A Good Science Read

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, share 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.

Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics Professor Frances Ashcroft Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)

Apple Podcast Audio Audio RSS Feed

Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 episodes

Episode	Description	People	Date
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	4 March, 2025
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 January, 2025
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 October, 2024
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 October, 2024
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 October, 2024
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
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 April, 2024
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 April, 2024
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	1 April, 2024
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 March, 2024
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	4 March, 2024
A Good Science Read	Professor Frances Ashcroft gives a short introduction to this exciting new series	Frances Ashcroft	27 February, 2024

A Good Science Read

Related

Subscribe