Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

The Life Scientific

BBC Radio 4 FM

The Life Scientific: Episode 51: Linda Partridge

Discussion & Talk

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Linda Partridge

Episode 51

Episode 51: Linda Partridge

BBC Radio 4 - The Life Scientific, Linda Partridge

The science of longevity - Jim Al-Khalili chats to geneticist Prof Dame Linda Partridge.

Can we live healthier lives in old age? Jim Al-Khalili talks to Prof Dame Linda Partridge, who studies the genetics of ageing, with the hope that one day she can slow it down.

Will we ever be able to escape the diseases of old age?

That's the aim of today's guest, Prof Dame Linda Partridge who studies the genetics of ageing. From fruit flies to nematode worms, she uses simple organisms to unmask the secret processes that cause our bodies to deteriorate as we get older.

But her route into science was far from normal - growing up in a Catholic convent boarding school, the girls were encouraged to be good housewives rather than diligent scientists. However, the lack of science facilities and teachers meant that the students had to run their own laboratory, ordering chemicals and tending to equipment.

It was the start of a long and successful career, which has culminated in Linda becoming the Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany and the Institute of Healthy Ageing at University College, London.

Her life's goal is to produce pharmacological treatments that will help people stay healthier in old age. But what are the social and economic impacts of our growing longevity?

Producer: Michelle Martin.

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili talks to leading scientists about their life and work, finding out what inspires and motivates them and asking what their discoveries might do for us in the future

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Life Scientific

Episode 51: Linda Partridge

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4