Weekly science conversation, on everything from archaeology to zoology, from abacus to the antipodean rodent zyzomys, by way of meteorites. Presented by Quentin Cooper, and airing every Thursday, 4:30 pm.
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Inside Science:Bovine TB:Coral Sunscreen;Space Junk
27:43
27:43
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27:43
The government have announced a plan to rid England of bovine TB within 25 years. Corals could save us from sunburn in summers to come. Why we need to tackle the problem of space junk.
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Material: Ancient Horses; Uncertainty; Cutlery and Taste
28:11
28:11
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28:11
How 700 000 year old horse DNA could change the way scientists study evolution; why scientists are seldom certain of their findings and how cutlery changes the taste of food.
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Pioneering work in the treatment of TB set the gold standard for future clinical trials. Geneticists at the University of Nottingham have confirmed a unique and close relationship between the snails of Ireland and those of a small region in the Pyrenees. When the curtain falls, what determines the length of the rapturous ovation?…
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Digital spying;Dornier 17;Germination;Cheetahs
28:09
28:09
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28:09
Monitoring information has become much simpler in the digital age. Encrusted sea-life helped protect the Dornier 17 from the worst ravages of the sea. Understanding the process whereby seeds control germination might one day help in the battle against malaria. Cheetahs rely more on manoeuvrability than maximum speed when out hunting.…
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Professor Elspeth Garman commemorates a century since the publication of an idea that made discovering protein structures possible: The Bragg Equation. How can we better understand and perhaps control the spread of drug-resistant HIV? FameLab, started in the UK in 2005,is a world-leading science communication competition. Why is the model so succes…
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Multiverses;Culture-driven Evolution;Lee Smolin-Time
28:26
28:26
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28:26
Have Planckâ??s observations proven that there could be millions of universes beyond our own or is the evidence far from proof? Could culture, rather than random genetic mutations, have driven the evolution of humans? Throughout history the concept of time as an illusion has been commonplace. Relativity reveals that time is not absolute. Lee Smolin…
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What is it about Oklahoma's geographical location that causes increased susceptibility to tornadoes? How can residents of ‘tornado valley’ better protect themselves against these rampant acts of Mother Nature?The Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce have just issued their first report with recommendations to combat what they call an “…
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Quantum computer; Ancient water; Stem cells; Dambusters
28:02
28:02
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28:02
One of the world's most powerful, commercially available, "quantum" computers is to be installed at NASA's Ames research centre.Scientists have discovered the oldest fluid water system in the world, buried deep beneath Ontario, Canada.A technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, which involves transferring the nucleus of a donor cell into th…
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EU science funding;Pear-shaped nuclei;Hyades
28:06
28:06
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28:06
With scientific research in the UK receiving an estimated 4.9 billion euro from the European Research Councilâ??s FP7 program, what would happen to this funding if the UK were to leave the EU altogether? The discovery of pear-shaped nuclei in radium isotopes hold huge promise in furthering our understanding of nuclear structure and also, testing th…
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EU states have voted in favour of a proposal to restrict the use of certain pesticides that have been linked to causing serious harm in bees. Patients in the UK have begun being enrolled into trials to see if an engineered virus can be used to heal their damaged and struggling hearts.Petals get their shape from a hidden molecular map within their b…
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Scientists at the Royal Society discuss future strategies in controlling bovine TB. Proof that a non-native Big Cat prowled the British countryside at the turn of the last century.Researchers think that clues to marine biological diversity over millions of years may be locked up in sharksâ?? teeth.
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Iranian earthquake;Zebrafish;Curiosity driver Paolo Bellutta
28:02
28:02
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28:02
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.…
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Science publishing, Transatlantic turbulence, Rapid evolution
28:05
28:05
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28:05
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.…
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Chemical weapons,Nuclear weapons,BRAIN,Foot and Mouth
28:29
28:29
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28:29
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 differenc…
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Edinburgh's International Science Festival
27:23
27:23
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27:23
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?
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Planck, Elusive Giant Squid, Emotive words
28:05
28:05
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28:05
Adam Rutherford discusses new science results from the Planck space telescope and the surprising family tree of the Giant Squid.
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Clay on Mars, Neanderthals, Cholera,Tapeworms
28:09
28:09
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28:09
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 skull…
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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.
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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.
