A Good Science Read
by Oxford University
Latest episode
A Good Science Read: These Strange New Minds
A Good Science Read: These Strange New Minds
About this podcast
Interested in science and the people behind the science? Looking for an informative, entertaining, thought-provoking and accessible read? Join Professor Dame Frances Ashcroft and her guests as they discuss their favourite popular science books, sharing their love of science, and the books they consider most enjoyable and that offer something to everyone. Episodes will be published fortnightly.
Professor Ashcroft is Professor of Physiology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Trinity College Oxford. Her own books include 'Life at the Extremes: the science of survival' and 'The Spark of Life: electricity in the human body'.
Episodes
- A Good Science Read: These Strange New Minds · 43 minProfessors Masud Husain and Frances Ashcroft discuss These strange new minds: how AI learned to talk and what it means by Chris Summerfield. The book considers how advances in…
- A Good Science Read: How our brains make our selves · 40 minProfessor Dame Uta Frith and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'Our Brains Our Selves: what a neurologist’s patients taught him about the brain' by Masud Husain Masud Husain is…
- A Good Science Read: 'The Coming Plague' and 'Spike: The Virus vs. The People - the Inside Story' · 37 minGeorgina Ferry and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'The Coming Plague' by Laurie Garrett, and 'Spike: The Virus vs. The People - the Inside Story' by Jeremy Farrar and Anjana…
- A Good Science Read: Masters of Science Writing · 46 minProfessor Dinah Birch and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'The Faber Book of Science' edited by John Carey and 'The Golden Mole and other living treasures' by Katherine…
- A Good Science Read: Metabolism · 34 minProfessor Tim Coulsen and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'Burn: the Misunderstood Science of Metabolism' by Herman Pontzer and 'Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and…
- A Good Science Read: 'The Fly Trap' and 'As If Human: AI and Artificial Intelligence' · 46 minProfessor Sir Charles Godfray and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'The Fly Trap' by Fredrik Sjöberg and 'As if Human: AI and Artificial Intelligence' by Neil Shadbolt and…
- A Good Science Read: Why Sex Matters · 42 minProfessor Russell Foster and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature' by Matt Ridley and 'Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to All…
- A Good Science Read: A Walk on the Wild Side · 45 minProfessor Richard Fortey joins Professor Frances Ashcroft to discuss 'Entangled Life' by Merlin Sheldrake and 'Wilding' by Isabella Tree. Series 2 Episode 8 Entangled Life is…
- A Good Science Read: On the Origin of Modern Humans · 20 minProfessor Chris Miller and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'Who We Are and How We Got Here' by the Harvard geneticist David Reich. Series 2 Episode 7: The book 'Who We Are and…
- A Good Science Read: How everything works · 35 minDr Roger Highfield joins Professor Frances Ashcroft to discuss 'Pain: A Ladybird Expert book' by Irene Tracey and 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson. Pain is a…
- A Good Science Read: How humans changed the landscape and ourselves · 39 minProfessor Peter Burge joins Professor Frances Ashcroft to discuss 'Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles' by Jay Owens and 'The Species that Changed Itself or How…
- A Good Science Read: Evolution - from Fossils to Finches · 38 minProfessor Paul Smith and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'Wonderful Life' by Stephen Jay Gould and 'The Beak of the Finch' by Jonathan Weiner. Wonderful Life focuses on the…
- A Good Science Read: The Secret Life of the Cuckoo · 22 minProfessor Richard Boyd joins Professor Frances Ashcroft to discuss 'Cuckoo - Cheating by Nature' by Nick Davies. The cuckoo is a ruthless parasite that lays its egg in another…
- A Good Science Read: The importance of Mathematics and Engineering · 42 minProfessor Marcus du Sautoy joins Professor Frances Ashcroft to discuss 'A Mathematician’s Apology' by GH Hardy and 'Exactly: How Engineers Created the Modern World' by Simon…
- A Good Science Read: The Story of Penicillin · 40 minProfessor Matthew Freeman and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'The Mould in Dr Florey's Coat' by Eric Lax This book tells the true story of the penicillin miracle – penicillin…
- A Good Science Read · 1 minProfessor Frances Ashcroft gives a short introduction to this exciting new series
