Science @ earideas

Best of Quirks & Quarks 2009-07-04 from 2008-09-06

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Large Hadron Collider, The Rufous-and-White Wren, Aggressive Faces, The Old Grey Matter

Christopher Flavin on wind power

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:07:00 GMT

SciA: 02 July 2009

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:36:00 GMT

A new El Nino? A new warming in the Pacific Ocean revealed - what does it mean? Microscratches on dinosaur teeth reveal eating secrets; Baboon & Human DNA parallel evolution against disease; Summer Science

2009-07-04 The Mind of the Composer Part 1: Robert Schumann [on-air edition] + The Moral Mind [podcast edition]

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Acclaimed doctor and broadcaster Lord Robert Winston excavates the music and mind of composer Robert Schumann, to see if there was a relationship between the two. Schumann died at just 46 in a mental asylum, with speculation today that he had bipolar disorder. For copyright reasons, this week's podcast is an alternative from our archives, The Moral Mind.

Science Show - 2009-07-04

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:00 GMT

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.

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Tracking down the Rhine-River-warming culprits, investigating the fate of an ancient civilization destroyed by runoff from farming, and looking into the clean-up plan of a river so polluted, you cannot see the water.

Tune into the program or download it as a podcast.

BUND: Rhine River warming is threatening the environment

Between Germany and the Netherlands, the Rhine is on average three degrees warmer than 100 years ago. Ecologists warn of serious consequences for nature and wildlife.

The River Rhine, which starts deep in the Swiss Alps, before winding it's way north along the French-German border, passing Bonn and Cologne, then heading to the Netherlands and out to sea, is heating up. Ecologists warn that it is, on average, three degrees Celsius (5.5 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than 100 years ago. The rising temperature is threatening fish and other wildlife in the region. According to the NGO Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND), part of the problem is climate change - but only a small part. Most of the trouble is being caused by industry. Living Planet speaks with Paul Kruskes, head of the North Rhine Westphalia chapter of BUND.

Interview: Mark Mattox

Centuries old way of life destroyed by runoff pollution in Pakistan

It has long been the case that the majority of the world's refugees have become that way because of political, religious or economic reasons. But in the future that may all change, and the world might see more environmental refugees.

Lake Manchar in Pakistan's Sindh Region is one of the largest bodies of water in Asia. Located just west of the Indus River, the freshwater lake has been a bird and fish sanctuary for centuries. But the decades of polluted runoff from farming in the region has unhinged the ecological balance and forced 60,000 fishermen out of their homes and livelihoods.

Report: Jutta Schwengsbier/Ranjitha Balasubramanyam

Unclogging the Citarum River

Water pollution is a problem all over the world, but it is especially great in Asia. In some places, like in Indonesia's Citarum River, the waters are so full of trash it looks as if you could walk across them.

The Citarum River is one of Indonesia’s most important waterways, supporting 28 million people according to the Asian Development Bank, and feeding water to the country's capital Jakarta. But after two decades of rapid industrialization and urbanization, the Citarum's waters are clogged with sediment and runoff from houses and industry. Now the Indonesian government has borrowed money to help fund an ambitious 15-year plan to clean up the river. The cleanup will attack structural problems on the Citarum, as well as improve public awareness. But this new approach has been met with a mixed response from local environmentalists.

Report: Elise Potaka

Material: Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 02 Jul 09

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Quentin Cooper reports from the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2009. From the 6th formers detecting cosmic rays to the vets with a virtual cow's rear-end, it's quite a display...

Painting the Genome

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Genetic research fuses with fine art when the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard brings Daniel Kohn, a Brooklyn-based painter, into their lab for a residency.

Nature: 2 July 2009

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:00:00 GMT

2 July: Stem cells and how to make them, how salamanders regrow their limbs, genetic variation and schizophrenia, and how plants keep carbon dioxide above a certain level.

Atul Gawande Redux

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:05:08 GMT

While Steve's at the conference of the World Federation of Science Journalists in London, we look ahead to some of the programming coming your way in the coming weeks, and we replay our 2007 interview with surgeon Atul Gawande, whose recent research in The New England Journal of Medicine and writing in The New Yorker have caused a big stir in the medical and health care reform communities. Web sites related to this episode include http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande?yrail and http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMsa0810119

NYT: Science Times for 6/30/2009

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:00:00 GMT

This week: Theorizing about Native American movement in the ancient southwest; tracking pigeons in flight; and the light of the firefly.

