Scientifically...

Wild Inside embarks on something we hardly ever witness – a look inside some of nature’s most wondrous animals. Its a rare chance to delve deep into some enigmatic and very different wild animals – from a reptile, to a mammal to a fish – unravelling the intricate internal complexity inside three of the most amazing animals ever to evolve. What makes the ultimate predator? What are the keys to successful survival in an ever-changing environment? Whilst we’ve gained a lot by observing their behaviour from the outside, to truly understand these animals, we need to look at what’s on the inside too.

Ben Garrod, Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia, together with friend and expert veterinary surgeon Dr Jess French, open up and investigate what makes each of these animals unique. During each animal post mortem, they’re joined by experts in comparative anatomy, evolution and behaviour as they put these enigmatic animals under the knife. Along the way they reveal some unique adaptations which give each species a leg (or claw) up in surviving in the big wild world.

The series begins with one of the truly exotic loaners of the cat family – which at just over two metres long, covered with beautiful gold and black rosette markings, is pure jungle royalty - the greatest of the South American big cats - the Jaguar

Part 2: One of the largest predatory reptiles - the Burmese Python whose extraordinary singular body plan has enabled nearly 4000 species of snakes to succeed in inhabiting nearly every part of the planet,

Part 3: The largest bony fish you might never have heard of – the bizarre-looking Oceanic Sunfish which is being spotted increasingly in UK waters

Presented by Prof Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French and produced by Adrian Washbourne.

First broadcast on Tuesday 7 December 2021.

How damaging is the stereotype of white males in white coats? Do scientists think differently? Or do the qualities we associate with being a nerd do them a disservice? Is specialism the best way to solve 21st century problems when so many great discoveries are made in the cracks between the disciplines? In short, what makes a scientist, a scientist? Jim and distinguished guests consider the lessons learnt from nearly 250 leading scientists talking with extraordinary honesty about their life and work.

And ask: has the job description changed? Success in science is often defined by making discoveries and publishing papers but, as the pandemic made clear, we also need scientists who can interact with decision makers in government and elsewhere. Do scientists need to learn new skills to participate in the decision making process? Do they (or at least some of them) need to be more outward looking, aware of the world beyond their laboratories and ready to engage? Or do the corridors of power need to open their doors to more people with a scientific training? And, if Britain is to become a science superpower, is it time that scientists stopped being squeamish about making money?

Jim's guests are Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation, Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser; Nobel Prize winning biologist and Director of the Crick Institute, Prof Sir Paul Nurse; geologist and Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer, Prof Christopher Jackson; and forensic scientist and member of the House of Lords, Prof Dame Sue Black.

Produced by Anna Buckley.

First broadcast on Tuesday 12 October 2021.

On 12 April 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became an explorer like none other before him, going faster and further than any human in history, into what had always been the impenetrable and infinite unknown.

Raised in poverty during the Second World War, the one-time foundry worker and a citizen of the Soviet Union became the first human to fly above the Earth in the vastness of space.

In doing so he became an instrument in The Cold War – an ideological battle between the superpowers: East versus West, communism versus democracy.

Dr Kevin Fong tells the story of how 27 year old Yuri Gagarin came to launch a new chapter in the history of exploration and follows the cosmonaut’s one hour flight around the Earth.

The Soviet Union's triumph in 1961 was the event that galvanised the United States to win the Space Race: to send the first people on the Moon by the end of the decade. Yuri’s own ambitions to voyage to the Moon were frustrated by his political masters, a faltering Soviet lunar space program and two tragic accidents.

As well as presenting archive recordings, Kevin talks to space historians and writers:

Tom Ellis, historian at the London School of Economics Stephen Walker, author of ‘Beyond’ Slava Gerovitch, author of Soviet Space Mythologies’ and ‘Voices of the Soviet Space Program’ Andrew Jenks, author of 'The Cosmonaut who couldn’t stop smiling’ Cathleen Lewis, curator at the National Air and Space Museum

Actor Stewart Campbell is the voice of Yuri Gagarin. Tony Turner is Soviet space program founder Sergei Korolev. Nicholas Murchie is General Nicolai Kaminin, head of cosmonaut training.

Technical production is by Giles Aspen and Jackie Margerum.

Co-writer and producer: Andrew Luck-Baker of the BBC Audio Science Unit.

(Picture: Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Photo credit: Imagno/Getty Images.)

First broadcast on Saturday 10 Apr 2021.

Discover more episodes in the series by searching for 28ish Days Later on BBC Sounds.

What do you really know about the menstrual cycle? India Rakusen explores the whole bloody story, discovering facts that could change your life. Periods are just the beginning.

India Rakusen journeys into the womb with Dr. Dornu Lebari, and Dr. Jackie Maybin. We peel back the layers and meet the fallopian tubes, ovaries, cervix and the endometrium.

India is also joined by Dr. Elinor Cleghorn to discuss the ancient theories of wandering wombs, evil uterus’ and the myths that surround the womb in history.

Credits: Presented by: India Rakusen. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Producer: Ellie Sans. Executive producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Olga Reed.

Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists.

A Listen Production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Zoologist Lucy Cooke is on a mission: to break down the 'sexist stereotype' she believes has permeated our understanding of the natural world.

In Political Animals, she sets out to prove that females of the species can be just as fiesty, ardent, manipulative, aggressive, strategic, varied and political as males - questioning some of the theories laid out by the 'father of evolution', Charles Darwin, and hearing from pioneering scientists moving evolutionary biology beyond a male-centric narrative.

In this second instalment, Lucy explores ways in which female animals wield authority; with examples ranging from repressive mole-rat queens to ducks with deceptive vaginas, all proving that power can be about more than physical strength.

This involves a visit to the UK's only colony of naked mole-rats, overseen by Chris Faulkes at the University of London’s Queen Mary College; an introduction to the world of labyrinthine animal vaginas and their evolutionary benefits with Patricia Brennan from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts; and assisting with feeding time at Twycross Zoo's bonobo enclosure, as Amanda Addison and Becca Biddle explain the power of the ape sisterhood... Meanwhile Joe Cain from University College London sheds more light on Darwin’s attitude towards females.

Featuring excerpts from ‘The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex’ and personal notes written by Charles Darwin, read by Derek Frood.

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Lucy Taylor.

First broadcast on Friday 25 February 2022.