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PODCAST

Oxford Sparks Big Questions

"Will my bacon sandwich kill me?", "Is vaping better than smoking?", "How do you become an astronaut?" - just some of the Big Questions we ask some of the brightest minds behind Oxford science. Join us in each podcast as we explore a different area of science.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

13:21

How does reading work?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/04/08

Aside from the odd unfamiliar or complicated word, a lot of us won't think twice when it comes to reading. It's a skill we take for granted. But, relatively speaking, it's actually a fairly new skill - beginning about 5500 years ago. This suggests it's not something we evolved to do, so, how does it work? We chat to Prof Ole Jensen from Oxford's Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, who is trying to gain a better understanding of the neural processes behind reading, with the

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16:43

What's it like for women working in F1?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/03/25

Historically, only two women have ever started a Grand Prix race, and as of the 2026 season, no women are competing in Formula One. This male dominancy is by no means restricted to the track, with social scientist Dr Kate Bancroft estimating that a mere 5% of technical motorsport roles (that is, the engineers and mechanics) are taken by women. We hear from Kate about her research into the F1 gender gap, which she hopes - alongside revealing some of the barriers and struggles faced by women - will

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13:26

How do you convert CO2 to rock?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/03/11

We're living in an age of rapid technological development which - alongside many benefits - comes at an environmental cost. We speak to Dr Shurui Miao, an experimental chemist who aims to decouple technological advancement from the impacts of increased carbon emissions, by finding a way to safely store carbon underground. As he explains, by finding a way to convert CO2 from the atmosphere into minerals, we could store carbon securely and sustainably into the future, and ultimately begin to mitigate

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38:12

From the Milk on the Move podcast: Purity and Danger

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/02/25

This week we are featuring a special bonus episode from our friends at the Milk on the Move podcast. Milk on the Move explores milk's deep cultural roots, evolving scientific narratives and the systems that shape its production today. Hosts Johanna Zetterstrom-Sharp and JC Niala uncover the fascinating interaction of tradition, knowledge and morality that makes milk so much more than just an everyday drink. Available on Apple Podcast, Spotify or head to milkingit.org for more information.

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11:31

What was Einstein doing in Oxford?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/02/25

If you've had the chance to visit Oxford's History of Science Museum, you may have found yourself gazing upon a rather special blackboard. Featuring equations that connect the age, size and density of the Universe, the penmanship is that of Albert Einstein himself, who used the blackboard during a lecture on 16th May 1931. But what was Einstein doing in Oxford, and how did he spend his time there? We chat to Dr JC Niala, Head of Research, Teaching and Collections at the History of Science Museum, to

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15:58

Where do baby penguins come from?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/02/11

For this year's Valentine's Day episode, we are getting up close and personal with those most beloved of birds - penguins. Giving us an insight into the love lives of our feathered friends are penguinologists (yes, that's a real word) Dr Ignacio Juarez Martinez and Dr Fiona Suttle, who have both graduated from Oxford's Department of Biology, and spent multiple field seasons in Antarctica monitoring penguin breeding behaviour. We hear how penguin breeding patterns appear to be shifting with changing

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13:10

How can I use AI to raise my salary?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/01/28

How much more money could you earn - doing the exact same role - if you're in possession of some solid AI skills? That's one of the core questions that Dr Fabian Stephany, a researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, hopes to answer. Leading the 'SkillScale' project, Fabian looks into the impact of AI tools on the labour market, with the ultimate hope of advising workers on the best ways to secure jobs and increase their salaries. So, far from a discussion about 'AI stealing our jobs', we ask

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12:22

Could stuff be living on Saturn's moon?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2026/01/14

Are we alone in the Universe? It's surely one of the biggest questions out there. In our first episode of 2026 we chat to Dr Carly Howett, Associate Professor of Space Instrumentation in Oxford's Department of Physics. Specialising in the study of the 'icy worlds' found in our outer Solar System, Carly explains why she thinks one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, could be a prime candidate for life, and shares the latest updates on how we might find it.

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14:15

What happened to the birds in 'The Twelve Days of...

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/12/10

We all know it. We've all sung it. Perhaps we've even answered a quiz question about it*. The Twelve Days of Christmas has become as quintessentially festive as a figgy pudding, or the bad joke in your Christmas cracker. But why exactly is your 'true love' gifting all these birds? And importantly, how are they faring nowadays? Prof Andy Gosler (from the Edward Grey Institute in the Department of Biology, and Institute of Human Sciences in the School of Anthropology) is the only professor of

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15:38

What is quantum computing?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/11/26

Want to make something feel immediately complicated, inaccessible or downright mysterious? Stick the word 'quantum' in front of it. Or, at least, that's how many of us feel. But don't worry! Experimental physicist William Cutler from Oxford's Department of Physics is here to break things down, explaining exactly what a quantum computer is, and sharing the remarkable potential that quantum computing holds for advancing fields ranging from drug-discovery to internet security.

