When Science Finds a Way

Trust is shaped by people's experiences of science: the histories they remember, whether they were listened to, and whose voices shaped what happened next. So, what does it take for science to earn trust?

In this special episode of our mini-series on trust in science, recorded live in front of an audience at the Wellcome Collection, Julia Gillard, Chair of Wellcome and former Prime Minister of Australia, is joined by Dr Annabel Sowemimo, consultant in sexual and reproductive health; Professor Sophie Harman, Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary University of London; and Elhadj As Sy, global health leader, humanitarian and Wellcome board member.

Together, they explore how history, power, politics and participation shape people's trust in science today, and why acknowledging those experiences matters when it comes to earning trust.

Stay until the end to find out what kind of science our panel wants to see in 2040.

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Mentioned in this episode and further resources:

• Earning public trust in science – To learn more about the work that Wellcome is doing on trust, go to: https://wellcome.org/engagement-and-advocacy/engaging-people/trust-in-science

• The Wellcome Global Monitor – To access the key findings from the report, the full publication, an interactive data dashboard, and access to the data set, go to: wellcome.org/podcast/globalmonitor

• Wellcome and More in Common research on trust in science in the UK – https://wellcome.org/insights/reports/britain-talks-trust-science

• Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise Healthcare by Dr Annabel Sowemimo – https://wellcomecollection.org/books/divided

• Wellcome Collection – https://wellcomecollection.org

When we say we trust science, what are we actually trusting it to do? And who gets a say in where it goes next?

In the second episode of our special mini-series on trust in science, Alisha Wainwright is joined by bioethicist Dr Sarah Chan of the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Professor Tom Ellis, co-director of the Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, and Sarah Hartley, Professor of Technology Governance at the University of Exeter.

Our guests explore what makes science trustworthy, and why trust is rarely just about how much people know. Drawing on examples from synthetic biology and other areas of emerging science, they consider how new technologies can be developed responsibly, and how trust is shaped by whether decisions are made fairly, whether people feel listened to, and whether science is working on the problems that matter in their lives.

Along the way, the panel turns a familiar question around. Instead of asking whether the public understands science, they ask: does science understand its publics?

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Mentioned in this episode & further resources:

• Wellcome Global Monitor: To access the report, interactive data dashboards, and the full data set, go to: wellcome.org/podcast/globalmonitor
• Earning public trust in science: To learn more about the work that Wellcome is doing on trust, go to: https://wellcome.org/engagement-and-advocacy/engaging-people/trust-in-science
• SynHG and Care-full Synthesis: To learn more about the Wellcome-funded project developing the tools for human genome synthesis, and the social research running alongside it, go to: https://wellcome.org/news/new-project-pioneer-principles-human-genome-synthesis
• Sciencewise: https://sciencewise.org.uk
• Nuffield Council on Bioethics, stem cell-based embryo models: https://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/publications/stem-cell-based-embryo-models
• Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/6

How much do people around the world trust in science? How has that trust changed since 2018?

In the first episode of our special mini-series on trust in science, Alisha Wainwright is joined by social researcher Dr Cary Funk and Dr Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Institute, to explore new findings from the Wellcome Global Monitor 2026, the world's largest study on how people think and feel about science.

Together, they go beyond the headline figures to look at how levels of trust in science have changed over time, where it varies between regions, and why earning trust is essential if we want science to improve health for everyone.

Listen until the end for a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to collect and analyse responses from over 140,000 people across 140 countries.

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Mentioned in this episode & further resources:

• The Wellcome Global Monitor – To access the key findings from the report, the full publication, an interactive data dashboard, and access to the data set, go to: wellcome.org/podcast/globalmonitor

• Earning public trust in science – To learn more about the work that Wellcome is doing on trust, go to: wellcome.org/engagement-and-advocacy/engaging-people/trust-in-science

• Ipsos - https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk

• Gallup World Poll - https://www.gallup.com/home.aspx

We may think of carbon dioxide as the main culprit in climate change, but could tackling "super pollutants" provide an emergency brake for global warming?

Dr Tom Grylls tells Alisha Wainwright how we already have the tools to reduce these gases and particles, and Bidya Banmali Pradhan describes a successful effort to do just that by re-engineering brick kilns in Nepal.

But this isn't only a question of climate. Professor Zorana Andersen explains air pollution's impact on our bodies, and we hear how a holistic view of climate and health could help slow down global warming and save millions of lives.

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Mentioned in this episode and further reading:

• What are super pollutants and how do they impact our health? - Wellcome (https://wellcome.org/insights/articles/what-are-super-pollutants-and-how-do-they-impact-our-health)

• Why reducing super pollutants isn't just good for the climate – Clean Air Fund (https://www.cleanairfund.org/news-item/reducing-super-pollutants/)

• Building cleaner brick kilns in Nepal - CCAC (https://www.ccacoalition.org/projects/building-cleaner-brick-kilns-nepal)

Tuberculosis has been with us so long that traces appear in mummies. But today, the challenge is different: how do we respond to TB that's resistant to modern drugs?

