http://www.odeo.com/channels/2092-The-Science-Show BenjaminHowell no RN's science flagship: your essential source of what's making news in the complex world of scientific research, scandal and discovery. The Science Show with Robyn Williams is one of the longest running programs on Australian radio. RN's science flagship: your essential source of what's making news in the complex world of scientific research, scandal and discovery. The Science Show with Robyn Williams is one of the longest running programs on Australian radio. RN's science flagship: your essential source of what's making news in the complex world of scientific research, scandal and discovery. The Science Show with Robyn Williams is one of the longest running programs on Australian radio. en 40 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800 Science http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25448959-Science-Show-2009-11-14 Chemistry improves brown coal In the third part of our Coal: beyond burning series, Nicky Phillips talks to Len Humphries, the CEO of Ignite Energy Resources, about a chemical technique his company has developed that can improve the efficiency of brown coal by more than 30%. Scientists at World Economic Forum meeting In 2007 The World Economic Forum launched its Annual Meeting of the New Champions. The aim is for business leaders from developing economies to meet with those from developed economies. Young global leaders are invited, as well as technology pioneers and, from 2008, scientists. So how did scientists get invited to a global meeting on business and the economy? Does the mix work? David Fisher reports from the 2009 meeting in Dalian China. Chemistry improves brown coal In the third part of our Coal: beyond burning series, Nicky Phillips talks to Len Humphries, the CEO of Ignite Energy Resources, about a chemical technique his company has developed that can improve the efficiency of brown coal by more than 30%. Scientists at World Economic Forum meeting In 2007 The World Economic Forum launched its Annual Meeting of the New Champions. The aim is for business leaders from developing economies to meet with those from developed economies. Young global leaders are invited, as well as technology pioneers and, from 2008, scientists. So how did scientists get invited to a global meeting on business and the economy? Does the mix work? David Fisher reports from the 2009 meeting in Dalian China. Chemistry improves brown coal In the third part of our Coal: beyond burning series, Nicky Phillips talks to Len Humphries, the CEO of Ignite Energy Resources, about a chemical technique his company has developed that can improve the efficiency of brown coal by more than 30%. Scientists at World Economic Forum meeting In 2007 The World Economic Forum launched its Annual Meeting of the New Champions. The aim is for business leaders from developing economies to meet with those from developed economies. Young global leaders are invited, as well as technology pioneers and, from 2008, scientists. So how did scientists get invited to a global meeting on business and the economy? Does the mix work? David Fisher reports from the 2009 meeting in Dalian China. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-13,25448959 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25415240-Science-Show-2009-11-07 Catch up on Coal In the second part of our series Coal: beyond burning, Nicky Phillips presents your responses to last week´s piece on alternative uses for coal. We also hear from Len Humphries, CEO of Ignite Energy and George Domazetis from La Trobe University about their ideas for the future. Multisensory dining and driving Professor Charles Spence from the Department of Experimental Psychology in Oxford explains why we should stimulate all the senses to maximise our dining experience (what colour should snail porridge be?). He´s been working with Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Berkshire on his molecular gastronomy menu. He also believes we should use multisensory stimulation to help direct our attention when driving to avoid accidents. Studying Top End biodiversity Australian flora and fauna is poorly understood, partly because of the huge distances involved in studying them, especially up in the Top End. Drs Danielle Warfe and Erica Garcia from Charles Darwin University ar... Catch up on Coal In the second part of our series Coal: beyond burning, Nicky Phillips presents your responses to last week´s piece on alternative uses for coal. We also hear from Len Humphries, CEO of Ignite Energy and George Domazetis from La Trobe University about their ideas for the future. Multisensory dining and driving Professor Charles Spence from the Department of Experimental Psychology in Oxford explains why we should stimulate all the senses to maximise our dining experience (what colour should snail porridge be?). He´s been working with Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Berkshire on his molecular gastronomy menu. He also believes we should use multisensory stimulation to help direct our attention when driving to avoid accidents. Studying Top End biodiversity Australian flora and fauna is poorly understood, partly because of the huge distances involved in studying them, especially up in the Top End. Drs Danielle Warfe and Erica Garcia from Charles Darwin University are studying river ecosystems and food webs there to try and understand the interactions between species a bit better. Catch up on Coal In the second part of our series Coal: beyond burning, Nicky Phillips presents your responses to last week´s piece on alternative uses for coal. We also hear from Len Humphries, CEO of Ignite Energy and George Domazetis from La Trobe University about their ideas for the future. Multisensory dining and driving Professor Charles Spence from the Department of Experimental Psychology in Oxford explains why we should stimulate all the senses to maximise our dining experience (what colour should snail porridge be?). He´s been working with Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Berkshire on his molecular gastronomy menu. He also believes we should use multisensory stimulation to help direct our attention when driving to avoid accidents. Studying Top End biodiversity Australian flora and fauna is poorly understood, partly because of the huge distances involved in studying them, especially up in the Top End. Drs Danielle Warfe and Erica Garcia from Charles Darwin University are studying river ecosystems and food webs there to try and understand the interactions between species a bit better. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-06,25415240 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25391510-Science-Show-2009-10-31 Coal: beyond burning Australia, like many countries, has vast resources of coal, but what can we do with it if we don´t burn it? Why burn coal? Could our vast supplies of Australian coal be used other than for running power stations? How about a chemical or plastics industry, or as a fertiliser on the land? The Science Show will review the options and ask for your input on the possibilities; the Prime Minister´s prizes for science announced this week. The Prime Minister's prizes for science Electrical engineer Dr John O´Sullivan, the inventor of high-speed networking known as WiFi, was the recipient of the Prime Minister´s Prize for Science for 2009. Other winners included Amanda Barnard for her work in nanotechnology and Michael Cowley for his research into metabolism and obesity. The prizes were present by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at a ceremony in Canberra this week. Alternative uses of coal Could our vast supplies of Australian coal be used other than for running power stations?... Coal: beyond burning Australia, like many countries, has vast resources of coal, but what can we do with it if we don´t burn it? Why burn coal? Could our vast supplies of Australian coal be used other than for running power stations? How about a chemical or plastics industry, or as a fertiliser on the land? The Science Show will review the options and ask for your input on the possibilities; the Prime Minister´s prizes for science announced this week. The Prime Minister's prizes for science Electrical engineer Dr John O´Sullivan, the inventor of high-speed networking known as WiFi, was the recipient of the Prime Minister´s Prize for Science for 2009. Other winners included Amanda Barnard for her work in nanotechnology and Michael Cowley for his research into metabolism and obesity. The prizes were present by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at a ceremony in Canberra this week. Alternative uses of coal Could our vast supplies of Australian coal be used other than for running power stations? In this special Science Show series, Coal: beyond burning, we´ll review the options and ask for your input on the possibilities. Coal: beyond burning Australia, like many countries, has vast resources of coal, but what can we do with it if we don´t burn it? Why burn coal? Could our vast supplies of Australian coal be used other than for running power stations? How about a chemical or plastics industry, or as a fertiliser on the land? The Science Show will review the options and ask for your input on the possibilities; the Prime Minister´s prizes for science announced this week. The Prime Minister's prizes for science Electrical engineer Dr John O´Sullivan, the inventor of high-speed networking known as WiFi, was the recipient of the Prime Minister´s Prize for Science for 2009. Other winners included Amanda Barnard for her work in nanotechnology and Michael Cowley for his research into metabolism and obesity. The prizes were present by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at a ceremony in Canberra this week. Alternative uses of coal Could our vast supplies of Australian coal be used other than for running power stations? In this special Science Show series, Coal: beyond burning, we´ll review the options and ask for your input on the possibilities. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-30,25391510 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25361611-Science-Show-2009-10-24 Coastal erosion and king tides Coastal erosion is a significant problem in Australia, as with many other nations, and it's set to get worse. Reinhard Flick is studying the problem at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California. But he's also an expert on king tides. He says they can be predicted well into the future, which is pretty useful to know if you live on the coast. Business tackles Copenhagen How to deal with science-driven upheavals in board rooms around the world? Why not ask the A-Team for help? The Smith School of Environment and Enterprise in Oxford has an international team especially equipped to explain what´s involved to cope with climate, sustainability, and all the other headings demanded by looming legislation. They include Sir David King, former Chief Scientist in the UK, as well as experts from many nations. In the lead-up to the UN's Climate Change Conference in December, we meet some of the school´s key people and hear about their big plans for our f... Coastal erosion and king tides Coastal erosion is a significant problem in Australia, as with many other nations, and it's set to get worse. Reinhard Flick is studying the problem at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California. But he's also an expert on king tides. He says they can be predicted well into the future, which is pretty useful to know if you live on the coast. Business tackles Copenhagen How to deal with science-driven upheavals in board rooms around the world? Why not ask the A-Team for help? The Smith School of Environment and Enterprise in Oxford has an international team especially equipped to explain what´s involved to cope with climate, sustainability, and all the other headings demanded by looming legislation. They include Sir David King, former Chief Scientist in the UK, as well as experts from many nations. In the lead-up to the UN's Climate Change Conference in December, we meet some of the school´s key people and hear about their big plans for our future. Coastal erosion and king tides Coastal erosion is a significant problem in Australia, as with many other nations, and it's set to get worse. Reinhard Flick is studying the problem at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California. But he's also an expert on king tides. He says they can be predicted well into the future, which is pretty useful to know if you live on the coast. Business tackles Copenhagen How to deal with science-driven upheavals in board rooms around the world? Why not ask the A-Team for help? The Smith School of Environment and Enterprise in Oxford has an international team especially equipped to explain what´s involved to cope with climate, sustainability, and all the other headings demanded by looming legislation. They include Sir David King, former Chief Scientist in the UK, as well as experts from many nations. In the lead-up to the UN's Climate Change Conference in December, we meet some of the school´s key people and hear about their big plans for our future. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-23,25361611 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25300513-Science-Show-2009-10-17 Life on Mars Scientists have being trying to find life on Mars for years. First they found water. Another glimpse of hope came when methane was detected, which scientists suggest could be produced by living microbes. Lewis Dartnell is studying the cosmic rays that beat down on Mars, to determine how far into the Martian surfaces scientists may have to dig to find life. Planet formation Sarah Maddison is studying how planets form. She´s looking at young planetary systems outside our own, which have revealed significant insights into how the planets in our own solar system formed. Listening to ice break When an iceberg moves in the Southern Ocean, or an Antarctic ice shelf calves Kim Klacka and Alex Gavrilov are listening. The two men have been recording the sounds of ice breaking and moving for the last seven year. Only they´ve been listening from the comfort of their office in Perth. They´re trying to establish whether the calving rate of Antarctica´s ice shelves is staying within n... Life on Mars Scientists have being trying to find life on Mars for years. First they found water. Another glimpse of hope came when methane was detected, which scientists suggest could be produced by living microbes. Lewis Dartnell is studying the cosmic rays that beat down on Mars, to determine how far into the Martian surfaces scientists may have to dig to find life. Planet formation Sarah Maddison is studying how planets form. She´s looking at young planetary systems outside our own, which have revealed significant insights into how the planets in our own solar system formed. Listening to ice break When an iceberg moves in the Southern Ocean, or an Antarctic ice shelf calves Kim Klacka and Alex Gavrilov are listening. The two men have been recording the sounds of ice breaking and moving for the last seven year. Only they´ve been listening from the comfort of their office in Perth. They´re trying to establish whether the calving rate of Antarctica´s ice shelves is staying within natural bounds or steadily increasing. Nature and gender Faith Ochwada loves being a girl, she´s loved being a girl all her life. But gender isn´t static in humans or the animal world, and as Faith describes there are some distinct advantages to being able to change sexes. Buffalo in the Top End There are now more than 150,000 wild buffalo in the Top End of Australia. They are reproducing at a spectacular rate: a female can conceive at the age of just over 3; a bull is capable of siring young at 5. As the beasts spread across tropical Australia there is always the fear of disasters such as foot-and-mouth disease, potentially costing over $23 billion. Clive McMahon at Charles Darwin University is studying the threat. Ig Nobel prizes Think of the Ig Nobels as the Nobel Prizes´ cheeky cousins. They were awarded this year for such unusual research as gas-mask bras, naming cows so they produce more milk and diamonds made from tequila. Sarah Castor-Perry reports. Life on Mars Scientists have being trying to find life on Mars for years. First they found water. Another glimpse of hope came when methane was detected, which scientists suggest could be produced by living microbes. Lewis Dartnell is studying the cosmic rays that beat down on Mars, to determine how far into the Martian surfaces scientists may have to dig to find life. Planet formation Sarah Maddison is studying how planets form. She´s looking at young planetary systems outside our own, which have revealed significant insights into how the planets in our own solar system formed. Listening to ice break When an iceberg moves in the Southern Ocean, or an Antarctic ice shelf calves Kim Klacka and Alex Gavrilov are listening. The two men have been recording the sounds of ice breaking and moving for the last seven year. Only they´ve been listening from the comfort of their office in Perth. They´re trying to establish whether the calving rate of Antarctica´s ice shelves is staying within natural bounds or steadily increasing. Nature and gender Faith Ochwada loves being a girl, she´s loved being a girl all her life. But gender isn´t static in humans or the animal world, and as Faith describes there are some distinct advantages to being able to change sexes. Buffalo in the Top End There are now more than 150,000 wild buffalo in the Top End of Australia. They are reproducing at a spectacular rate: a female can conceive at the age of just over 3; a bull is capable of siring young at 5. As the beasts spread across tropical Australia there is always the fear of disasters such as foot-and-mouth disease, potentially costing over $23 billion. Clive McMahon at Charles Darwin University is studying the threat. Ig Nobel prizes Think of the Ig Nobels as the Nobel Prizes´ cheeky cousins. They were awarded this year for such unusual research as gas-mask bras, naming cows so they produce more milk and diamonds made from tequila. Sarah Castor-Perry reports. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-16,25300513 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25262740-Science-Show-2009-10-10 Nobel prizes This years Nobel prizes saw molecular biologist Dr Elizabeth Blackburn become Australia's first Nobel laureate. Blackburn, and her colleagues Carol Greider and Jack Szostak, were honoured for their work with telomeres and cell divison. The research has not only revolutionised our understanding of ageing, but holds great promise for cancer treatment. Nicky Phillips and Sarah Castor-Perry give a full report of the prizes. Climate change and wine Australia is already feeling the effects of climate change, but how will it affect winemaking, one of the country´s major industries? Sarah Castor-Perry talks to Dr Leanne Webb from CSIRO and to winemakers themselves about the changes the industry faces and how they can deal with them. Darwin Centre The new Darwin Centre has opened at the National History Museum in London. Join Robyn Williams as he tours the centre. Nobel prizes This years Nobel prizes saw molecular biologist Dr Elizabeth Blackburn become Australia's first Nobel laureate. Blackburn, and her colleagues Carol Greider and Jack Szostak, were honoured for their work with telomeres and cell divison. The research has not only revolutionised our understanding of ageing, but holds great promise for cancer treatment. Nicky Phillips and Sarah Castor-Perry give a full report of the prizes. Climate change and wine Australia is already feeling the effects of climate change, but how will it affect winemaking, one of the country´s major industries? Sarah Castor-Perry talks to Dr Leanne Webb from CSIRO and to winemakers themselves about the changes the industry faces and how they can deal with them. Darwin Centre The new Darwin Centre has opened at the National History Museum in London. Join Robyn Williams as he tours the centre. Nobel prizes This years Nobel prizes saw molecular biologist Dr Elizabeth Blackburn become Australia's first Nobel laureate. Blackburn, and her colleagues Carol Greider and Jack Szostak, were honoured for their work with telomeres and cell divison. The research has not only revolutionised our understanding of ageing, but holds great promise for cancer treatment. Nicky Phillips and Sarah Castor-Perry give a full report of the prizes. Climate change and wine Australia is already feeling the effects of climate change, but how will it affect winemaking, one of the country´s major industries? Sarah Castor-Perry talks to Dr Leanne Webb from CSIRO and to winemakers themselves about the changes the industry faces and how they can deal with them. Darwin Centre The new Darwin Centre has opened at the National History Museum in London. Join Robyn Williams as he tours the centre. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-09,25262740 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25225573-Science-Show-2009-10-03 Attitudes to climate change Despite the science becoming clearer, a survey has shown up to about 20% of people are still sceptical about climate change; whether it exists, and if it does, whether human activities area related. These figures are from Britain. Scepticism is greater in the United States. Solar thermal electricity Sarah Castor-Perry presents an update on research into solar thermal electricity. Colin Duck describes a demonstration plant at the Liddell Power Station in NSW. Rows of mirrors concentrate heat from the sun which turns water to steam in a central tube. This steam then drives turbines producing electricity. Bob Matthews says an area 50km square would be enough to supply all the electricity required in Australia. Getting the noise out of electric motors Despite being about 200 years old, some electric motors as still quite noisy. Greg Hynes's aim is to reduce noise. He measures torque, current and other attributes and has been able to reduce some noise by up to... Attitudes to climate change Despite the science becoming clearer, a survey has shown up to about 20% of people are still sceptical about climate change; whether it exists, and if it does, whether human activities area related. These figures are from Britain. Scepticism is greater in the United States. Solar thermal electricity Sarah Castor-Perry presents an update on research into solar thermal electricity. Colin Duck describes a demonstration plant at the Liddell Power Station in NSW. Rows of mirrors concentrate heat from the sun which turns water to steam in a central tube. This steam then drives turbines producing electricity. Bob Matthews says an area 50km square would be enough to supply all the electricity required in Australia. Getting the noise out of electric motors Despite being about 200 years old, some electric motors as still quite noisy. Greg Hynes's aim is to reduce noise. He measures torque, current and other attributes and has been able to reduce some noise by up to a factor of 9. Water found on the Moon Scientists have confirmed the presence of water on the moon. Rather than occurring in rivers or lakes, water is found sparsely mixed amongst rocks. It´s suggested the water came from comets, or the combination of incoming protons with oxygen. Jonathan Nally described the latest experiments where spacecraft will be sent crashing into the lunar surface, sending up plumes of dust, which will be analysed for further evidence of water. Birds - smarter than we ever realised Chris Bird studies crows. These intelligent birds craft tools to solve problems such as getting worms out of a tube with wire turned into a hook. And amazingly, they can do this without being taught. Hand reared birds do it. The tasks are performed without learning. The birds have the intelligence to solve the problem. They are on par with tasks performed by mammals which have much bigger brains with different architecture. Australia´s Royal Institution opens in Adelaide The Royal Institution has just opened in Adelaide. Its aim is to spread the word about science and its role in improving society and the world in which we live. The RI is setting up the Bragg Initiative. Named after the famous father and son team, William Lawrence and William Henry, it is designed to infect people with enthusiasm about science. Lawrence Krauss - untangling entanglement Lawrence Kraus attempts to explain quantum mechanics and entanglement. He says the Large Hadron Collider has the potential to open up a whole new perspective on the world. Our picture of the universe has changed so much in the last decade. So is there another universe out there? Frank Close - getting closer to nothing Aristotle said there was no such thing as nothing. Was he right? What is left when you take matter away? Anything? Or quantum froth? So what was present before the Big Bang? Anything? Or nothing? For twelve minutes, Frank Close talks to Robyn Williams about nothing. Attitudes to climate change Despite the science becoming clearer, a survey has shown up to about 20% of people are still sceptical about climate change; whether it exists, and if it does, whether human activities area related. These figures are from Britain. Scepticism is greater in the United States. Solar thermal electricity Sarah Castor-Perry presents an update on research into solar thermal electricity. Colin Duck describes a demonstration plant at the Liddell Power Station in NSW. Rows of mirrors concentrate heat from the sun which turns water to steam in a central tube. This steam then drives turbines producing electricity. Bob Matthews says an area 50km square would be enough to supply all the electricity required in Australia. Getting the noise out of electric motors Despite being about 200 years old, some electric motors as still quite noisy. Greg Hynes's aim is to reduce noise. He measures torque, current and other attributes and has been able to reduce some noise by up to a factor of 9. Water found on the Moon Scientists have confirmed the presence of water on the moon. Rather than occurring in rivers or lakes, water is found sparsely mixed amongst rocks. It´s suggested the water came from comets, or the combination of incoming protons with oxygen. Jonathan Nally described the latest experiments where spacecraft will be sent crashing into the lunar surface, sending up plumes of dust, which will be analysed for further evidence of water. Birds - smarter than we ever realised Chris Bird studies crows. These intelligent birds craft tools to solve problems such as getting worms out of a tube with wire turned into a hook. And amazingly, they can do this without being taught. Hand reared birds do it. The tasks are performed without learning. The birds have the intelligence to solve the problem. They are on par with tasks performed by mammals which have much bigger brains with different architecture. Australia´s Royal Institution opens in Adelaide The Royal Institution has just opened in Adelaide. Its aim is to spread the word about science and its role in improving society and the world in which we live. The RI is setting up the Bragg Initiative. Named after the famous father and son team, William Lawrence and William Henry, it is designed to infect people with enthusiasm about science. Lawrence Krauss - untangling entanglement Lawrence Kraus attempts to explain quantum mechanics and entanglement. He says the Large Hadron Collider has the potential to open up a whole new perspective on the world. Our picture of the universe has changed so much in the last decade. So is there another universe out there? Frank Close - getting closer to nothing Aristotle said there was no such thing as nothing. Was he right? What is left when you take matter away? Anything? Or quantum froth? So what was present before the Big Bang? Anything? Or nothing? For twelve minutes, Frank Close talks to Robyn Williams about nothing. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-02,25225573 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25187674-Science-Show-2009-09-26 The beginnings of quantum computing A quantum algorithm has been encoded on a chip for the first time. The approach is known as waveguide on chip. It was first proposed in 2001. Single photons of light are controlled and store information. Compared to an electron spin or a neutron spin, a photon doesn´t react with the environment and thus has very low noise. When used in computing, it increases the speed and power of the computer many times. The challenge has been in preserving the information encoded. Shining light on dark matter The matter in the universe which we know, such as stars and planets comprises just half of one per cent of all the matter. Five per cent is diffuse gas between the stars. Dark energy and dark matter consisting of different fundamental particles comprises the rest. Newtonian gravity and general relativity work at the scale of the solar system. But these concepts change or at least are brought into question on larger scales. So what is dark matter? Alex Murp... The beginnings of quantum computing A quantum algorithm has been encoded on a chip for the first time. The approach is known as waveguide on chip. It was first proposed in 2001. Single photons of light are controlled and store information. Compared to an electron spin or a neutron spin, a photon doesn´t react with the environment and thus has very low noise. When used in computing, it increases the speed and power of the computer many times. The challenge has been in preserving the information encoded. Shining light on dark matter The matter in the universe which we know, such as stars and planets comprises just half of one per cent of all the matter. Five per cent is diffuse gas between the stars. Dark energy and dark matter consisting of different fundamental particles comprises the rest. Newtonian gravity and general relativity work at the scale of the solar system. But these concepts change or at least are brought into question on larger scales. So what is dark matter? Alex Murphy suggests a range of particles exist mirroring the basic particles we´re familiar with such as protons and neutrons. They´ve been named the super symmetric positron and the super symmetric electron. Nullarbor meteorite Scientists from Australia and Europe have discovered a bizarre type of melted meteorite in the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia. Head of the research Dr Phil Bland from Imperial College London talks about how they tracked the meteor falling through the atmosphere with a new camera network. The meteorite gives scientists clues about the origin of our solar system. Georgian bones rewrite story of human evolution David Lordkipanidze suggests that humans could have originated in Eurasia, not in Africa as previously thought. Fossilsed skeletons from the Dmanisi archaeology site in Georgia point to human ancestors leaving Africa 1.8 million years ago, far earlier tha was previously estimated. Before Dmanisi, the prevailing view was that early humans left Africa around 1 million years ago. Algae to fuel aviation? Can algae be a successful fuel source? For aircraft? Algae captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rather than releasing carbon trapped in fossil fuels. But considering fertilizer and other inputs, do the sums add up? Is there an overall saving? Naomi Fowler reports. Phytophthera genome mapped The genome of Phytophthera has been mapped. Phytophthera is a water mould but behaves like a fungus. The genome is large and shows areas of repetition, indicating resilience as it attacks crops like potatoes. This repetition allows it to evolve faster. Phytophthera has been responsible for destruction of potato crops, the most famous being in Ireland from 1845 when the population was reduced by nearly 25%. Biochemistry of plant pathogens Some plants make potent insecticidal molecules. Flowers are rich in antibiotics. After Marilyn Andeson isolates the chemicals, Kim Plumber tries to determine how these chemicals work. Applications of this work is in engineering crops such as corn to be resistant to attack from fungus. The beginnings of quantum computing A quantum algorithm has been encoded on a chip for the first time. The approach is known as waveguide on chip. It was first proposed in 2001. Single photons of light are controlled and store information. Compared to an electron spin or a neutron spin, a photon doesn´t react with the environment and thus has very low noise. When used in computing, it increases the speed and power of the computer many times. The challenge has been in preserving the information encoded. Shining light on dark matter The matter in the universe which we know, such as stars and planets comprises just half of one per cent of all the matter. Five per cent is diffuse gas between the stars. Dark energy and dark matter consisting of different fundamental particles comprises the rest. Newtonian gravity and general relativity work at the scale of the solar system. But these concepts change or at least are brought into question on larger scales. So what is dark matter? Alex Murphy suggests a range of particles exist mirroring the basic particles we´re familiar with such as protons and neutrons. They´ve been named the super symmetric positron and the super symmetric electron. Nullarbor meteorite Scientists from Australia and Europe have discovered a bizarre type of melted meteorite in the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia. Head of the research Dr Phil Bland from Imperial College London talks about how they tracked the meteor falling through the atmosphere with a new camera network. The meteorite gives scientists clues about the origin of our solar system. Georgian bones rewrite story of human evolution David Lordkipanidze suggests that humans could have originated in Eurasia, not in Africa as previously thought. Fossilsed skeletons from the Dmanisi archaeology site in Georgia point to human ancestors leaving Africa 1.8 million years ago, far earlier tha was previously estimated. Before Dmanisi, the prevailing view was that early humans left Africa around 1 million years ago. Algae to fuel aviation? Can algae be a successful fuel source? For aircraft? Algae captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere rather than releasing carbon trapped in fossil fuels. But considering fertilizer and other inputs, do the sums add up? Is there an overall saving? Naomi Fowler reports. Phytophthera genome mapped The genome of Phytophthera has been mapped. Phytophthera is a water mould but behaves like a fungus. The genome is large and shows areas of repetition, indicating resilience as it attacks crops like potatoes. This repetition allows it to evolve faster. Phytophthera has been responsible for destruction of potato crops, the most famous being in Ireland from 1845 when the population was reduced by nearly 25%. Biochemistry of plant pathogens Some plants make potent insecticidal molecules. Flowers are rich in antibiotics. After Marilyn Andeson isolates the chemicals, Kim Plumber tries to determine how these chemicals work. Applications of this work is in engineering crops such as corn to be resistant to attack from fungus. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-25,25187674 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25149293-Science-Show-2009-09-19 Muscular dystrophy - genomics raises hopes Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a degenerative disease that strikes around 1 in 3,000 boys every year. Symptoms appear when they are toddlers and most do not live beyond their early twenties. There is currently no effective treatment, but now some new work is giving hope. Professor Dame Kay Davies from the University of Oxford explains how they can trick muscle cells into thinking they are in the developmental stage so they produce utrophin, a protein that can completely remove all muscular dystrophy symptoms. Following successful animal trials, human trials have started and she is very optimistic about the future. Cashing in on carbon capture The UK could soon start selling space in saltwater aquifers under the North Sea to store waste Carbon Dioxide. Stuart Haszeldine and colleagues at the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage believe Carbon capture and storage offers a quick reduction of CO2 emissions, and buys time for nations to research r... Muscular dystrophy - genomics raises hopes Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a degenerative disease that strikes around 1 in 3,000 boys every year. Symptoms appear when they are toddlers and most do not live beyond their early twenties. There is currently no effective treatment, but now some new work is giving hope. Professor Dame Kay Davies from the University of Oxford explains how they can trick muscle cells into thinking they are in the developmental stage so they produce utrophin, a protein that can completely remove all muscular dystrophy symptoms. Following successful animal trials, human trials have started and she is very optimistic about the future. Cashing in on carbon capture The UK could soon start selling space in saltwater aquifers under the North Sea to store waste Carbon Dioxide. Stuart Haszeldine and colleagues at the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage believe Carbon capture and storage offers a quick reduction of CO2 emissions, and buys time for nations to research renewable energy sources. Oh, and it´s a nice little earner for those that own the underground areas into which the liquefied CO2 will be pumped. The cooperation conundrum Any system of cooperation is vulnerable to cheats - something that vexed Charles Darwin and still causes problems today. Bob May discusses how religion might make us less likely to cheat and how our cheating instincts could cause problems at the Copenhagen conference on climate change in December 2009. Creating art with bugs At the British Association Science Festival in Guilford, Surrey, artists Heather Barnett and Anne Brodie explain how to use slime moulds and bioluminescent bacteria to produce works of art. Green light for green racing car Kerry Kirwan explains how to build a Formula One racing car with a top speed of 135 mph out of old carrots and how to power it with waste chocolate, cheese and wine. He hopes that this green car building technology will filter down to domestic vehicles one day. Kiwi bees to the rescue A huge decline in bumblebee numbers in the UK has led scientists to look to New Zealand to find replacements. Species introduced from the UK to New Zealand 120 years ago are being brought home by Nikki Gammans to help pollinate native wildflowers, fruits and vegetables. Breaking the reproductive mould A cyanobacterium and a fungus have become the unlikely subjects of an inter-kingdom porno movie. It challenges our views on mating and gene transfer - Lynn Margulis explains how this links to symbionts, the mitochondria in our own cells and that gene transfer between different organisms is more common than most people think. Muscular dystrophy - genomics raises hopes Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a degenerative disease that strikes around 1 in 3,000 boys every year. Symptoms appear when they are toddlers and most do not live beyond their early twenties. There is currently no effective treatment, but now some new work is giving hope. Professor Dame Kay Davies from the University of Oxford explains how they can trick muscle cells into thinking they are in the developmental stage so they produce utrophin, a protein that can completely remove all muscular dystrophy symptoms. Following successful animal trials, human trials have started and she is very optimistic about the future. Cashing in on carbon capture The UK could soon start selling space in saltwater aquifers under the North Sea to store waste Carbon Dioxide. Stuart Haszeldine and colleagues at the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage believe Carbon capture and storage offers a quick reduction of CO2 emissions, and buys time for nations to research renewable energy sources. Oh, and it´s a nice little earner for those that own the underground areas into which the liquefied CO2 will be pumped. The cooperation conundrum Any system of cooperation is vulnerable to cheats - something that vexed Charles Darwin and still causes problems today. Bob May discusses how religion might make us less likely to cheat and how our cheating instincts could cause problems at the Copenhagen conference on climate change in December 2009. Creating art with bugs At the British Association Science Festival in Guilford, Surrey, artists Heather Barnett and Anne Brodie explain how to use slime moulds and bioluminescent bacteria to produce works of art. Green light for green racing car Kerry Kirwan explains how to build a Formula One racing car with a top speed of 135 mph out of old carrots and how to power it with waste chocolate, cheese and wine. He hopes that this green car building technology will filter down to domestic vehicles one day. Kiwi bees to the rescue A huge decline in bumblebee numbers in the UK has led scientists to look to New Zealand to find replacements. Species introduced from the UK to New Zealand 120 years ago are being brought home by Nikki Gammans to help pollinate native wildflowers, fruits and vegetables. Breaking the reproductive mould A cyanobacterium and a fungus have become the unlikely subjects of an inter-kingdom porno movie. It challenges our views on mating and gene transfer - Lynn Margulis explains how this links to symbionts, the mitochondria in our own cells and that gene transfer between different organisms is more common than most people think. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-18,25149293 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25110451-Science-Show-2009-09-12 Naked in LA We´ve been promised The Science Show would go naked in LA this week. While Americans have been spared the sight of Robyn streaking down Hollywood Boulevard, we join The Naked Scientists radio program for their jaunt through San Diego and beyond. When Chris Smith isn´t speaking to Fran Kelly on Radio National's Breakfast, or delivering lectures on virology to Cambridge medical students, he runs a popular science radio program heard on the BBC and online. In this edition of The Naked Scientists we hear about designing underwater robots, how your friends´ diets and weight can affect yours, and how plants control when and how they grow. Naked in LA We´ve been promised The Science Show would go naked in LA this week. While Americans have been spared the sight of Robyn streaking down Hollywood Boulevard, we join The Naked Scientists radio program for their jaunt through San Diego and beyond. When Chris Smith isn´t speaking to Fran Kelly on Radio National's Breakfast, or delivering lectures on virology to Cambridge medical students, he runs a popular science radio program heard on the BBC and online. In this edition of The Naked Scientists we hear about designing underwater robots, how your friends´ diets and weight can affect yours, and how plants control when and how they grow. Naked in LA We´ve been promised The Science Show would go naked in LA this week. While Americans have been spared the sight of Robyn streaking down Hollywood Boulevard, we join The Naked Scientists radio program for their jaunt through San Diego and beyond. When Chris Smith isn´t speaking to Fran Kelly on Radio National's Breakfast, or delivering lectures on virology to Cambridge medical students, he runs a popular science radio program heard on the BBC and online. In this edition of The Naked Scientists we hear about designing underwater robots, how your friends´ diets and weight can affect yours, and how plants control when and how they grow. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-11,25110451 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25075192-Science-Show-2009-09-05 Genius in Germany This may be one of the greatest concentrations of massive IQs in broadcasting history. Put a `scintillation´ of Nobel laureates together with an `effervescence´ of young talented hopefuls and see what happens. David Fisher is in Lindau, Germany, as some of the top scientists of our age meet with up and coming researchers from around the world. Listen to the future on this Science Show special. Genius in Germany This may be one of the greatest concentrations of massive IQs in broadcasting history. Put a `scintillation´ of Nobel laureates together with an `effervescence´ of young talented hopefuls and see what happens. David Fisher is in Lindau, Germany, as some of the top scientists of our age meet with up and coming researchers from around the world. Listen to the future on this Science Show special. Genius in Germany This may be one of the greatest concentrations of massive IQs in broadcasting history. Put a `scintillation´ of Nobel laureates together with an `effervescence´ of young talented hopefuls and see what happens. David Fisher is in Lindau, Germany, as some of the top scientists of our age meet with up and coming researchers from around the world. Listen to the future on this Science Show special. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-04,25075192 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25039692-Science-Show-2009-08-29 Emission from ships Ships burn a very dirty fuel, with high sulphur content. When this fuel is burnt, the emissions contain large amounts of sulphur dioxide, and sulphates in the solid particles. Global sulphur emissions attributable to ships are close to 10%. Ships are supposed to burn cleaner fuel close to shore to protect people who live there. Gerardo Dominguez measures emissions from ships and has found specific isotopic signatures which allows them to be tracked. Chemicals on the Great Barrier Reef Chemicals from land runoff have been traced to algae and sea grasses in river mouths and coastal zones along the Great Barrier Reef. Flushing times vary and are contested. Effects include retardation of photosynthesis and growth. Other pressures on the reef include high water temperature and increasing water acidity. Inoculating fish in Vietnam Catfish is a major fish export in Vietnam. They are grown in ponds along the Mekong River. Peter Coloe compares it to poultry production. Th... Emission from ships Ships burn a very dirty fuel, with high sulphur content. When this fuel is burnt, the emissions contain large amounts of sulphur dioxide, and sulphates in the solid particles. Global sulphur emissions attributable to ships are close to 10%. Ships are supposed to burn cleaner fuel close to shore to protect people who live there. Gerardo Dominguez measures emissions from ships and has found specific isotopic signatures which allows them to be tracked. Chemicals on the Great Barrier Reef Chemicals from land runoff have been traced to algae and sea grasses in river mouths and coastal zones along the Great Barrier Reef. Flushing times vary and are contested. Effects include retardation of photosynthesis and growth. Other pressures on the reef include high water temperature and increasing water acidity. Inoculating fish in Vietnam Catfish is a major fish export in Vietnam. They are grown in ponds along the Mekong River. Peter Coloe compares it to poultry production. The fish suffer from various diseases which Peter Coloe is working on. Using live vaccines, the fish are inoculated in dip tanks. The vaccine invades through the gills and stimulates the immune system. The ponds carry up to 30 fish per cubic metre. Untreated infections travel fast and can wipe out stocks quickly. Fish in the Congo The Congo is a large meandering African River. The lower Congo is different. This occurs after the river spills over the side of a raised plateau and flows to the Atlantic Ocean. From Kinshasa to the ocean is about 200Km, and here elevation changes 280 metres producing very fast rapids. The river drains central Africa and this river passes through a narrow gorge. It´s an extreme river system. Over 300 species of fish are found in the rapids. Melanie Stiassny says the gorge drives evolution of fish in this region. Star Trek - the prequel Lawrence Krauss discusses Star Trek - the prequel. Various alterations to physical laws disturb him. But maybe viewers just need to accept the film as they accept the weird nature of quantum mechanics. As we search for the basic particles of matter, Krauss asks whether another universe is needed to understand our own universe. Indian snake charmers Bahar Dutt grew up living close to snake charmers. As a journalist she investigated how this group of people survive in modern India where laws disallow the use of wild animals. There are 200,000 snake charmers. Bahar Dutt discovered the charmers take a scientific approach to their dealing with snakes. The charmers look into snake behaviour, and observe micro environments. The cobra has a hood which flares up. It´s a posture of self defence in response to the stick which is waved in front rather than a response to the music. Bahar Dutt developed the concept of snake educators, teaching people about snakes. They also do animal welfare work getting snakes out of houses. Slime moulds - Dictyoselium A handful of soil will contain thousands of Dictyoselium, amoeba-like separate cells which when challenged by adverse conditions, aggregate to form a migrating mass. These are slime moulds. The mould has a front and a back and distinct structures. This aggregation is seen as a defence against adverse conditions such as lack of food. Emission from ships Ships burn a very dirty fuel, with high sulphur content. When this fuel is burnt, the emissions contain large amounts of sulphur dioxide, and sulphates in the solid particles. Global sulphur emissions attributable to ships are close to 10%. Ships are supposed to burn cleaner fuel close to shore to protect people who live there. Gerardo Dominguez measures emissions from ships and has found specific isotopic signatures which allows them to be tracked. Chemicals on the Great Barrier Reef Chemicals from land runoff have been traced to algae and sea grasses in river mouths and coastal zones along the Great Barrier Reef. Flushing times vary and are contested. Effects include retardation of photosynthesis and growth. Other pressures on the reef include high water temperature and increasing water acidity. Inoculating fish in Vietnam Catfish is a major fish export in Vietnam. They are grown in ponds along the Mekong River. Peter Coloe compares it to poultry production. The fish suffer from various diseases which Peter Coloe is working on. Using live vaccines, the fish are inoculated in dip tanks. The vaccine invades through the gills and stimulates the immune system. The ponds carry up to 30 fish per cubic metre. Untreated infections travel fast and can wipe out stocks quickly. Fish in the Congo The Congo is a large meandering African River. The lower Congo is different. This occurs after the river spills over the side of a raised plateau and flows to the Atlantic Ocean. From Kinshasa to the ocean is about 200Km, and here elevation changes 280 metres producing very fast rapids. The river drains central Africa and this river passes through a narrow gorge. It´s an extreme river system. Over 300 species of fish are found in the rapids. Melanie Stiassny says the gorge drives evolution of fish in this region. Star Trek - the prequel Lawrence Krauss discusses Star Trek - the prequel. Various alterations to physical laws disturb him. But maybe viewers just need to accept the film as they accept the weird nature of quantum mechanics. As we search for the basic particles of matter, Krauss asks whether another universe is needed to understand our own universe. Indian snake charmers Bahar Dutt grew up living close to snake charmers. As a journalist she investigated how this group of people survive in modern India where laws disallow the use of wild animals. There are 200,000 snake charmers. Bahar Dutt discovered the charmers take a scientific approach to their dealing with snakes. The charmers look into snake behaviour, and observe micro environments. The cobra has a hood which flares up. It´s a posture of self defence in response to the stick which is waved in front rather than a response to the music. Bahar Dutt developed the concept of snake educators, teaching people about snakes. They also do animal welfare work getting snakes out of houses. Slime moulds - Dictyoselium A handful of soil will contain thousands of Dictyoselium, amoeba-like separate cells which when challenged by adverse conditions, aggregate to form a migrating mass. These are slime moulds. The mould has a front and a back and distinct structures. This aggregation is seen as a defence against adverse conditions such as lack of food. tag:odeo.com,2009-08-28,25039692 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/25010604-Science-Show-2009-08-22 LHC still on hold Geoffrey Taylor discusses ramifications following the shut down of the Large Hadron Collider soon after it began operation in September 2008. In addition to projects on hold, extra design, building and installation has been required. Full current won´t be run in the first year and will be built up over time. Some of the many projects for the LHC will be to find evidence for the basic particles of matter. This will shed light on events immediately after the Big Bang, the point when matter was formed, and time began. The physical laws of the universe It is assumed the physical laws apply universally, from the very small to the very big. But do the constants, used in equations, change at the extremes? Michael Murphy´s group uses quasars as a background light source, allowing light to be traced as it travels through space. This is used as a backdrop to study galaxies 10 billion light years away. Quasi stellar objects are super massive black holes, billions of times the... LHC still on hold Geoffrey Taylor discusses ramifications following the shut down of the Large Hadron Collider soon after it began operation in September 2008. In addition to projects on hold, extra design, building and installation has been required. Full current won´t be run in the first year and will be built up over time. Some of the many projects for the LHC will be to find evidence for the basic particles of matter. This will shed light on events immediately after the Big Bang, the point when matter was formed, and time began. The physical laws of the universe It is assumed the physical laws apply universally, from the very small to the very big. But do the constants, used in equations, change at the extremes? Michael Murphy´s group uses quasars as a background light source, allowing light to be traced as it travels through space. This is used as a backdrop to study galaxies 10 billion light years away. Quasi stellar objects are super massive black holes, billions of times the mass of our sun. They suck in all material around and shine very brightly. Eureka Science Prizes 2009 2009 is the twentieth year of the prestigious Eureka Science Prizes organised by The Australian Museum in Sydney. 1,000 people attended this year´s ceremony, including reporter Sarah Caster-Perry. Bumble bees Offspring care takes a lot of time for bees. Bumble bee larvae are immobile for just over three weeks and need to be cleaned fed and protected. Bumble bees differ from honey bees in their life cycle. A honey bee can last for 20 years or more. Bumble bee colonies only last for one season. The bumble bee nest, based on the queen can be made up of a few hundred individuals. Anna Dornhaus describes bumble bee behaviour and society. Bee database A world bee checklist has revealed 19,000 species of bees. But many more are undescribed or even unobserved. Most bees exist as individuals, only some exist as colonies. The European honey bee has very large colonies with thousands of individuals. This is the bee introduced around the world that makes honey for human consumption. Bee colonies are collapsing across the United States. The cause is still unknown. Reconstruction of a hominid skull Mark Spencer has reconstructed a hominid skull from a fossil nearly 3 million years old. It was found in 1947. The reconstruction was possible using teeth and other features. It allowed the diet to be determined. The skull was specialised for consumption of certain foods. The hominid had powerful chewing muscles and thicker bones for chewing. Plus thick tooth enamel to avoid wearing. LHC still on hold Geoffrey Taylor discusses ramifications following the shut down of the Large Hadron Collider soon after it began operation in September 2008. In addition to projects on hold, extra design, building and installation has been required. Full current won´t be run in the first year and will be built up over time. Some of the many projects for the LHC will be to find evidence for the basic particles of matter. This will shed light on events immediately after the Big Bang, the point when matter was formed, and time began. The physical laws of the universe It is assumed the physical laws apply universally, from the very small to the very big. But do the constants, used in equations, change at the extremes? Michael Murphy´s group uses quasars as a background light source, allowing light to be traced as it travels through space. This is used as a backdrop to study galaxies 10 billion light years away. Quasi stellar objects are super massive black holes, billions of times the mass of our sun. They suck in all material around and shine very brightly. Eureka Science Prizes 2009 2009 is the twentieth year of the prestigious Eureka Science Prizes organised by The Australian Museum in Sydney. 