Imperial College Podcast

In this edition: David Attenborough meets our newest robot, progress towards global goals, and supporting the future of lab-grown meat. News: Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster – We find out what it was like to have Sir  David Attenborough on campus as he met a robot sea monster and the researcher who built it. Global goals for 2030 – The Global Development Hub at Imperial brings together rese...

In this edition: 2023 in review, the first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel, and improving bone quality. News: Best of 2023 – We hear about some of the best quantum breakthroughs and how science has met art at Imperial in 2023, as told by our science communication interns. Sustainable aviation fuel flights – We talk to Dr Marc Stettler and Dr Roger Teoh , two of the resear...

In this edition: The latest climate science ahead of COP28, how COVID impacts pregnancy, and founding a MedTech startup. News: COP coming – We look ahead to the upcoming COP28 climate conference, and discuss a few recent Imperial studies on the carbon budget , warming beyond net zero , and avoiding overreliance on carbon removal technologies . COVID and pregnancy – We speak to Dr Victoria Male , w...

In this edition: We meet an Imperial alum who is now Head of Science at NASA, discuss the generational wealth gap and find out how to tackle TB. News: Is the generational wealth gap real? – We dig into a new report that finds evidence that there is more solidarity between generations than the "Millennials versus Boomers" narrative would suggest. NASA's Head of Science – We sit down with Imperial p...

In this edition: How getting ready for bed is hard-wired, how clothing dyes can be recycled, and what we can do about data bias in AI. News: Getting ready for bed – When mice are sleepy, they make a safe nest, and now researchers have discovered the brain wiring that controls this instinct both in mice and likely in ourselves. Making fashion greener – We talk to the people behind DyeRecycle – an I...

In this edition: A better test for diagnosing childhood illness, improving planetary protection and financing sustainability. News: Diagnosing childhood illnesses – We learn about a new blood test that can determine what's causing fevers in children in only an hour, by analysing the distinctive pattern of genes being 'switched on or off' by the body in response to specific illnesses. Improving pla...

In this edition: We learn how same-sex sexual behaviour is common in macaques, how to teach robots to walk like dogs, and how DNA affects your health. News: Same-sex sexual behaviour in monkeys – We learn how research has revealed that same-sex sexual behaviour among male macaques in one colony is widespread and may be beneficial. How do you make a robot walk? – We talk to Dr Antoine Cully about w...

In this edition: How hackers can 'poison' AI training data, the modern experience of living with HIV, and a climate change art prize. News: Smart meters in India and physics scholarships – We hear about a smart meters project being selected as one of the top 75 ideas for promoting green lifestyles by the government of India, and meet the winners of new physics PhD diversity scholarships. Data pois...

In this edition: We revisit interviews with some celebrity guests: singer Ana Matronic, Queen's Brian May, and astrophysicist and author Katie Mack. Ana Matronic meets the robots – Scissor Sisters singer Ana Matronic visited Imperial in 2015 to meet robotics researcher Dr Aldo Faisal. She spoke about her book, her passion for robots and her devotion to the international, intellectual movement call...

In this edition: What links Trump voters, how we're going to investigate Jupiter's moons, and why it's a good idea to ask if a medical trial is fair. News: Surface COVID transmission and the sounds of space – We hear about the first evidence of COVID-19 transmission occurring through hands and surfaces within households , and find out how the public can help space research by listening to the soun...

In this edition: The future of supersonic flight, how toxic flea and tick products are reaching the environment, and how maths can help eradicate TB. News: News: Psychedelic scans and caffeine benefits  – We discover that brain scans show the drug DMT increases connectivity across the brain's imagination centres, and find out how caffeine may help keep you slim. Supersonic and hypersonic flight –...

In this edition: How AI has magnified credit disparities, how malaria research was translated into sound, and how batteries can make a better world. News: Boosting sex drive and sourcing dark energy – We hear about how the hormone kisspeptin can help people with low sex drive , and why black holes may be the source of dark energy . Magnifying disparities with machine learning – We talk to Professo...