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Material: DNA,Identical Twins,Dark Energy, Viruses
27:57
27:57
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27:57
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, Ti…
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Material: Coronavirus, Horsemeat, Blackbirds, DNA
27:58
27:58
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27:58
The new coronavirus; can it be transmitted between humans? How to trace the source of processed horsemeat. Using DNA to store data. And city blackbirds mating early.
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Material: TB, SATELLITES, LAKE ELLSWORTH, ANTARCTIC BASE
27:59
27:59
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27:59
Failures in science and lessons learnt; new TB vaccine trials and drilling in Antarctica. Also mobile phones in space. Presented by Quentin Cooper.
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Material: Rail, Radioactive, Universe, Quantum Biology.
27:59
27:59
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27:59
This week we discuss the engineering of high speed rail, the storage of radioactive nuclear waste, how our evolution is linked to that of the universe and quantum biology.
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Material: Noise & plane design, Birdflu, Dogs, Mackerel
28:24
28:24
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28:24
Are ever stricter noise and energy consumption restrictions making plane design harder? Controversial birdflu research. Dog domestication. And why mackerel is off the menu.
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Material: Smog,Exploding Stars,Animal Replacement
28:04
28:04
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28:04
Air pollution in the Chinese capital Beijing has reached levels judged as hazardous to human health. An international team of nuclear astrophysicists has shed new light on the explosive stellar events known as novae. The UK’s leading humane medical research charity, the Dr Hadwen Trust (DHT), and Queen Mary, University of London, have joined forces…
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Material: Kepler,Arctic Drilling,Apophis,Brain Science
28:12
28:12
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28:12
Will the Nasa Kepler mission become one of the Space Agency's most famous and significant achievements? Quentin Cooper speaks to William Borucki, Principal Scientist on Kepler, who believes it will be. Also Dr. Stephen Lowry from the University of Kent describes how data collected from the fly by of the asteroid Apophis will help scientists track i…
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Material: Norovirus, superheroes and army underpants.
27:49
27:49
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27:49
Winter vomiting, superhero physics and why military scientists design underpants.
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Material 27 Dec 12: Unsung Heroes of Science
28:15
28:15
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28:15
Recorded in front of an audience Quentin Cooper and guests Adam Rutherford, Mark Miodownik, Vivienne Parry, Kevin Fong and Dallas Campbell, debate their unsung heroes of science.
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Material: IQ tests, life on Mars, Santa up a chimney
28:25
28:25
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28:25
Why IQ tests don't test intelligence, how a broken boiler control is hampering the search for life in Antarctica, why that frozen continent is a good model for life on mars and how Santa gets down a chimney courtesy of childrenâ??s presenters Dick and Dom.
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Material World::Prizes, Hobbits, archaeology+maths.
27:48
27:48
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27:48
The 3 million dollar physics prizes - but is giving science prizes fair ?How scientific is the home of Hobbits, Maths for the future of computing and solving the mystery of Piltdown man, who was really behind this 100 year old archaeological hoax?
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Material World: Climate Talks; James Watson
28:17
28:17
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28:17
With the on-going climate talks in Doha not hitting the headlines Quentin Cooper asks whether such large scale and largely incomprehensible meetings are effective at delivering anything worthwhile on climate change. Can science take the initiative from the policymakers and present the subject in a way which interests and inspires the public? We als…
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Material: Energy;Rats;Olive Oil;Romantic Chemistry
27:38
27:38
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27:38
Dr Dave Reay analyses the latest statement on Energy delivered by the Energy Secretary.The world’s largest ever rodent eradication project is taking place in South Georgia. Olive oil could be used to preserve ancient stone buildings and there's a Romantic Chemistry exhibition at the Royal Society.
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Material: Books, Intelligent roads, Old computers 22 Nov 12
28:05
28:05
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28:05
How to write award winning Science books, building intelligent roads to conserve energy and make our journeys safer and restoring a sixty year old computer.