1,000 people attended this year´s ceremony, including reporter Sarah Caster-Perry. Bumble bees Offspring care takes a lot of time for bees. Bumble bee larvae are immobile for just over three weeks and need to be cleaned fed and protected. Bumble bees differ from honey bees in their life cycle. A honey bee can last for 20 years or more. Bumble bee colonies only last for one season. The bumble bee nest, based on the queen can be made up of a few hundred individuals. Anna Dornhaus describes bumble bee behaviour and society. Bee database A world bee checklist has revealed 19,000 species of bees. But many more are undescribed or even unobserved. Most bees exist as individuals, only some exist as colonies. The European honey bee has very large colonies with thousands of individuals. This is the bee introduced around the world that makes honey for human consumption. Bee colonies are collapsing across the United States. The cause is still unknown. Reconstruction of a hominid skull Mark Spencer has reconstructed a hominid skull from a fossil nearly 3 million years old. It was found in 1947. The reconstruction was possible using teeth and other features. It allowed the diet to be determined. The skull was specialised for consumption of certain foods. The hominid had powerful chewing muscles and thicker bones for chewing. Plus thick tooth enamel to avoid wearing. tag:odeo.com,2009-08-21,25010604 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24965391-Science-Show-2009-08-15 PDA controls energy use Jack Singh demonstrates a program for a PDA or other mobile device which can monitor and control the use of energy at remote sites. It monitors flows and costs of energy use. The system then suggests, by way of a game, how to minimise the use of energy. Simply turning off devices on standby, such as television and computers can save around 30% of their power consumption. Remote medical diagnosis uses mobile phone images Cheap digital cameras can be used to measure and track wounds over time. Software takes measurements and using the mobile phone, consultations can be made for people in remote communities with limited health services. Diagnostic processes can be monitored. Chronic ulcers are easily diagnosed, and diabetic foot ulcers are very effectively. Messages to Mars and beyond The public can now post goodwill messages that will be transmitted to the nearest Earth-like planet outside our Solar System likely to support life. Senator Kim Carr, Minister for ... PDA controls energy use Jack Singh demonstrates a program for a PDA or other mobile device which can monitor and control the use of energy at remote sites. It monitors flows and costs of energy use. The system then suggests, by way of a game, how to minimise the use of energy. Simply turning off devices on standby, such as television and computers can save around 30% of their power consumption. Remote medical diagnosis uses mobile phone images Cheap digital cameras can be used to measure and track wounds over time. Software takes measurements and using the mobile phone, consultations can be made for people in remote communities with limited health services. Diagnostic processes can be monitored. Chronic ulcers are easily diagnosed, and diabetic foot ulcers are very effectively. Messages to Mars and beyond The public can now post goodwill messages that will be transmitted to the nearest Earth-like planet outside our Solar System likely to support life. Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research entered the first message at the 2009 launch of National Science Week at Questacon in Canberra. Habitat change as climate changes Walter Jetz came to the conclusion that only a global perspective can help in answering the really big questions in ecology, evolution and conservation. His lab is bringing together existing knowledge using overlay techniques to paint a picture of the state of bird and terrestrial vertebrate species. It reveals which species in which regions will be affected by changing climate. Changes in temperature and precipitation are projected to be dramatic at high latitude. But tropical areas may experience greater effects on species due to the sheer number of species in low latitudes. Walter Jetz sites worrying examples in areas where species have nowhere to go, such as high altitudes and islands. He says we may be losing hundreds of terrestrial vertebrate species without knowing what we´re losing. Citizen scientists monitor plants, animals and crops The USA National Phenology Network opened in 2007. The aim is to monitor biology across the US. Plants and animals are indicators of changing climate. 5,000 citizen scientists track migrating animals or flowering times of plants. The information is entered on a website and analysed by ecologists. It is hoped the data will allow mapping of ecological change as climate changes. Bogong moths Bogong moths exist as larvae in much of eastern Australia. When they hatch they fly to the mountains and hide between rocks. They fly vast distance such as across Bass Straight. And they fly in huge numbers, being food for many animals, including some people. They are attracted by lights and can cause damage to machinery and infrastructure. Moths are high in arsenic but its source is uncertain. Junk genes - more than they´re made out to be Genes to which geneticists have been able to ascribe a function have been described as junk genes. And it´s most of them. 90% or more. But are they? New research reveals the junk may be involved in timing and control of gene expression, like a regulatory network. The human genome is 3 billion bases. New machines will be able to output the equivalent of 30 human genomes in one experiment. This will likely expose a whole new area of genetic information. Funding for field biologists - the Grand Start scheme Rob Morrison describes the Grand Start scheme which offers funding for honours year biology students allowing them to travel and conduct their research in the field. Recipients of the grant describe their work. PDA controls energy use Jack Singh demonstrates a program for a PDA or other mobile device which can monitor and control the use of energy at remote sites. It monitors flows and costs of energy use. The system then suggests, by way of a game, how to minimise the use of energy. Simply turning off devices on standby, such as television and computers can save around 30% of their power consumption. Remote medical diagnosis uses mobile phone images Cheap digital cameras can be used to measure and track wounds over time. Software takes measurements and using the mobile phone, consultations can be made for people in remote communities with limited health services. Diagnostic processes can be monitored. Chronic ulcers are easily diagnosed, and diabetic foot ulcers are very effectively. Messages to Mars and beyond The public can now post goodwill messages that will be transmitted to the nearest Earth-like planet outside our Solar System likely to support life. Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research entered the first message at the 2009 launch of National Science Week at Questacon in Canberra. Habitat change as climate changes Walter Jetz came to the conclusion that only a global perspective can help in answering the really big questions in ecology, evolution and conservation. His lab is bringing together existing knowledge using overlay techniques to paint a picture of the state of bird and terrestrial vertebrate species. It reveals which species in which regions will be affected by changing climate. Changes in temperature and precipitation are projected to be dramatic at high latitude. But tropical areas may experience greater effects on species due to the sheer number of species in low latitudes. Walter Jetz sites worrying examples in areas where species have nowhere to go, such as high altitudes and islands. He says we may be losing hundreds of terrestrial vertebrate species without knowing what we´re losing. Citizen scientists monitor plants, animals and crops The USA National Phenology Network opened in 2007. The aim is to monitor biology across the US. Plants and animals are indicators of changing climate. 5,000 citizen scientists track migrating animals or flowering times of plants. The information is entered on a website and analysed by ecologists. It is hoped the data will allow mapping of ecological change as climate changes. Bogong moths Bogong moths exist as larvae in much of eastern Australia. When they hatch they fly to the mountains and hide between rocks. They fly vast distance such as across Bass Straight. And they fly in huge numbers, being food for many animals, including some people. They are attracted by lights and can cause damage to machinery and infrastructure. Moths are high in arsenic but its source is uncertain. Junk genes - more than they´re made out to be Genes to which geneticists have been able to ascribe a function have been described as junk genes. And it´s most of them. 90% or more. But are they? New research reveals the junk may be involved in timing and control of gene expression, like a regulatory network. The human genome is 3 billion bases. New machines will be able to output the equivalent of 30 human genomes in one experiment. This will likely expose a whole new area of genetic information. Funding for field biologists - the Grand Start scheme Rob Morrison describes the Grand Start scheme which offers funding for honours year biology students allowing them to travel and conduct their research in the field. Recipients of the grant describe their work. tag:odeo.com,2009-08-14,24965391 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24934251-Science-Show-2009-08-08 New songbird found in Laos Iain Woxvold went to central Laos to undertake a biological survey for a mining company. There he discovered a new species of bird. It appeared bald. There were quite a few birds, and it´s been named the bare-faced bulbul. It seems to be the only songbird in mainland Asia. It is thought some animal and plant species are found only in very small areas, and may be threatened as habitats are changed by mining or other factors. Great Barrier Reef birds in decline Brad Congdon is assessing bird populations along the Great Barrier Reef. Birds are used to assess food supply in the reef and sea ecology. Being upper level predators, the food they bring to their chicks correlates to food availability. Chicks are weighed before they are fed, then again after feeding. Rather than specifics, this study looks at volume, and how sea surface temperature, chlorophyll levels and other factors affect food supply. Early results show food supply is inversely proportional to wa... New songbird found in Laos Iain Woxvold went to central Laos to undertake a biological survey for a mining company. There he discovered a new species of bird. It appeared bald. There were quite a few birds, and it´s been named the bare-faced bulbul. It seems to be the only songbird in mainland Asia. It is thought some animal and plant species are found only in very small areas, and may be threatened as habitats are changed by mining or other factors. Great Barrier Reef birds in decline Brad Congdon is assessing bird populations along the Great Barrier Reef. Birds are used to assess food supply in the reef and sea ecology. Being upper level predators, the food they bring to their chicks correlates to food availability. Chicks are weighed before they are fed, then again after feeding. Rather than specifics, this study looks at volume, and how sea surface temperature, chlorophyll levels and other factors affect food supply. Early results show food supply is inversely proportional to water temperature. Higher water temperatures produce less food for birds. There are signs that birds have been in decline over the last 10 years. In fact, the birds seem to respond to precursors to El Nino. After periods of chick mortality, when food is difficult to find, long lived adults can make trips as long as 2000km to get food. Hooked on the Net - listener feedback Science Show audience responses to our Hooked on the Net project, with some new research into how gaming is affecting our schoolchildren, how 'addiction' should be classified, stories of listeners´ own experiences and how some games could be made more educational. Sarah Castor-Perry reports. HIV traced to early 1900s Michael Worobey headed to central Africa to test the idea that HIV crossed from chimps into humans. In the year 2000, it was known that the pandemic form of HIV was a chimp virus. One idea was that it crossed to humans during some medical research with polio vaccines developed in the 1950s. Samples from wild chimps were found and it is now thought human HIV didn´t come from these Congolese chimps but rather was circulating in humans from as early as 1908. It wasn´t until human ecology changed that it became a pandemic as people began living in large cities and travelled widely. Darwin on empathy Frans de Waal says Darwin was insightful in his writing on empathy. He knew animals intimately and understood their emotional lives. And he drew lines from this to human behaviour and empathy. Empathy is a mammalian characteristic. The simplest form of empathy is being emotionally affected by the emotions of somebody else. If you are caring for offspring who are vulnerable you need to get upset when they are hungry or endangered. This could explain why human females have more empathy than males. Frans de Waal discusses his book, Chimpanzee Politics, published in the late 1980s, which described his observations of chimpanzees on an island in a zoo. Chimps form coalitions. They groom the babies of their friends. They kiss after fighting and share food and pay back favours. It all points to understanding the minds of others. Even mice can demonstrate empathy. Darwin also studied blushing. It betrays one´s feelings. It demonstrates care and guilt. 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need To Know Genetics is a very young science. It´s just over 50 years since Watson and Crick mapped the structure of DNA. Only recently has the human genome been available. Mark Henderson traces the history of the science, describes some of the paradoxes and tackles a number of highly charged topics under than banner, `Nature versus nurture´. New songbird found in Laos Iain Woxvold went to central Laos to undertake a biological survey for a mining company. There he discovered a new species of bird. It appeared bald. There were quite a few birds, and it´s been named the bare-faced bulbul. It seems to be the only songbird in mainland Asia. It is thought some animal and plant species are found only in very small areas, and may be threatened as habitats are changed by mining or other factors. Great Barrier Reef birds in decline Brad Congdon is assessing bird populations along the Great Barrier Reef. Birds are used to assess food supply in the reef and sea ecology. Being upper level predators, the food they bring to their chicks correlates to food availability. Chicks are weighed before they are fed, then again after feeding. Rather than specifics, this study looks at volume, and how sea surface temperature, chlorophyll levels and other factors affect food supply. Early results show food supply is inversely proportional to water temperature. Higher water temperatures produce less food for birds. There are signs that birds have been in decline over the last 10 years. In fact, the birds seem to respond to precursors to El Nino. After periods of chick mortality, when food is difficult to find, long lived adults can make trips as long as 2000km to get food. Hooked on the Net - listener feedback Science Show audience responses to our Hooked on the Net project, with some new research into how gaming is affecting our schoolchildren, how 'addiction' should be classified, stories of listeners´ own experiences and how some games could be made more educational. Sarah Castor-Perry reports. HIV traced to early 1900s Michael Worobey headed to central Africa to test the idea that HIV crossed from chimps into humans. In the year 2000, it was known that the pandemic form of HIV was a chimp virus. One idea was that it crossed to humans during some medical research with polio vaccines developed in the 1950s. Samples from wild chimps were found and it is now thought human HIV didn´t come from these Congolese chimps but rather was circulating in humans from as early as 1908. It wasn´t until human ecology changed that it became a pandemic as people began living in large cities and travelled widely. Darwin on empathy Frans de Waal says Darwin was insightful in his writing on empathy. He knew animals intimately and understood their emotional lives. And he drew lines from this to human behaviour and empathy. Empathy is a mammalian characteristic. The simplest form of empathy is being emotionally affected by the emotions of somebody else. If you are caring for offspring who are vulnerable you need to get upset when they are hungry or endangered. This could explain why human females have more empathy than males. Frans de Waal discusses his book, Chimpanzee Politics, published in the late 1980s, which described his observations of chimpanzees on an island in a zoo. Chimps form coalitions. They groom the babies of their friends. They kiss after fighting and share food and pay back favours. It all points to understanding the minds of others. Even mice can demonstrate empathy. Darwin also studied blushing. It betrays one´s feelings. It demonstrates care and guilt. 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need To Know Genetics is a very young science. It´s just over 50 years since Watson and Crick mapped the structure of DNA. Only recently has the human genome been available. Mark Henderson traces the history of the science, describes some of the paradoxes and tackles a number of highly charged topics under than banner, `Nature versus nurture´. tag:odeo.com,2009-08-07,24934251 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24894729-Science-Show-2009-08-01 Debate over net addiction Brain scientist Susan Greenfield argues excessive computer use is not a fad. She describes people isolated from other human contact and ponders the consequences. Her major concern is the meaningless of it all and how the human brain may change as a result. The Internet - a threat to women? Laura is concerned women are being replaced by technology. Ian McEwan on Darwin Ian McEwan says Darwin fundamentally changed our view of ourselves and the natural world. He describes our recent golden age in science writing citing Richard Dawkins and E. O. Wilson. His novel Saturday explores brain surgery. McEwan discusses the research needed to write about scientific subjects and his wonderment when he touched a human brain. Ancient DNA reveals details in New Zealand penguins and Moas Current populations of yellow eyed penguins are genetically different to the older penguins. Perhaps the original Maori changed the environment and drove penguins away. There has since been... Debate over net addiction Brain scientist Susan Greenfield argues excessive computer use is not a fad. She describes people isolated from other human contact and ponders the consequences. Her major concern is the meaningless of it all and how the human brain may change as a result. The Internet - a threat to women? Laura is concerned women are being replaced by technology. Ian McEwan on Darwin Ian McEwan says Darwin fundamentally changed our view of ourselves and the natural world. He describes our recent golden age in science writing citing Richard Dawkins and E. O. Wilson. His novel Saturday explores brain surgery. McEwan discusses the research needed to write about scientific subjects and his wonderment when he touched a human brain. Ancient DNA reveals details in New Zealand penguins and Moas Current populations of yellow eyed penguins are genetically different to the older penguins. Perhaps the original Maori changed the environment and drove penguins away. There has since been a second colonisation of penguins. The current lack of genetic diversity shows present day penguins only recently appeared on the scene. There are 9 species of Moa. In some species, the females are up to 3 metres in height where the male is just 1 metre. There were originally seen as different species, but DNA work has revealed them to be the same species. Giant animals of the past Giant animals walked the Earth quite recently. Australia´s megafauna were common just 60,000 years ago. Our ancestors shared the Earth with huge animals of all kinds. Danielle Clode describes some of the giants. The Loh down on science - long necked dinos fed on lower plants Roger Seymour calculated long necked dinosaurs fed on lower plants rather than high up in the treetops. Holding the head up high was inefficient due to the energy needed to pump blood that high. Songbirds arose in Australian region New Zealand wren appear on the first branch which comprises 60% of all birds. All the earliest lineages are in New Zealand and Australia. Recent molecular work suggests that parrots and all song birds diverged from a common ancestor in the late Cretaceous. The evolutionary relationships have been controversial. The New Zealand Kakapo is the first branch off the parrot tree. Australia is the second step in the process. The early lineages for songbirds are in Australia and New Zealand. Only later did they move into Asia where they diversified, and later into North America. Joel Cracraft explains the study of evolutionary biology reveals similarities to humans with relevance to human health and wellbeing. Debate over net addiction Brain scientist Susan Greenfield argues excessive computer use is not a fad. She describes people isolated from other human contact and ponders the consequences. Her major concern is the meaningless of it all and how the human brain may change as a result. The Internet - a threat to women? Laura is concerned women are being replaced by technology. Ian McEwan on Darwin Ian McEwan says Darwin fundamentally changed our view of ourselves and the natural world. He describes our recent golden age in science writing citing Richard Dawkins and E. O. Wilson. His novel Saturday explores brain surgery. McEwan discusses the research needed to write about scientific subjects and his wonderment when he touched a human brain. Ancient DNA reveals details in New Zealand penguins and Moas Current populations of yellow eyed penguins are genetically different to the older penguins. Perhaps the original Maori changed the environment and drove penguins away. There has since been a second colonisation of penguins. The current lack of genetic diversity shows present day penguins only recently appeared on the scene. There are 9 species of Moa. In some species, the females are up to 3 metres in height where the male is just 1 metre. There were originally seen as different species, but DNA work has revealed them to be the same species. Giant animals of the past Giant animals walked the Earth quite recently. Australia´s megafauna were common just 60,000 years ago. Our ancestors shared the Earth with huge animals of all kinds. Danielle Clode describes some of the giants. The Loh down on science - long necked dinos fed on lower plants Roger Seymour calculated long necked dinosaurs fed on lower plants rather than high up in the treetops. Holding the head up high was inefficient due to the energy needed to pump blood that high. Songbirds arose in Australian region New Zealand wren appear on the first branch which comprises 60% of all birds. All the earliest lineages are in New Zealand and Australia. Recent molecular work suggests that parrots and all song birds diverged from a common ancestor in the late Cretaceous. The evolutionary relationships have been controversial. The New Zealand Kakapo is the first branch off the parrot tree. Australia is the second step in the process. The early lineages for songbirds are in Australia and New Zealand. Only later did they move into Asia where they diversified, and later into North America. Joel Cracraft explains the study of evolutionary biology reveals similarities to humans with relevance to human health and wellbeing. tag:odeo.com,2009-07-31,24894729 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24860639-Science-Show-2009-07-25 Hooked on the Net? The video game market is big business, worth around $2 billion in Australia last year. The best games draw people into an exciting world where anything is possible; demons are slain, riches are made and worries about the real world left far behind. It´s great entertainment, but for a minority of players and net users who get hooked it can be a disaster. `Addicts´ deprived of computer access exhibit rage, distress and even violence. Should video game and internet `addiction´ be acknowledged as a recognised clinical condition? Pauline Newman´s report examines the scale and depth of this worldwide problem, and the drastic measures that some countries are employing to combat it. Hooked on the Net? The video game market is big business, worth around $2 billion in Australia last year. The best games draw people into an exciting world where anything is possible; demons are slain, riches are made and worries about the real world left far behind. It´s great entertainment, but for a minority of players and net users who get hooked it can be a disaster. `Addicts´ deprived of computer access exhibit rage, distress and even violence. Should video game and internet `addiction´ be acknowledged as a recognised clinical condition? Pauline Newman´s report examines the scale and depth of this worldwide problem, and the drastic measures that some countries are employing to combat it. Hooked on the Net? The video game market is big business, worth around $2 billion in Australia last year. The best games draw people into an exciting world where anything is possible; demons are slain, riches are made and worries about the real world left far behind. It´s great entertainment, but for a minority of players and net users who get hooked it can be a disaster. `Addicts´ deprived of computer access exhibit rage, distress and even violence. Should video game and internet `addiction´ be acknowledged as a recognised clinical condition? Pauline Newman´s report examines the scale and depth of this worldwide problem, and the drastic measures that some countries are employing to combat it. tag:odeo.com,2009-07-24,24860639 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24824701-Science-Show-2009-07-18 Nuclear power plants - now safer and cheaper Barry Brook traces the history of nuclear power. Today, about 440 nuclear power reactors are in use, known as Generation 2 reactors. These were designed between 1960 and 1980. Recently, Generation 3 reactors have adopted a standard design, allowing for faster approval. 45 are being built. 350 are planned. Chernobyl was a cheap design. There was no containment building. Barry Brook describes Chernobyl as an accident waiting to happen. Newer reactors are orders of magnitude safer than the older models. Generation 4 is the new excitement. Efficiency is much higher meaning uranium supplies will last so much longer. They can burn a range of isotopes of uranium and other elements producing short-lived waste. Bruce Alberts - editor Science magazine The journal Science was first published in 1880. Regarding climate change Alberts says there is no debate among scientists. Politicians will continue to argue. He says papers challenging climate chang... Nuclear power plants - now safer and cheaper Barry Brook traces the history of nuclear power. Today, about 440 nuclear power reactors are in use, known as Generation 2 reactors. These were designed between 1960 and 1980. Recently, Generation 3 reactors have adopted a standard design, allowing for faster approval. 45 are being built. 350 are planned. Chernobyl was a cheap design. There was no containment building. Barry Brook describes Chernobyl as an accident waiting to happen. Newer reactors are orders of magnitude safer than the older models. Generation 4 is the new excitement. Efficiency is much higher meaning uranium supplies will last so much longer. They can burn a range of isotopes of uranium and other elements producing short-lived waste. Bruce Alberts - editor Science magazine The journal Science was first published in 1880. Regarding climate change Alberts says there is no debate among scientists. Politicians will continue to argue. He says papers challenging climate change aren´t published because they don´t pass peer review, the method which applies to all papers published in key journals. He points to astrophysics as an area which is expecting enormous growth in the next few years due to technical advancement. Forty years since Apollo 11 - first manned mission to the Moon In 2009 we´re celebrating 40 years since Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to the Moon. Twenty years later, and twenty years ago, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin gave a press conference in Washington. Today we replay excerpts from that press conference. DNA from old grave sites Hundreds of soldiers are thought to still lie in pits where they were buried by German forces in the days immediately after the World War 1 Battle of Fromelles. For Australia, it was the worst day in military history with the loss of about 1,900 soldiers. The remains of 400 soldiers have never been found. Now the search is on to locate the soldiers´ remains. DNA analysis will be used. The Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide specialises in the recovery of DNA from ancient human specimens. Alan Cooper is concerned that an early deadline won´t allow complete analysis to be done. Actin gene causes congenital myopathy Congenital myopathy covers a range of rare lethal diseases. They affect muscle fibres. Babies born with congenital myopathy are often born paralysed. Kristen Nowak and Nigel Laing at the University of Western Australia traced mutations in the actin gene as the cause. They describe how the project began and how their work has produced results which may lead to a cure. Chinese approach to internet addiction A BBC report about a youth rehabilitation centre on a Beijing army base, which treats teenagers who are antisocial, doing poorly in school and are sometimes depressed due to the long hours they spend on line, usually playing internet games. Nuclear power plants - now safer and cheaper Barry Brook traces the history of nuclear power. Today, about 440 nuclear power reactors are in use, known as Generation 2 reactors. These were designed between 1960 and 1980. Recently, Generation 3 reactors have adopted a standard design, allowing for faster approval. 