In this edition: We join the fight against deadly fungal pathogens, listen to music inspired by moons, and discover how some crystals heal themselves. News: Fixing bones in conflict zones and award-winning sustainable business education – We hear how engineers have created fixators for broken bones being trialled in Sri Lanka, Gaza and Ukraine, and how the Business School has won an award for thei...

In this edition: We meet a clinician investigating diabetes, find out how boardroom diversity benefits companies, and hope for a hangover cure. News: World's first net-zero flight and air pollution monitoring – We hear how the first net-zero transatlantic flight powered with sustainable aviation fuel will launch in 2023, and how communities are being empowered to measure their own air pollution in...

In this edition: What flu and COVID-19 might do this winter, being an engineer, and how the UK can improve energy efficiency to fight fuel poverty. News: Exoplanet atmosphere and impact on Mars – We find out about new molecules discovered in an exoplanet's atmosphere and the recording of a huge meteoroid impact on Mars . Winter virus warnings – What does this winter hold for COVID-19, flu, and oth...

In this edition: We discover the latest science at the Large Hadron Collider, meet a medical student, and help the BBC find bees in Lapland. News: New health funding and Lates programme preview – We celebrate the Imperial Biomedical Research Centre receiving £95m to develop new treatments, technologies and diagnostics and branch into new areas, and look forward to the new Imperial Lates programme...

In this edition: When a scientist begins to feel like one, monitoring wastewater for diseases like COVID-19, and how droughts led to hosepipe bans. News: Flu campaign kick-off and 3D-printing drones – We find out what we might expect from this year's flu season as the vaccination drive gets going, and learn about new drones that could 3D-print and repair buildings , working together as a fleet. Fe...

In this edition: We meet Imperial's new President and researchers transforming cystic fibrosis patients' lives and medical education. News: COVID-19 isolation and bees' response to changing climate – We learn that the first real-world study of COVID-19 infectiousness suggests many people are still able to pass on the virus after five days , and that museum specimens show bumblebees have been incre...

In this edition: Making the magnetosphere audible, climate-friendly cooking, and exploring the Earth's deep past. News: Life-like lasers and capturing carbon – We find out how much carbon dioxide has been removed from the atmosphere and stored since 1996 and discover how new 'life-like' lasers could enhance smart displays, novel lighting, and future computing. Space sounds – Researchers can detect...

In this edition: Calculating risk in business, Black-heritage founders and entrepreneurs, and Beatrix Potter's fascination with nature. News: Omicron immunity and ancient coral reefs – We hear about new research that shows the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is not good at boosting the immune system against further infection, and explore a new expedition that will study ancient coral reefs t...

In this edition: We hear how close we are to an HIV vaccine, how severe COVID-19 affects brain power, and how one ecologist is saving Brazil's forests. News: Great Exhibition Road Festival preview – We hear from two 'Young Producers' for the Great Exhibition Road Festival , who are working on an event called Sonder , which investigates how the summer sun influences culture. HIV vaccine progress –...

In this edition: We discover what it will take to eradicate malaria, how psychedelics affect the depressed brain, and how a new diet can keep us full. News: New medical school and dragonfly wings – We hear about Imperial's new joint medical school with the University of Cumbria, and learn how dragonfly wing sensors could help us design better airplane wings. Making malaria history – We meet Profes...

In this edition: A COVID-linked condition in children, how AI could magnify health inequities, and 9 things you can do for your health and the planet. News: What nuclear war would look like and new European grants – We learn what one of our experts said about the realities of nuclear war , and find out what new science the European Research Council is funding at Imperial, from drones to lasers. AI...

In this edition: A scientist countering vaccine misinformation, members of Imperial's LGBTQ+ network, and the people behind an impactful asthma trial. News: Yeast mini-factories and inspiration from nature – We learn about researchers who have engineered yeast to act like mini factories producing dementia drug compounds, and engineers who have taken inspiration from insect wings and shark skin to...

In this edition: How fishing may impact the carbon cycle, how to teach a robot to make toast, and sharing research in the form of a short magazine. News: Latest REACT study and discovering the holobiont – We learn that the REACT coronavirus surveillance study has shown that infection rates in January were three times higher than in December, and discover what a holobiont is, and what a new centre...