Aliens and the future of planet Earth

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:06:55 GMT

Astronomer Royal Martin Rees discusses the prospects for Earth, humankind … and extraterrestrials

Nature Extra: Simon Singh

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:00:41 GMT

Simon Singh: Science writer Simon Singh talks to Nature about his legal battle with the British Chiropractic Association and how UK libel laws affect science journalism.

Rob Dunn on coextinctions

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:06:00 GMT

Wayne Esais on honeybee behavior

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:06:00 GMT

Quirks & Quarks 2009-06-27

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Watching Giants, The Big Thaw, How to Build a Dinosaur

Rethinking drugs

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:49:05 GMT

Is it time to look again at how psychiatric drugs work? Psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff thinks that if doctors change their view of the action of these drugs they may change their prescribing habits. She talks to Tessa Richards about her theory. In the UK, the controversy over the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is [...]

From Animal to Person

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:00:00 GMT

In a re-broadcast from 2007, philosopher and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, Daniel Dennett, describes the evolution of human culture, which he says is a "second information highway," swifter and more reliable than genetic transmission.

Reviewing Science On The Big Screen

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:11:00 GMT

From sci-fi to documentaries, good science films tell the human story behind scientific ideas. Which films get the science right, and which don't? Physicist and movie critic Sidney Perkowitz runs down through some of this summer's top science flicks.

Video Pick: An Airplane That Flies Itself

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:10:57 GMT

Meet the V-Bat: it's about 70 pounds, eight feet tall, equipped with computers and flies without a pilot. Engineer Stephen Morris, the president and CEO of MLB Co., describes how the plane works and what it might be good for.

Could Algae Be Milked Like A Cow?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:10:54 GMT

Algae-based biofuel is made by grinding up algae cells and extracting the oil. Reporting in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Richard Gordon, of the University of Manitoba, and colleagues suggest that engineering algae to secrete oil might be a more efficient approach.

Wind Has Soaring Potential, Study Finds

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:10:49 GMT

Wind alone could provide more than 16 times the electricity needs of the U.S., according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Harvard professor Michael McElroy and Revis James, of Electric Power Research Institute, discuss the challenges of harnessing wind power.

Of Fuel Cells And Chicken Feathers

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:10:46 GMT

Each year, the agricultural industry must dispose of billions of pounds of chicken feathers. Richard Wool, a chemical engineer at the University of Delaware, says when feathers are heated, they develop nano-sized caverns in which hydrogen can be stored.

2009-06-27 Love is a battlefield: parenting an autistic child

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Parents of a severely autistic child can be pushed to breaking point. Do we have unrealistic expectations of what they should be capable of? David and Karen Royko came to make an impossible decision about their son Ben, and share their story with candour and openness.

Science Show - 2009-06-27

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

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.

Hello Moon, Good-Bye Rennie

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:19:08 GMT

We look at the contents of the July issue of Scientific American magazine, the last under outgoing Editor in Chief John Rennie, including an article by moon explorer Harrison Schmitt, a piece on the fight against superbugs, a report on the potential of biofuels such as grassoline, and a recollection of the pernicious effects of chess! Plus, we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Using the sun's rays to turn hot air into cold, a town that's using a blue campaign to help its residents go green, and why organic food is still going strong in China, despite the global economic crisis.

Tune into the program or download it as a podcast.

German innovations cool buildings with the sun

Tapping into solar rays to bring power to our homes and office buildings has been around for a while now, and while that will continue to be the case, the sun offers us much more, specifically when it comes to cooling down those same buildings.

It's no surprise that people are more productive in comfortable working environments. As the summer heats up in the northern hemisphere, the cooling systems are being turned on in giant buildings - after all, a hot employee is a slow employee - and that's bad for the bottom line.

There is just one problem with that from an eco-prospective: buildings are usually cooled with traditional air conditioners, which use up an enormous amount of energy. In fact it's often more energy than heaters use in the winter, which is why cooling buildings using thermal energy has begun to catch on.

