Talking of Science

Have you ever been part of an experiment? Maybe you have, without even realising it. In fact, you almost certainly have. In this episode, Dr C asks a question that might make you look at everyday life a little differently: “Have I ever been in an experiment?” To help us answer it, we are joined by health economist Frederik Plesner Lyngse. Together, we explore how scientists study the real world wh...

Urgh!! The dreaded task of brushing a set of teeth sitting inside an uncooperative little mouth. Not once, but twice. Every day. And for two whole minutes! In this episode, Dr C asks a question most children, and probably plenty of adults, have wondered about: “Why do I have to brush my teeth?” To help us answer it, we are joined by dental hygienist and author Carina Løvstad. Together, we explore...

Paintings crack; we can't visit the famous Lascaux cave paintings; and people put WHAT into artwork? In this episode Dr C asks a characteristically profound question: "Why does everything get destroyed?" To help us answer it, we're joined by Associate Professor Michela Gambino, conservation scientist and microbiologist. Together we explore the hidden battle being fought to pres...

They say no one is busier than a kid at bedtime - and how better to stall at bedtime than the age-old technique of asking a big question? In this episode, Dr C and Helen are exploring Slumberland with sleep and health complexity expert Professor Naja Hulvej Rod. They unpack what happens in our bodies and brains during sleep, why good sleep is essential for learning, mood and long-term health, and...

If germs are everywhere, why aren't we sick all the time? And where do the really nasty bugs come from in the first place? In this episode, Dr C asks a question that feels simple but turns out to have a surprisingly complicated answer. Together with evolutionary scientist David Duchene, we explore the hidden world of microbes, germs, viruses and other microscopic hitchhikers that live all aro...

This month we'll experience a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower and learn more about what happened to the rocket which seems to have crashed into the moon. In honour of these big sky events, Dr C was joined by Little Brother to introduce this very special throwback episode! Hear how excited they are about all things lunar, and listen back to the fascinating...

Artificial intelligence is not new. In fact, its origins go back to ideas that emerged even before the first modern computers. But what we have today seems nothing short of magical. AI chatbots can answer questions, write stories, help doctors detect diseases, perform a wide range of tasks, and even suggest what you should have for dinner. But do they actually understand what they're saying?...

What a head-scratcher! Animals probably don't speak our language, but they are constantly communicating through movement, sound, smell, behaviour, and choices. The challenge is learning how to read those signals without assuming they think exactly like us. In this episode of Talking of Science, Helen and Dr C are joined by Mads Frost Bertelsen, Zoological Director at Copenhagen Zoo, who share...

Trees clean our air, cool our cities, support wildlife, protect our soils, and quietly keep the world running. But forests are much more than collections of trees. They are also homes, workplaces, supermarkets, pharmacies, and sources of identity for millions of Indigenous peoples and local communities around the world. In this episode of Talking of Science, Helen and Dr C are joined by forestry r...

Why does Karen from HR have herpes? And more importantly… why do so many of us? In this gloriously inappropriate but scientifically rich episode, Helen and Dr C are joined by Matthew Murray, a virologist at the Danish Cancer Institute and the University of Copenhagen, to unpack the weird, persistent and often misunderstood world of herpes viruses. From lifelong latent infections to immune system c...

Welcome back! We survived series 1 and we're here with another round of interviews with top experts trying to dodge the jargon alarm. Make sure to follow Talking of Science wherever you're listening to this, because in this series we're talking about how animals think, where the Lorax might fit into our world and how to avoid herpes virus. Can't wait? Catch up on series 1 now!...

The question on every helicopter parent's mind! In this special bonus to round off our first season, Dr C sits down with one of the humblest laureates you could imagine, Professor Morten Meldal, to ask what it really takes to win science’s most prestigious prize. We talk curiosity, collaboration, click chemistry, and the long, winding path to discovery… plus the moment Dr C briefly held a Nob...

In the tenth episode (already?!), Helen and Dr. C celebrate by going full plant mode with guest Emma Aller, a plant-loving molecular biologist from the University of Copenhagen and co-host of the Plantejagten podcast 🎙️ From counting to three and communicating through smells to remembering past threats and producing chemical compounds for defence, this episode peels back the quiet drama of plant l...

Well... no. Or, kinda, maybe. Another chin-scratcher from Dr C in this episode, where we dive into the blue to explore the fascinating world beneath the sea and learn all anyone could want to know about corals and their importance. We are joined on the mics by Walter Dellisanti, a marine biologist and coral nerd who also happens to have just rounded off a visual exhibition all about (yep, you gues...

As always, a deceptively simple question that opens the door to a hilarious exploration of how our bodies make blood. Find out what happens when you scrape your knee and how the body keeps itself cleverly supplied with just the right amount of blood cells. Most importantly, find out just how newly-built blood cells manage to escape from inside the bone marrow! Helen and Dr C are joined by Dr Mafal...

What's the craziest experiment you could imagine doing? Now go crazier. And you're still probably not thinking about anything as crazy as the experiments that Kristoffer Frøkjær has written about in his book The Man Who Had His Brain Sliced. In this episode we talk with Kristoffer about some bonkers experiments, the important breakthroughs that they have given us, and the magic ingredien...

Storybooks can impact the imagination of a child in so many ways. In this episode, we meet Professor Eline Lorenzen to try and get to the bottom of whether David Walliam’s award-winning children’s novel The Ice Monster might be even the teensiest bit possible. Spoiler alert 🚨 we’re unlikely to be meeting any living woolly mammoths in the near future!  To get in touch with Eline, email elinelorenz...

What do rigged fencing swords, blue grass, and menstrual cycle coaches tell us about human behaviour? Quite a lot, actually! In this episode of Talking of Science, Helen Frost and Dr. C are joined by trivia king James Harkin and a live audience to explore the evolution of sporting rules, the role of cheating, questions of fairness, Olympic oddities, and some truly hilarious sporting cheats. To lea...

Talking of Science is a spotlight on the mad and hilarious conversations we end up having when we try to talk science with our kids. Learn more about this show and meet the people who bring it to life. To get in contact with us at Talking of Science, email hello@talkingofscience.dk 

Uncovering an ants’ nest is like opening a portal to another world - a tiny and very busy world. In this episode we meet Asta Rødsgaard-Jørgensen who is studying fungus-farming ants, an occupation which brings her face-to-face with angry (and very big) soldier ants once in a while! To get in touch with Asta, email asta.roedsgaard@bio.ku.dk To get in touch with us at Talking of Science, email hello...

Is it made of cheese? Does it bring out werewolves? The moon is a fascinating topic! In this episode Dr C meets a titan of astrophysics podcasting, Tina Ibsen, to learn about the moon and its effects on us down here on the earth. During the bedtime story, Tina shares a magical tale about our origins in the stars. To hear even more from Tina, check out her show RumSnak wherever you get your podcast...

We often overlook our hands - their exquisite engineering is easy to miss in the comings and goings of everyday life. This week we meet Stine Keibel Blom who is an expert on the evolution and anatomy of primate hands and feet. Stine helps us to better understand our evolutionary connection with the rest of our primate cousins during the bedtime story. To get in touch with Stine, email stine.blom@b...

Well, according to Dr C… it just does! But perhaps we can go a little deeper than that. Personally, I suspect that there’s a tiny gremlin inside each device, with many, many fingers to do all those calculations. However, Lucas Casparis tells a different story. Lucas helps us to understand how calculators actually do calculations, and explains the magic of Moore’s law. To get in touch with Lucas, e...