45 are being built. 350 are planned. Chernobyl was a cheap design. There was no containment building. Barry Brook describes Chernobyl as an accident waiting to happen. Newer reactors are orders of magnitude safer than the older models. Generation 4 is the new excitement. Efficiency is much higher meaning uranium supplies will last so much longer. They can burn a range of isotopes of uranium and other elements producing short-lived waste. Bruce Alberts - editor Science magazine The journal Science was first published in 1880. Regarding climate change Alberts says there is no debate among scientists. Politicians will continue to argue. He says papers challenging climate change aren´t published because they don´t pass peer review, the method which applies to all papers published in key journals. He points to astrophysics as an area which is expecting enormous growth in the next few years due to technical advancement. Forty years since Apollo 11 - first manned mission to the Moon In 2009 we´re celebrating 40 years since Apollo 11 became the first manned mission to the Moon. Twenty years later, and twenty years ago, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin gave a press conference in Washington. Today we replay excerpts from that press conference. DNA from old grave sites Hundreds of soldiers are thought to still lie in pits where they were buried by German forces in the days immediately after the World War 1 Battle of Fromelles. For Australia, it was the worst day in military history with the loss of about 1,900 soldiers. The remains of 400 soldiers have never been found. Now the search is on to locate the soldiers´ remains. DNA analysis will be used. The Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide specialises in the recovery of DNA from ancient human specimens. Alan Cooper is concerned that an early deadline won´t allow complete analysis to be done. Actin gene causes congenital myopathy Congenital myopathy covers a range of rare lethal diseases. They affect muscle fibres. Babies born with congenital myopathy are often born paralysed. Kristen Nowak and Nigel Laing at the University of Western Australia traced mutations in the actin gene as the cause. They describe how the project began and how their work has produced results which may lead to a cure. Chinese approach to internet addiction A BBC report about a youth rehabilitation centre on a Beijing army base, which treats teenagers who are antisocial, doing poorly in school and are sometimes depressed due to the long hours they spend on line, usually playing internet games. tag:odeo.com,2009-07-17,24824701 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24781800-Science-Show-2009-07-11 40 years since Apollo 11 - first manned mission to the moon The Science Show celebrates 40 years since Apollo 11 by replaying excerpts from the program broadcast 20 years ago in 1989! The program features a speech by US President, John F. Kennedy, and communications between astronauts and mission control. Peter Pockley describes the challenges of a radio broadcaster covering Apollo missions during the 1960s. Ross Taylor discusses what we know about the formation of the moon. Ian Grant and Hamish Lindsay talk about the role of the Australian tracking station at Tidbinbilla. And there are contributions from astronomer Patrick Moore and Earle Hackett. Australian science on Apollo missions - dust detectors Prior to 1978 Brian O'Brien was Professor of Space Science at Rush University, Houston, Texas. He taught astronauts and designed experiments that were operated by NASA on the Moon. One experiment involved measuring solar wind and solar radiation. There were also experiments on dust. T... 40 years since Apollo 11 - first manned mission to the moon The Science Show celebrates 40 years since Apollo 11 by replaying excerpts from the program broadcast 20 years ago in 1989! The program features a speech by US President, John F. Kennedy, and communications between astronauts and mission control. Peter Pockley describes the challenges of a radio broadcaster covering Apollo missions during the 1960s. Ross Taylor discusses what we know about the formation of the moon. Ian Grant and Hamish Lindsay talk about the role of the Australian tracking station at Tidbinbilla. And there are contributions from astronomer Patrick Moore and Earle Hackett. Australian science on Apollo missions - dust detectors Prior to 1978 Brian O'Brien was Professor of Space Science at Rush University, Houston, Texas. He taught astronauts and designed experiments that were operated by NASA on the Moon. One experiment involved measuring solar wind and solar radiation. There were also experiments on dust. The results of his work have just been published in the journal Nature. He found moon dust is sticky and changes in stickiness during the course of a lunar day. Understanding the physics of lunar dust has important implications for any lunar mission. Echoes of Apollo celebrates Apollo missions Robert Brand describes his role as an electrical technician in relaying messages from the Apollo 11 mission via Honeysuckle Creek and Parkes, to mission control in the United States. Over a three-year period, Echoes of Apollo will celebrate each of the Apollo missions. 40 years since Apollo 11 - first manned mission to the moon The Science Show celebrates 40 years since Apollo 11 by replaying excerpts from the program broadcast 20 years ago in 1989! The program features a speech by US President, John F. Kennedy, and communications between astronauts and mission control. Peter Pockley describes the challenges of a radio broadcaster covering Apollo missions during the 1960s. Ross Taylor discusses what we know about the formation of the moon. Ian Grant and Hamish Lindsay talk about the role of the Australian tracking station at Tidbinbilla. And there are contributions from astronomer Patrick Moore and Earle Hackett. Australian science on Apollo missions - dust detectors Prior to 1978 Brian O'Brien was Professor of Space Science at Rush University, Houston, Texas. He taught astronauts and designed experiments that were operated by NASA on the Moon. One experiment involved measuring solar wind and solar radiation. There were also experiments on dust. The results of his work have just been published in the journal Nature. He found moon dust is sticky and changes in stickiness during the course of a lunar day. Understanding the physics of lunar dust has important implications for any lunar mission. Echoes of Apollo celebrates Apollo missions Robert Brand describes his role as an electrical technician in relaying messages from the Apollo 11 mission via Honeysuckle Creek and Parkes, to mission control in the United States. Over a three-year period, Echoes of Apollo will celebrate each of the Apollo missions. tag:odeo.com,2009-07-10,24781800 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24748704-Science-Show-2009-07-04 The life of galaxies Galaxies are not static. They are dynamic clusters of stars which are constantly changing. As galaxies grow, they can consume other galaxies. Indeed our own galaxy, The Milky Way is currently eating two smaller galaxies. Geraint Lewis describes the process of galaxy formation and what happens as galaxies collide. The possibility of life beyond Earth Is the universe made for it? Is the universe built for life? The origins of life remain a stubborn mystery. So was the formation of life a likely or unlikely event? A fluke or part of the laws of nature? Answering this question helps with the other question about life elsewhere in the universe. Biological determinism states suggest that life forms given the right Earth-like conditions. Paul Davies describes how this might be tested? Simulating the life and death of galaxies Darren Croton uses the results of supercomputer simulations to study the universe. Our sun is just one of about 10 billion stars in our galaxy, t... The life of galaxies Galaxies are not static. They are dynamic clusters of stars which are constantly changing. As galaxies grow, they can consume other galaxies. Indeed our own galaxy, The Milky Way is currently eating two smaller galaxies. Geraint Lewis describes the process of galaxy formation and what happens as galaxies collide. The possibility of life beyond Earth Is the universe made for it? Is the universe built for life? The origins of life remain a stubborn mystery. So was the formation of life a likely or unlikely event? A fluke or part of the laws of nature? Answering this question helps with the other question about life elsewhere in the universe. Biological determinism states suggest that life forms given the right Earth-like conditions. Paul Davies describes how this might be tested? Simulating the life and death of galaxies Darren Croton uses the results of supercomputer simulations to study the universe. Our sun is just one of about 10 billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. At the centre of the Milky Way is a super-massive black hole. It´s a million times the mass of our sun. This is determined using the basic laws of physics. But some galaxies appear quiet, almost dead. So what kills a galaxy? One suggestion points the finger at super massive black holes. The life of galaxies Galaxies are not static. They are dynamic clusters of stars which are constantly changing. As galaxies grow, they can consume other galaxies. Indeed our own galaxy, The Milky Way is currently eating two smaller galaxies. Geraint Lewis describes the process of galaxy formation and what happens as galaxies collide. The possibility of life beyond Earth Is the universe made for it? Is the universe built for life? The origins of life remain a stubborn mystery. So was the formation of life a likely or unlikely event? A fluke or part of the laws of nature? Answering this question helps with the other question about life elsewhere in the universe. Biological determinism states suggest that life forms given the right Earth-like conditions. Paul Davies describes how this might be tested? Simulating the life and death of galaxies Darren Croton uses the results of supercomputer simulations to study the universe. Our sun is just one of about 10 billion stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. At the centre of the Milky Way is a super-massive black hole. It´s a million times the mass of our sun. This is determined using the basic laws of physics. But some galaxies appear quiet, almost dead. So what kills a galaxy? One suggestion points the finger at super massive black holes. tag:odeo.com,2009-07-03,24748704 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24735848-Science-Show-2009-06-27 Music and the cosmos This week The Science Show presents a special event celebrating the International Year of Astronomy. The University of Sydney gathered its forces from physics and music for this journey around our galaxy and beyond. Hear how violent, chaotic and dangerous the universe is away from the comforts of planet Earth. When stars like our Sun some to the end of their lives, they explode in a catastrophic event known as a super nova. The last one happened in our galaxy 400 years ago. Some galaxies see them almost monthly! Then there´s the search for planets, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. So far more than 300 planets have been discovered although so far there´s no evidence of life beyond Earth! The evening featured The Sydney Conservatorium Brass Ensemble performing movements from Gustav Holst´s The Planets suite. Music and the cosmos This week The Science Show presents a special event celebrating the International Year of Astronomy. The University of Sydney gathered its forces from physics and music for this journey around our galaxy and beyond. Hear how violent, chaotic and dangerous the universe is away from the comforts of planet Earth. When stars like our Sun some to the end of their lives, they explode in a catastrophic event known as a super nova. The last one happened in our galaxy 400 years ago. Some galaxies see them almost monthly! Then there´s the search for planets, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. So far more than 300 planets have been discovered although so far there´s no evidence of life beyond Earth! The evening featured The Sydney Conservatorium Brass Ensemble performing movements from Gustav Holst´s The Planets suite. Music and the cosmos This week The Science Show presents a special event celebrating the International Year of Astronomy. The University of Sydney gathered its forces from physics and music for this journey around our galaxy and beyond. Hear how violent, chaotic and dangerous the universe is away from the comforts of planet Earth. When stars like our Sun some to the end of their lives, they explode in a catastrophic event known as a super nova. The last one happened in our galaxy 400 years ago. Some galaxies see them almost monthly! Then there´s the search for planets, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. So far more than 300 planets have been discovered although so far there´s no evidence of life beyond Earth! The evening featured The Sydney Conservatorium Brass Ensemble performing movements from Gustav Holst´s The Planets suite. tag:odeo.com,2009-06-26,24735848 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24734538-Science-Show-2009-06-20 Making or influencing a million from science What do we dream from science? To make a million dollars? Or perhaps to influence a million people... or more! The Science Show this week presents a forum where successful science researchers and entrepreneurs describe how their work has changed the world, how the products that have come from their research have influenced a million people, and quite often, made a million... or more! This forum was presented as part of the Australian Science Festival 2009. Making or influencing a million from science What do we dream from science? To make a million dollars? Or perhaps to influence a million people... or more! The Science Show this week presents a forum where successful science researchers and entrepreneurs describe how their work has changed the world, how the products that have come from their research have influenced a million people, and quite often, made a million... or more! This forum was presented as part of the Australian Science Festival 2009. Making or influencing a million from science What do we dream from science? To make a million dollars? Or perhaps to influence a million people... or more! The Science Show this week presents a forum where successful science researchers and entrepreneurs describe how their work has changed the world, how the products that have come from their research have influenced a million people, and quite often, made a million... or more! This forum was presented as part of the Australian Science Festival 2009. tag:odeo.com,2009-06-19,24734538 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24698971-Science-Show-2009-06-13 Heaven + Earth - review by David Karoly David Karoly reviews Ian Plimer´s book, Heaven + Earth. James Lovelock: In Search of Gaia John Gribbin discusses his book James Lovelock: In Search of Gaia, with Michele Field. The World Without Us Alan Weisman discusses his book The World Without Us with David Fisher. Heaven + Earth - review by David Karoly David Karoly reviews Ian Plimer´s book, Heaven + Earth. James Lovelock: In Search of Gaia John Gribbin discusses his book James Lovelock: In Search of Gaia, with Michele Field. The World Without Us Alan Weisman discusses his book The World Without Us with David Fisher. Heaven + Earth - review by David Karoly David Karoly reviews Ian Plimer´s book, Heaven + Earth. James Lovelock: In Search of Gaia John Gribbin discusses his book James Lovelock: In Search of Gaia, with Michele Field. The World Without Us Alan Weisman discusses his book The World Without Us with David Fisher. tag:odeo.com,2009-06-12,24698971 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24659006-Science-Show-2009-06-06 Heaven + Earth: review by Malcolm Walter Geologist and planetary scientist Malcolm Walter reviews Ian Plimer´s book, Heaven + Earth. New Zealand houses: draughty and deadly Houses in New Zealand don´t protect their occupants from the temperate climate of high rainfall and strong westerly winds. The houses´ designs are based on those from other parts of the world. And now adverse health effects have been measured. More people die in winter than summer, a higher proportion than in other countries. Even Siberia´s houses offer more protection from winter conditions. Heat shield protects houses from fire Gwion Cain describes his heat shield, designed to protect houses from bush fires. It´s a silica tent which envelopes a building. It can also be used to protect vehicles. Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel laureate, celebrates 100th birthday Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of Western Australia, pays tribute to Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini on her 100th birthday. Computers model human behaviou... Heaven + Earth: review by Malcolm Walter Geologist and planetary scientist Malcolm Walter reviews Ian Plimer´s book, Heaven + Earth. New Zealand houses: draughty and deadly Houses in New Zealand don´t protect their occupants from the temperate climate of high rainfall and strong westerly winds. The houses´ designs are based on those from other parts of the world. And now adverse health effects have been measured. More people die in winter than summer, a higher proportion than in other countries. Even Siberia´s houses offer more protection from winter conditions. Heat shield protects houses from fire Gwion Cain describes his heat shield, designed to protect houses from bush fires. It´s a silica tent which envelopes a building. It can also be used to protect vehicles. Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel laureate, celebrates 100th birthday Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of Western Australia, pays tribute to Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini on her 100th birthday. Computers model human behaviour Svetha Venkatesh is using multiple inputs from cameras and sensors to build a bigger picture. An example is an image of a city built from front-facing cameras on buses and other vehicles. This data can be used to detect criminal activity, such as graffiti. Underlying this technology is machine learning, having a computer compare a model of normality with a variation. This has applications in some medical fields such as early intervention technologies for autistic children. Digital history British government digital records from just 10 years ago are now unreadable because of changing technologies. The same applies to web pages. Now techniques are being developed to capture web pages in an archive. Heaven + Earth: review by Malcolm Walter Geologist and planetary scientist Malcolm Walter reviews Ian Plimer´s book, Heaven + Earth. New Zealand houses: draughty and deadly Houses in New Zealand don´t protect their occupants from the temperate climate of high rainfall and strong westerly winds. The houses´ designs are based on those from other parts of the world. And now adverse health effects have been measured. More people die in winter than summer, a higher proportion than in other countries. Even Siberia´s houses offer more protection from winter conditions. Heat shield protects houses from fire Gwion Cain describes his heat shield, designed to protect houses from bush fires. It´s a silica tent which envelopes a building. It can also be used to protect vehicles. Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel laureate, celebrates 100th birthday Lyn Beazley, Chief Scientist of Western Australia, pays tribute to Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini on her 100th birthday. Computers model human behaviour Svetha Venkatesh is using multiple inputs from cameras and sensors to build a bigger picture. An example is an image of a city built from front-facing cameras on buses and other vehicles. This data can be used to detect criminal activity, such as graffiti. Underlying this technology is machine learning, having a computer compare a model of normality with a variation. This has applications in some medical fields such as early intervention technologies for autistic children. Digital history British government digital records from just 10 years ago are now unreadable because of changing technologies. The same applies to web pages. Now techniques are being developed to capture web pages in an archive. tag:odeo.com,2009-06-05,24659006 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24628795-Science-Show-2009-05-30 Gravity Discovery Centre Gingin Western Australia David Blair and Chief Scientist Penny Sackett join Robyn Williams 13 storeys up on Gingin´s leaning tower and reproduce, as far as possible, the gravity experiments of Galileo by letting balloons filled with water fall to the ground. David Blair demonstrates displays in the Gingin Gravity Discovery Centre. The Centre combines being a place for scientific research, a gallery, an observatory and an activity centre for visitors. Lunar dust Prior to 1978 Brian O´Brien was Professor of Space Science at Rush University Houston Texas. He taught astronauts and designed experiments that were operated by NASA on the Moon. One experiment involved measuring solar wind, and solar radiation. There were also experiments on dust. It was thought that astronauts might sink into lunar dust. This threat was found to be untrue, but there was dust, known as sticky dust, caused by the pounding of meteorites. The particles were sharp and angular and got int... Gravity Discovery Centre Gingin Western Australia David Blair and Chief Scientist Penny Sackett join Robyn Williams 13 storeys up on Gingin´s leaning tower and reproduce, as far as possible, the gravity experiments of Galileo by letting balloons filled with water fall to the ground. David Blair demonstrates displays in the Gingin Gravity Discovery Centre. The Centre combines being a place for scientific research, a gallery, an observatory and an activity centre for visitors. Lunar dust Prior to 1978 Brian O´Brien was Professor of Space Science at Rush University Houston Texas. He taught astronauts and designed experiments that were operated by NASA on the Moon. One experiment involved measuring solar wind, and solar radiation. There were also experiments on dust. It was thought that astronauts might sink into lunar dust. This threat was found to be untrue, but there was dust, known as sticky dust, caused by the pounding of meteorites. The particles were sharp and angular and got into everything. It was also very harmful to humans is breathed. The departure of the lunar module created great clouds of dust which covered experiments left behind. Michael Brooks Michael Brooks discusses some of the ideas in his latest book, Thirteen Things that Don´t Make Sense. He argues that the anomalies in science, such as dark matter, dark energy and varrying physical constants, are in a way, the only things that matter. Marcus Chown Marcus Chown discusses some of the ideas explored in his latest book, Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You. Cars - the crunch! Part 4 In the final part of the series, Nicky Phillips explores the effect a driver´s emotions have on driving, and what really influences drivers´ behaviour. If you´d like to contribute to our online discussion, click here. Ida no missing link and the Flores Hobbit not human Ida, a 47-million-year-old fossilised skeleton of a monkey has been hailed as the missing link in human evolution. Colin Groves says the specimen is difficult to place on the evolutionary tree and the claim of missing link is nonsense. Gravity Discovery Centre Gingin Western Australia David Blair and Chief Scientist Penny Sackett join Robyn Williams 13 storeys up on Gingin´s leaning tower and reproduce, as far as possible, the gravity experiments of Galileo by letting balloons filled with water fall to the ground. David Blair demonstrates displays in the Gingin Gravity Discovery Centre. The Centre combines being a place for scientific research, a gallery, an observatory and an activity centre for visitors. Lunar dust Prior to 1978 Brian O´Brien was Professor of Space Science at Rush University Houston Texas. He taught astronauts and designed experiments that were operated by NASA on the Moon. One experiment involved measuring solar wind, and solar radiation. There were also experiments on dust. It was thought that astronauts might sink into lunar dust. This threat was found to be untrue, but there was dust, known as sticky dust, caused by the pounding of meteorites. The particles were sharp and angular and got into everything. It was also very harmful to humans is breathed. The departure of the lunar module created great clouds of dust which covered experiments left behind. Michael Brooks Michael Brooks discusses some of the ideas in his latest book, Thirteen Things that Don´t Make Sense. He argues that the anomalies in science, such as dark matter, dark energy and varrying physical constants, are in a way, the only things that matter. Marcus Chown Marcus Chown discusses some of the ideas explored in his latest book, Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You. Cars - the crunch! Part 4 In the final part of the series, Nicky Phillips explores the effect a driver´s emotions have on driving, and what really influences drivers´ behaviour. If you´d like to contribute to our online discussion, click here. Ida no missing link and the Flores Hobbit not human Ida, a 47-million-year-old fossilised skeleton of a monkey has been hailed as the missing link in human evolution. Colin Groves says the specimen is difficult to place on the evolutionary tree and the claim of missing link is nonsense. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-29,24628795 Fri, 29 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24598448-Science-Show-2009-05-23 Cars - the crunch! Part 3 Listeners' responses to our series, Cars - the crunch! including some drivers´ thoughts on the distractions experienced whilst driving in our cities and towns; constantly changing speed limits, speed cameras, warning signs and billboards. Nicky Phillips reports. If you´d like to contribute to our online discussion, click here. Kew Gardens herbarium Alan Paton describes some of the specimens in the Kew Gardens herbarium originally collected by the missionary David Livingstone in Africa. The herbarium has specimens from 95% of the world´s 14,000 genera of plants. There are around 350,000 species of plants, of which around 70% are found in the herbarium. The herbarium began in 1853 as the private collection of the first director. Some botanical type specimens in the Kew Gardens herbarium were collected by Charles Darwin. Plant chemistry and interaction in ecology The Jodrell Laboratory group looks at plant chemistry which helps explain the medicinal use of pla... Cars - the crunch! Part 3 Listeners' responses to our series, Cars - the crunch! including some drivers´ thoughts on the distractions experienced whilst driving in our cities and towns; constantly changing speed limits, speed cameras, warning signs and billboards. Nicky Phillips reports. If you´d like to contribute to our online discussion, click here. Kew Gardens herbarium Alan Paton describes some of the specimens in the Kew Gardens herbarium originally collected by the missionary David Livingstone in Africa. The herbarium has specimens from 95% of the world´s 14,000 genera of plants. There are around 350,000 species of plants, of which around 70% are found in the herbarium. The herbarium began in 1853 as the private collection of the first director. Some botanical type specimens in the Kew Gardens herbarium were collected by Charles Darwin. Plant chemistry and interaction in ecology The Jodrell Laboratory group looks at plant chemistry which helps explain the medicinal use of plants and their use as pesticides. This includes investigating the functional importance of plant compounds in ecology such as plant interactions with insects and fungi. This knowledge can then be applied to human uses such as production of UV blocking agents, or as flavouring in foods. Monique Simmonds describes some of the historically important specimens in the Jodrell Laboratory collection. Kew Gardens´ Botanical Gallery Marilyn Ward describes Kew Botanic Gardens´ collection of 200,000 pieces of botanic art. Artist Christabel King describes the intricacies of illustrating botanical specimens. Conserving seeds of agricultural crops The Global Crop Diversity Trust is trying to conserve the biodiversity of the world´s agricultural crops. A network of seed banks is being developed, together with a backup in a mountain in Norway. Just 10 or 12 crops dominate human nutrition. And there´s turnover in varieties as crops are developed to resist pests and disease. There are hundreds of seed banks around the world. But these are at risk. The Norway establishment is an insurance policy. Cars - the crunch! Part 3 Listeners' responses to our series, Cars - the crunch! including some drivers´ thoughts on the distractions experienced whilst driving in our cities and towns; constantly changing speed limits, speed cameras, warning signs and billboards. Nicky Phillips reports. If you´d like to contribute to our online discussion, click here. Kew Gardens herbarium Alan Paton describes some of the specimens in the Kew Gardens herbarium originally collected by the missionary David Livingstone in Africa. The herbarium has specimens from 95% of the world´s 14,000 genera of plants. There are around 350,000 species of plants, of which around 70% are found in the herbarium. The herbarium began in 1853 as the private collection of the first director. Some botanical type specimens in the Kew Gardens herbarium were collected by Charles Darwin. Plant chemistry and interaction in ecology The Jodrell Laboratory group looks at plant chemistry which helps explain the medicinal use of plants and their use as pesticides. This includes investigating the functional importance of plant compounds in ecology such as plant interactions with insects and fungi. This knowledge can then be applied to human uses such as production of UV blocking agents, or as flavouring in foods. Monique Simmonds describes some of the historically important specimens in the Jodrell Laboratory collection. Kew Gardens´ Botanical Gallery Marilyn Ward describes Kew Botanic Gardens´ collection of 200,000 pieces of botanic art. Artist Christabel King describes the intricacies of illustrating botanical specimens. Conserving seeds of agricultural crops The Global Crop Diversity Trust is trying to conserve the biodiversity of the world´s agricultural crops. A network of seed banks is being developed, together with a backup in a mountain in Norway. Just 10 or 12 crops dominate human nutrition. And there´s turnover in varieties as crops are developed to resist pests and disease. There are hundreds of seed banks around the world. But these are at risk. The Norway establishment is an insurance policy. