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Beautiful Minds

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Four

Great minds don't think alike. In fact, the offbeat and complex thinking of a handful of pioneers has led to some of the greatest scientific discoveries of our age.

Beautiful Minds assembles three of Britain's most influential and respected scientists to give their unique perspectives on life, the Universe and everything inbetween. They explain what drives this extraordinary passion for science, the inspiration behind the moment of insight, and the possible far-reaching consequences of their discoveries.

Sir Tim Hunt talks about his fascination for biology which led to his discovery of Cyclins – the trigger for cell division common to every living thing on the planet. Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell revisits the moment she stumbled upon pulsars in deep space, a product of supernova explosions that make life in our Universe possible. And the founder of the Gaia hypothesis, Professor James Lovelock, discusses the controversial theory that proposes Earth be seen as a single living organism, and the consequences that this could have for the future of our planet.

VAA

Moments Of Genius

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 4

An eclectic mix of artists, scientists and politicians describe a key moment in the history of science, explaining why they think it is truly brilliant.

Comedian Ben Miller marvels at the genius realisation that a photon of light could be in two places at once; Robert Winston reveals when an 18th century Italian biologist understood what sperm is for; and Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of lastminute.com, talks about the birth of the worldwide web.

Other contributors include novelist Margaret Atwood; former Countdown mathematician Carol Vorderman; evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins; doctor and journalist Ben Goldacre; Professor of the Public Understanding of Science Marcus du Sautoy; and Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer.

TE

Frontiers

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 4

Frontiers explores new ideas in science, meeting the researchers who see the world through fresh eyes and challenge existing theories – as well as hearing from their critics. The programme also considers the new ethical and moral questions created by such developments.

TE

The Infinite Monkey Cage

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 4

Physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince take a witty, irreverent and unashamedly rational look at the world through scientists' eyes. Brian and Robin are joined by top scientists and well-known science fans to talk about their views of the world – what has annoyed them, what has excited them, and why scientific reasoning can help in some of the most unlikely situations. Brian, Robin and guests tackle life, the universe and everything.

TE

Nerdstock: Nine Lessons And Carols For Godless People

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Four

A one-off night of science and comedy that offers an alternative celebration of Christmas. Hosted by comedian Robin Ince, some of the country's top science experts, including Simon Singh and Richard Dawkins, rub shoulders with an outstanding and quirky line-up of comics and musicians, including Mark Steel, Shappi Khorsandi, Barry Cryer and KT Tunstall.

FD

Reith Lectures: Professor Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 4 and Ö÷²¥´óÐã World Service

The President of the Royal Society, Professor Martin Rees, gives the 2010 Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 4 Reith Lectures. Professor Rees has been President of the Royal Society since 2005 and is a member of the House of Lords. He has been Astronomer Royal since 1995, and is Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.

His lectures explore the role of science as a common culture, and the scope and limits of our scientific understanding. He discusses how science might further transform our lives in the rest of the 21st century – posing new opportunities, threats and ethical challenges. And he considers scenarios (some optimistic, some less so) for a world in which pressures on resources and the environment will become ever more acute.

Professor Rees has specialised in astronomy and space science, contributing many key ideas relevant to humanity's cosmic origins, while also having written several books for a wider readership. He has won numerous international awards for his research. An honorary member of several academies and a trustee of a variety of institutions, he has also served on many bodies connected with education, space research, arms control and international collaboration in science.

TE

Night Waves

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 3

This year, Radio 3's daily arts and ideas programme Night Waves runs a special series of extended interviews with leading scientists from Britain and around the world. Each month, a 45-minute programme is dedicated to a single scientific figure, talking to him or her about their research specialism, their wider scientific views, their personal background and their involvement with broader cultural, social and political questions.

TH

Up All Night

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 5 Live

Rhod Sharp and Dotun Adebayo present the daily late-night show, featuring two specialist science slots. Every Monday morning from 1.30am, Dr Chris Smith, a virologist at Cambridge University – aka the Naked Scientist – brings 5 Live listeners all the latest science news. On Thursdays from 3.00am, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki presents Up All Night's interactive science hour. Dr Karl, a popular Australian scientist, answers listeners' questions, ranging from why the sky is blue to more philosophical discussions on mathematics, physics, astronomy and other branches of science.

Dr Karl and the Naked Scientist are also available as a podcast from bbc.co.uk/5live and receive more than 100,000 downloads a month.

DL