Science Of The Times
Do you want to learn a little more about topical science findings? Do many of the science stories you hear leave you with unanswered questions? Syma and Tim will discuss in non-technical language and in a fun and engaging style, recently published science findings. Guests will be authors of these papers and will include some of the world’s most exciting scientists who are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge. Covering, among other things, artificial intelligence, the search for alien life, the latest treatments for diseases, quantum computers, the science of football and topics requested by listeners, the half hour episodes will leave listeners feeling a little more knowledgeable about cutting-edge science and how scientists make discoveries.
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 32 minutes
- Episodes
- 36
- Years Active
- 2025
Why Is There A Universe? Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?
In this quick bonus episode, Tim breaks down one of science’s most intriguing mysteries as featured in BBC News today: the difference between matter and antimatter. Join us for a bite-sized explainer…
The Quantum Revolution: Lee Smolin’s Bold Theory to Unite Physics
Theoretical physics has two theories at its core that are not straightforward to link – quantum mechanics and general relativity. Lee Smolin, one of the world’s greatest living theoretical physicists…
Special Edition- Can academia provide solutions to threats to biodiversity?
Biodiversity is under threat, and there are many ongoing efforts to help save it, including from within universities. But are academic contributions doing any good? Our cohost Tim Coulson discussed t…
Should we fear AI?
Artificial intelligence is a modern-day technology that will impact the way we live much as past innovations like mastering fire, and inventing the printing press, home computers and the internet cha…
Natural and artificial genetic hybrids: dogs, coyotes and dire wolves. PART 2
Colossal Bioscience has brought genetic variation back from the grave. It is a remarkable technological achievement, but is it species de-extinction? In this second part of this podcast we talk to Pr…
Natural and artificial genetic hybrids: dogs, coyotes and dire wolves.
Colossal Bioscience has brought genetic variation back from the grave. It is a remarkable technological achievement, but is it species de-extinction? We talk to Professor Bridgett vonHoldt, a world-l…
Will Zombie ants be the last of us?
A bonus episode in which Tim and Syma discuss how the zombie ant-based creatures seen on popular dystopian future drama Last of Us are based on real fungi (Cordyceps) which infect ants - and then exp…
SPECIAL EDITION - Interview with David Baker 2024 Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry
Syma and Tim are joined by Nobel Laureate David Baker, one of the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on computational protein design. This follows the interview with Tim Jenki…
De-mything the hype around de-extinction
Colassal says it has de-extincted an animal. Is this a dire wolf or a dire mistake? Join Tim and Syma on this short bonus edition!
Snake venom 'milkers' beware the proteins and not the snake!
Proteins are the workhorses of life, with thousands overseeing and getting involved in reactions within our cells. Biologists have long dreamed of being able to make designer proteins to do specific …
How did dogs become our best friend?
Dogs are people’s best friend, but how did that happen? Did we tame them or did they train us, or is it a bit of both? Join us as we discuss domestication with Greger Larson and Lachlan Scarsbrook
Not all birds are the same
Not all Birds are the same. In analyses of thousands of hours of bird song our guests, Nilo Merino Recalde and Ben Sheldon found predictable variation in the calls of great tits. Showcasing the power…
OSIRIS-REx 'Touch and go' and the emergence of life elsewhere in the cosmos!
OSIRIS-REx is a space craft that visited the asteroid Bennu, returning samples to Earth in late 2023. The first exciting results from the analyses of these samples are just being published. In the fi…
Unravelling the secrets of our genes.
Tim and Syma’s guests are Gordon Sanghera and Lakmal Jayasinghe of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. They discuss how their elegant technology is transforming the ease with which we can now learn what in…
Smart Male Fish Get The Girls!
Later in this episode, Tim flies solo in the wake of Syma's imminent departure for duties on the west coast of the US!
Tim's guests are Ivan Vinogradov and Michael Jennions, both of the Australian Nat…
Hello! Welcome to our new podcast.
In this introductory episode, Syma and Tim introduce themselves and explain what subjects and ideas they hope to bring to their audience, and some of the things they will be covering in future episod…