A Question of Science

Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel dive into the complex world of diet, nutrition and food choices.  With new probiotic and high-protein products appearing on supermarket shelves every day and conflicting nutritional advice coming from every direction, it’s difficult to cut through the noise when it comes to what we eat.  Our panel uses expertise from their roles as nutritionists, geneticists, gastroenterologists and policymakers to answer audience questions about food advertising, wellness advice, and whether it’s really possible – or worthwhile – to avoid food ‘additives’.   Panellists  Giles Yeo – Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit, University of Cambridge Christina Vogel – Professor in Food Policy and Director of the Centre for Food Policy, City St George’s, University of London Saliha Mahmood Ahmed – Gastroenterologist and MasterChef winner, 2017 Nita Forouhi – Professor of Population Health and Nutrition, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge  Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/nutrition   A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute.    Music by John Biddle © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel explore the science of fertility.   Making babies is big business but our scientific understanding of fertilisation, pregnancy and embryo development is surprisingly limited.     In this episode, our panel discuss emerging technologies that could shape the future of fertility and tackle audience questions on declining sperm counts, egg freezing and the ethics of genetic screening.  Panellists: Joyce Harper – Professor of Reproductive Science, UCL Gunes Taylor – Molecular Biologist, University of Edinburgh Naomi Moris – Group Leader, Developmental Models Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute   Lucy van de Wiel – Senior Lecturer in Global Health & Social Medicine, King’s College London                                                                                                                                                   Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/fertility A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute Music by John Biddle © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel are talking all things ancient DNA. Over the past 50 years, new technology has allowed researchers to sequence and study centuries-old DNA taken from ancient, long-buried human remains. This new insight into our past has led to a whole new understanding of our ancestors, from our migration across the globe, to the environmental changes we’ve experienced, and even the spread of ancient deadly pandemics like the black plague. Our panel of scientists answers questions from a studio audience about the usefulness of commercial DNA tests, the true meaning of ancestry, and what our ancient genetic material could reveal about our future. Panellists Pooja Swali – Research Fellow in Pathogen Genomics, UCL Pontus Skoglund – Group Leader, Ancient Genomics Lab, Francis Crick Institute Adam Rutherford – Lecturer in Biology and Society, UCL Tom Booth – Senior Research Scientist and Archaeologist, Francis Crick Institute Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/ancientDNA. If you have a follow up question about any of the episodes in the series, email us:  aquestionofscience@bbc.co.uk A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute. Music by John Biddle © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Brian Cox and a panel of experts discuss COVID-19 and whether we are prepared for the next pandemic. Where or when could it happen? How could we control it? What would we do differently? In this episode, a lively studio audience quizzes world-leading scientists and doctors working on the frontline, specialising in infectious disease, vaccines and protecting us from the next deadly outbreak. Panellists Teresa Lambe – Head of Vaccine Immunology, University of Oxford and co-designer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Wendy Barclay – Head of the Department for Infectious Disease at Imperial College London Emma Wall – Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Francis Crick Institute and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Kevin Fong – Professor of Public Engagement and Innovation, UCL and Consultant Anaesthetist, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/pandemics If you have a follow up question about any of the episodes in the series, email us:  aquestionofscience@bbc.co.uk A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute. Music by John Biddle © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel are discussing the future of cancer research and treatment.  With nearly 1 in 2 of us in the UK now expected to receive a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime, pursuing a cure is more important than ever. Our panel brings expertise from the lab, the clinic and their own experiences to answer audience questions about lifestyle and genetic risks, treatment side effects, and what they see as the biggest areas for hope.  Panellists  Gerard Evan – Principal Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute and King’s College London Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke – Deputy Director, Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London Lauren Mahon – Cancer survivor and former host of You, Me and the Big C Charles Swanton – Oncologist, University College London NHS Foundation Trust, Chief Clinician, Cancer Research UK and Principal Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute and UCL  Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/cancer  If you have a follow up question about any of the episodes in the series, email us:  aquestionofscience@bbc.co.uk A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute.   Music by John Biddle © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Brian Cox and panels of the world’s top scientists and experts will be tackling your questions in a new series, launching 17 September. Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of A.I. mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a lively audience and it’s their questions that drive the debate. Hear from the experts who actually know what they’re talking about, including Adam Rutherford, Helen Sharman, George Monbiot, Giles Yeo, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Cellan-Jones, Paul Nurse, Kevin Fong and You, Me and the Big C’s Lauren Mahon.  With a focus on accuracy, openness, and debate, A Question of Science will bring you the latest on what we know, what we don’t, and where science might take us next. A BBC Studios production for the Francis Crick Institute, an independent charity and world-leading research lab.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.