Forty years on from nuclear disaster

Forty years on from nuclear disaster

From BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

April 16, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the lasting effects of the Chernobyl disaster and features insights from Professor Jim Smith on the exclusion zone and its impact on energy production.

For 40 years scientists have been fascinated by the exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. Professor Jim Smith from the University of Portsmouth is one of those scientists, a frequent visitor over the past 20 years. He joins Inside Science to explain whether the region still suffers after the nuclear fallout and how how it has shaped European energy production. It is a month for anniversaries, and with David Attenborough turning 100, each week we take a look at a species which has found itself named after the behavioural ecologist. And finally, the latest science news in the world of astronomy brought to you by astronomer Dr Jeni Millard.

People in this episode

Guest: Professor Jim Smith

Topics covered

  • Chernobyl
  • nuclear disaster
  • energy production
  • environmental science
  • species naming
  • astronomy news

Keywords

  • Chernobyl
  • nuclear fallout
  • energy production
  • environmental impact
  • David Attenborough
  • astronomy
  • species
  • Ukraine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Portsmouth

Places: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine

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