The Life Scientific

The Life Scientific
Running time30 minutes
Home stationBBC Radio 4
Hosted byJim Al-Khalili
Written byJim Al-Khalili
Original release11 October 2011 (2011-10-11)
No. of episodes318 (As of 18 February 2025)
WebsiteThe Life Scientific at BBC Online

The Life Scientific is a BBC Radio 4 science programme, presented by Jim Al-Khalili, in which each episode is dedicated to the biography and work of a living scientist. The programme consists of an interview between Al-Khalili and the featured scientist, with others contributing anecdotes.

It is broadcast on Tuesday mornings in the UK, and is available online and via BBC Sounds, as is an archive of past episodes. In October 2021 the programme reached its 10-year anniversary with discussion between Ottoline Leyser, Paul Nurse, Christopher Jackson and Sue Black on the topic of 'What makes a scientist?'.