When Science Finds a Way

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We know how extreme heat impacts us physically, but science is still uncovering its effects on mental health. 

Professor Andrea Mechelli tells Alisha Wainwright what analysing millions of datapoints is teaching us, we hear from participants in his London-based research about their struggles with heat and mental health, and Mete Çoban, London's Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, talks about efforts to future-proof the city.  Looking beyond London, Dr Benedict Weobong explains why his research in Ghana and Zimbabwe shows that local context is crucial for dealing with heat-related mental health issues, and Alisha explores how reconnecting with nature - and each other - could also help us tackle the causes of rising heat. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

 

'People who live near green space are less likely to struggle with mental health issues' - Professor Andrea Mechelli (https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/may/19/andrea-mechelli-urban-mind-green-space-mental-health) 


The effects of extreme heat events on mental health in vulnerable urban communities: towards evidence-based policy and practice (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/the-effects-of-extreme-heat-events-on-mental-health-in-vulnerable-urban-communities-towards-evidence-based-policy-and-practice) 


Urban Mind – an app that measures your experience of urban & rural living in the moment (https://urbanmind.info/)  


Heat Exposure, Sleep, Cognition and Mental Health - HEATSCAPE-Africa (https://www.yorku.ca/dighr/project/heatscape-africa/)

We're running a listener survey for When Science Finds a Way and we'd love your input. Takes around 10 minutes, completely anonymous, and there's a £50 gift card draw for everyone who completes it. Survey closes 28 May: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3

We want to hear from you! Please tell us a bit about your experience by filling out our short listener survey. Everyone who completes it is entered into a draw for a £50 gift card. 👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3?source=shownotes Closes 28 May. 
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In much of the world people are living longer, but how can we make sure those extra years are healthy? Professor Dame Linda Partridge tells Alisha Wainwright how our ever-growing knowledge of health and ageing could lead to more personalised medicine, and Professor Mika Kivimäki explains how new methods for measuring the "biological age" of our organs could be used to predict disease. We also hear from Shamita Sharmacharja, curator of the new Coming of Age Exhibition at London's Wellcome Collection, about how changing society could help us all age better. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

Hallmarks of ageing: an expanding universe (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36599349/) 


Biological organ ages predict disease risk decades in advance, Mika Kivimäki , UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/feb/biological-organ-ages-predict-disease-risk-decades-advance) 


The Coming of Age Exhibition, Wellcome Collection, London. Open until November 2026 (https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/the-coming-of-age)

We want to hear from you! Please tell us a bit about your experience by filling out our short listener survey. Everyone who completes it is entered into a draw for a £50 gift card. 👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3?source=shownotes Closes 28 May. 
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We know that the food we eat affects us physically, but how might our diets help or hinder mental health? Dr Wolfgang Marx tells Alisha Wainwright about his work to find a link between mental health and diet. We also hear from Dr Iain Campbell, who found that a famous diet helped his own bipolar symptoms, inspiring him to work on a new large-scale trial. And Dr Sheri Johnson explains why we should explore not just what we eat, but when. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

Food and mood centre, a multi-disciplinary research centre that aims to understand the complex ways in which what we eat influences our brain, mood, and mental health, Deakin University (https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/) 


Time-restricted eating as an adjunctive intervention for bipolar disorder – Wellcome funding award (https://wellcome.org/research-funding/funding-portfolio/funded-grants/time-restricted-eating-adjunctive-intervention) 


Personal keto journey leads to career in research: Iain Campbell's story (https://www.metabolicmind.org/thinksmart/explore-strategies/iain-campbell/)

Tranexamic acid (TXA) has enormous potential to prevent deaths from postpartum haemorrhage, but until very recently it's been overlooked. Professor Haleema Shakur Still tells Alisha Wainwright how she stumbled on TXA's untapped potential, and the drug's journey from being an undervalued discovery in post-war Japan to a groundbreaking treatment in modern-day Nigeria. Professor Nike Bellow and Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi share their efforts to make TXA more accessible to communities, while Haleema explains how drug trials have revealed a hidden side to postpartum haemorrhage – one that could prevent cases before treatment is even needed. 
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We want to hear from you! Please tell us a bit about your experience by filling out our short listener survey. Everyone who completes it is entered into a draw for a £50 gift card. 👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SX6X8X3?source=shownotes Closes 28 May. 
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Mentioned in this episode and further reading: 

WOMAN trials: looking at the effect of the drug tranexamic acid (TXA) on bleeding, and the best ways to give it (https://thebloodtrials.org/womens-health-trials/) 


The missing evidence: anaemia, postpartum bleeding and maternal death, Blood Trials, LSHTM (https://thebloodtrials.org/the-missing-evidence/) 


A word of thanks to all the WOMAN Trial collaborators, Professor Ian Roberts, who co-led the WOMAN Trials alongside Haleema, trial teams in London, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and Zambia and the women and families who make this work possible.