The Poetry of Science

This episode explores new research, which has found that bottlenose dolphins form the largest alliance network outside of humans. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .           Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘Dolphins at Seven Weeks’ by Rachel Jamison Webster here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments f...

This episode explores new research, which has found that a single introduction of wild rabbits triggered their invasion across Australia in the 1800s. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .           Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘Rabbit’ by Stanley Vestal here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for t...

This episode explores new research, which has found that climate change will likely lead to irreversible declines in freshwater storage in the Tibetan Plateau by the middle of this century, impacting the supply of freshwater for nearly two billion people. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .           Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘Water Table’ by Eliza Griswold h...

This episode explores new research, which has found that tinnitus affects more than 740 million adults and is perceived as a major problem by more than 120 million people across the world. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .          Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘Tinnitus’ by Henry M. Seiden here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and...

This episode explores new research, which has found that junk food advertising restrictions on Transport for London networks have prevented almost 100,000 obesity cases since 2019. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .         Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘The Sugar Thief’ by Ned Balbo here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in...

This episode explores new research, which has found that wood heating pollutes the air in mountain areas more than previously assumed. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .        Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Meeting the Mountains’ by Gary Snyder here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcas...

This episode explores new research, which has found that after Hurricane Harvey, the residents of Houston were exposed to more chemical pollutants than normal. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .       Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘The Storm Is Over’ by Jason Guriel here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or co...

This episode explores new research, which has used underwater nuclear bomb detectors to reveal a rebound in the population of pygmy blue whales. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .       Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Environmental Awareness: The Right Whale’ by Claudia Emerson here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any ques...

This episode explores new research, which has found that the climate crisis is likely to deepen environmental injustice in urban areas. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .      Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Post-Construction’ by Kay Ryan here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email...

This episode explores new research, which has found that ancient microbes may help us to find extraterrestrial life forms. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .     Read the scientific study that inspired it here .        Read ‘The Colors of Ageing’ by Peter Boyle here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:...

This episode explores new research, which has found that dairy cows exposed to wildfire smoke produce less milk. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .    Read the scientific study that inspired it here .        Read ‘The Cows’ by Frederick Bock here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.illingworth@gm...

This episode explores new research, which has found that artificial light affects the seasonal rhythms of plants. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .   Read the scientific study that inspired it here .       Read ‘In the Changing Light’ by Carter Revard here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  sam.ill...

This episode explores new research, which has found evidence of a beautiful songbird potentially becoming an invasive species in the UK. --- Read this episode’s science poem here . Read the scientific study that inspired it here .      Read 'Songbird' by John Brehm here .   --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email:  s...

This episode explores new research, which has found that e-cigarettes have led to more than 1 million young people (14-17) in the US becoming daily tobacco users. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .                Read the scientific study that inspired it here .     Read ‘Interstate Sonnet’ by Carl Marcum here .   --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in an...

This episode explores new research, which has used 10 years of citizen science data to show that a variety of conservation approaches are needed to protect UK bumblebee species. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .                Read the scientific study that inspired it here .     Read ‘Apple Blossoms’ by Susan Kelly-DeWitt here .   --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social m...

This episode explores new research, which has investigated how an extra-terrestrial stone found on Earth provides clues about supernova events. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .                Read the scientific study that inspired it here .    Read ‘We Astronomers’ by Rebecca Elson here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments...

This episode explores new research, which has found that shipping poses a significant threat to the endangered whale shark. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .               Read the scientific study that inspired it here .    Read ‘Requiem Shark’ by Rad Smith here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Email: ...

This episode explores new research, which has found that student debt can impair your cardiovascular health into middle age. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .              Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘The Debt’ by Paul Laurence Dunbar here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Ema...

This episode explores new research, which has found links between red tides and dead zones off the west coast of Florida. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .             Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Fabliau of Florida’ by Wallace Stevens here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Emai...

This episode explores new research, which has found that the absence of visual imagination can be detected by looking at how the pupils respond to light. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .            Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘The Mind’s Eye’ by David M. Graham here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or com...

This episode explores new research, which has found that children differ dramatically from adults in their moral views on animals. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .           Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Animals That Die in Our Houses’ by Jane Shore here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the...

This episode explores new research, which has found that changing the ways in which fruit is gathered from palm trees could help to conserve Amazon peatland forests. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .           Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Palm Tree’ by Rabindranath Tagore here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questi...

This episode explores new research, which has found that a globalised diet of ultra-processed foods is having a negative impact on both human and planetary health. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .          Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Strict Diet’ by James Crews here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or co...

This episode explores new research, which has found that neighbourhood green space is tied to lower healthcare costs. --- Read this episode’s science poem here .         Read the scientific study that inspired it here . Read ‘Green Pear Tree in September’ by Freya Manfred here . --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for the podcast: Emai...

This episode explores new research, which has created a colour catalogue to help find life on distant, frozen worlds.   --- Read this episode’s science poem here .        Read the scientific study that inspired it here .   Read ‘Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence’ by Matthew Rohrer here .   --- Music by  Rufus Beckett . --- Follow Sam on social media and send in any questions or comments for...