Steve Jones
Senior Research Fellow in Genetics at University College London
22 episodes
Appears in multiple episodes with: Jim Moore, David Norman, Linda Partridge
Covers topics in categories such as:
Linnaeus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the pioneering 18th century Swedish botanist, who devised a method of naming species and a new system for classifying plants and animals.
20 April 2023
Also featuring: Staffan Müller-Wille, Stella Sandford
ScienceFellows of the Royal SocietyMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesMembers of the French Academy of SciencesMembers of the Prussian Academy of SciencesBotanical nomenclatureTaxon authorities of Hypericum species18th-century lexicographers, 18th-century writers in LatinCorals
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the simple animals which informed Charles Darwin's first book and form the reefs now threatened by climate change.
28 October 2021
Also featuring: Nicola Foster, Gareth Williams
Hybrids
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how some genetically different parents - from different species - can have offspring and what that says about the origin and evolution of species
31 October 2019
Also featuring: Sandra Knapp, Nicola Nadeau
Parasitism
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Parasitism, the relationship between two species where one benefits at the expense of the other, sometimes killing the host or causing disease.
26 January 2017
Also featuring: Wendy Gibson, Kayla King
Penicillin
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in 1928, the development of effective antibiotic drugs and the evolution of resistant bacteria.
9 June 2016
Also featuring: Laura Piddock, Christoph Tang
Circadian rhythms
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the evolution and role of circadian rhythms, the so-called body clock influencing a daily cycle of physical, behavioural and mental changes.
17 December 2015
Also featuring: Russell Foster, Debra Skene
Behavioural ecology
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss behavioural ecology, the scientific study of animal behaviour in light of Darwin's theory of evolution.
11 December 2014
Also featuring: Rebecca Kilner, John Krebs
Alfred Russel Wallace
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Victorian pioneer of evolutionary theory Alfred Russel Wallace.
21 March 2013
Also featuring: George Beccaloni, Ted Benton
HistoryFellows of the Royal SocietyRecipients of the Copley MedalEnglish people of Scottish descentRoyal Medal winnersMembers of the Order of MeritEnglish socialistsCharles DarwinVictorian writers20th-century British biologistsEnglish activistsGeorgists20th-century English non-fiction writersBritish botanical illustratorsBritish deists19th-century English scientists19th-century British writersPeople from MonmouthshireFellows of the Royal Geographical Society, 19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Zoological Society of London, Fellows of the Linnean Society of LondonThe Cell
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the origins and structure of the cell, the fundamental building block of life.
13 September 2012
Also featuring: Cathie Martin, Nick Lane
The Origins of Infectious Disease
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the origins of infectious disease.
9 June 2011
Also featuring: Roy Anderson, Mark Pallen
The Whale - A History
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the evolutionary history of the whale, examining how this leviathan of the deep evolved from a small land-based mammal with cloven hoofs.
21 May 2009
Also featuring: Eleanor Weston, Bill Amos
Darwin: Life After Origins
Melvyn Bragg presents a series about the life and work of Charles Darwin. Melvyn visits Darwin's home at Down House in Kent, where he continued working until his death in 1882.
8 January 2009
Also featuring: Jim Moore, Alison Pearn, Nick Biddle
Darwin: On the Origin of Species
Melvyn Bragg presents a series about the life and work of Charles Darwin. How Darwin was eventually persuaded to publish On the Origin of Species in November 1859.
7 January 2009
Also featuring: Jim Moore, Jim Secord, Johannes Vogel
Darwin: The Voyage of the Beagle
Melvyn Bragg presents a series about the life and work of Charles Darwin. Darwin's expedition aboard the Beagle and how it influenced and provided evidence for his theories.
6 January 2009
Also featuring: Jim Moore, David Norman, Jenny Clack
Darwin: On the Origins of Charles Darwin
Melvyn Bragg presents a series about the life and work of Charles Darwin. Darwin's early life and time at Cambridge, where his interests shifted from religion to natural science.
5 January 2009
Also featuring: Jim Moore, David Norman, Colin Higgins
ScienceFellows of the Royal SocietyMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyRecipients of the Copley MedalBurials at Westminster AbbeyMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesEnglish AnglicansMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesEnglish agnosticsRoyal Medal winnersEnglish travel writers19th-century English writersRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)Charles DarwinAlumni of the University of EdinburghUtilitariansEnglish abolitionistsIndependent scientists19th-century AnglicansDeaths from coronary thrombosisHuman evolutionTheoretical biologistsMembers of the Lincean AcademyCircumnavigators of the globeEnglish scepticsAlumni of Christ's College, CambridgeFellows of the Royal Geographical Society, 19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Zoological Society of London, Fellows of the Linnean Society of LondonLysenkoism
Melvyn Bragg discusses the dark world of science under Joseph Stalin through the career of his chief geneticist Trofim Lysenko.
5 June 2008
Also featuring: Robert Service, Catherine Merridale
Genetic Mutation
Melvyn Bragg discusses mutation in genetics and evolution, unlocking the secrets of life and death.
6 December 2007
Also featuring: Adrian Woolfson, Linda Partridge
Human Evolution
Melvyn Bragg discusses the story of human evolution, a tale not of one species, but of many – some of whom walked the Earth at the same time.
16 February 2006
Also featuring: Fred Spoor, Margaret Clegg
Mammals
Melvyn Bragg discusses the rise of the mammals which began 65 million years ago with the extinction of the dinosaurs.
13 October 2005
Also featuring: Richard Corfield, Jane Francis
Lamarck and Natural Selection
Melvyn Bragg discusses Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the 18th century French scientist, and his theory of Natural Selection. Who was he and how far did he pave the way for Darwin?
26 December 2003
Also featuring: Sandy Knapp, Simon Conway Morris
Genetics
Melvyn Bragg discusses the development of the science of genetics, from the early work of Gregor Mendel to modern research on genes and heredity.
13 December 2001
Also featuring: Richard Dawkins, Linda Partridge
Genetic Determinism
Melvyn Bragg explores the part genes play in our personalities and examines how this affects our free will. Do genetic explanations for behaviour make a nonsense of free will, and therefore morality?
23 September 1999
Also featuring: Matt Ridley