explore what scientists are most excited about for 2026. From insects performing amputations to the latest developments at the Large Hadron Collider, discover what innovations are happening across a range of scientific disciplines.

This episode was recorded on Sunday 19 October 2025.

Presented and produced by Lia Hale

Music by Joseph Sandy

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

• Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website 

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mechanical engineer and broadcaster Shini Somara joins us this month to uncover some of the fascinating and often under-appreciated innovations in the world of engineering, ahead of her double bill of talks at the Ri on Saturday 1 November.  

Shini discusses how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) transformed our understanding and management of Covid-19, and how the field has changed dramatically with the computing advancements and introduction of AI in recent years.  

• Book tickets to join Shini this weekend for her family and adult talks 

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's From the Theatre episode, we revisit past Christmas Lecturer Hannah Fry's talk on the power of algorithms to continue celebrating our Discover200 campaign.
Hannah Fry takes us on a tour of the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us. She lifts the lid on their inner workings, to demonstrate their power, expose their limitations, and examine whether they really are an improvement on the humans they are replacing.

This talk was filmed at the Ri on 30 November 2018.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!

• Browse upcoming talks and livestreams on our website  

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram, TikTok and @rigb.org on Bluesky

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sickle cell disorder is an inherited blood disorder that affects the shape of red blood cells, and can have an extreme impact on all different areas of the body. September marks Sickle Cell Awareness Month, so we wanted to draw attention to the science underlying this often-misunderstood disease. We are joined by researcher Sara El Hoss and sickle cell patient and advocate Stephanie George to discuss everything from the diagnostic journey to the fascinating research investigating future treatment methods.  

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of depression and self-harm. If you are struggling with things of this nature, we have linked some resources below to help you find the right support for you.  

Mental health resources: 

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/where-to-start/ 

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ 

Sickle Cell resources: 

https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/ 

https://ascatconferences.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/redcellsrus/ 

https://www.instagram.com/steph_has_sicklecell_/ 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sickle-cell-disease/ 

Producer: Lia Hale

Assistant producer: Poppy Aves

Music: Joseph Sandy

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

• Browse upcoming talks and livestreams on our website  

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're bringing you even more Spotify content, by sharing one of our world-famous lectures on every second Wednesday of the month through 'From the Theatre' episodes. Don't worry, Ri Science Podcast episodes are still coming every last Wednesday, but these will help to tide you over in the meantime.

How does the body affect our brain, and vice versa? Can exercise, psychedelics, or the gut biome improve your mental health? Find out with neuroscientist Camilla Nord.

This talk was recorded at the Ri on 4 March 2024.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

• Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website 

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everywhere you look across the scientific landscape, AI and big data play a vital role. But is that role good or bad? This year’s Nine Dots Prize question looked to tackle just that, and award-winning science journalist and neuroscientist Grace Huckins’ entry was deemed the most innovative. 

Grace joins us this month to discuss how AI could be changing the way science operates, and how data has transformed the field of neuroscience specifically.   

• Read an extract from Grace’s winning essay: https://ninedotsprize.org/extract-from-grace-huckins-winning-entry/ 

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale 

Assistant producer: Poppy Aves 

Music: Joseph Sandy 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How similar is your microbiome to your dog’s? How do volcanoes influence the microbiome of the earth? And what links the microbiome to epilepsy? 

It’s not just the gut that has a microbiome – everything from your phone screen to the soles of your shoes has a community of microorganisms residing together that forms a microbiome. But the microbiome in the gut specifically has a huge impact on our bodily functioning, and we can learn a lot about our own gut microbiome by looking at those of domesticated animals like dogs.  

This month, we’re joined by Bushra Schuitemaker, a microbiologist and head of science and research at Biome9, to understand what we can learn from the microbiomes around us.  

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale 

Music: Joseph Sandy  

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

• Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website 

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok 

• Learn more about Biome9 and Dogileptic 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Women's Euros kick off next Wednesday, once again bringing attention to the epidemic of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s football. But why is it that women are six times more likely to suffer from these injuries, and what research is being done to understand it further?

This month we’re looking at the science behind the ACL, and what factors researchers are investigating that influence injury susceptibility. We’re joined by Blake Rivers, whose PhD at Kingston University is being funded by FIFA to investigate the impact of the menstrual cycle on ACL injuries, and Grace Vella, a footballer and entrepreneur who is 5 months into her ACL rehabilitation following on from reconstructive surgery.  

Producer: Lia Hale  

Assistant producer: Jessica Hibbert 

Music: Joseph Sandy 

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released! 

• Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website 

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel 

• Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.