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17:25

Could vaccinations stop people from getting cancer?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/11/12

Finding a cure for cancer is unarguably one of the biggest medical challenges that we face. But what if we could find a way to prevent cancer before it even starts? In this special extended edition of the Big Questions Podcast, we chat to Professor Sarah Blagden, an experimental oncologist at the University of Oxford, and Anna Fry, who has the cancer predisposing condition Lynch Syndrome - putting her at increased risk of developing colorectal and other cancers. Sarah explains how clinical trials of

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14:56

Why do I bite my nails?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/10/29

Many of us will be familiar with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs), perhaps without even realising it. Such behaviours - which include hair-pulling, nail biting and skin picking - can not only cause physical harm, but also often bring feelings of shame. Because of this, open discussion around BFRBs has been limited. In this episode of The Big Questions Podcast, we chat to Prof Clare Mackay from Oxford's Department of Psychiatry, who both studies and lives with BFRBs.

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12:15

How do you find a theoretical particle?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/08/06

How do you detect a particle that emits no light - in other words, something invisible? This is the intriguing challenge faced by scientists hunting for 'dark matter'. In our series finale, we talk to Elizabeth Bloomfield from Oxford's Department of Physics about dark matter, how we know it exists, and why her research is taking her deep beneath a mountain in Italy in the quest to find it.

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14:52

Is there a better way to screen blood?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/06/25

What's the best gift you can give? To the millions of people whose lives have been saved by complete strangers, the answer would be simple: blood. But what exactly happens when blood has been donated, and how do we know it is safe? We chat to Dr Richard Mayne from Oxford's Experimental Medicine Division about genomics, Next-Generation Sequencing, blood screening (...and Star Trek). Could you be a blood-donating hero? Blood stocks are currently critically low, with the NHS Blood and Transplant

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13:20

How does Ozempic actually work?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/06/11

Whether you've been served an advert for it, or just heard about it in the media, it's likely that 'Ozempic' isn't a totally unfamiliar word. Now often associated with weight-loss, Ozempic is actually the brand name for a drug used to treat diabetes. So what exactly is it, how does it work, and is it safe? We chat to diabetes and endocrinology (hormone) expert Dr Annie de Bray to find out.

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16:39

Why does a stranger's phone noise annoy me?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/05/28

We've all been there...you're on the train, maybe tired after a long day, and all you can hear is one side of a fellow passenger's not-too-interesting phone conversation. Or worse, their choice of music, made tinny and monotonous by the awkward angle of their phone speaker. It's irritating, sure, but for some people it goes beyond mild annoyance, into the realms of anger and panic. For these people - who suffer from a condition called 'misophonia' - phone noise, or sounds such as chewing or

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14:31

What's the origin of water on Earth?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/05/14

With more than 70% of its surface covered in water, Earth is rightly known as the "blue planet". But where did this water - so essential to life - originate? While some theories suggest that hydrogen was delivered to Earth from space via asteroids, new research indicates that the building blocks for water may have been present on our planet all along. We chat to Tom Barrett from Oxford's Department of Earth Sciences to find out more.

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13:56

How can robots investigate underwater volcanoes?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/04/30

What do you do when the subject of your research lies deep beneath the waves? Send down an underwater robot, of course! We chat to volcanologist Sofia Della Sala about her recent fieldwork expedition to Santorini, where she used a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, to search for hydrothermal vents in the Aegean Sea. These vents - which are like hot springs on the sea floor - could provide vital insight into the volcanic and tectonic activity in the region.

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15:57

What is it like to be on Countdown?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/04/16

"I still don't believe it happened..." What's it like to face the most famous clock on television? We chat to Oxford mathematician Dr Tom Crawford - best known as the creator of the award-winning 'Tom Rocks Maths' outreach programme - about what it was like to step into Rachel Riley's shoes on Countdown. What's the best tactic for tackling the numbers round? How did he prepare? Did he really only have 30 seconds to find a solution? Tom gives us a glimpse behind-the-scenes of this British

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14:35

What happens after a dementia diagnosis?

Oxford Sparks Big Questions ·

2025/04/02

One in two people will be affected by dementia in their lifetime - whether that is as a patient, or somebody caring for a loved one. But what happens after a dementia diagnosis? Is there a clear pathway ahead? We chat to Jasmine Blane, a DPhil researcher at the Oxford Brain Health Clinic, about the work she is doing to help support patients in the midst of a dementia diagnosis, and into the future.

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216 results

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