Philosopher and author AC Grayling is our special guest for this week's podcast as we discuss extraterrestrial life, free-thinking, Cern and climate change.
Prof Grayling will be interviewing some of the world's top scientists in the coming weeks for a series called Exchanges at the Frontier on the BBC World Service. (2:00)
To mark the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society, its president Prof Martin Rees trawls through the institution's archives in search of historical nuggets. (12:50)
We look at the fallout from the climate change emails row as scientists at the University of East Anglia deny their leaked correspondence provides evidence of collusion by climatologists to fix data. (20:54)
We went along to the UK launch of the UN year of biodiversity at London's Natural History Museum. We hear from Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and Huw Irranca-Davies MP, the minister for marine and natural environment. (29:59)
Prof Edward Wilson, the ecologist described as "Darwin's natural heir", is demanding that a panel similar to the International Panel on Climate Change be set up to help preserve biodiversity. (33:30)
Listen to the entire interview with EO Wilson in the latest Science Weekly Extra podcast.
And from Darwin's natural heir to the great Victorian himself. Podcast regular James Randerson describes how he marked the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by visiting Darwin's publisher at 50 Albermarle Street, London.
A new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection explores the concept of individuality. It's called Identity: eight rooms, nine lives. Observer science editor Robin McKie takes a peek inside the DNA room. (38:20)
View our video of the installation.
Guardian science corespondent and podcast stalwart Ian Sample joins us in the studio.
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