Rare Earth podcast artwork
Science

Rare Earth

by BBC Radio 4
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About the show

Environmental journalist Tom Heap and physicist Helen Czerski tackle major stories about our environment and wildlife, celebrate the wonder of nature and meet the people determined to keep it wonderful.

Latest episodes

  • Can lawyers save the planet?

    September 18, 2026 · 53 min

    What can the legal system do to protect the environment? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski gather together a panel of legal and environmental experts to discuss their battles for the planet. How much protection does nature have in law at the…

  • Tentacular: The Wonderful World of the Octopus

    September 11, 2026 · 53 min

    Cornish fishermen this summer have had their usual catch of lobster and crab replaced by voracious octopus. Restaurant menus have had to be wiped and rewritten across the south-west, but what else has changed? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski…

  • All In This Together

    September 4, 2026 · 53 min

    Helen Czerski and Tom Heap ask if nature is really red in tooth and claw. Is life all about survival of the fittest or are we all working together on a changing planet? They're joined by Rowan Hooper, author of Togetherness, lichen expert…

  • Andy's Green In-Tray

    August 28, 2026 · 53 min

    How will the environment be changed by an Andy Burnham government? As the new parliamentary session opens, Tom Heap and Helen Czerski leaf through the government in-tray to reveal the big decisions that will need to be taken on energy…

  • Volcano

    August 21, 2026 · 53 min

    Helen Czerski and Tom Heap investigate the environmental impact of volcanoes from prehistory to the present day, and find out about their cultural significance in art and literature. On today's panel: Dr Will Hutchison, volcanologist at…

  • Drawing Our Future Homes

    August 14, 2026 · 52 min

    Who's the hero that will protect us from the impact of extreme heat, rain and whatever else climate change might throw at us in future? Forget someone in a cape, maybe it's the person quietly sketching buildings on a bit of paper…

  • The Sound of Water

    June 27, 2026 · 53 min

    Helen Czerski and Tom Heap discover how new technology lets us listen in to the extraordinary sounds of the planet's waterways. From the deepest ocean to the tributaries, rivers and streams, this is an exploration of the sound made under…

  • Into the Wild

    June 19, 2026 · 53 min

    Is there any true wilderness left on our planet? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski consider the fear and fascination of the wild. They're joined by the writer Cal Flyn who has spent the last few years travelling the world in search of wilderness…