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-22,24598448 Fri, 22 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24568375-Science-Show-2009-05-16 Swine flu: possible escapee from vaccine laboratory The outbreak of swine flu in humans could be the result of careless laboratory practices, released via a vaccine for pigs that was prepared without being fully inactivated. Adrian Gibbs studied the evolutionary trees of the gene sequences of the new swine flu and found something strange. Parts of the gene sequence came from viruses that already existed in North America, and other parts came from Eurasia. So how did these gene fragments get together to make the new virus? And where did the new virus evolve? Adrian Gibbs suggests swine flu may have escaped from a laboratory which makes vaccines. Some virus isolates may have been combined without being fully inactivated. 2009 federal budget kind to science Tim Brown says the federal budget announced this week is a good result for science in Australia. Additional funds will be provided for research in universities as well as at CSIRO. Cars: the crunch! Part 2 Andrew Simpson describes t... Swine flu: possible escapee from vaccine laboratory The outbreak of swine flu in humans could be the result of careless laboratory practices, released via a vaccine for pigs that was prepared without being fully inactivated. Adrian Gibbs studied the evolutionary trees of the gene sequences of the new swine flu and found something strange. Parts of the gene sequence came from viruses that already existed in North America, and other parts came from Eurasia. So how did these gene fragments get together to make the new virus? And where did the new virus evolve? Adrian Gibbs suggests swine flu may have escaped from a laboratory which makes vaccines. Some virus isolates may have been combined without being fully inactivated. 2009 federal budget kind to science Tim Brown says the federal budget announced this week is a good result for science in Australia. Additional funds will be provided for research in universities as well as at CSIRO. Cars: the crunch! Part 2 Andrew Simpson describes the work of Curtin University´s Sustainable Policy Institute in designing zero carbon transport options and renewable energy electricity grids. Peter Newman suggests transport of the future will be electric, supplied from renewable sources. Nicky Phillips reports. If you´d like to contribute to our online discussion, click here. Space telescopes and servicing Hubble The Space Shuttle Atlantis is paying a service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, repairing, replacing and deploying new equipment. Jonathan Nally describes the mission and looks at other large telescopes in orbit now, and others due for launch in the future. Malaria: affects animals as well as humans There are over 200 species of malaria. Humans are infected by five. But birds, bats, lizards and antelopes are also hosts for malaria parasites. Hawaiian birds become very sick and dozens of species have become extinct as a result of the introduction of malaria. Each species of malaria has a different life cycle and life history. Genetic sequencing will allow the study of life cycle changes, pathology and virulence. Saving New Zealand´s kakapo For the last four years New Zealand´s Department of Conservation´s kakapo team has been working with Spanish expert Juan Blanco, developing techniques for collecting and preserving kakapo sperm. The project has several aims: to establish a sperm bank, and to use artificial insemination to manipulate the genetic diversity of the species. Swine flu: possible escapee from vaccine laboratory The outbreak of swine flu in humans could be the result of careless laboratory practices, released via a vaccine for pigs that was prepared without being fully inactivated. Adrian Gibbs studied the evolutionary trees of the gene sequences of the new swine flu and found something strange. Parts of the gene sequence came from viruses that already existed in North America, and other parts came from Eurasia. So how did these gene fragments get together to make the new virus? And where did the new virus evolve? Adrian Gibbs suggests swine flu may have escaped from a laboratory which makes vaccines. Some virus isolates may have been combined without being fully inactivated. 2009 federal budget kind to science Tim Brown says the federal budget announced this week is a good result for science in Australia. Additional funds will be provided for research in universities as well as at CSIRO. Cars: the crunch! Part 2 Andrew Simpson describes the work of Curtin University´s Sustainable Policy Institute in designing zero carbon transport options and renewable energy electricity grids. Peter Newman suggests transport of the future will be electric, supplied from renewable sources. Nicky Phillips reports. If you´d like to contribute to our online discussion, click here. Space telescopes and servicing Hubble The Space Shuttle Atlantis is paying a service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, repairing, replacing and deploying new equipment. Jonathan Nally describes the mission and looks at other large telescopes in orbit now, and others due for launch in the future. Malaria: affects animals as well as humans There are over 200 species of malaria. Humans are infected by five. But birds, bats, lizards and antelopes are also hosts for malaria parasites. Hawaiian birds become very sick and dozens of species have become extinct as a result of the introduction of malaria. Each species of malaria has a different life cycle and life history. Genetic sequencing will allow the study of life cycle changes, pathology and virulence. Saving New Zealand´s kakapo For the last four years New Zealand´s Department of Conservation´s kakapo team has been working with Spanish expert Juan Blanco, developing techniques for collecting and preserving kakapo sperm. The project has several aims: to establish a sperm bank, and to use artificial insemination to manipulate the genetic diversity of the species. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-15,24568375 Fri, 15 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24552558-Science-Show-2009-05-09 Cars - the crunch! Driving cars in cities has become like living a nightmare in a mad computer game: distractions all around and within the vehicle. The average driver needs to process 1,340 pieces of information per minute. No wonder car crashes will soon be the third largest cause of death globally. And traffic in cities is set to double. How is the average driver to cope on modern roads? Cameras, speed limits changing rapidly, and a car that cuts you off from reality? Hydrogen sulphide Hydrogen sulphide is a hazard in many workplaces. So how do you study its effects on human health? Rotorua is the only place in the world built on an active volcano. This makes the town an ideal place for epidemiological studies on how hydrogen sulphide affects people: eyes, lungs, and neurology. 50 years of The Two Cultures CP Snow coined the phrase `The Two Cultures´ 50 years ago. It describes the cultural divide between science and art. Rob Morrison offers his take on the phrase, celebrating the... Cars - the crunch! Driving cars in cities has become like living a nightmare in a mad computer game: distractions all around and within the vehicle. The average driver needs to process 1,340 pieces of information per minute. No wonder car crashes will soon be the third largest cause of death globally. And traffic in cities is set to double. How is the average driver to cope on modern roads? Cameras, speed limits changing rapidly, and a car that cuts you off from reality? Hydrogen sulphide Hydrogen sulphide is a hazard in many workplaces. So how do you study its effects on human health? Rotorua is the only place in the world built on an active volcano. This makes the town an ideal place for epidemiological studies on how hydrogen sulphide affects people: eyes, lungs, and neurology. 50 years of The Two Cultures CP Snow coined the phrase `The Two Cultures´ 50 years ago. It describes the cultural divide between science and art. Rob Morrison offers his take on the phrase, celebrating the work of CP Snow, in verse, for The Science Show. Laura Grant: attracting young people to science Laura Grant works in science communication in London. After not connecting with physics at school, Laura went on to university to love her physics. Now she wants to get other young people hooked in to science. Computers playing chess and Go Robert Hearn works in the field of computer intelligence. He compares computers in action on the chess board with their ability in the game known as Go. Go has far more moves and positions available and so is ideal for a man versus computer contest. Cars - the crunch! Driving cars in cities has become like living a nightmare in a mad computer game: distractions all around and within the vehicle. The average driver needs to process 1,340 pieces of information per minute. No wonder car crashes will soon be the third largest cause of death globally. And traffic in cities is set to double. How is the average driver to cope on modern roads? Cameras, speed limits changing rapidly, and a car that cuts you off from reality? Hydrogen sulphide Hydrogen sulphide is a hazard in many workplaces. So how do you study its effects on human health? Rotorua is the only place in the world built on an active volcano. This makes the town an ideal place for epidemiological studies on how hydrogen sulphide affects people: eyes, lungs, and neurology. 50 years of The Two Cultures CP Snow coined the phrase `The Two Cultures´ 50 years ago. It describes the cultural divide between science and art. Rob Morrison offers his take on the phrase, celebrating the work of CP Snow, in verse, for The Science Show. Laura Grant: attracting young people to science Laura Grant works in science communication in London. After not connecting with physics at school, Laura went on to university to love her physics. Now she wants to get other young people hooked in to science. Computers playing chess and Go Robert Hearn works in the field of computer intelligence. He compares computers in action on the chess board with their ability in the game known as Go. Go has far more moves and positions available and so is ideal for a man versus computer contest. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-08,24552558 Fri, 08 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24527875-Science-Show-2009-05-02 Diabetes type 2 cured by surgery Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes. Despite 20 years of research, the problem has not been solved. There are medicines to take, but when onset is early, patients will die early despite the many treatments. People think of diabetes as a chronic, progressive incurable disease. Richard Stubbs says this is wrong. He performs gastric bypass surgery for severely obese people. These people certainly lose weight. But in addition, if diabetic, their diabetes also stops. Richard Stubbs claims diabetes is a disease of the gut. His hypothesis is the portion of the gut bypassed in surgery is producing a hormone, currently unknown, which is antagonistic to insulin. Richard Stubbs is trying to identify the hormone, and when this happens, it can be targeted by drugs. Mercury released as coal is burnt in power stations It is estimated 60,000 babies are born each year in the United States with mercury-related diseases from the burning of coal in power sta... Diabetes type 2 cured by surgery Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes. Despite 20 years of research, the problem has not been solved. There are medicines to take, but when onset is early, patients will die early despite the many treatments. People think of diabetes as a chronic, progressive incurable disease. Richard Stubbs says this is wrong. He performs gastric bypass surgery for severely obese people. These people certainly lose weight. But in addition, if diabetic, their diabetes also stops. Richard Stubbs claims diabetes is a disease of the gut. His hypothesis is the portion of the gut bypassed in surgery is producing a hormone, currently unknown, which is antagonistic to insulin. Richard Stubbs is trying to identify the hormone, and when this happens, it can be targeted by drugs. Mercury released as coal is burnt in power stations It is estimated 60,000 babies are born each year in the United States with mercury-related diseases from the burning of coal in power stations. Other countries have less stringent regulations. World wide, this is a significant problem. Mercury also enters the environment and the food chain. Suresh Bhargava is working on monitoring mercury at power stations. The next step is to remove it at the source. WA school students compete in US BioGENEius challenge Yasmin Soliman and Kayla Mizzi are the two high school students who are finalists from Western Australia for the BioGENEius challenge in Atlanta Georgia. Yasmin has worked on selective spraying of wheat, rather than blanket spraying. Kayla Mizzi has worked on genetic therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease that affects one in 3,500 young boys around the world. Science Student of the Year Western Australia 2008 Jacinta Delhaize received a scholarship to travel to Chile and work at the Gemini South Observatory in the Andes Mountains. She went on to talk about her experience with high school students and for this received the Science Student of the Year award. Her PhD will look at the evolution of hydrogen gas in galaxies. Western Australia´s Premier´s Prize for Young Scientist of the Year 2008 Ben Corry works in the field of molecular biophysics and has advanced the understanding of biological ion channels - the proteins that regulate electrical signalling between cells. Using reverse osmosis and his understanding of ion channels, Ben has proposed cheaper ways for generating clean drinking water. Lakes in Antarctica The discovery of glacial lakes under the ice in Antarctica actively transporting water between reservoirs was a surprise. These lakes can be up to 3km beneath ice. The pressure of the ice melts the ice. Helen Amanda Fricker is mapping the lakes and monitoring the flow of water and ice. Ice melt in Greenland and Antarctica Snow reflects about 80% of incoming radiation. Ice reflects just 40%. So ice absorbs more heat. In Antarctica, melting occurs where the ice sheet meets the ocean. In Greenland, there is more melting over the whole ice sheet. Antarctica has experienced major shelf collapse recently. Mark Tedesco describes what it is known about melting over Greenland and in Antarctica and how he collects data in these extreme conditions. Diabetes type 2 cured by surgery Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes. Despite 20 years of research, the problem has not been solved. There are medicines to take, but when onset is early, patients will die early despite the many treatments. People think of diabetes as a chronic, progressive incurable disease. Richard Stubbs says this is wrong. He performs gastric bypass surgery for severely obese people. These people certainly lose weight. But in addition, if diabetic, their diabetes also stops. Richard Stubbs claims diabetes is a disease of the gut. His hypothesis is the portion of the gut bypassed in surgery is producing a hormone, currently unknown, which is antagonistic to insulin. Richard Stubbs is trying to identify the hormone, and when this happens, it can be targeted by drugs. Mercury released as coal is burnt in power stations It is estimated 60,000 babies are born each year in the United States with mercury-related diseases from the burning of coal in power stations. Other countries have less stringent regulations. World wide, this is a significant problem. Mercury also enters the environment and the food chain. Suresh Bhargava is working on monitoring mercury at power stations. The next step is to remove it at the source. WA school students compete in US BioGENEius challenge Yasmin Soliman and Kayla Mizzi are the two high school students who are finalists from Western Australia for the BioGENEius challenge in Atlanta Georgia. Yasmin has worked on selective spraying of wheat, rather than blanket spraying. Kayla Mizzi has worked on genetic therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease that affects one in 3,500 young boys around the world. Science Student of the Year Western Australia 2008 Jacinta Delhaize received a scholarship to travel to Chile and work at the Gemini South Observatory in the Andes Mountains. She went on to talk about her experience with high school students and for this received the Science Student of the Year award. Her PhD will look at the evolution of hydrogen gas in galaxies. Western Australia´s Premier´s Prize for Young Scientist of the Year 2008 Ben Corry works in the field of molecular biophysics and has advanced the understanding of biological ion channels - the proteins that regulate electrical signalling between cells. Using reverse osmosis and his understanding of ion channels, Ben has proposed cheaper ways for generating clean drinking water. Lakes in Antarctica The discovery of glacial lakes under the ice in Antarctica actively transporting water between reservoirs was a surprise. These lakes can be up to 3km beneath ice. The pressure of the ice melts the ice. Helen Amanda Fricker is mapping the lakes and monitoring the flow of water and ice. Ice melt in Greenland and Antarctica Snow reflects about 80% of incoming radiation. Ice reflects just 40%. So ice absorbs more heat. In Antarctica, melting occurs where the ice sheet meets the ocean. In Greenland, there is more melting over the whole ice sheet. Antarctica has experienced major shelf collapse recently. Mark Tedesco describes what it is known about melting over Greenland and in Antarctica and how he collects data in these extreme conditions. tag:odeo.com,2009-05-01,24527875 Fri, 01 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24501481-Science-Show-2009-04-25 Barry Marshall or Kylie Minogue? When asked to choose between Australia's latest Nobel Prize winner and our favourite pop star, Asian students can surprise. So who's better known? This will be revealed, together with an assessment of our prospects when faced with the immense resources being provided for science in China. Meanwhile, are we giving full support to Australian-based innovation? One leading economist thinks not. Generic drug exports Over the next 10 years hundreds of drug patents will expire around the world allowing pharmaceutical companies to make millions of dollars producing generic brands. One such company is Hospira, who having set up a huge base in Sydney, and are hoping to manufacture generic drugs and export them. One problem. Australia´s patent laws prevent such manufacturing. Dr Nick Gruen, CEO of Lateral Economics, discusses why these laws are preventing an industry that would create jobs in Australia. Science in China Every year 1 million students graduate in... Barry Marshall or Kylie Minogue? When asked to choose between Australia's latest Nobel Prize winner and our favourite pop star, Asian students can surprise. So who's better known? This will be revealed, together with an assessment of our prospects when faced with the immense resources being provided for science in China. Meanwhile, are we giving full support to Australian-based innovation? One leading economist thinks not. Generic drug exports Over the next 10 years hundreds of drug patents will expire around the world allowing pharmaceutical companies to make millions of dollars producing generic brands. One such company is Hospira, who having set up a huge base in Sydney, and are hoping to manufacture generic drugs and export them. One problem. Australia´s patent laws prevent such manufacturing. Dr Nick Gruen, CEO of Lateral Economics, discusses why these laws are preventing an industry that would create jobs in Australia. Science in China Every year 1 million students graduate in science in China. George Stewart, Dean of Science at the University of Western Australia, talks about the growing relationship UWA is building with Chinese universities and students to ensure Australia retains its excellence in science. Beetles Beetles can be found in almost all environments on the planet and at present scientists have discovered and named about 5 millions species. But that´s only about one quarter of the beetle species that exist. Professor Quentin Wheeler from Arizona State University talks about why we need money and scientists to discover all those other creepy crawlies. George Frideric Handel It's 250 years since the death of one of the world´s greatest composers, George Frideric Handel. Alan Saunders, presenter of the Philosophers Zone, looks at whether Handel´s reported lead poisoning and obesity affected the composers' work in his later life. Mood music Are you ever in the mood for a specific genre of music- funk, atmospheric, romantic but you can never remember artist or song names? Gert Lanckriet and Luke Barrington from the University of California, San Diego have built a search engine for music that actually analyses the sound files. To help built the search engine the two men developed a game on Facebook that asks players to categorise music using adjectives. Barry Marshall or Kylie Minogue? When asked to choose between Australia's latest Nobel Prize winner and our favourite pop star, Asian students can surprise. So who's better known? This will be revealed, together with an assessment of our prospects when faced with the immense resources being provided for science in China. Meanwhile, are we giving full support to Australian-based innovation? One leading economist thinks not. Generic drug exports Over the next 10 years hundreds of drug patents will expire around the world allowing pharmaceutical companies to make millions of dollars producing generic brands. One such company is Hospira, who having set up a huge base in Sydney, and are hoping to manufacture generic drugs and export them. One problem. Australia´s patent laws prevent such manufacturing. Dr Nick Gruen, CEO of Lateral Economics, discusses why these laws are preventing an industry that would create jobs in Australia. Science in China Every year 1 million students graduate in science in China. George Stewart, Dean of Science at the University of Western Australia, talks about the growing relationship UWA is building with Chinese universities and students to ensure Australia retains its excellence in science. Beetles Beetles can be found in almost all environments on the planet and at present scientists have discovered and named about 5 millions species. But that´s only about one quarter of the beetle species that exist. Professor Quentin Wheeler from Arizona State University talks about why we need money and scientists to discover all those other creepy crawlies. George Frideric Handel It's 250 years since the death of one of the world´s greatest composers, George Frideric Handel. Alan Saunders, presenter of the Philosophers Zone, looks at whether Handel´s reported lead poisoning and obesity affected the composers' work in his later life. Mood music Are you ever in the mood for a specific genre of music- funk, atmospheric, romantic but you can never remember artist or song names? Gert Lanckriet and Luke Barrington from the University of California, San Diego have built a search engine for music that actually analyses the sound files. To help built the search engine the two men developed a game on Facebook that asks players to categorise music using adjectives. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-24,24501481 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24465801-Science-Show-2009-04-18 Biofuels They may be among the oldest forms of life on Earth, but they offer great hope for the future. Blue green algae, pond scum, are also a form of bacteria and may be harnessed in ponds to produce oil. But can they make enough? 'Yes they can!' say scientists in California, and are already doing so. Other microalgae are also promising. Soon they may replace fossil fuels. Out of body experience Almost 20 per cent of people who are resuscitated after a cardiac arrest can remember details about their experience -- what the doctor said or how the room looked. But how can the brain function when a person is clinically dead? Doctors in Southampton in England are conducting a study in hospital emergency rooms to see if the mind can really function outside the body. Naomi Fowler reports. Bleach in cells Hypochlorous acid, more commonly known as bleach, is produced in compartments of white blood cells to kill invading bacteria. But sometimes these compartments don´t close off properly, a... Biofuels They may be among the oldest forms of life on Earth, but they offer great hope for the future. Blue green algae, pond scum, are also a form of bacteria and may be harnessed in ponds to produce oil. But can they make enough? 'Yes they can!' say scientists in California, and are already doing so. Other microalgae are also promising. Soon they may replace fossil fuels. Out of body experience Almost 20 per cent of people who are resuscitated after a cardiac arrest can remember details about their experience -- what the doctor said or how the room looked. But how can the brain function when a person is clinically dead? Doctors in Southampton in England are conducting a study in hospital emergency rooms to see if the mind can really function outside the body. Naomi Fowler reports. Bleach in cells Hypochlorous acid, more commonly known as bleach, is produced in compartments of white blood cells to kill invading bacteria. But sometimes these compartments don´t close off properly, allowing bleach and several reactive gases to diffuse into other areas of the body and cause tissue damage. Professor Mick Black from the University of Otago in Christchurch has been studying bleach-leaking and believes it´s contributing to inflammatory diseases like cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer´s. Cancer treatments Treating cancer is a tough business, so when new genomics technologies came on the market that allowed scientists to detect genes that correspond to the aggressiveness and intensity of a tumour, they thought predicting if a tumour would return or not would be simple. Mick Black from the University of Otago talks about why predicting cancer relapse didn´t work as well as scientists hoped and how researchers in America are starting to treat tumours based on their molecular profile. The origins of flight and feathers The feathers we see on birds today are completely different in form and function to those that started out as `fluff´ on dinosaurs 150 million years ago. Using fossils records from China, palaeontologists believe feathers first evolved as insulation. It wasn´t until much later that flight behaviour developed. Scientists think flight behaviour developed as an escape mechanism, and it began more as assisted running with wings than flying. Biofuels They may be among the oldest forms of life on Earth, but they offer great hope for the future. Blue green algae, pond scum, are also a form of bacteria and may be harnessed in ponds to produce oil. But can they make enough? 