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Science

A Question of Science

Science you can trust. Questions that matter.

Join Professor Brian Cox and a panel of the world’s top scientists and experts as they tackle your questions about some of the biggest science challenges facing society today.

Can we cure cancer? How do you separate nutrition fact from fiction? What do climate change and the march of AI mean for our future? Could we live forever? Each episode is recorded in front of a live 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 brings 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.

Latest Episodes:

Can We Harness A.I. For Good? Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel explore the reality and possibilities of artificial intelligence, and how it's changing our lives.

A.I. and machine learning are now part of our everyday lives, but where are they headed and who is in charge? Our panel of scientists, writers and policymakers answers audience questions about the hopes and fears surrounding A.I. and how it can be controlled, and whether it creates new problems – or just amplifies the ones we already have.

Panellists

Adrian Weller – Director of Research in Machine Learning, University of Cambridge and Head of Safe and Ethical A.I. at The Alan Turing Institute
Jeanette Winterson – Writer and author of 12 Bytes: How Artificial Intelligence Will Change the Way We Live and Love
Steph Wright – Head, Scottish A.I. Alliance
Neil Lawrence – Professor of Machine Learning, University of Cambridge and author of The Atomic Human: Understanding Ourselves in the Age of A.I.

Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/ai

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.

Can We Cure Cancer? Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

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.

Can We Live Forever? Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel explore ageing, longevity and the science behind our lifespans.

Human life expectancy has increased steadily over the last 200 years, but we may be reaching a ceiling. Is this our biological limit, or could the next big scientific breakthrough push it even further? Might repurposing existing drugs help extend our lifespans? Our panel of researchers answers audience questions about the societal impacts of longer lives, our cellular ticking clock, and whether we can learn anything from the 400-year-old sharks of the North Atlantic.

Panellists

Lynne Cox – Associate Professor, University of Oxford
Paul Nurse – Director, Francis Crick Institute
Linda Partridge – Professor, Institute of Healthy Ageing, UCL
Andrew Steele – Author of Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old

Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/ageing

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.

Introducing A Question of Science Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

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.

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