It's been a busy couple of weeks! From celebrating my cousin's traditional Nigerian wedding to a Scientifically Speaking team day and an unexpected pharmaceutical conference in Nigeria, there's been quite a bit happening.

The conference got me thinking about medicines quality, which brings me to some interesting science stories I've come across recently.

I talk about a study that found undeclared prescription medicines in skincare products sold online, and the growing conversation around retatrutide, an experimental weight-loss medicine that hasn't yet been approved but is already being marketed through unofficial channels.

There's also antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and why having national action plans doesn't necessarily mean we're making progress, whether AI can really replace human research participants, and the ongoing conversation about publish-or-perish culture in academia.

A quick, curious conversation about medicines, research, technology and some of the bigger questions that made me stop and think this week.

In this episode:

• Could your online skincare contain an undisclosed prescription medicine?

• Retatrutide, fake medicines and the risks of unapproved products being sold online

• Antimicrobial resistance: why good action plans aren't enough

• Can AI replace human research participants?

• Publish or perish: are academic incentives encouraging better research?

Have a question, comment or something interesting you've spotted in science? Get in touch with Monday Science — I may feature it in a future episode.

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Monday Science is back ! In this first Conversations with Dr Bahijja episode, I reflect on why perfectionism has sometimes got in the way of consistently making the podcast, and why I’m choosing conversation over perfection.

Then we get into the science.

I talk about AI and pharmaceutical data, academic freedom, what university education actually costs, why expertise alone may not be enough to build public trust in scientists, non-animal models in infectious disease research, and the bigger question of who decides what research gets funded.

There is also quantum physics, AI in pharma and, naturally, an Ig Nobel-winning experiment involving underwear buried in soil.

A curious, wide-ranging conversation about science, research, academia and the things that made me stop and think this week.

In this episode:

• AI, federated learning and pharmaceutical collaboration

• Academic freedom and higher education

• What makes people trust scientists?

• How research funding can shape scientific priorities

Have a question, comment or something interesting you’ve spotted in science? Get in touch with Monday Science — I may feature it in a future episode.

Find out more about Monday Science - https://mondaysciencepodcast.com/

• Get in Touch - MondayScience@scientificallyspeakingglobal.com

• Follow us on instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mondayscience/

• Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/monday-science?originalSubdomain=uk

• Follow us on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@mondayscience

What does it take to move pharmaceutical innovation from a university lab into the hands of the people who actually need it? And what happens when scientists stop waiting for “perfect conditions” and start building anyway?

In this part II episode of Monday Science, Dr. Bahijja Raimi-Abraham sits down with Prof Margaret Ilomuanya to explore the realities of pharmaceutical innovation, research leadership, and in-country manufacturing in Nigeria.

From compounding creams in buckets inside a small office to leading MedAfrica GMP Laboratories, the first GMP facility domiciled within a university in West Africa this conversation is ultimately about vision, persistence, and the power of starting small.

But this episode also goes deeper than infrastructure or funding. It explores the mindset behind scientific progress. The role of collaboration. The importance of communicating African science more visibly. And the tension between barriers that exist on paper and the opportunities that emerge when researchers focus on solutions instead of limitations.

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Get in touch mondaysciencepodcast@scientificallyspeakingglobal.com

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