The same sun that is heating up these buildings also delivers the energy to cool them. The days when the sun is the hottest - meaning the most cooling will be needed - are also the days where the sun gives us the most energy. In Germany, young companies like SorTech in Halle and Sonnenklima in Berlin are coming up with practical solutions to create cooling using heat.

Report: Lydia Heller/Nathan Witkop

Tuebingen uses a blue campaign to help residents go green

With a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol set to be decided on at the end of the year in Copenhagen, much of the world's attention is on international climate action. However, there are some places, like the German town of Tuebingen, where people have already started putting carbon reduction plans into action.

The town of Tuebingen in southern Germany won a national environmental award for their climate protection campaign. The 20,000 euro ($28,000) prize from the Federal Environment Agency was awarded for the local council's innovative approach to climate protection. Initiatives range from energy renovations of public buildings to giving out free energy saving light bulbs.

Report: Kate Hairsine

Organic food blossoms in China

Over the past decade, China has been branching out more and more into eco-friendly territory. They have more hydropower and biomass reactors than anyone else. Many Chinese people are also turning to organic food, though much like China's other eco-innovations, the reasons aren't always as clear as they seem.

Organic food, with its higher price-tag, is one item that many families around the world have stopped buying in the wake of the economic crisis. The growth in organic markets around the world has slowed, in some cases going from double-digit figures at the beginning of 2008 to just 1 percent this year.

But in China it's a different story. A report by the United States Department of Agriculture's Global Agriculture Information Network said the Chinese organic market is still recording double-digit growth. But what is behind this surge? Is it actually a concern for the environment, or is it concerns about food safety and chemical use in agriculture that are fuelling this organic trade?

Report: Elise Potaka

Nature: 25 June 2009

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

25 June 2009: Science journalism special: how technology is changing scientific meetings, how science gets turned into front page news, and are science journalists cheerleaders or watchdogs?

Jeanne Becker talks about health research aboard Space Station

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:06:00 GMT

Swine flu: update interview with the HPA

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:49:09 GMT

Helen Morant asks Anthony Kessel, director of public health strategy at the Health Protection Agency, about the role of the HPA in managing pandemic influenza. This podcast is an update on “Swine flu - an update” and discusses the move from containment to mitigation. This podcast is also available as a BMJ Learning module As [...]

Geoffrey Coates explains why his new plastics are friendlier to environment

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:06:00 GMT

Science Weekly: Charles Darwin - man of letters

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:05:52 GMT

Charles Darwin loved poetry, but most of all he liked a good novel. Ruth Padel, Steve Jones and Gillian Beer look at his literary tastes and writing style

Jose Bravo on future cars: 'Diverse engines, diverse fuels'

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:06:00 GMT

NYT: Science Times for 6/23/2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:00:00 GMT

This week: The science of skating, pulling a neat trick on mosquitoes, and a man who wrote in Cherokee.

Bridging Science and the Humanties

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:06:45 GMT

The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner delivers his keynote address at Science and the City's Two Cultures in the 21st Century symposium held in May.

Inequalities in men’s health

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:16:50 GMT

Why are men more unhealthy than women? To mark Men’s Health Week in the UK, Deborah Cohen finds out from Ian Banks, president of the Men’s Health Forum, if the problem lies with men or with their doctors. Tony Delamothe talk to Adam Ali about how perceptions of healthcare provision differ between the US and the UK, [...]

Fluke Footage Shows How Sperm Whales Steal

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:09:30 GMT

For years, long-line fishermen in Alaska have complained that whales have been stealing their sablefish catch. A team of researchers mounted a video camera to a fishing line and caught a sperm whale in the act, providing new insight into whale behavior.

Same-Sex Behavior Documented In Many Animals

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:09:23 GMT

A review of research concludes that same-sex sexual behaviors are common in many animals, including worms, frogs, flies and birds. Postdoctoral researcher Nathan Bailey describes some of the documented behaviors and explains how they may influence animal evolution.

Fertility Linked To The Packaging Of Sperm

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:09:19 GMT

New research suggests that the packaging of human sperm using proteins called histones plays a bigger role in fertility than once thought. Professor of oncological sciences Bradley Cairns explains how sperm get their shape, and how that shape can affect embryonic development.

