
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
ScienceTaxon authorities of Hypericum species18th-century lexicographers, 18th-century writers in LatinMembers of the Prussian Academy of SciencesFellows of the Royal SocietyMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyBotanical nomenclatureMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesMembers of the French Academy of SciencesHybrids
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
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
History20th-century British biologistsBritish botanical illustratorsMembers of the Order of Merit19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellows of the Zoological Society of LondonFellows of the Royal SocietyVictorian writersEnglish activistsBritish deistsPeople from Monmouthshire19th-century British writersEnglish socialists19th-century English scientistsCharles DarwinEnglish people of Scottish descentGeorgists20th-century English non-fiction writersRoyal Medal winnersRecipients of the Copley MedalDarwin: 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
ScienceEnglish travel writersTheoretical biologistsFellows of the Royal SocietyMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesEnglish AnglicansUtilitariansEnglish abolitionists19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellows of the Zoological Society of LondonBurials at Westminster AbbeyEnglish sceptics19th-century AnglicansRecipients of the Copley MedalAlumni of Christ's College, CambridgeEnglish agnosticsCharles DarwinAlumni of the University of Edinburgh19th-century English writersCircumnavigators of the globeRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)Members of the American Philosophical SocietyDeaths from coronary thrombosisMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesMembers of the Lincean AcademyIndependent scientistsHuman evolutionRoyal Medal winnersLysenkoism
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
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