How similar is your microbiome to your dog’s? How do volcanoes influence the microbiome of the earth? And what links the microbiome to epilepsy?

It’s not just the gut that has a microbiome – everything from your phone screen to the soles of your shoes has a community of microorganisms residing together that forms a microbiome. But the microbiome in the gut specifically has a huge impact on our bodily functioning, and we can learn a lot about our own gut microbiome by looking at those of domesticated animals like dogs.

This month, we’re joined by Bushra Schuitemaker, a microbiologist and head of science and research at Biome9, to understand what we can learn from the microbiomes around us.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!

Producer/presenter: Lia Hale

Music: Joseph Sandy

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• Learn more about Biome9 and Dogileptic

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The Women's Euros kick off next Wednesday, once again bringing attention to the epidemic of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s football. But why is it that women are six times more likely to suffer from these injuries, and what research is being done to understand it further?

This month we’re looking at the science behind the ACL, and what factors researchers are investigating that influence injury susceptibility. We’re joined by Blake Rivers, whose PhD at Kingston University is being funded by FIFA to investigate the impact of the menstrual cycle on ACL injuries, and Grace Vella, a footballer and entrepreneur who is 5 months into her ACL rehabilitation following on from reconstructive surgery.

Producer: Lia Hale

Assistant producer: Jessica Hibbert

Music: Joseph Sandy

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!

Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help other people discover the podcast.

• Get tickets for upcoming talks and livestreams: https://www.rigb.org/whats-on

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution

• X: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science

When we think of the biggest historical figures in science, names like Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday tend to come to mind. But the discoveries made by these individuals could never have happened without the contributions of countless others around the world, whose names and stories are often left out of the picture.

Former Royal Institution Freer Fellow Gianamar Giovannetti-Singh spoke at the Ri to shed light on some of these untold stories, and to help us adopt a more global understanding of the history of science.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!

Please leave this episode a rating and a review to let us know what you think, and to help other people discover the podcast.

• Get tickets for upcoming talks and livestreams: https://www.rigb.org/whats-on

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/TheRoyalInstitution

• X: https://twitter.com/Ri_Science

This talk was recorded in the Theatre at the Royal Institution on Monday 14 May 2024

Producer: Lia Hale

Music: Joseph Sandy