BBC Inside Science
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Radio 4,·17 Sep 2026,·28 mins
Available for 29 days
Nuclear fusion energy, the idea of copying the sun’s heat source on earth to make limitless commercial energy is famously always 30 years away. This month, the UK and US have agreed to combine the brains of their nuclear fusion supercomputers in an attempt to improve models of plasma behaviour using AI. Tom Whipple is joined by interim CEO of UKAEA Tim Bestwick to understand what challenges must be overcome to make commercialised nuclear fusion a reality. With under a fortnight to go before the winner of the coveted Royal Society's Trivedi Book Prize is announced, we are marking its imminent arrival by interviewing two shortlisted authors. Deborah Cohen, author of Bad Influence, warns how the internet can influence our health. Plus, Steve Ramirez, author of How to Change a Memory, reflects on a career studying the mechanisms of memory and how grief changed his perspective on its purpose. Also on the show, have researchers finally found Nefertiti's tomb? Nature Reporter Lizzie Gibney answers one of the most exciting questions in science news this week. To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Alex Mansfield, Tabitha Taylor Buck, Katie Tomsett Editor: Ilan Goodman 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,·17 Sep 2026,·28 mins
Available for 29 days
Nuclear fusion energy, the idea of copying the sun’s heat source on earth to make limitless commercial energy is famously always 30 years away. This month, the UK and US have agreed to combine the brains of their nuclear fusion supercomputers in an attempt to improve models of plasma behaviour using AI. Tom Whipple is joined by interim CEO of UKAEA Tim Bestwick to understand what challenges must be overcome to make commercialised nuclear fusion a reality. With under a fortnight to go before the winner of the coveted Royal Society's Trivedi Book Prize is announced, we are marking its imminent arrival by interviewing two shortlisted authors. Deborah Cohen, author of Bad Influence, warns how the internet can influence our health. Plus, Steve Ramirez, author of How to Change a Memory, reflects on a career studying the mechanisms of memory and how grief changed his perspective on its purpose. Also on the show, have researchers finally found Nefertiti's tomb? Nature Reporter Lizzie Gibney answers one of the most exciting questions in science news this week. To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producers: Alex Mansfield, Tabitha Taylor Buck, Katie Tomsett Editor: Ilan Goodman 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