'Yes they can!' say scientists in California, and are already doing so. Other microalgae are also promising. Soon they may replace fossil fuels. Out of body experience Almost 20 per cent of people who are resuscitated after a cardiac arrest can remember details about their experience -- what the doctor said or how the room looked. But how can the brain function when a person is clinically dead? Doctors in Southampton in England are conducting a study in hospital emergency rooms to see if the mind can really function outside the body. Naomi Fowler reports. Bleach in cells Hypochlorous acid, more commonly known as bleach, is produced in compartments of white blood cells to kill invading bacteria. But sometimes these compartments don´t close off properly, allowing bleach and several reactive gases to diffuse into other areas of the body and cause tissue damage. Professor Mick Black from the University of Otago in Christchurch has been studying bleach-leaking and believes it´s contributing to inflammatory diseases like cystic fibrosis and Alzheimer´s. Cancer treatments Treating cancer is a tough business, so when new genomics technologies came on the market that allowed scientists to detect genes that correspond to the aggressiveness and intensity of a tumour, they thought predicting if a tumour would return or not would be simple. Mick Black from the University of Otago talks about why predicting cancer relapse didn´t work as well as scientists hoped and how researchers in America are starting to treat tumours based on their molecular profile. The origins of flight and feathers The feathers we see on birds today are completely different in form and function to those that started out as `fluff´ on dinosaurs 150 million years ago. Using fossils records from China, palaeontologists believe feathers first evolved as insulation. It wasn´t until much later that flight behaviour developed. Scientists think flight behaviour developed as an escape mechanism, and it began more as assisted running with wings than flying. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-17,24465801 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24439914-Science-Show-2009-04-11 Western Australia´s Zadko telescope opens - peers into the distant past David Coward describes the capabilities of the Zadko telescope, recently opened north or Perth, Western Australia. Zadco is designed to look at flashes of light from the far edge of the universe. These are gamma ray bursts. Some are the result of the collapse of distant massive stars. Zadko has been the only telescope to observe these flashes, some of which are from a distance of 11 billion light years. These flashes were produced at a time twice the age of the Earth and our Solar System. Darwin´s finches under threat Charles Darwin collected finches in the Galapagos Islands. Today the finches are in danger, threatened by introduced animals to the islands. In addition to dogs, the greatest threat is a fly, which is suspected to have been introduced by tourists. The fly eats the finches whilst alive. Sonia Kleindorfer describes the finches, their perilous state and the measures being undertaken to protect them. D... Western Australia´s Zadko telescope opens - peers into the distant past David Coward describes the capabilities of the Zadko telescope, recently opened north or Perth, Western Australia. Zadco is designed to look at flashes of light from the far edge of the universe. These are gamma ray bursts. Some are the result of the collapse of distant massive stars. Zadko has been the only telescope to observe these flashes, some of which are from a distance of 11 billion light years. These flashes were produced at a time twice the age of the Earth and our Solar System. Darwin´s finches under threat Charles Darwin collected finches in the Galapagos Islands. Today the finches are in danger, threatened by introduced animals to the islands. In addition to dogs, the greatest threat is a fly, which is suspected to have been introduced by tourists. The fly eats the finches whilst alive. Sonia Kleindorfer describes the finches, their perilous state and the measures being undertaken to protect them. Darwin´s legacy In 2009, we are celebrating 150 years since Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species. So what has been Darwin´s legacy? Steve Jones suggests Darwin invented the field of biology. When we study biology, we´re studying evolution says Jones. Fossilised rabbit Michael Novacek describes a 55 - 60-million-year-old fossil. It was collected in the Gobi Desert in central Asia. It is similar to current day rabbits or rodents. Fossils such as this preserve the missing steps in evolution. Michael Novacek speculates an increase in oxygen, around 55 million years ago, was a stimulus for increased body size in animals. This raises the question as to when the great radiation or flowering of modern mammals occurred. Did it occur before or after the age of dinosaurs? Western Australia´s Zadko telescope opens - peers into the distant past David Coward describes the capabilities of the Zadko telescope, recently opened north or Perth, Western Australia. Zadco is designed to look at flashes of light from the far edge of the universe. These are gamma ray bursts. Some are the result of the collapse of distant massive stars. Zadko has been the only telescope to observe these flashes, some of which are from a distance of 11 billion light years. These flashes were produced at a time twice the age of the Earth and our Solar System. Darwin´s finches under threat Charles Darwin collected finches in the Galapagos Islands. Today the finches are in danger, threatened by introduced animals to the islands. In addition to dogs, the greatest threat is a fly, which is suspected to have been introduced by tourists. The fly eats the finches whilst alive. Sonia Kleindorfer describes the finches, their perilous state and the measures being undertaken to protect them. Darwin´s legacy In 2009, we are celebrating 150 years since Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species. So what has been Darwin´s legacy? Steve Jones suggests Darwin invented the field of biology. When we study biology, we´re studying evolution says Jones. Fossilised rabbit Michael Novacek describes a 55 - 60-million-year-old fossil. It was collected in the Gobi Desert in central Asia. It is similar to current day rabbits or rodents. Fossils such as this preserve the missing steps in evolution. Michael Novacek speculates an increase in oxygen, around 55 million years ago, was a stimulus for increased body size in animals. This raises the question as to when the great radiation or flowering of modern mammals occurred. Did it occur before or after the age of dinosaurs? tag:odeo.com,2009-04-10,24439914 Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24405794-Science-Show-2009-04-04 Vitamin C may help beat cancer Margreet Vissers, from Otago University's Free Radical Research Group, explains how vitamin C could help beat cancer by making chemotherapy more effective. She says laboratory experiments showed for the first time that vitamin C was a vital part of healthy living and not just a health supplement to be taken when people had a cold. Vitamin C is fundamental in controlling many cell activities, cell death and the growth of cancer cells in tumours. Without it our cells don't work properly. Until now, no one had determined the processes in the body, which made the active ingredient vitamin C so important. Experiments had shown that vitamin C played a key role in all healthy cells and had a major function in controlling cell activity throughout the body. Vitamin C was not a cure for cancer, but the research showed that when vitamin C was low or absent in the body, cancer cells in tumours could make more blood vessels grow well and resist chemotherapy. Meteor... Vitamin C may help beat cancer Margreet Vissers, from Otago University's Free Radical Research Group, explains how vitamin C could help beat cancer by making chemotherapy more effective. She says laboratory experiments showed for the first time that vitamin C was a vital part of healthy living and not just a health supplement to be taken when people had a cold. Vitamin C is fundamental in controlling many cell activities, cell death and the growth of cancer cells in tumours. Without it our cells don't work properly. Until now, no one had determined the processes in the body, which made the active ingredient vitamin C so important. Experiments had shown that vitamin C played a key role in all healthy cells and had a major function in controlling cell activity throughout the body. Vitamin C was not a cure for cancer, but the research showed that when vitamin C was low or absent in the body, cancer cells in tumours could make more blood vessels grow well and resist chemotherapy. Meteorite fragments traced to observable asteroid before impact Meteorites are usually traceable to the Moon or Mars. Jonathan Nally tells the story of the first meteorite fragments, collected in the Sudanese desert, which were traced to an asteroid, observed before impact. Gingin Observatory and Gravity Discovery Centre These two science centres are located 1 hour north of Perth at West Gingin. The two facilities operate separately but work closely together offering fascinating science experiences for visitors. Carol Redford and Donna Vanzetti describe the facilities and what visitors can expect. Implications of life beyond Earth The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence continues. If it is ever found, it will seriously challenge many people´s ideas about the origins of life on Earth. Mike McRea considers the implications, should life be found, one day, beyond planet Earth. Mechanics of body processes Sheldon Weinbaum studies the mechanics of the body. One area of research is describing the mechanism by which plaques develop and rupture in arteries causing heart attacks. These are known as vulnerable plaques. After the process has been described, a solution can be worked on. Sheldon Weinbaum is also studying the mechanics that allow red blood cells to slide so easily through arteries and veins, specially through the tiniest capillaries. He describes it in a way similar to how a skier glides over fresh snow. Virtual reality smells Naomi Fowler test drives the newest virtual reality experience. It incorporates full sense sensation, including smell and taste. Realistic environments are being created such as game parks, including the smell of rhino dung. Vitamin C may help beat cancer Margreet Vissers, from Otago University's Free Radical Research Group, explains how vitamin C could help beat cancer by making chemotherapy more effective. She says laboratory experiments showed for the first time that vitamin C was a vital part of healthy living and not just a health supplement to be taken when people had a cold. Vitamin C is fundamental in controlling many cell activities, cell death and the growth of cancer cells in tumours. Without it our cells don't work properly. Until now, no one had determined the processes in the body, which made the active ingredient vitamin C so important. Experiments had shown that vitamin C played a key role in all healthy cells and had a major function in controlling cell activity throughout the body. Vitamin C was not a cure for cancer, but the research showed that when vitamin C was low or absent in the body, cancer cells in tumours could make more blood vessels grow well and resist chemotherapy. Meteorite fragments traced to observable asteroid before impact Meteorites are usually traceable to the Moon or Mars. Jonathan Nally tells the story of the first meteorite fragments, collected in the Sudanese desert, which were traced to an asteroid, observed before impact. Gingin Observatory and Gravity Discovery Centre These two science centres are located 1 hour north of Perth at West Gingin. The two facilities operate separately but work closely together offering fascinating science experiences for visitors. Carol Redford and Donna Vanzetti describe the facilities and what visitors can expect. Implications of life beyond Earth The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence continues. If it is ever found, it will seriously challenge many people´s ideas about the origins of life on Earth. Mike McRea considers the implications, should life be found, one day, beyond planet Earth. Mechanics of body processes Sheldon Weinbaum studies the mechanics of the body. One area of research is describing the mechanism by which plaques develop and rupture in arteries causing heart attacks. These are known as vulnerable plaques. After the process has been described, a solution can be worked on. Sheldon Weinbaum is also studying the mechanics that allow red blood cells to slide so easily through arteries and veins, specially through the tiniest capillaries. He describes it in a way similar to how a skier glides over fresh snow. Virtual reality smells Naomi Fowler test drives the newest virtual reality experience. It incorporates full sense sensation, including smell and taste. Realistic environments are being created such as game parks, including the smell of rhino dung. tag:odeo.com,2009-04-03,24405794 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24375708-Science-Show-2009-03-28 Plumage determines sex of offspring in Gouldian Finches Over eighty per cent of Gouldian finch chicks will be male if their mother sees that the father has a different coloured head. These colourful Australian native birds have three possible head colours-red, yellow and black. Daughters produced from mixed matings-where parents differ in head colour - suffer from genetic incompatibilities between their parents that cause about 84 per cent to die young. Magellanic penguins swim further for food Magellanic penguins are breeding in large numbers off the Argentinian coast. They are a huge tourist attraction. The birds are spread over a large area. But they need to travel further for their food. This burns up more energy and the mate and chicks need to wait longer between feeds. Penguins can change the pH of their stomach, storing the food longer. The penguins are racing against time when they return. They swim at the same speed day and night. Radio ID tags reveal how long the penguins ... Plumage determines sex of offspring in Gouldian Finches Over eighty per cent of Gouldian finch chicks will be male if their mother sees that the father has a different coloured head. These colourful Australian native birds have three possible head colours-red, yellow and black. Daughters produced from mixed matings-where parents differ in head colour - suffer from genetic incompatibilities between their parents that cause about 84 per cent to die young. Magellanic penguins swim further for food Magellanic penguins are breeding in large numbers off the Argentinian coast. They are a huge tourist attraction. The birds are spread over a large area. But they need to travel further for their food. This burns up more energy and the mate and chicks need to wait longer between feeds. Penguins can change the pH of their stomach, storing the food longer. The penguins are racing against time when they return. They swim at the same speed day and night. Radio ID tags reveal how long the penguins are away and how much food they´re bringing back. Self-cleaning glass Meera Senthilingam visits St Pancras International Railway Station in London. The roof is made of glass and is self-cleaning due to a very thin film of titanium dioxide. Ian Parkin explains the biological and physical actions which keep the glass clean. Stromatolites and phosphorus Stromatolites are laminated remains of a micro-organism of the past. They contain micro-algae and carbohydrates and some inorganic materials. Some are living. The Chihuahuan desert in Mexico has some beautiful stromatolites growing in the water of springs. Phosphorous is an important element in stromatolies as it is in bones and cells where it plays an important role in energy transactions. It forms nucleic acids such as ATP and RNA. Phosphorous is bound up in rocks and is released by weathering and erosion. It´s a slow process. Some people are concerned that our supply of phosphorous, which is used in agriculture is in short supply, and will be the limit of human sustainability. North American Indians of the Navada high desert David Hurst Thomas works in the high desert of Navada. He studies human ecology. Many Indians lived in the Navada high desert over a period of 12,000 years. The area supplies dense archaeology. David Hurst Thomas says the people were not specialised and thus were adaptable to change, be it change in climate, vegetation or the people with whom they interacted. This allowed the group to survive for so long. How bones react to mechanical activity For over a century people have wondered how it is that bones react to mechanical activity. Walking and running firms bones. Bones not under stress, such as those of astronauts thin. Sheldon Weinbaum studied bone cells and noted fluid motion in tiny tubes. He describes it as a flow induced system of mechano-induction. Plumage determines sex of offspring in Gouldian Finches Over eighty per cent of Gouldian finch chicks will be male if their mother sees that the father has a different coloured head. These colourful Australian native birds have three possible head colours-red, yellow and black. Daughters produced from mixed matings-where parents differ in head colour - suffer from genetic incompatibilities between their parents that cause about 84 per cent to die young. Magellanic penguins swim further for food Magellanic penguins are breeding in large numbers off the Argentinian coast. They are a huge tourist attraction. The birds are spread over a large area. But they need to travel further for their food. This burns up more energy and the mate and chicks need to wait longer between feeds. Penguins can change the pH of their stomach, storing the food longer. The penguins are racing against time when they return. They swim at the same speed day and night. Radio ID tags reveal how long the penguins are away and how much food they´re bringing back. Self-cleaning glass Meera Senthilingam visits St Pancras International Railway Station in London. The roof is made of glass and is self-cleaning due to a very thin film of titanium dioxide. Ian Parkin explains the biological and physical actions which keep the glass clean. Stromatolites and phosphorus Stromatolites are laminated remains of a micro-organism of the past. They contain micro-algae and carbohydrates and some inorganic materials. Some are living. The Chihuahuan desert in Mexico has some beautiful stromatolites growing in the water of springs. Phosphorous is an important element in stromatolies as it is in bones and cells where it plays an important role in energy transactions. It forms nucleic acids such as ATP and RNA. Phosphorous is bound up in rocks and is released by weathering and erosion. It´s a slow process. Some people are concerned that our supply of phosphorous, which is used in agriculture is in short supply, and will be the limit of human sustainability. North American Indians of the Navada high desert David Hurst Thomas works in the high desert of Navada. He studies human ecology. Many Indians lived in the Navada high desert over a period of 12,000 years. The area supplies dense archaeology. David Hurst Thomas says the people were not specialised and thus were adaptable to change, be it change in climate, vegetation or the people with whom they interacted. This allowed the group to survive for so long. How bones react to mechanical activity For over a century people have wondered how it is that bones react to mechanical activity. Walking and running firms bones. Bones not under stress, such as those of astronauts thin. Sheldon Weinbaum studied bone cells and noted fluid motion in tiny tubes. He describes it as a flow induced system of mechano-induction. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-27,24375708 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24336993-Science-Show-2009-03-21 Imaging Mars and beyond Hi-rise is a camera. Longhand: High resolution imaging science experiment. It´s the biggest camera to go to another planet. The camera is in orbit around Mars and produces very high resolution images of the surface. Each pixel represents 25cm of the surface. Samples are on Google. The oldest rocks on Mars are 3.9 billion years old and are from a time of heavy bombardment. Now there´s a plan to go to one Io, one of the 63 moons of Jupiter. Caterpillars get the royal treatment in ants´ nests Some caterpillars can live inside ants´ nests and survive without being eaten. Jeremy Thomas has found that some caterpillars secrete special chemicals that mimic the ants´ own smell. Once inside the nest, the ants will feed the caterpillars. They´ll even kill their own grubs and feed them to the intruders. Jeremy Thomas says the caterpillars mimic the queen ant, even mimicking her scratchy noises, and so get treated like a queen, being fed and groomed. Nanoparticles delive... Imaging Mars and beyond Hi-rise is a camera. Longhand: High resolution imaging science experiment. It´s the biggest camera to go to another planet. The camera is in orbit around Mars and produces very high resolution images of the surface. Each pixel represents 25cm of the surface. Samples are on Google. The oldest rocks on Mars are 3.9 billion years old and are from a time of heavy bombardment. Now there´s a plan to go to one Io, one of the 63 moons of Jupiter. Caterpillars get the royal treatment in ants´ nests Some caterpillars can live inside ants´ nests and survive without being eaten. Jeremy Thomas has found that some caterpillars secrete special chemicals that mimic the ants´ own smell. Once inside the nest, the ants will feed the caterpillars. They´ll even kill their own grubs and feed them to the intruders. Jeremy Thomas says the caterpillars mimic the queen ant, even mimicking her scratchy noises, and so get treated like a queen, being fed and groomed. Nanoparticles deliver drugs to treat cancer Nanoparticles are being used as micro sensors in the body, to help determine where cancers are and to deliver drugs, then give a signal when the drug is used up. The particles are about 1,000 times smaller than the diameter of a hair, that is about 100 nanometres. These nanoparticles will go in to tumours. Peptides are being designed to stick to the nanoparticles and deliver a drug to the tumour, and the nanoparticles will find tumours which are very small. Then over time, the nanoparticles will biodegrade and be removed from the body. Another application is administering drugs to the eye, for treatment of macular degeneration, to replace the current method which is by way of injection. Satin bowerbirds sing and dance to robot female bowerbirds Gail Patricelli has designed robots to look very much like satin bowerbirds. At Wallaby Creek, near Brisbane, she dressed her robots to look like female birds. The males then sing and dance around the robot. This enables Gail to observe and study the signals exhibited by the male as they try to win the hand, or wing of the female. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is another species which puts on a fantastic show for very choosy females. Gail Patricelli´s work shows that in order to be successful in courtship, it´s not just show, but the ability to interact socially and adjust behaviour in response to female signals and other behaviour during courtship. Frogs in southeast Asia The countries of mainland southeast Asia include Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. The lowest tips of the Himalayas reach down into Vietnam and Laos. Many Himalayan frogs are found in these countries. The last study of frogs in the region was done in 1942. As recently as 1992, a new large mammal was found. Many forests are unsurveyed. Locals know the forests, but the world of science does not. Ten years ago only 80 species of amphibians were documented. Today 186 species are known. Many species have very small ranges, which has consequences for survival and conservation. A major threat is loss of forest for agriculture. Boar croc Paul Sereno describes one of the many crocodile fossils he´s discovered. He calls this one his boar croc because of the stabbing teeth it has above the snout. And there are horns. It probably attacked prey by running and ramming them with its rocky snout. It was found in Niger and comes from a time of lushness. The crocodile bridged life in water and life on land. Imaging Mars and beyond Hi-rise is a camera. Longhand: High resolution imaging science experiment. It´s the biggest camera to go to another planet. The camera is in orbit around Mars and produces very high resolution images of the surface. Each pixel represents 25cm of the surface. Samples are on Google. The oldest rocks on Mars are 3.9 billion years old and are from a time of heavy bombardment. Now there´s a plan to go to one Io, one of the 63 moons of Jupiter. Caterpillars get the royal treatment in ants´ nests Some caterpillars can live inside ants´ nests and survive without being eaten. Jeremy Thomas has found that some caterpillars secrete special chemicals that mimic the ants´ own smell. Once inside the nest, the ants will feed the caterpillars. They´ll even kill their own grubs and feed them to the intruders. Jeremy Thomas says the caterpillars mimic the queen ant, even mimicking her scratchy noises, and so get treated like a queen, being fed and groomed. Nanoparticles deliver drugs to treat cancer Nanoparticles are being used as micro sensors in the body, to help determine where cancers are and to deliver drugs, then give a signal when the drug is used up. The particles are about 1,000 times smaller than the diameter of a hair, that is about 100 nanometres. These nanoparticles will go in to tumours. Peptides are being designed to stick to the nanoparticles and deliver a drug to the tumour, and the nanoparticles will find tumours which are very small. Then over time, the nanoparticles will biodegrade and be removed from the body. Another application is administering drugs to the eye, for treatment of macular degeneration, to replace the current method which is by way of injection. Satin bowerbirds sing and dance to robot female bowerbirds Gail Patricelli has designed robots to look very much like satin bowerbirds. At Wallaby Creek, near Brisbane, she dressed her robots to look like female birds. The males then sing and dance around the robot. This enables Gail to observe and study the signals exhibited by the male as they try to win the hand, or wing of the female. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is another species which puts on a fantastic show for very choosy females. Gail Patricelli´s work shows that in order to be successful in courtship, it´s not just show, but the ability to interact socially and adjust behaviour in response to female signals and other behaviour during courtship. Frogs in southeast Asia The countries of mainland southeast Asia include Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma. The lowest tips of the Himalayas reach down into Vietnam and Laos. Many Himalayan frogs are found in these countries. The last study of frogs in the region was done in 1942. As recently as 1992, a new large mammal was found. Many forests are unsurveyed. Locals know the forests, but the world of science does not. Ten years ago only 80 species of amphibians were documented. Today 186 species are known. Many species have very small ranges, which has consequences for survival and conservation. A major threat is loss of forest for agriculture. Boar croc Paul Sereno describes one of the many crocodile fossils he´s discovered. He calls this one his boar croc because of the stabbing teeth it has above the snout. And there are horns. It probably attacked prey by running and ramming them with its rocky snout. It was found in Niger and comes from a time of lushness. The crocodile bridged life in water and life on land. