Extraordinary scientific advances have taken place over the past year both because of Covid and despite it.Today we bring you three tales of human ingenuity you might have missed – and, for a change, nothing but good news.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today and get one month free at: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.Host: David Aaronovitch.Guests: Tom Whipple, science editor, The Times.Lindley Johnson, planetary defence officer, Nasa.Dr Elena Adams, DART systems engineer, Johns Hopkins University.Further reading from The Times: 'Science is fast‑forwarding into the future', David Aaronovitch, December 2nd, 2020.'Deepmind finds biology’s ‘holy grail’ with answer to protein problem', Tom Whipple, December 1st, 2020.'More medical breakthroughs on the way thanks to BioNTech coronavirus vaccine', Tom Whipple, February 8th, 2021.'Nasa will crash rocket into asteroid to avert catastrophe', Will Pavia, April 30th, 2020.Clips used: ITV, CBC, BBC, TRT World, SpaceX. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.