A Question of Science

• Are We Prepared For The Next Pandemic?

  Professor Brian Cox and a panel of experts discuss COVID-19 and whether we are prepared for the next pandemic. Where or when could it happen? How could we control it? What would we do differently? In this episode, a lively studio audience quizzes world-leading scientists and doctors working on the frontline, specialising in infectious disease, vaccines and protecting us from the next deadly outbreak. Panellists Teresa Lambe – Head of Vaccine Immunology, University of Oxford and co-designer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine Wendy Barclay – Head of the Department for Infectious Disease at Imperial College London Emma Wall – Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Francis Crick Institute and Consultant in Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Kevin Fong – Professor of Public Engagement and Innovation, UCL and Consultant Anaesthetist, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/pandemics If you have a follow up question about any of the episodes in the series, email us: [email protected] A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute. © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Can We Harness A.I. For Good?

  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: [email protected] A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute. © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Can We Cure Cancer?

  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: [email protected] A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute. © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Can We Live Forever?

  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: [email protected] A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute. © BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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• Introducing A Question of Science

  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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