An episode of BBC Radio 4's Inside Science, broadcast on 9 July 2026, examines whether scientists are approaching the ability to create life in a laboratory. The programme centres on research by synthetic biologist Kate Adamal and her team at the University of Minnesota, who have published work on a lab-created cell dubbed the "SpudCell", described as a significant step towards building life from scratch. The topic matters because constructing living cells artificially carries far-reaching scientific and ethical implications.

Science journalist Kai Kupferschmidt joins the programme to discuss the research and the controversies surrounding it. The episode also features Nature reporter Lizzie Gibney on how science has clarified the route the Carthaginian general Hannibal and his elephants took across the Alps, and a segment on research conducted at a Tokyo football match, where seismic waves generated by the energetic celebrations of thousands of fans were monitored. The episode is presented by Tom Whipple and runs for 28 minutes.