Ben Makin
Biography
Ben is a biosciences PhD researcher at Exeter University, interested in how global warming will impact species interactions in aquatic environments. He runs radio shows starring scientists, celebrities and other special guests on Source FM and Coast FM, and has interviewed fabulous people such as the First Lady of Iceland, Rochelle Hume's and the ex-head of GCHQ!
Radio
BEN’S BREAKFAST SHOW: Thursdays from 07.30 on Source FM
Ben’s Research
Ben’s research has a focus on the way in which temperature fundamentally underpins ‘friendly’ relationships between hosts and resident microbes in nature. As it turns out, this kind of interaction (termed a ‘mutualism’) is absolutely vital for all living things on the planet: take coral reefs, which amazingly underpin around one third of all species of fish in the entire ocean; the coral animals responsible for manufacturing these rocky structures (reefs are actually the external skeletons of corals; pretty weird right?) live with tiny plant-like organisms inside them.
The two partners in this coral-plant relationship both benefit from this ‘friendship’: they swap nutrients, a bit like if we had living solar cells inside our bodies that we supplied with nutrients such that they could keep running (the plants provide their corals with food in the form of sugars from photosynthesis and, in return, receive various nutrients for their efforts).
Anyway, many of these vital mutualisms in nature are breaking down or changing as the climate changes (think ‘coral bleaching’, where corals lose their resident plants). So, it’s a priority for scientists to understand some of the key factors which affect these relationships. It’s within this field that Ben’s work is framed.
He’s always delighted to answer questions about his work, anything science-related or anything that he chats about on his show; get in touch with him at Ben’s Breakfast Show and he can even feature your questions on the radio should you fancy some airtime!
Ben’s Music
When Ben can’t be found in the science laboratory, playing with small green microbes, you can usually catch him in the ‘beat lab’ (his home recording studio). He has recently released his first EP, proceeds from which he will donate to The RNLI (Search for ‘Young’ by ‘Benjamin Makin’ on iTunes/Amazon/Spotify/YouTube).
