* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Material World

Blobrana · L

Iranian earthquake; Zebrafish; Curiosity driver Paolo Bellutta

Thu, 18 Apr 13

Duration: 29 mins

Iran has been struck by its most powerful earthquake for more than 50 years, with tremors felt across Pakistan, India and the Middle East.The genome of the tiny zebrafish has been sequenced in great detail, but why is this animal of such biological significance to researchers? Curiosity driver, Paolo Bellutta, drops by to talk to Quentin.

Download 13MB

Blobrana · L

Science publishing, Transatlantic turbulence, Rapid evolution

Thu, 11 Apr 13

Duration: 29 mins

Victor Henning is joined by Jason Priem of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author of a recent horizon scanning feature in Nature, to discuss the future of science publication and how this wealth of research will be managed in the future.New research, published in Nature Climate Change, suggests that turbulence could double by 2050. And changes to our environment are effecting evolution much quicker than we thought.

Download 13MB

Blobrana · L

Chemical weapons,Nuclear weapons, BRAIN, Foot and Mouth

Thu, 4 Apr 13

Duration: 29 mins

With representatives of the 188 nations that have signed the Chemical Weapons Convention about to meet in the Hague, how can we make it more effective and reactive? Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) is the formal name for the $100 million dollar initiative just announced by President Obama. What kind of difference could this make to research? Researchers have engineered an entirely new vaccine for foot and mouth. Recent nuclear tests by North Korea along with this weeks announcement of plans to restart their plutonium reactor have led to international condemnation, and raised fears they could engulf the world in nuclear war. How scientifically credible is that threat?

Download 14MB

Blobrana · L

Edinburgh's International Science Festival

Thu, 28 Mar 13

Duration: 28 mins

Quentin Cooper talks about ideas which are "dangerous" to Professor Colin Blakemore and Professor Chris Rapley. Plus, what is the lasting value of science festivals?

Download 13MB

Blobrana · L

Planck, Elusive Giant Squid, Emotive words

Thu, 21 Mar 13

Duration: 29 mins

Adam Rutherford discusses new science results from the Planck space telescope and the surprising family tree of the Giant Squid.

Download 13MB

Blobrana · L

Clay on Mars, Neanderthals, Cholera,Tapeworms

Thu, 14 Mar 13

Duration: 29 mins

Researchers have mapped the genomes of tapeworms to reveal potential drug targets on which existing drugs could act. Tom Koch-discusses John Snow who famously identified a pump as being the source of a cholera outbreak in 1854. NASA has reported that its Curiosity rover has made another significant discovery on Mars and a study of Neanderthal skulls suggests that they became extinct because they had larger eyes than our species.

Download 13MB

Blobrana · L

Material: Deer, Herschel, Facial contrast, Potatoes

Thu, 7 Mar 13

Duration: 29 mins

Is culling the only option for controlling deer? What makes the potato such a successful vegetable that it can grow in many different climates? Why facial contrast can make us look younger and the Herschel space telescope loses it's sight.

Download 13MB

Blobrana · L

28 Feb 13 : Junk DNA, Mine fires, Homer

Duration: 29 mins

Is junk DNA really rubbish? Scientists dispute recent findings about our genetic code. What causes spontaneous combustion in mines. And dating of The Iliad by Homer. With Quentin Cooper.

Download 13MB

Blobrana · L

DNA, Identical Twins, Dark Energy, Viruses

Thu, 21 Feb 13

Duration: 28 mins

Why does a virus manage to infect us and make us ill so quickly? And how on earth do we see the invisible dark energy that makes up most of our universe? Also with the recent case of the French identical twins who have been implicated in serial rape, Quentin asks forensic geneticist Gill Tully how DNA helps the police to find perpetrators. Plus, Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist, suggests that identical twins might not actually be as similar in their genes as we previously thought.

Download 13MB