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Material World; Wood burning for energy;Super Symmetry;;Drones;Sweat
28:06
28:06
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28:06
Can burning biomass in the form of wood appear to be a better idea than it really is? Can emotions be transmitted between humans via Chemosignals in people's sweat? Are reports of supersymmetry's demise highly exaggerated? Plus Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal of consortium ASTRAEA talks to Quentin about the testing of civilian applications for Unmanned A…
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Material: Bird deaths, Coffee, Ancient Tools
28:09
28:09
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28:09
Why are birds migrating to the UK falling out of the sky and dying? Loss of the wild Arabica coffee crop could have significant implications for the sustainability of high quality coffee and a haul of stone blades from a cave in South Africa suggests that early humans were already masters of complex technology more than 70,000 years ago. . .…
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Material World 1st Nov: Trees,1000 Genomes,Energy
28:17
28:17
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28:17
John Loughhead and Malcolm Wilkinson discuss the various challenges and possible solutions to storing electrical energy. Scientists have sequenced the genomes of 1,000 people to help researchers understand indicators of disease or medicinal effectiveness. And Ash dieback may be in the headlines but many other trees species are also being affected b…
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Material World 25 Oct: Earthquake, Ancient Tablets, See-through Soil
27:55
27:55
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27:55
Reaction to the six-year prison sentences handed to seven Italian scientific advisors for inadequate Lâ??Aquila earthquake risk communication.Dr Jacob Dahl is trying to decrypt one of the oldest known written languages, proto-Elamite.And Dr Leonel Dupuy describes his breakthrough in the development of a see-through soil.…
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Material World 18th Oct: Badgers, Ants and New Planets
28:14
28:14
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28:14
Lord Krebs, architect of the previous badger culling trial, on the scientific evidence surrounding the controversial policy. Plus Chris Lintott on the discovery of a new planet, Adam Hart talks about flying ants and Stuart Clark with space stamps.
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Material World 11th Oct: Nobel Prize Winners
28:08
28:08
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28:08
Quentin speaks with three of this year's winners of the Nobel Prize; Prof. Sir John Gurdon for Physiology or Medicine, Prof. Serge Haroche for Physics, and Prof. Brian Kobilka for Chemistry.
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Material World 4th October 2012: Retractions
28:07
28:07
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28:07
Retractions: what happens when published research is wrong? And ecologists ask the public to help them identify 2 million bat calls and test tube spiders
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Material World 27th September 2012: Gravity Fields
28:12
28:12
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28:12
Quentin Cooper visits the "Gravity Fields" festival in Grantham, Lincs., which aims to celebrate the legacy of the town's most famous son, Sir Isaac Newton.
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Material World 20 September 2012: Climate computer modelling, flies and bumblebees
28:13
28:13
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28:13
This week on Material World; how climate computer modelling is being used to determine future UK energy policy. Also how flies could help feed the world and bees find their food.
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Material World 13 September 2012: Social Media, Engineering, Voyager, Botany
28:13
28:13
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28:13
Material World this week is full of record breakers: an experiment involving 61 million people, an update on what is happening with the furthest-flung man-made object from Earth; the Voyager space craft, the largest botanical project ever completed - the Flora of Tropical East Africa and the biggest award for engineering - The Queen Elizabeth Prize…
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Material World 6 September: British Science Festival
28:13
28:13
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28:13
Quentin Cooper features some of the highlights of the British Science Festival in Aberdeen, including research into foods that could make us feel full for longer.
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Material World 30 August: Piano tuners' brains, exoplanets, and chimp justice
28:02
28:02
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28:02
Piano Tuners’ brains change over the course of their career, a solar system with two suns is discovered, geological unconformity on Mars, and chimps don’t do justice.
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Material World 23rd August: Mars; bomb-proof make-up; toilets of the future; hearing loss & bird song
28:16
28:16
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28:16
Quentin Cooper puts the peregrine among the pigeons and asks whether age-related hearing loss means birds with high song are missed off the all-important British bird surveys
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Material World 16th August 2012: Parkinson's disease, brain controlled suit
28:03
28:03
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28:03
How a child with total paralysis could kick a football using a brain-controlled suit and the study of radiation impact on animals and plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima.
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Material World: 06 Aug 12: NASA's Curiosity
27:41
27:41
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27:41
Quentin Cooper reports on the latest surface rover mission to Mars - NASA's Curiosity - twice as long, twice the science, and five times as heavy as its famous forebears.
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Material World 2nd Aug 2012: Phonics and neuroscience, mythical networks, and do animal have empathy?
28:13
28:13
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28:13
We take a look at phonics and neuroscience, find out what mathematics can teach us about the historical basis of the oldest classical texts and discuss whether or not animals have empathy.
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Material World 26th July 2012: Simulating a whole bacterium, UK tsunamis, melting Greenland ice, and herd behaviour.
28:01
28:01
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28:01
Scientists simulate the behaviour of the simplest bacterium; UK faces potential tsunami threat from underwater landslides; rapidly melting ice in Greenland causes a stir; Selfish herd behaviour in sheep.
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