Professor Salome Charalambous tells Alisha Wainwright about the challenges of treating the half-million people with drug-resistant TB, and Professor Nazir Ismail explains how it gets harder in countries where resources are scarce.

But there may be hope on the horizon. Salome gives a glimpse of the new tests and treatments already saving lives, and we hear from Enalkachew Fekadu, a drug-resistant TB survivor who now advocates for others with the disease.

We know how extreme heat impacts us physically, but science is still uncovering its effects on mental health.

Professor Andrea Mechelli tells Alisha Wainwright what analysing millions of datapoints is teaching us, we hear from participants in his London-based research about their struggles with heat and mental health, and Mete Çoban, London's Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, talks about efforts to future-proof the city. Looking beyond London, Dr Benedict Weobong explains why his research in Ghana and Zimbabwe shows that local context is crucial for dealing with heat-related mental health issues, and Alisha explores how reconnecting with nature - and each other - could also help us tackle the causes of rising heat.

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Mentioned in this episode and further reading:

• Prof. Andrea Mechelli's Substack on how nature and climate shape our mental health: https://andreamechelli.substack.com/

• The effects of extreme heat events on mental health in vulnerable urban communities: towards evidence-based policy and practice (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/the-effects-of-extreme-heat-events-on-mental-health-in-vulnerable-urban-communities-towards-evidence-based-policy-and-practice)

• Urban Mind – an app that measures your experience of urban & rural living in the moment (https://urbanmind.info/)

• Heat Exposure, Sleep, Cognition and Mental Health - HEATSCAPE-Africa (https://www.yorku.ca/dighr/project/heatscape-africa/)

We're running a listener survey for When Science Finds a Way and we'd love your input. Takes around 10 minutes, completely anonymous, and there's a £50 gift card draw for everyone who completes it. Survey closes 28 May: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3

In much of the world people are living longer, but how can we make sure those extra years are healthy? Professor Dame Linda Partridge tells Alisha Wainwright how our ever-growing knowledge of health and ageing could lead to more personalised medicine, and Professor Mika Kivimäki explains how new methods for measuring the "biological age" of our organs could be used to predict disease. We also hear from Shamita Sharmacharja, curator of the new Coming of Age Exhibition at London's Wellcome Collection, about how changing society could help us all age better.

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Mentioned in this episode and further reading:

• Hallmarks of ageing: an expanding universe (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36599349/)

• Biological organ ages predict disease risk decades in advance, Mika Kivimäki , UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/feb/biological-organ-ages-predict-disease-risk-decades-advance)

• The Coming of Age Exhibition, Wellcome Collection, London. Open until November 2026 (https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/the-coming-of-age)

We know that the food we eat affects us physically, but how might our diets help or hinder mental health? Dr Wolfgang Marx tells Alisha Wainwright about his work to find a link between mental health and diet. We also hear from Dr Iain Campbell, who found that a famous diet helped his own bipolar symptoms, inspiring him to work on a new large-scale trial. And Dr Sheri Johnson explains why we should explore not just what we eat, but when.

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Mentioned in this episode and further reading:

• Food and mood centre, a multi-disciplinary research centre that aims to understand the complex ways in which what we eat influences our brain, mood, and mental health, Deakin University (https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/)

• Time-restricted eating as an adjunctive intervention for bipolar disorder – Wellcome funding award (https://wellcome.org/research-funding/funding-portfolio/funded-grants/time-restricted-eating-adjunctive-intervention)

• Personal keto journey leads to career in research: Iain Campbell's story (https://www.metabolicmind.org/thinksmart/explore-strategies/iain-campbell/)

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has enormous potential to prevent deaths from postpartum haemorrhage, but until very recently it's been overlooked. Professor Haleema Shakur Still tells Alisha Wainwright how she stumbled on TXA's untapped potential, and the drug's journey from being an undervalued discovery in post-war Japan to a groundbreaking treatment in modern-day Nigeria. Professor Nike Bellow and Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi share their efforts to make TXA more accessible to communities, while Haleema explains how drug trials have revealed a hidden side to postpartum haemorrhage – one that could prevent cases before treatment is even needed.

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Mentioned in this episode and further reading:

• WOMAN trials: looking at the effect of the drug tranexamic acid (TXA) on bleeding, and the best ways to give it (https://thebloodtrials.org/womens-health-trials/)

• The missing evidence: anaemia, postpartum bleeding and maternal death, Blood Trials, LSHTM (https://thebloodtrials.org/the-missing-evidence/)

A word of thanks to all the WOMAN Trial collaborators, Professor Ian Roberts, who co-led the WOMAN Trials alongside Haleema, trial teams in London, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and Zambia and the women and families who make this work possible.