Summer Sky Highlights What's Missing

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:09:15 GMT

This season's astronomical highlights are about what won't be visible in the night sky. Astronomer Paul Rao discusses what he describes as "the eclipse of the century," Jupiter's mysterious missing moons, the vanishing rings of Saturn and the forthcoming Perseid meteor shower.

Can Health Care Reform Succeed This Time?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:09:07 GMT

Health care reform officially began in Washington this week, and lawmakers have been hashing out the painful trade-offs of a bipartisan plan. Guest host Paul Raeburn talks with experts about the economic and medical realities of improving care and coverage at lower costs.

2009-06-20 David Eagleman: The afterlife, synesthesia and other tales of the senses

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Neuroscientist by day, novelist by night - David Eagleman has just written an extraordinary little novel about the afterlife. He´s also a leading researcher in synesthesia, studying people who taste sounds, hear colours, and live in a remarkable world of sensory cross-talk. He joins Natasha Mitchell in conversation about life, death and the in-between.

Quirks & Quarks 2009-06-20

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is Your Brain on Dough, Movin' on Up, Cambrian Killer, Rose-Coloured Glasses

Science Show - 2009-06-20

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

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.

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Examining the topics up for discussion at the annual summit of the International Whaling Commission, looking at the effects of fish farms on wild stocks, and taking a German bike sharing program for a test ride.

Tune into the program or download it as a podcast.

Greenland to ask for permission to hunt humpback whales

The International Whaling Commission is holding its annual summit from June 22 to 26 on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Among the topics on the table are Greenland's request to reopen the hunt for humpback whales and Japan's continued conflicts over Antarctic whaling.

The haunting and complex song of the humpback whale can be heard for miles across the open ocean. The 10 to 20-minute stanzas, which can be repeated for hours on end, are part of what makes the whales so popular. But these days, they're drawing attention for another reason: Greenland has the humpback whale in its sights. It is seeking permission from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to hunt them, something that has been banned since 1966.

Denmark, on behalf of Greenland, is expected to submit a proposal for the killing of 10 humpback whales annually for five years under the IWC's Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling rule. Living Planet speaks with Nicolas Entrup, head of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Germany, who is on Madeira and has been taking part in some plenary meetings leading up to the summit.

Interview: Mark Mattox

Fish farming threatens wild stocks in the North Atlantic

Wild fish stocks are being depleted at an alarming rate, and while some people think fish farms are the answer, it seems they could be intensifying the problem.

The United Nations says more than 75 percent of the world's fish stocks are either over-exploited or depleted. Here in Europe it's even worse. According to a European Commission report, 80 percent of European stocks are over-fished. Many people believe farmed fish, which makes up more and more of what we eat, is the answer and would be good news for wild fish stocks. But questions are now being asked about how much wild fish is needed to feed the farmed fish.

Report: Lars Bevanger

Pedal-pushing public transport

Bike sharing has become big environmental news across Europe recently, with cities like Paris and Madrid coming up with their own systems. But what is the German take on the whole thing?

Many cities around the world have discovered a new weapon in the battle against cars clogging their streets and polluting the environment: bike sharing. And here we don’t mean traditional bike hires where you rent a bike for the day from a bike shop. Rather bike sharing allows people to rent a public bicycle just for the length of their trip – whether it’s for one kilometer or ten. Then they put it back on the street for the next person to use. Here in Germany, the Federal Ministry of Transport thinks bike sharing is such a good idea, it's providing 10 million euros for innovative schemes.

Report: Kate Hairsine

Panamania!: A Visit to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:30:08 GMT

We take a walking tour of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island in Panama, with the STRI's Beth King and Harilaos Lessios. Plus we'll test your knowlege of some recent science in the news. Websites related to this episode include www.stri.org

Nature: 18 June 2009

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

18 June 2009: Sperm DNA packaging, how the Colorado Plateau got so high, a fake paper accepted by an open access journal, and our weekly round-up of science news.

Jerry Melillo: ‘Significant’ climate impact in U.S.

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:06:00 GMT

NYT: Science Times for 6/16/2009

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:56:39 GMT

This week: Puzzling out the origins of life; how those maple pods fly through the air; and voices of cystic fibrosis.

