Radio 4,·09 Jul 2026,·28 mins

Available for 34 days

Synthetic biologist Kate Adamal and her team at the University of Minnesota published their research into the lab-created ‘SpudCell’ in a significant step towards building life from scratch. Science journalist, Kai Kupferschmidt, joins us to discuss the implications of this research, as well as the controversies. Nature reporter Lizzie Gibney tells us how science has helped us better understand the route that the famous Carthaginian general, Hannibal – and not forgetting his elephants – took across the Alps. Plus, in this week’s scout of science stories behind the ‘beautiful game’ we learn of research carried out at a Tokyo football match, monitoring seismic waves made by the vigorous celebrations of thousands of fans. Presenter: Tom Whipple Producer: Kate White, Alex Mansfield, Katie Tomsett, Tabitha Taylor Buck Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth