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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'.
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| # | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | A Good Science Read: How our brains make our selves | Professor 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 | Frances Ashcroft, Uta Frith | 01 Sep 2025 | |
| 14 | A Good Science Read: 'The Coming Plague' and 'Spike: The Virus vs. The People - the Inside Story' | Georgina 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 Ahuja. | Frances Ashcroft, Georgina Ferry | 30 May 2025 | |
| 13 | A Good Science Read: Masters of Science Writing | Professor 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 Rundell. | Dinah Birch, Frances Ashcroft | 22 Apr 2025 | |
| 12 | A Good Science Read: Metabolism | Professor Tim Coulsen and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'Burn: the Misunderstood Science of Metabolism' by Herman Pontzer and 'Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death' by Nick Lane. | Frances Ashcroft, Tim Coulsen | 04 Mar 2025 | |
| 11 | A Good Science Read: 'The Fly Trap' and 'As If Human: AI and Artificial Intelligence' | Professor 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 Roger Hampson. | Charles Godfray | 24 Jan 2025 | |
| 10 | A Good Science Read: Why Sex Matters | Professor 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 Creation' by Olivia Judson. | Russell Foster, Frances Ashcroft | 15 Oct 2024 | |
| 9 | A Good Science Read: A Walk on the Wild Side | Professor Richard Fortey joins Professor Frances Ashcroft to discuss 'Entangled Life' by Merlin Sheldrake and 'Wilding' by Isabella Tree. | Richard Fortey, Frances Ashcroft | 15 Oct 2024 | |
| 8 | A Good Science Read: On the Origin of Modern Humans | Professor Chris Miller and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'Who We Are and How We Got Here' by the Harvard geneticist David Reich. | Chris Miller, Frances Ashcroft | 15 Oct 2024 | |
| 7 | A Good Science Read: How everything works | Dr 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. | Frances Ashcroft, Roger Highfield | 14 May 2024 | |
| 6 | A Good Science Read: How humans changed the landscape and ourselves | Professor 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 prosperity reshaped humanity' by Edwin Gale. | Frances Ashcroft, Peter Burge | 30 Apr 2024 | |
| 5 | A Good Science Read: Evolution - from Fossils to Finches | Professor Paul Smith and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'Wonderful Life' by Stephen Jay Gould and 'The Beak of the Finch' by Jonathan Weiner. | Frances Ashcroft, Paul Smith | 16 Apr 2024 | |
| 4 | A Good Science Read: The Secret Life of the Cuckoo | Professor Richard Boyd joins Professor Frances Ashcroft to discuss 'Cuckoo - Cheating by Nature' by Nick Davies. | Frances Ashcroft, Richard Boyd | 01 Apr 2024 | |
| 3 | A Good Science Read: The importance of Mathematics and Engineering | Professor 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 Winchester. | Frances Ashcroft, Marcus du Sautoy | 18 Mar 2024 | |
| 2 | A Good Science Read: The Story of Penicillin | Professor Matthew Freeman and Professor Frances Ashcroft discuss 'The Mould in Dr Florey's Coat' by Eric Lax | Frances Ashcroft, Matthew Freeman | 04 Mar 2024 | |
| 1 | A Good Science Read | Professor Frances Ashcroft gives a short introduction to this exciting new series | Frances Ashcroft | 27 Feb 2024 |