Podcasts and radio

Working as a science presenter allows me to bother incredibly interesting people with my questions. With scientists, I’ve searched for Burmese pythons in swamps, driven deep into the Romanian mountains to see the impacts of illegal logging, and helped plant shrubs to slow coastal erosion in Puerto Rico.

Most of my shows are broadcast nationwide on BBC Radio 4 or worldwide on the BBC World Service to 95 million unique listeners per week.

CrowdScience

I present CrowdScience, a weekly science documentary show on The BBC World Service. Each episode begins with a question from one of our listeners, and I track down scientists across the globe to find the answer.

Here are a few of my favourite episodes:

Looking for No Man’s Land

I recently finished a five-part series for BBC Radio 4, where I tried to find somewhere on Earth unaffected by Humans. Is there anywhere left on this planet that we haven’t changed – at all?

Wind Down Wisdom

Every week, I’m part of Radio 3’s Classical Wind Down with Niall Breslin. I add a smattering of science into an evening of classical music. In each episode, I share a science-backed way to relax: from going on a run to stroking a pet. To be honest, I could do with practising a bit more of what I preach.

Unexpected Elements

I often present Unexpected Elements, a weekly BBC World Service show where I’m joined by an international panel of journalists to look at the science hiding behind the news.

Here’s how one episode begins: after Nepal announced that 97 Himalayan peaks would be free to climb (meaning no cost to climbers), we explored the science of mountains and the effect so many climbers have on the environment.

Science expert

I often appear on other shows as a science ‘expert’, including news programmes like Newshour

I also regularly contribute to Radio 4’s Inside Science, where I share the science stories that have caught my eye that week, from new versions of the periodic table for physicists to what science says about how to cut onions without crying.

You can hear me on the BBC World Service’s climate change show, The Climate Question. I recently appeared on an episode about why coral reefs are surprisingly important for protecting our changing planet.

You can also hear me on What in the World, a daily news podcast for the BBC World Service. Recently, a huge, red-hot metal ring fell from the sky and landed in a small village in Kenya. I explained why space junk is such a big issue, and how people are trying to get rid of it.