LIFE SOLVED lifts the lid on the latest ideas and discoveries that look set to change our lives.
Every week we’ll bring you a fresh episode featuring cutting-edge research. Find out how this is set to revolutionise the way our world works. We’ll explain how technology and community go hand in hand with the natural world, and how industry and sustainable environments can connect for the benefit of society.
Real research. Real world change.
From your subconscious political behaviour on social media to how we can use tech to get swift diagnosis and treatment for common medical problems, the big ideas are here.
Subscribe for a new episode every week, and share the big idea #lifesolved
You can find out more about research taking place at the University of Portsmouth at port.ac.uk/life-solved.
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Deliberately invisible: true stories from migrants experiencing homelessness
In this episode, Professor Simon Stewart from the University of Portsmouth shares how the Covid-19 pandemic transformed the focus and impact of his sociology research, as he embarked on a project with a charity that changes the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
You’ll hear true stories of tragedy and survival on the margins of society, as Professor Stewart shares the experiences of migrants who live without homes in the UK. He reveals an invisible world that exists all around us, populated by those who hide in plain sight to protect themselves from a hostile environment.
You’ll discover the strategies people adopt to cultivate invisibility – and the potential this research has to change not just our understanding of homeless lives, but also the ways in which we could make homelessness itself a thing of the past.
Production team:
John Worsey
Raechelle Jackson
Robyn Austin-Montague
Music:
Calm Uplifting Business Presentation (https://elements.envato.com/calm-uplifting-business-presentation-U6DEZXD) – Tricky Two Audio
Majestic Deep Documentary Meditative (https://elements.envato.com/majestic-deep-documentary-meditative-6DQ367C) – Nice City Beats
Ambient Piano (https://elements.envato.com/ambient-piano-QM7KD5V) – Black Trend Music
Serene Melancholy (https://elements.envato.com/serene-melancholy-YRSXMNQ) – The Music Works
Thoughtful (https://elements.envato.com/thoughtful-XHAZWJQ) – Ashot Danielyan
Calm Reflection and Whispers of Love (https://elements.envato.com/calm-reflection-and-whispers-of-love-GYMZ29X) – Black Trend Music
The Long Journey Home (https://elements.envato.com/the-long-journey-home-XALPM2F) – Adigold
Learn more links:
Researching migrant homelessness (https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-projects/researching-migrant-homelessness) at the University of Portsmouth.
Professor Simon Stewart (https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/our-people/our-staff/simon-stewart)biography and research links.
Centre for European and International Studies Research (https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-groups-and-centres/centre-for-european-and-international-studies-research), directed by Professor Stewart.
St Mungo’s (https://www.mungos.org) homeless charity.
Sociology BSc (Hons) (https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bsc-hons-sociology)at Portsmouth.
Sociology MSc (https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/postgraduate-taught/msc-sociology) at Portsmouth.
Sociology PhD and MPhil (https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/postgraduate-research/sociology-postgraduate-research-degrees) at Portsmouth.
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19 Mar 2026
The golden age of dinosaur discovery: Why we're finding a new species nearly every week
What if I told you a new dinosaur species is discovered roughly every two weeks - and you could discover the next one?
Life Solved explores the unprecedented boom in dinosaur discoveries. Since 2003, more than 45 new species have been found every year. In 2025 alone, 44 new species were named.
We're living through what scientists call the "golden age of palaeontology." But why now?
In this episode, we meet Dr Jeremy Lockwood, a former GP who, at age 57, left medicine to pursue a PhD in palaeontology at the University of Portsmouth. In the years since, he's discovered not one, but three entirely new species of dinosaur - all found on the Isle of Wight, just across the water from Portsmouth.
This episode examines the factors driving this golden age, what remains to be discovered, and why it's never too late to chase your childhood dreams - even if they involve creatures that died out 66 million years ago.
Production team:
Robyn Austin-Montague
John Worsey
Jaelithe Swan
Music:
To Documentary by BrightNotesSounds (https://app.envato.com/search?itemType=music&filter.portfolio=BrightNotesSounds)
Learn more links:
Friends of Dinosaur Isle: HomeFriends of Dinosaur Isle (https://www.friendsofdinosaurisle.co.uk/)
Palaeontology BSc (Hons) (https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bsc-hons-palaeontology)
Retired GP discovers three new dinosaur species on the Isle of Wight and proves you’re never too old to do a PhD (https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/retired-gp-discovers-three-new-dinosaur-species-on-the-isle-of-wight-and-proves-youre-never-too-old-to-do-a-phd)
‘Striking sail' may have helped dinosaurs find mates, new fossil suggests (https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/striking-sail-may-have-helped-dinosaurs-find-mates-new-fossil-suggests)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
19 Feb 2026
How women's clothing choices in Iran predicted the revolution years before it happened
What if I told you the Iranian revolution was predictable - and the clues were in what women were wearing?
As we approach International Women’s Day, Life Solved welcomes back a past guest, Dr Mahsa Gaffari, a specialist in marketing at the University of Portsmouth, whose research suggests consumption acts as a "crystal ball of society".
In 2023, Dr Gaffari explained how dress codes and shopping choices allow women to subtly subvert state oppression through clothing and consumer choices in Iran.
Two years on, a new wave of mass protests have erupted in the country, making international headlines due to the level of violence. In this episode we unpack the signals that indicated political change was on the horizon.
Production team:
Robyn Austin-Montague
Lauren Harrison
Music: Exiled (https://app.envato.com/search/music/4bdacf3e-6f21-419d-b943-b3039ea375d0?itemType=music&term=background+documentary&filter.mood=dark&filter.mood=sad&filter.theme=documentary&filter.tempo=Slow+%2860-90+BPM%29&sort=relevance&filter.min_media_length=240&filter.max_media_length=3600) by PhilLarson (https://app.envato.com/search?itemType=music&term=background+documentary&filter.portfolio=PhilLarson)
Learn more links:
Dr Mahsa Ghaffari (https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/our-people/our-staff/mahsa-ghaffari)
Iran protests are not just about economics – they’re a full-blown ideological crisis (https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/blogs/academic-expertise/iran-protests-are-not-just-about-economics-theyre-a-full-blown-ideological-crisis)
Exploiting institutional plasticity in Iranian advertising (https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/publications/cracking-the-box-or-stretching-its-walls-exploiting-institutional)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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Antaya March
Esther Herrmann
Marine Joly
Craig Jones MBE
Alice Hendy MBE
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