Researchers were surprised to find that moss spores germinated after nine months hanging out on the outside of the International Space Station. Ellie and Laura dive into their research and go beyond it to look at why some things survive in space, the benefits of doing this sort of research and what it might mean for a more resilient ecosystem here on Earth.

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Different nations have different approaches to testing and using chemicals to see how they can cause diseases. Antonia, Laura and Jasmin look at how chemicals are tested for toxicity, how harmful substances are controlled, and whether dose limits are important. They look at asbestos, radioactive substances, and more.

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And is it a good idea? Laura, Jasmin and Antonia look at various scientific studies on growing crops and raising livestock in fields of solar panels to see what the effects are. They also look at some solar farms that are used in arid regions and the benefits they can have for crops and the environment.

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And can we learn to live longer? Ellie, Jasmin and Emma discuss telomeres that form the ends of DNA strands, the long-lived members of the animal world, supplements and products to fight the signs of aging, and even the idea of living forever.

It takes a long time for medicines to be developed. Looking at drugs used in women's health and more, Laura and Ellie look at what goes into their development, how the risks are weighed against the benefits, and how the known benefits of a drug can change as we learn more about them.

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Saving endangered species is vital for a healthy planet and cloning individual animals can help. Ellie and Laura look at the black-footed ferret, discuss some other endangered species that cloning is helping to save, and look at the history and challenges of cloning.

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When you care about sustainability, you can bet that becomes your focus. Laura and Antonia look at how to solve climate change through social engineering and behavioural science that involves brain chemistry as well as solving the problem of having finite resources that create inequality.

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We’re using more energy and in the UK a lot of this goes into heating or cooling our homes but can we use natural processes to make this happen? Laura, Rwayda and Antonia discuss how using traditional clay in the Caribbean keeps houses cool while a smart architect in India has used fundamental physics to achieve the same feat. In the UK, passive houses with thick insulation are a thing but could we use these smart ideas to work with natural processes, rather than against them?

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In the UK it feels like winters are getting warmer but the entire year is usually rainy. We remember things being a bit different when we were younger. Laura, Antonia and Ellie discuss evidence for changing of the seasons and look at the effect this has globally on extreme events such as wildfires, animal migration and plant growth. They also look at some research that identified new seasons and suggests humans should change their relationship with them.

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A special type of in-vitro fertilisation, that uses material from three people, has made some interesting headlines recently. Laura and Ellie discuss the technique and consider some of the major advancements that went into in-vitro fertilisation, also known as creating test-tube babies, and uncover some surprising facts. Did you know that research began in the 19th century? 

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