Engineering podcasts

Ethan Secor discusses additive manufacturing methods for printing electronic circuits onto complex three-dimensional surfaces. The conversation connects material choices, printing techniques and the design of electronics that conform to shaped objects, highlighting the research behind customized functional surfaces.

Benjamin Thompson and Elizabeth Gibney discuss an experiment trapping a single positron and how precise measurements could probe differences between matter and antimatter. The episode then turns to JAXA’s mission to Phobos, including the challenge of operating a wheeled rover under extremely low gravity. These conversations connect laboratory tests of fundamental physics with the engineering and scientific aims of planetary exploration.

Experiments using a giant wave machine test how salt marshes protect shorelines during extreme storms. The episode also explores evidence about Denisovan faces, orangutan mothers arranging play encounters, and the unequal effects of medieval lead exposure.

Rajesh Menon discusses research combining optical systems with nanofabrication. The episode explores holographic lithography and how coordinated advances in light-based methods and fabrication can support new three-dimensional manufacturing technologies.

Ming-Yu Liu, NVIDIA vice president of research and head of the Cosmos Lab, joins Practical AI hosts Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson to discuss AI systems that interact with the physical world. The conversation examines open models, world models and simulation as foundations for robotics and autonomous vehicles, and how research and deployment can advance physical AI. Published 1 October 2026; publisher runtime 47 minutes 19 seconds.

Hosted by Daniel Whitenack, Chris Benson

Andrew Glester explores how drones, robotics and machine learning support wildlife research and conservation. Blair Costelloe discusses the WildDrone and WildBotics networks and the Mara Elephant Project; Camille Rondeau Saint-Jean describes real-time animal monitoring; William Njoroge explains how Ol Pejeta Conservancy combines drones with established conservation methods. The episode considers population data, field constraints, regulation and collaboration across disciplines.

Hosted by Andrew Glester

Jonathan Webb discusses lithium-ion battery chemistry with Neeraj Sharma of UNSW, explaining why prolonged full charging or deep discharge can shorten battery life and what the underlying processes mean for phone and electric-vehicle battery engineering.

Hosted by Jonathan Webb

Taylor Sparks and Andrew Falkowski speak with University of Arizona researcher Marat Latypov about aluminium's transition from a scarce, expensive metal to a widely used engineering material. They discuss extraction, corrosion resistance, precipitation hardening, electrical wiring and automotive applications, and the technical difficulties of recycling mixed scrap.

Hosted by Taylor Sparks, Andrew Falkowski

Benjamin Thompson and Shamini Bundell discuss two scientific stories from the Nature Briefing. The first concerns a technique for detecting lead that may help researchers read damaged Roman scrolls from Herculaneum without unrolling the fragile, charred material. The second examines a biodegradable, paper-inspired edible battery and its potential use in medical devices inside the body. The publisher’s episode page and official podcast feed both identify this 25 September 2026 episode; the discussion lasts 11 minutes 32 seconds.

Medical physicist Nick Zacharopoulos, chief executive of Aktina Medical, talks with Tami Freeman about developing radiation-oncology technologies and combining industry with academic research. He traces a career that began building radiotherapy components with his father, discusses product development at Aktina, and explains how persistence and a conversation with a colleague led him to a doctorate at McGill University.

Hosted by Tami Freeman

Gaute Einevoll and Mihai Petrovici discuss how neuromorphic hardware can support artificial intelligence and efficient brain simulation. They contrast high-frequency arithmetic on conventional silicon with the rich dynamics and millisecond spikes of biological neurons, and explore brain-inspired systems for emulating neural dynamics and studying computation in spiking networks. Petrovici is a senior researcher at the University of Bern. The conversation was recorded on 18 June 2026 and released on 23 September 2026; the publisher’s audio runs 1 hour, 41 minutes and 46 seconds.

Hosted by Gaute Einevoll

This edition of The Science Show covers extinct big cats and early humans, the material properties behind durable Roman concrete, the history of technological disruption by space weather, and methane-consuming microorganisms living in tree bark.

Hosted by Robyn Williams, Belinda Smith

Nature staff discuss geophysical evidence that could indicate hidden chambers beyond Tutankhamun's tomb and what the findings might imply for the search for Nefertiti's burial place. The episode also examines a multifunctional brain-computer interface that translates neural activity into both speech and gestures, highlighting how one implant can support several forms of communication.

Lin Ma discusses the development of batteries for electricity grids, including the promise and limitations of sodium-ion systems. The conversation considers safety, materials choices and the role of storage in electricity systems that depend increasingly on renewable generation.

Hosted by Hamish Johnston

Ethan Meitz and Jerry Wang discuss molecular simulation, heat transfer and the conversations that have shaped Meitz’s doctoral research. The episode connects computational methods with collaboration and mentoring, offering a practical view of research supported by the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship.

Hosted by Sarah Webb

Chris Smith presents a research-news episode covering a treatment for prematurely fused infant skull bones, discussion of advanced AI risks, animal-assisted observations in Greenland’s fjords, and a European commercial rocket launch. The surgery segment explains how biomedical modelling and engineered springs supported treatment planning.

Hosted by Chris Smith

Chris Smith investigates autonomous transport through a ride on a self-driving bus in Cambridge. In collaboration with the Royal Institute of Navigation, the programme discusses the engineering, operation and navigation of driverless vehicles. Contributors include Nick Bailey, Daniel Clarke, Jamie Wilson, Jim Hutchinson, Ramsey Faragher and Edward Cameron, representing the test service, local transport partnership, vehicle manufacturer, automation supplier and navigation community.

Hosted by Chris Smith

Chetan Gupta joins Daniel Whitenack and Chris Benson to discuss the importance of system architecture when moving AI into enterprise use. The conversation connects industrial and physical AI with deployment, governance and sovereignty, considering how organizations can make practical design choices.

Hosted by Daniel Whitenack, Chris Benson

C&EN journalists examine the chemistry behind sustaining human activity beyond Earth. Topics include obtaining useful resources, designing materials and understanding the practical constraints of living and working in space. The episode connects chemical research with planetary resources and engineering.

Hosted by Craig Bettenhausen

University of Arizona research leader Tomas Diaz de la Rubia talks with Tim Swindle about advances toward fusion energy and how the technology could differ from conventional power generation. This Arizona Science conversation explores the research behind fusion’s potential contribution to future energy systems. The publisher’s page is dated 3 September 2026; its programme label identifies the 4 September broadcast. Listen through Arizona Public Media.

Hosted by Tim Swindle