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-20,24336993 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24303581-Science-Show-2009-03-14 Air pollution reduces rainfall Kimberly Prather measures soot and determines its origins. New instruments can be taken in aircraft which analyse particles in the air in real time, giving an instant readout. Kimberly Prather says soot from fires pumps billions of extra particles into the sky which collect water vapour. This goes some way to explaining why clouds which are expected to produce rain often don´t. Rather than large drops which fall as rain, the clouds contain a larger number of smaller drops which remain in the air. Synchrotron reveals ancient fish brain Paul Tafforeau describes his surprise discovery of an ancient fish brain while using the synchrotron at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Research funding in Australia David Blair presents the case for increased funding for university research programs. He describes the process of grant applications, the small success rate and the meagre level of funding available. He says the current system is a national trage... Air pollution reduces rainfall Kimberly Prather measures soot and determines its origins. New instruments can be taken in aircraft which analyse particles in the air in real time, giving an instant readout. Kimberly Prather says soot from fires pumps billions of extra particles into the sky which collect water vapour. This goes some way to explaining why clouds which are expected to produce rain often don´t. Rather than large drops which fall as rain, the clouds contain a larger number of smaller drops which remain in the air. Synchrotron reveals ancient fish brain Paul Tafforeau describes his surprise discovery of an ancient fish brain while using the synchrotron at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Research funding in Australia David Blair presents the case for increased funding for university research programs. He describes the process of grant applications, the small success rate and the meagre level of funding available. He says the current system is a national tragedy. Flight celebrates South Pole centenary Nicky Phillips joins a flight to the South Pole to celebrate the centenary of the trip by explorers Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson and Alistair Forbes-Mackay when the magnetic South Pole was discovered. Testing Phoenix and early results from Mars Earth and Mars have a lot in common. Both have polar caps, atmospheres and water climates (ice on Mars). So Peter Smith took his equipment to Antarctica for testing before being deployed in the Phoenix mission. The dry valleys in Antarctica are an ideal environment to simulate the conditions on Mars. Some of the results from Mars include data showing the Mars environment changes quickly. The Mars soil contains nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, which is only formed by the action of water. Just 5 million years ago, the climate was warmer and wetter. Plus, a mineral used by microbes on Earth as an energy source, perchlorate, was also found. And for the first time, snow has been found on Mars. Settlement on Mars Student Luke Sturgess contemplates the options and challenges for human settlement on distant planets. Air pollution reduces rainfall Kimberly Prather measures soot and determines its origins. New instruments can be taken in aircraft which analyse particles in the air in real time, giving an instant readout. Kimberly Prather says soot from fires pumps billions of extra particles into the sky which collect water vapour. This goes some way to explaining why clouds which are expected to produce rain often don´t. Rather than large drops which fall as rain, the clouds contain a larger number of smaller drops which remain in the air. Synchrotron reveals ancient fish brain Paul Tafforeau describes his surprise discovery of an ancient fish brain while using the synchrotron at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Research funding in Australia David Blair presents the case for increased funding for university research programs. He describes the process of grant applications, the small success rate and the meagre level of funding available. He says the current system is a national tragedy. Flight celebrates South Pole centenary Nicky Phillips joins a flight to the South Pole to celebrate the centenary of the trip by explorers Edgeworth David, Douglas Mawson and Alistair Forbes-Mackay when the magnetic South Pole was discovered. Testing Phoenix and early results from Mars Earth and Mars have a lot in common. Both have polar caps, atmospheres and water climates (ice on Mars). So Peter Smith took his equipment to Antarctica for testing before being deployed in the Phoenix mission. The dry valleys in Antarctica are an ideal environment to simulate the conditions on Mars. Some of the results from Mars include data showing the Mars environment changes quickly. The Mars soil contains nutrients, such as calcium carbonate, which is only formed by the action of water. Just 5 million years ago, the climate was warmer and wetter. Plus, a mineral used by microbes on Earth as an energy source, perchlorate, was also found. And for the first time, snow has been found on Mars. Settlement on Mars Student Luke Sturgess contemplates the options and challenges for human settlement on distant planets. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-13,24303581 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0700 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24268346-Science-Show-2009-03-07 Expanding universe leaves us all alone Lawrence Krauss says it´s only going to get worse. We live in the worst of all possible universes. As the universe expands, our galaxy will be left all alone. Cosmology will end and all evidence of a big bang will disappear. As newly appointed director of the Arizona State University´s Origins Initiative, Lawrence Krauss will be looking at the origins of the laws of physics, the universe, planet Earth, life, human origins, consciousness and culture. Imaging Mars Hi-rise is a camera. Longhand: High resolution imaging science experiment. It´s the biggest camera to go to another planet. The camera is in orbit around Mars and produces very high resolution images of the surface. Each pixel represents 25cm of the surface. Samples are on google. The oldest rocks on Mars are 3.9 billion years old and are from a time of heavy bombardment. Inflation model for the universe Alan Guth describes the inflationary model for the production of a universe. It all... Expanding universe leaves us all alone Lawrence Krauss says it´s only going to get worse. We live in the worst of all possible universes. As the universe expands, our galaxy will be left all alone. Cosmology will end and all evidence of a big bang will disappear. As newly appointed director of the Arizona State University´s Origins Initiative, Lawrence Krauss will be looking at the origins of the laws of physics, the universe, planet Earth, life, human origins, consciousness and culture. Imaging Mars Hi-rise is a camera. Longhand: High resolution imaging science experiment. It´s the biggest camera to go to another planet. The camera is in orbit around Mars and produces very high resolution images of the surface. Each pixel represents 25cm of the surface. Samples are on google. The oldest rocks on Mars are 3.9 billion years old and are from a time of heavy bombardment. Inflation model for the universe Alan Guth describes the inflationary model for the production of a universe. It all comes from just one gram of material. Inflation produces the rest. And there may be an infinite number of universes. The origin of the original gram is open to further speculation. Lunar craters named after science high fliers Jonathan Nally reports on the latest batch of lunar craters named after great scientists. Howard Florey, who developed penicillin as a medicine is among them. But his nationality was credited as British and not Australian. Jonathan Nally had that rectified. Florey is amongst other Australians immortalised on the lunar surface. Attacking HIV HIV keeps mutating and is always a few steps ahead of treatment. Some say it mutates 1,000 times faster than flu. Quentin Sattentau is targeting parts of the virus which vary minimally or are stable. This will allow development of antibodies aimed at attacking most strains of HIV. Structural biologists are looking at the atomic structure of HIV´s viral lock. It is hoped specific atoms can be targeted by a vaccine. The challenge is moving from the structural information to a vaccine. Extreme pressures used to study elemental properties The pressure at ground level on Earth is one atmosphere. Huge pressures exist on and inside other planets. These can be as high as 3.5 million atmospheres. Saturn and Jupiter have internal pressures of 10 million atmospheres. We now know about planets several times the mass of Jupiter. These monsters have internal atmospheres of hundreds of millions of atmospheres or even billions of atmospheres. Raymond Jeanloz is creating these pressures in his lab using bullets made of intense light. A sample of material is vaporised and in a few billionths of a second, the huge pressures are created.. and measured! Some elements undergo curious physical changes at these pressures. Raymond jeanloz describes what happens to hydrogen, helium and carbon at these extreme conditions. Now some materials such as diamond can be created using low pressures. These are grown from the vapour phase. Current estimates are that there are billions of Earth-like planets out there. Decoding the Heavens - the antikythera ancient computer In the Autumn of 1900, sponge divers in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck dating from around 70 BC. They picked up what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock. It turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this 'Antikythera mechanism' puzzled academics. It was ancient clockwork, unmatched in complexity for 1,000 years - but who could have made it, and what was it for? Now, more than 2,000 years after the device was lost at sea, scientists have pieced together its intricate workings and revealed its secrets. Jo Marchant tells the full story of the 100-year quest to understand this ancient computer in her book, in Decoding the Heavens. Expanding universe leaves us all alone Lawrence Krauss says it´s only going to get worse. We live in the worst of all possible universes. As the universe expands, our galaxy will be left all alone. Cosmology will end and all evidence of a big bang will disappear. As newly appointed director of the Arizona State University´s Origins Initiative, Lawrence Krauss will be looking at the origins of the laws of physics, the universe, planet Earth, life, human origins, consciousness and culture. Imaging Mars Hi-rise is a camera. Longhand: High resolution imaging science experiment. It´s the biggest camera to go to another planet. The camera is in orbit around Mars and produces very high resolution images of the surface. Each pixel represents 25cm of the surface. Samples are on google. The oldest rocks on Mars are 3.9 billion years old and are from a time of heavy bombardment. Inflation model for the universe Alan Guth describes the inflationary model for the production of a universe. It all comes from just one gram of material. Inflation produces the rest. And there may be an infinite number of universes. The origin of the original gram is open to further speculation. Lunar craters named after science high fliers Jonathan Nally reports on the latest batch of lunar craters named after great scientists. Howard Florey, who developed penicillin as a medicine is among them. But his nationality was credited as British and not Australian. Jonathan Nally had that rectified. Florey is amongst other Australians immortalised on the lunar surface. Attacking HIV HIV keeps mutating and is always a few steps ahead of treatment. Some say it mutates 1,000 times faster than flu. Quentin Sattentau is targeting parts of the virus which vary minimally or are stable. This will allow development of antibodies aimed at attacking most strains of HIV. Structural biologists are looking at the atomic structure of HIV´s viral lock. It is hoped specific atoms can be targeted by a vaccine. The challenge is moving from the structural information to a vaccine. Extreme pressures used to study elemental properties The pressure at ground level on Earth is one atmosphere. Huge pressures exist on and inside other planets. These can be as high as 3.5 million atmospheres. Saturn and Jupiter have internal pressures of 10 million atmospheres. We now know about planets several times the mass of Jupiter. These monsters have internal atmospheres of hundreds of millions of atmospheres or even billions of atmospheres. Raymond Jeanloz is creating these pressures in his lab using bullets made of intense light. A sample of material is vaporised and in a few billionths of a second, the huge pressures are created.. and measured! Some elements undergo curious physical changes at these pressures. Raymond jeanloz describes what happens to hydrogen, helium and carbon at these extreme conditions. Now some materials such as diamond can be created using low pressures. These are grown from the vapour phase. Current estimates are that there are billions of Earth-like planets out there. Decoding the Heavens - the antikythera ancient computer In the Autumn of 1900, sponge divers in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck dating from around 70 BC. They picked up what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock. It turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this 'Antikythera mechanism' puzzled academics. It was ancient clockwork, unmatched in complexity for 1,000 years - but who could have made it, and what was it for? Now, more than 2,000 years after the device was lost at sea, scientists have pieced together its intricate workings and revealed its secrets. Jo Marchant tells the full story of the 100-year quest to understand this ancient computer in her book, in Decoding the Heavens. tag:odeo.com,2009-03-06,24268346 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24232809-Science-Show-2009-02-28 DNA from Neanderthals Sites in Croatia and Spain have revealed DNA sequences of Neanderthals. They are 38,000 years old. Other sites are in Germany and southern Russia. These date back 70,000 years. New techniques allow sequences to be prepared from less than one gram of material. Random fragments are sequenced and mapped to the human genome. Some known genetic variants are in common with people of today. These reveal features such as lactose tolerance. Neanderthals were not tolerant to lactose. Dimorphism in vertebrates traced back 400 million years Fossils from Western Australia have revealed the first dimorphism in fish. It´s the earliest example of separate males and females in vertebrates and clearly shows copulation and internal fertilisation as we know it today. Parts of the fossils' morphology has been previously overlooked. This result helps complete some of the gaps in our understanding of the evolution of reproduction in vertebrates. Mars and Phoenix William Boynton descr... DNA from Neanderthals Sites in Croatia and Spain have revealed DNA sequences of Neanderthals. They are 38,000 years old. Other sites are in Germany and southern Russia. These date back 70,000 years. New techniques allow sequences to be prepared from less than one gram of material. Random fragments are sequenced and mapped to the human genome. Some known genetic variants are in common with people of today. These reveal features such as lactose tolerance. Neanderthals were not tolerant to lactose. Dimorphism in vertebrates traced back 400 million years Fossils from Western Australia have revealed the first dimorphism in fish. It´s the earliest example of separate males and females in vertebrates and clearly shows copulation and internal fertilisation as we know it today. Parts of the fossils' morphology has been previously overlooked. This result helps complete some of the gaps in our understanding of the evolution of reproduction in vertebrates. Mars and Phoenix William Boynton describes the euphoria when Phoenix landed successfully on Mars in May 2008. The mission is now finished and data is not being sent anymore, but results are still being compiled and data analysed. One aim of the mission was to look for organic molecules. These have not been found, but there are signs water was once present on Mars. Large Hadron Collider - update on repairs Lyn Evans describes the progress in reinstalling components following the initial problem when the Large Hadron Collider was initially switched on in September 2008. He says it was a teething problem and to be expected with such a large project. The machine should be switched on again in September 2009, with the first experiments scheduled a month later. It will take a few years to build the LHC up to full strength. Oceans, carbon dioxide and acidity Andrew Dickson has been measuring carbon dioxide in the oceans for 20 years. As carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves in sea water, acidity rises. This threatens those animals which build shells using calcium carbonate as the shells dissolve and become fragile with rising acidity. Andrew Dickson says artificial interaction with chemicals and additives is no solution due to the size of the oceans. Magellanic penguins - swimming further for food Dee Boersma studies Magellanic penguins at Punta Tombo, Argentina. The area contains around 200,000 breeding pairs. It´s a big spectacle enjoyed by tourists in an accessible place covering about 200 hectares. But the penguins are under stress. Their food source is moving and they need to swim a further 40Km to find and catch food compared to a decade ago. Despite penguins swimming day and night to return to base with their catch, which is stored in their stomachs, sometimes chicks are forced to wait 7 days between feeds. New techniques tag penguins, measuring their weight and calculate how much food they deliver to their chicks and partners. Protected coral reefs more resilient to environmental stress An excerpt from Jeremy Jackson´s presentation at the AAAS meeting in Chicago. He explains that coral reefs that are protected from fishing and pollution runoff are more resilient to environmental stress. They still are bleached by warm water, but they bounce back faster. There is lower mortality. He cites the Great Barrier Reef where 1/3 is protected as a marine park. Cockroaches - sleep deprivation leads to memory loss Maia Ten Brink is a senior high school student. She set out to determine the effects of sleep deprivation in cockroaches on memory retention. She taught her roaches to associate smells with tastes as rewards, then deprived them of sleep by movement through shaking. Over 4 days, the tired roaches demonstrated significant memory loss. DNA from Neanderthals Sites in Croatia and Spain have revealed DNA sequences of Neanderthals. They are 38,000 years old. Other sites are in Germany and southern Russia. These date back 70,000 years. New techniques allow sequences to be prepared from less than one gram of material. Random fragments are sequenced and mapped to the human genome. Some known genetic variants are in common with people of today. These reveal features such as lactose tolerance. Neanderthals were not tolerant to lactose. Dimorphism in vertebrates traced back 400 million years Fossils from Western Australia have revealed the first dimorphism in fish. It´s the earliest example of separate males and females in vertebrates and clearly shows copulation and internal fertilisation as we know it today. Parts of the fossils' morphology has been previously overlooked. This result helps complete some of the gaps in our understanding of the evolution of reproduction in vertebrates. Mars and Phoenix William Boynton describes the euphoria when Phoenix landed successfully on Mars in May 2008. The mission is now finished and data is not being sent anymore, but results are still being compiled and data analysed. One aim of the mission was to look for organic molecules. These have not been found, but there are signs water was once present on Mars. Large Hadron Collider - update on repairs Lyn Evans describes the progress in reinstalling components following the initial problem when the Large Hadron Collider was initially switched on in September 2008. He says it was a teething problem and to be expected with such a large project. The machine should be switched on again in September 2009, with the first experiments scheduled a month later. It will take a few years to build the LHC up to full strength. Oceans, carbon dioxide and acidity Andrew Dickson has been measuring carbon dioxide in the oceans for 20 years. As carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves in sea water, acidity rises. This threatens those animals which build shells using calcium carbonate as the shells dissolve and become fragile with rising acidity. Andrew Dickson says artificial interaction with chemicals and additives is no solution due to the size of the oceans. Magellanic penguins - swimming further for food Dee Boersma studies Magellanic penguins at Punta Tombo, Argentina. The area contains around 200,000 breeding pairs. It´s a big spectacle enjoyed by tourists in an accessible place covering about 200 hectares. But the penguins are under stress. Their food source is moving and they need to swim a further 40Km to find and catch food compared to a decade ago. Despite penguins swimming day and night to return to base with their catch, which is stored in their stomachs, sometimes chicks are forced to wait 7 days between feeds. New techniques tag penguins, measuring their weight and calculate how much food they deliver to their chicks and partners. Protected coral reefs more resilient to environmental stress An excerpt from Jeremy Jackson´s presentation at the AAAS meeting in Chicago. He explains that coral reefs that are protected from fishing and pollution runoff are more resilient to environmental stress. They still are bleached by warm water, but they bounce back faster. There is lower mortality. He cites the Great Barrier Reef where 1/3 is protected as a marine park. Cockroaches - sleep deprivation leads to memory loss Maia Ten Brink is a senior high school student. She set out to determine the effects of sleep deprivation in cockroaches on memory retention. She taught her roaches to associate smells with tastes as rewards, then deprived them of sleep by movement through shaking. Over 4 days, the tired roaches demonstrated significant memory loss. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-27,24232809 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24149336-Science-Show-2009-02-21 Climate concern in the US and science in the new Obama administration The US has about 1,000 mayors and governors who have taken it upon themselves to reduce carbon emissions in their local areas, moving ahead of federal government policy and action. Cities such as Seattle and Chicago and New York are contesting to better each other. People are noticing changes in their environment and looking for an explanation. Science is likely to be taken more seriously by the new Obama administration as he has brought in many of the nation´s top scientists as advisors. Animals - their brains and behaviour Excerpts from a AAAS symposium on animal brains and behaviour. Darwin´s theory sparked a revolution in how we look at ourselves and our world. A key contention, is that human and animal intelligence vary in degree, rather than in kind. Edward Wasserman looked at pigeons and baboons. He says we´ve underestimated the intelligence of animals. Whales not to blame for fish depletion While some spec... Climate concern in the US and science in the new Obama administration The US has about 1,000 mayors and governors who have taken it upon themselves to reduce carbon emissions in their local areas, moving ahead of federal government policy and action. Cities such as Seattle and Chicago and New York are contesting to better each other. People are noticing changes in their environment and looking for an explanation. Science is likely to be taken more seriously by the new Obama administration as he has brought in many of the nation´s top scientists as advisors. Animals - their brains and behaviour Excerpts from a AAAS symposium on animal brains and behaviour. Darwin´s theory sparked a revolution in how we look at ourselves and our world. A key contention, is that human and animal intelligence vary in degree, rather than in kind. Edward Wasserman looked at pigeons and baboons. He says we´ve underestimated the intelligence of animals. Whales not to blame for fish depletion While some species of whales area still endangered, some whale populations have increased in number as hunting has been wound back in recent decades. Recently whales have been blamed for depletion of fish stocks rather than over-fishing by humans. Leah Gerber has studied regions with depleted fish stocks. She points out that humans eat large fish, while those whales which actually do eat fish go for small fish. Leah Gerber´s studies demonstrate that culling whales leads to no increase in biomass of commercial fish stocks. Why we cook our food A human just can´t survive on a chimp´s diet. Richard Wrangham tried. We cook and process our food. Cooking is the signature feature of the human diet. The cooked evening meal is universal for hunters and gatherers. But there is no clear theory as to why. One reason might be it increases the energy released from the food. Cooking was first seen with Homo erectus. Al Gore on our common future Political will is often questioned in relation to solutions to climate change. Al Gore says the United States has demonstrated that political will is renewable. He says now, as our home is in danger, we are in a moment in the history of the human species which is without precedent. He says as a species we must make a decision about our future. We have the power to watch and continue or act as a group and bring forth change. He says the solution rests on the rapid spread of understanding from the world of science to the wider community and particularly to the world of policy and politics. The stakes have never been higher. There is new leadership. Al Gore makes a plea for scientists to link their work with the civilisation in which they live. Square Kilometre Array and detecting complex organic molecules in space New telescopes are helping reveal where organic molecules are being formed. The first organis molecule found was OH then formaldehyde. Others are acetone, and the molecules we use in anti-freeze. Every year, as technology develops, new molecules are being found. The SKA or Square Kilometre Array is a project being planned with a decision on location due in 2011. Western Australia is in with a bid together with South Africa. The big collecting area of the telescope will allow for the detection of extra weak signals. Sword swallowing Dan Meyer demonstrates sword swallowing and explains how sword swallowers were used by medical doctors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as they developed equipment and techniques. Climate concern in the US and science in the new Obama administration The US has about 1,000 mayors and governors who have taken it upon themselves to reduce carbon emissions in their local areas, moving ahead of federal government policy and action. Cities such as Seattle and Chicago and New York are contesting to better each other. People are noticing changes in their environment and looking for an explanation. Science is likely to be taken more seriously by the new Obama administration as he has brought in many of the nation´s top scientists as advisors. Animals - their brains and behaviour Excerpts from a AAAS symposium on animal brains and behaviour. Darwin´s theory sparked a revolution in how we look at ourselves and our world. A key contention, is that human and animal intelligence vary in degree, rather than in kind. Edward Wasserman looked at pigeons and baboons. He says we´ve underestimated the intelligence of animals. Whales not to blame for fish depletion While some species of whales area still endangered, some whale populations have increased in number as hunting has been wound back in recent decades. Recently whales have been blamed for depletion of fish stocks rather than over-fishing by humans. Leah Gerber has studied regions with depleted fish stocks. She points out that humans eat large fish, while those whales which actually do eat fish go for small fish. Leah Gerber´s studies demonstrate that culling whales leads to no increase in biomass of commercial fish stocks. Why we cook our food A human just can´t survive on a chimp´s diet. Richard Wrangham tried. We cook and process our food. Cooking is the signature feature of the human diet. The cooked evening meal is universal for hunters and gatherers. But there is no clear theory as to why. One reason might be it increases the energy released from the food. Cooking was first seen with Homo erectus. Al Gore on our common future Political will is often questioned in relation to solutions to climate change. Al Gore says the United States has demonstrated that political will is renewable. He says now, as our home is in danger, we are in a moment in the history of the human species which is without precedent. He says as a species we must make a decision about our future. We have the power to watch and continue or act as a group and bring forth change. He says the solution rests on the rapid spread of understanding from the world of science to the wider community and particularly to the world of policy and politics. The stakes have never been higher. There is new leadership. Al Gore makes a plea for scientists to link their work with the civilisation in which they live. Square Kilometre Array and detecting complex organic molecules in space New telescopes are helping reveal where organic molecules are being formed. The first organis molecule found was OH then formaldehyde. Others are acetone, and the molecules we use in anti-freeze. Every year, as technology develops, new molecules are being found. The SKA or Square Kilometre Array is a project being planned with a decision on location due in 2011. Western Australia is in with a bid together with South Africa. The big collecting area of the telescope will allow for the detection of extra weak signals. Sword swallowing Dan Meyer demonstrates sword swallowing and explains how sword swallowers were used by medical doctors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as they developed equipment and techniques. