BBC Inside Science
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Radio 4,·06 Aug 2026,·28 mins
Available for 35 days
Large parts of Europe are in the grip of drought. According to the UK Meteorological Office, last week was the UK's driest July on record. Katie Field, professor of plant-soil processes at Sheffield University, joins us to discuss the state of our struggling substrate. Next week, a dramatic solar eclipse will be sweeping down the Atlantic. In the past, eclipses have been vital to astronomers exploring the outer reaches of the Sun. Now though, they can make their own on demand. Esther Bastida-Pertegaz, project engineer at the European Space Agency, discusses the flying formation Proba-3 mission. A highly pathogenic bird flu has arrived in Australia, threatening local wildlife. Every continent in the world is now affected, and the harm that could be done to bird populations and mammals could be devastating. Thijs Kuiken, virologist at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, brings us up to date with the situation. And Lizzie Gibney of Nature Magazine joins us to discuss this week’s science news. Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Clare Salisbury, Tabitha Taylor-Buck, Keiran Manetta-Jones Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
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BBC Inside Science examines the search for extraterrestrial life beyond conventional assumptions. Scientists have traditionally focused on the 'Goldilocks zone'—regions around stars where conditions support known life. However, researchers now investigate whether life could exist in more extreme environments. MIT planetary scientist Sara Seager's team studies Venus, where surface temperatures reach 500 degrees Celsius and sulphuric acid rains fall, yet the upper cloud layers may harbour microbial life. Astrobiologists including Lewis Dartnell study extremophiles—Earth organisms surviving in previously thought-uninhabitable conditions—to broaden the search parameters. Mars exploration missions continue as part of this expanded inquiry into where life might exist in the universe.
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Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.
Find out how to listen to other BBC stations
Radio 4,·06 Aug 2026,·28 mins
Available for 35 days
Large parts of Europe are in the grip of drought. According to the UK Meteorological Office, last week was the UK's driest July on record. Katie Field, professor of plant-soil processes at Sheffield University, joins us to discuss the state of our struggling substrate. Next week, a dramatic solar eclipse will be sweeping down the Atlantic. In the past, eclipses have been vital to astronomers exploring the outer reaches of the Sun. Now though, they can make their own on demand. Esther Bastida-Pertegaz, project engineer at the European Space Agency, discusses the flying formation Proba-3 mission. A highly pathogenic bird flu has arrived in Australia, threatening local wildlife. Every continent in the world is now affected, and the harm that could be done to bird populations and mammals could be devastating. Thijs Kuiken, virologist at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, brings us up to date with the situation. And Lizzie Gibney of Nature Magazine joins us to discuss this week’s science news. Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Clare Salisbury, Tabitha Taylor-Buck, Keiran Manetta-Jones Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
Read the full story at BBC ↗
The 'Goldilocks zone' refers to regions around stars where conditions are considered suitable for life Venus's surface reaches temperatures of 500 degrees Celsius and is subject to sulphuric acid rain Sara Seager's MIT team investigates the possibility of life in Venus's cloud layers Extremophiles are organisms found on Earth in environments previously considered hostile to life The search for alien life may have been constrained by narrow assumptions about habitability requirements Studying extremophiles informs the search for extraterrestrial life in extreme environments
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- Scientists explore how life might exist beyond Earth's traditional 'habitable zone'
- MIT researcher Sara Seager's team investigates potential microbial life in Venus's cloud layers despite extreme surface conditions
- Astrobiologists study extremophiles—organisms thriving in Earth's hostile environments—to expand understanding of where alien life could survive
- Research includes ongoing missions to search for life on Mars