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-20,24149336 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24091128-Science-Show-2009-02-14 Interpreting Darwin´s theory Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould debate their differing interpretations of Darwin´s famous theory of evolution. Recorded in Oxford in 1987. Darwin´s descendants Two of Charles Darwin´s great-great-grandsons talk about their famous ancestor and how the link affects their lives today. They also reflect on the achievements of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, which has become the basis of our understanding of the natural world. Interpreting Darwin´s theory Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould debate their differing interpretations of Darwin´s famous theory of evolution. Recorded in Oxford in 1987. Darwin´s descendants Two of Charles Darwin´s great-great-grandsons talk about their famous ancestor and how the link affects their lives today. They also reflect on the achievements of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, which has become the basis of our understanding of the natural world. Interpreting Darwin´s theory Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould debate their differing interpretations of Darwin´s famous theory of evolution. Recorded in Oxford in 1987. Darwin´s descendants Two of Charles Darwin´s great-great-grandsons talk about their famous ancestor and how the link affects their lives today. They also reflect on the achievements of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, which has become the basis of our understanding of the natural world. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-13,24091128 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24060024-Science-Show-2009-02-07 Darwin and show business Excerpts from Jane Goodall´s series, Science and Show Business, broadcast on The Science Show in January 2004. Jane Goodall looks at the history of tension between science and show business, the contradiction between promoting a sceptical attitude and a respect for evidence, while accepting the magic of show business and conjuring. Scientific principles have been promoted over time and this compares to the rise of magic and razzle dazzle in side shows, circuses and Broadway shows, even TV shows like The X-Files. So when do we stop believing and when do we start again? How do we balance scepticism and credulity? Epigenetics Epigenetics is information that influences how DNA is expressed. Cells which are genetically identical can have different physical characteristics. This suggests environmental conditions can affect gene expression. It is thought some cancer cells have a switch meaning they lie dormant, but at some point are triggered by the environment to ... Darwin and show business Excerpts from Jane Goodall´s series, Science and Show Business, broadcast on The Science Show in January 2004. Jane Goodall looks at the history of tension between science and show business, the contradiction between promoting a sceptical attitude and a respect for evidence, while accepting the magic of show business and conjuring. Scientific principles have been promoted over time and this compares to the rise of magic and razzle dazzle in side shows, circuses and Broadway shows, even TV shows like The X-Files. So when do we stop believing and when do we start again? How do we balance scepticism and credulity? Epigenetics Epigenetics is information that influences how DNA is expressed. Cells which are genetically identical can have different physical characteristics. This suggests environmental conditions can affect gene expression. It is thought some cancer cells have a switch meaning they lie dormant, but at some point are triggered by the environment to develop into cancer. It is also thought that some environmental factors carry over generations. So a grandparent´s diet could eventually affect the health of a grandchild. In yeast, Jane Mellor is looking at the epigenetic code, trying to understand how it influences the expression of genes. The code is also being investigated in the human genome, the long-term goal is to understand the role of epigenetics in cancer. The discovery of P elements Stuart Gilchrist describes the role played by fruit flies in the discovery of P elements. P elements are sections of DNA which have become a universal tool of molecular biology. They have provided the tool used to clone most animal genes during the last 15 years. The story is linked to the proliferation of human transport and trade. Amphioxus - toolkit genes Amphioxus is seen as one of the first animals with the hint of a backbone. After a lull, there is now a renewed interest in studying amphioxus, with the animal´s genome being sequenced. The idea is to compare it with vertebrates and discover the genetic control over backbone development. Peter Holland´s group is working on `toolkit´ genes which are common between a range on organisms. These are regulatory or control genes. The homeobox genes are a major set of toolkit genes. Investigations continue on how this group of genes has evolved. It is hoped this may reveal how the diversity of life on earth came about. Darwin and show business Excerpts from Jane Goodall´s series, Science and Show Business, broadcast on The Science Show in January 2004. Jane Goodall looks at the history of tension between science and show business, the contradiction between promoting a sceptical attitude and a respect for evidence, while accepting the magic of show business and conjuring. Scientific principles have been promoted over time and this compares to the rise of magic and razzle dazzle in side shows, circuses and Broadway shows, even TV shows like The X-Files. So when do we stop believing and when do we start again? How do we balance scepticism and credulity? Epigenetics Epigenetics is information that influences how DNA is expressed. Cells which are genetically identical can have different physical characteristics. This suggests environmental conditions can affect gene expression. It is thought some cancer cells have a switch meaning they lie dormant, but at some point are triggered by the environment to develop into cancer. It is also thought that some environmental factors carry over generations. So a grandparent´s diet could eventually affect the health of a grandchild. In yeast, Jane Mellor is looking at the epigenetic code, trying to understand how it influences the expression of genes. The code is also being investigated in the human genome, the long-term goal is to understand the role of epigenetics in cancer. The discovery of P elements Stuart Gilchrist describes the role played by fruit flies in the discovery of P elements. P elements are sections of DNA which have become a universal tool of molecular biology. They have provided the tool used to clone most animal genes during the last 15 years. The story is linked to the proliferation of human transport and trade. Amphioxus - toolkit genes Amphioxus is seen as one of the first animals with the hint of a backbone. After a lull, there is now a renewed interest in studying amphioxus, with the animal´s genome being sequenced. The idea is to compare it with vertebrates and discover the genetic control over backbone development. Peter Holland´s group is working on `toolkit´ genes which are common between a range on organisms. These are regulatory or control genes. The homeobox genes are a major set of toolkit genes. Investigations continue on how this group of genes has evolved. It is hoped this may reveal how the diversity of life on earth came about. tag:odeo.com,2009-02-06,24060024 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24060025-Science-Show-2009-01-31 President Obama's new science team Introducing two of Barack Obama's science advisers: Transporting chimps Australian veterinary nurse Debby Cox was awarded an Order of Australia this Australia Day for her work saving chimpanzees as part of the Jane Goodall Institute. Here she talks about her adventure transporting 10 chimps out of politically unstable Uganda to safety. Early development of babies' brains Until they learn to talk, babies have very few ways of communicating with others except to laugh or cry. Naomi Fowler in London explores the practice of signing with babies, and talks to Dan Grossman from the Centre for Brain and Cognative Development in London on his research that shows social communication may be hardwired from birth. Memory storage in the brain One of the more complex functions of the brain is memory. Scientists know that nerve cells in the brain and body communicate information via electric impulses. What they don´t know is how nerve cells in the brain work tog... President Obama's new science team Introducing two of Barack Obama's science advisers: Transporting chimps Australian veterinary nurse Debby Cox was awarded an Order of Australia this Australia Day for her work saving chimpanzees as part of the Jane Goodall Institute. Here she talks about her adventure transporting 10 chimps out of politically unstable Uganda to safety. Early development of babies' brains Until they learn to talk, babies have very few ways of communicating with others except to laugh or cry. Naomi Fowler in London explores the practice of signing with babies, and talks to Dan Grossman from the Centre for Brain and Cognative Development in London on his research that shows social communication may be hardwired from birth. Memory storage in the brain One of the more complex functions of the brain is memory. Scientists know that nerve cells in the brain and body communicate information via electric impulses. What they don´t know is how nerve cells in the brain work together to encode information and then store and recall it. Ole Paulsen, a physiologist from the University of Oxford talks about his latest findings that show memories are linked to interconnected nerve networks. Emissions from volcanoes Tamsin Mather, a research fellow from Oxford, has been travelling around the world in search of volcanos. She´s trying to understand how chemicals expelled during an eruption interact with the atmosphere and the environment. Across the Caribbean to the UK's only acitve volcano Montserrat is another young, female volcanologist Dr Marie Edmonds. She often finds herself standing in the middle of volcanic gas plumes measuring the composition of Montserrat´s expulsions. Cambridge University - new centre for science and policy in its 800th year Cambridge University was founded in 1209. To celebrate the great institution's 800th birthday The Science Show visits Churchill College, home of the new Centre for Science and Policy which contains within its walls some of Winston Churchill´s original policy papers from World War 2. President Obama's new science team Introducing two of Barack Obama's science advisers: Transporting chimps Australian veterinary nurse Debby Cox was awarded an Order of Australia this Australia Day for her work saving chimpanzees as part of the Jane Goodall Institute. Here she talks about her adventure transporting 10 chimps out of politically unstable Uganda to safety. Early development of babies' brains Until they learn to talk, babies have very few ways of communicating with others except to laugh or cry. Naomi Fowler in London explores the practice of signing with babies, and talks to Dan Grossman from the Centre for Brain and Cognative Development in London on his research that shows social communication may be hardwired from birth. Memory storage in the brain One of the more complex functions of the brain is memory. Scientists know that nerve cells in the brain and body communicate information via electric impulses. What they don´t know is how nerve cells in the brain work together to encode information and then store and recall it. Ole Paulsen, a physiologist from the University of Oxford talks about his latest findings that show memories are linked to interconnected nerve networks. Emissions from volcanoes Tamsin Mather, a research fellow from Oxford, has been travelling around the world in search of volcanos. She´s trying to understand how chemicals expelled during an eruption interact with the atmosphere and the environment. Across the Caribbean to the UK's only acitve volcano Montserrat is another young, female volcanologist Dr Marie Edmonds. She often finds herself standing in the middle of volcanic gas plumes measuring the composition of Montserrat´s expulsions. Cambridge University - new centre for science and policy in its 800th year Cambridge University was founded in 1209. To celebrate the great institution's 800th birthday The Science Show visits Churchill College, home of the new Centre for Science and Policy which contains within its walls some of Winston Churchill´s original policy papers from World War 2. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-30,24060025 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/23997127-Science-Show-2009-01-31 Obama´s new science team Introducing two of Barack Obama's science advisers: Transporting chimps Australian veterinary nurse Debby Cox was awarded an Order of Australia this Australia Day for her work saving chimpanzees as part of the Jane Goodall Institute. Here she talks about her adventure transporting 10 chimps out of politically unstable Uganda to safety. Early childhood development Until they learn to talk, babies have very few ways of communicating with others except to laugh or cry. Naomi Fowler in London explores the practice of signing with babies, and talks to Dan Grossman from the Centre for Brain and Cognative Development in London on his research that shows social communication may be hardwired from birth. Memory One of the more complex functions of the brain is memory. Scientists know that nerve cells in the brain and body communicate information via electric impulses. What they don´t know is how nerve cells in the brain work together to encode information and then st... Obama´s new science team Introducing two of Barack Obama's science advisers: Transporting chimps Australian veterinary nurse Debby Cox was awarded an Order of Australia this Australia Day for her work saving chimpanzees as part of the Jane Goodall Institute. Here she talks about her adventure transporting 10 chimps out of politically unstable Uganda to safety. Early childhood development Until they learn to talk, babies have very few ways of communicating with others except to laugh or cry. Naomi Fowler in London explores the practice of signing with babies, and talks to Dan Grossman from the Centre for Brain and Cognative Development in London on his research that shows social communication may be hardwired from birth. Memory One of the more complex functions of the brain is memory. Scientists know that nerve cells in the brain and body communicate information via electric impulses. What they don´t know is how nerve cells in the brain work together to encode information and then store and recall it. Ole Paulsen, a physiologist from the University of Oxford talks about his latest findings that show memories are linked to interconnected nerve networks. Volcanos Tamsin Mather, a research fellow from Oxford, has been travelling around the world in search of volcanos. She´s trying to understand how chemicals expelled during an eruption interact with the atmosphere and the environment. Over the Carribean to the active volcano of Montserrat, and another young, female volcanologist in Dr Marie Edmonds. She often finds herself standing in the middle of volcanic gas plumes measuring the composition of Montserrat´s expulsions. Cambridge turns 800 Cambridge University was founded in 1209. To celebrate the great institution's 800th birthday the Science Show visits Churchill College—home of the new Centre for Science and Policy—which contains within its wall some of Winston Churchill´s original policy papers from WW2. Obama´s new science team Introducing two of Barack Obama's science advisers: Transporting chimps Australian veterinary nurse Debby Cox was awarded an Order of Australia this Australia Day for her work saving chimpanzees as part of the Jane Goodall Institute. Here she talks about her adventure transporting 10 chimps out of politically unstable Uganda to safety. Early childhood development Until they learn to talk, babies have very few ways of communicating with others except to laugh or cry. Naomi Fowler in London explores the practice of signing with babies, and talks to Dan Grossman from the Centre for Brain and Cognative Development in London on his research that shows social communication may be hardwired from birth. Memory One of the more complex functions of the brain is memory. Scientists know that nerve cells in the brain and body communicate information via electric impulses. What they don´t know is how nerve cells in the brain work together to encode information and then store and recall it. Ole Paulsen, a physiologist from the University of Oxford talks about his latest findings that show memories are linked to interconnected nerve networks. Volcanos Tamsin Mather, a research fellow from Oxford, has been travelling around the world in search of volcanos. She´s trying to understand how chemicals expelled during an eruption interact with the atmosphere and the environment. Over the Carribean to the active volcano of Montserrat, and another young, female volcanologist in Dr Marie Edmonds. She often finds herself standing in the middle of volcanic gas plumes measuring the composition of Montserrat´s expulsions. Cambridge turns 800 Cambridge University was founded in 1209. To celebrate the great institution's 800th birthday the Science Show visits Churchill College—home of the new Centre for Science and Policy—which contains within its wall some of Winston Churchill´s original policy papers from WW2. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-30,23997127 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/23853344-Science-Show-2009-01-24 One laptop per child It was the ambition of Kevin Rudd during the last election and it is the plan being realised by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT. The only way Professor Negroponte can realise his dream is by having cheap laptops, costing $100, or eventually less. How is this done? And what difference do these computers make in the villages of Africa, South America and Asia? Professor Negroponte, founder of the Media Lab at MIT and author of the bestseller Being Digital, talks to an audience in Boston, Massachusetts. This program was originally broadcast on The Science Show 22nd March 2008. One laptop per child It was the ambition of Kevin Rudd during the last election and it is the plan being realised by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT. The only way Professor Negroponte can realise his dream is by having cheap laptops, costing $100, or eventually less. How is this done? And what difference do these computers make in the villages of Africa, South America and Asia? Professor Negroponte, founder of the Media Lab at MIT and author of the bestseller Being Digital, talks to an audience in Boston, Massachusetts. This program was originally broadcast on The Science Show 22nd March 2008. One laptop per child It was the ambition of Kevin Rudd during the last election and it is the plan being realised by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT. The only way Professor Negroponte can realise his dream is by having cheap laptops, costing $100, or eventually less. How is this done? And what difference do these computers make in the villages of Africa, South America and Asia? Professor Negroponte, founder of the Media Lab at MIT and author of the bestseller Being Digital, talks to an audience in Boston, Massachusetts. This program was originally broadcast on The Science Show 22nd March 2008. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-23,23853344 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24060028-Science-Show-2009-01-24 One laptop per child It was the ambition of Kevin Rudd during the last election and it is the plan being realised by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT. The only way Professor Negroponte can realise his dream is by having cheap laptops, costing $100, or eventually less. How is this done? And what difference do these computers make in the villages of Africa, South America and Asia? Professor Negroponte, founder of the Media Lab at MIT and author of the bestseller Being Digital, talks to an audience in Boston, Massachusetts. This program was originally broadcast on The Science Show 22nd March 2008. One laptop per child It was the ambition of Kevin Rudd during the last election and it is the plan being realised by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT. The only way Professor Negroponte can realise his dream is by having cheap laptops, costing $100, or eventually less. How is this done? And what difference do these computers make in the villages of Africa, South America and Asia? Professor Negroponte, founder of the Media Lab at MIT and author of the bestseller Being Digital, talks to an audience in Boston, Massachusetts. This program was originally broadcast on The Science Show 22nd March 2008. One laptop per child It was the ambition of Kevin Rudd during the last election and it is the plan being realised by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT. The only way Professor Negroponte can realise his dream is by having cheap laptops, costing $100, or eventually less. How is this done? And what difference do these computers make in the villages of Africa, South America and Asia? Professor Negroponte, founder of the Media Lab at MIT and author of the bestseller Being Digital, talks to an audience in Boston, Massachusetts. This program was originally broadcast on The Science Show 22nd March 2008. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-23,24060028 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/23853345-Science-Show-2009-01-17 The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 3 of 3 Joseph Needham died in 1995. His contributions to the understanding of Chinese history and innovation are now recognised as one of the great achievements of the 20th century. Is the spectacular industrial growth in China in part due to Needham's revelations? The recordings we hear this week of the man himself are unique and broadcast one more with a new appreciation of his work. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 3 of 3 Joseph Needham died in 1995. His contributions to the understanding of Chinese history and innovation are now recognised as one of the great achievements of the 20th century. Is the spectacular industrial growth in China in part due to Needham's revelations? The recordings we hear this week of the man himself are unique and broadcast one more with a new appreciation of his work. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 3 of 3 Joseph Needham died in 1995. His contributions to the understanding of Chinese history and innovation are now recognised as one of the great achievements of the 20th century. Is the spectacular industrial growth in China in part due to Needham's revelations? The recordings we hear this week of the man himself are unique and broadcast one more with a new appreciation of his work. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-16,23853345 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24060029-Science-Show-2009-01-17 The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 3 of 3 Joseph Needham died in 1995. His contributions to the understanding of Chinese history and innovation are now recognised as one of the great achievements of the 20th century. Is the spectacular industrial growth in China in part due to Needham's revelations? The recordings we hear this week of the man himself are unique and broadcast once more with a new appreciation of his work. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 3 of 3 Joseph Needham died in 1995. His contributions to the understanding of Chinese history and innovation are now recognised as one of the great achievements of the 20th century. Is the spectacular industrial growth in China in part due to Needham's revelations? The recordings we hear this week of the man himself are unique and broadcast once more with a new appreciation of his work. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 3 of 3 Joseph Needham died in 1995. His contributions to the understanding of Chinese history and innovation are now recognised as one of the great achievements of the 20th century. Is the spectacular industrial growth in China in part due to Needham's revelations? The recordings we hear this week of the man himself are unique and broadcast once more with a new appreciation of his work. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-16,24060029 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/23853346-Science-Show-2009-01-10 The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 2 of 3 Last week in part 1 of this series the focus was on Chinese philosophy and culture. We saw how that it was the bureaucrat and mandarin who ruled in his Confucian way. Today's program features the yin and yang opposites that governed the nature of the scientific technology produced. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 2 of 3 Last week in part 1 of this series the focus was on Chinese philosophy and culture. We saw how that it was the bureaucrat and mandarin who ruled in his Confucian way. Today's program features the yin and yang opposites that governed the nature of the scientific technology produced. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 2 of 3 Last week in part 1 of this series the focus was on Chinese philosophy and culture. We saw how that it was the bureaucrat and mandarin who ruled in his Confucian way. Today's program features the yin and yang opposites that governed the nature of the scientific technology produced. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-09,23853346 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/24060030-Science-Show-2009-01-10 The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 2 of 3 Last week in part 1 of this series the focus was on Chinese philosophy and culture. We saw how that it was the bureaucrat and mandarin who ruled in his Confucian way. Today's program features the yin and yang opposites that governed the nature of the scientific technology produced. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 2 of 3 Last week in part 1 of this series the focus was on Chinese philosophy and culture. We saw how that it was the bureaucrat and mandarin who ruled in his Confucian way. Today's program features the yin and yang opposites that governed the nature of the scientific technology produced. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 2 of 3 Last week in part 1 of this series the focus was on Chinese philosophy and culture. We saw how that it was the bureaucrat and mandarin who ruled in his Confucian way. Today's program features the yin and yang opposites that governed the nature of the scientific technology produced. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-09,24060030 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show http://www.odeo.com/episodes/23825924-Science-Show-2009-01-03 The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 1 of 3 These days everybody knows that the Chinese invented practically everything hundreds of years ago. What people don't realise is that this understanding is so new; in the early 1950s, nobody, not even those in China were aware of this amazing fact. Then Dr Joseph Needham of Cambridge embarked on an exploration of China and the beginning of his massive work Science and Civilisation in China and in 2008 Simon Winchester's book Bomb, Book and Compass reminded the world of this achievement. Today in part 1 we talk to Simon Winchester but also hear once more the programs made in the 1970s with Needham himself. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 1 of 3 These days everybody knows that the Chinese invented practically everything hundreds of years ago. What people don't realise is that this understanding is so new; in the early 1950s, nobody, not even those in China were aware of this amazing fact. Then Dr Joseph Needham of Cambridge embarked on an exploration of China and the beginning of his massive work Science and Civilisation in China and in 2008 Simon Winchester's book Bomb, Book and Compass reminded the world of this achievement. Today in part 1 we talk to Simon Winchester but also hear once more the programs made in the 1970s with Needham himself. The astonishing Dr Joseph Needham - Part 1 of 3 These days everybody knows that the Chinese invented practically everything hundreds of years ago. What people don't realise is that this understanding is so new; in the early 1950s, nobody, not even those in China were aware of this amazing fact. Then Dr Joseph Needham of Cambridge embarked on an exploration of China and the beginning of his massive work Science and Civilisation in China and in 2008 Simon Winchester's book Bomb, Book and Compass reminded the world of this achievement. Today in part 1 we talk to Simon Winchester but also hear once more the programs made in the 1970s with Needham himself. tag:odeo.com,2009-01-02,23825924 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:00:00 -0800 no The Science Show