Science Weekly with Michio Kaku: Impossibility is relative

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:00:26 GMT

Michio Kaku claims that the science fiction of Star Trek is closer to reality than we think

The ScentOpera

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:57:10 GMT

Smells and sounds collide for the world premiere of "Green Aria," a synesthetic art and science fusion at the Guggenheim.

Secret To Slithering Is In The Scales

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:23 GMT

How do snakes slither on smooth surfaces? Mechanical engineer David Hu, of Georgia Tech, filmed snakes slithering up inclines, outfitted them in jackets and photographed them through jello to better understand snake locomotion.

Study Says Fingerprints Aren't For Friction

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:23 GMT

New research in The Journal of Experimental Biology shows that — contrary to conventional wisdom — fingerprints don't increase the friction between the fingertips and the grasped object. Biomechanics researcher A. Roland Ennos explains what fingerprints might actually be for.

How Stanley Milgram 'Shocked the World'

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:23 GMT

In the early '60s psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted his "obedience" experiments, showing that most people will do what an authority figure tells them to do. Psychology professor Thomas Blass details Milgram's life and work in his book The Man Who Shocked the World.

Waiting For A Superstinky Flower To Bloom

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:23 GMT

Botanists at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif., are predicting that their rare and ultrasmelly "corpse flower" will bloom any day now. Botanical education manager Kitty Connolly describes the plant, and its somewhat unusual smell.

Telescopes Probe Birth Of Stars And The Universe

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:23 GMT

NASA scientists Paul Goldsmith and Charles Lawrence discuss the space telescopes Herschel and Planck, which the European Space Agency launched last month. Herschel will investigate star and galaxy formation, and Planck will observe the residual glow of the newborn universe.

What Are The Chances Of A Planetary Collision?

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:23 GMT

Writing in the journal Nature this week, scientists present scenarios in which Mercury, Venus or Mars could collide with the Earth during the next 5 billion years. Astrophysicist Greg Laughlin discusses these possibilities and why there's no need to panic yet.

NASA Prepares Two Lunar Satellites For Launch

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:23 GMT

NASA scientist James Garvin discusses the upcoming launch of two lunar satellites. One will map the moon's surface for future human exploration. The other will crash into a crater near the south pole, kicking up a plume of debris in which scientists hope to find water ice.

TYM test and kidney injury

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:01:43 GMT

Helen MacDonald finds out about acute kidney injury from Jim Stewart, principle author of a new National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) report. Following the publication of a cross sectional study, Duncan Jarvies finds out from lead author Jeremy Brown about a new memory test for Alzheimer’s disease. Emily Pull and Tom Nolan [...]

2009-06-13 Secrets and lies: The untold story of adoption

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Shame, guilt, loss, and grief - giving up a baby at birth can leave a powerful and permanent psychological imprint on a young mother. Countless Australian women without a wedding band were forced to relinquish their babies for adoption. Don´t miss these rare and frank reflections from three women, whose lives were deeply affected by the experience.

Quirks & Quarks - 2009-06-13

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Question Show - recorded live at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto

Science Show - 2009-06-13

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

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.

Welcome 47th Mersenne Prime!

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:07:17 GMT

A computing project on the Internet called the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search has discovered a new Mersenne prime number, only the 47th since ancient Greek mathematicians first uncovered them.

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Checking in on how one of Europe's energy giants is trying to conform to a greener future, helping out a group of Italians in an international project to clean up the Med, and producing biodynamic wines using European methods on the side of an Argentinean mountain.

Tune into the program or download it as a podcast.

European energy giant dabbles in biomass in Berlin

As climate delegations meet in Bonn to hammer out the details of the Copenhagen Agreement on climate change one thing is clear: nations all over the world are going to have to "green up" their energy sectors.

In 1997 the European Union set a target of 12 percent renewable energy by 2010. Germany surpassed this target in 2007 when the renewable energy share here reached 14 percent. That same year Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel announced that this target would rise to 27% by 2020. Electricity use is to be cut, and the number of cogeneration plants is to double.

With six million customers throughout Europe, Vattenfall is one of the continent's largest energy companies, and is the main energy supplier to Berlin. When it recently announced its plans to erect a new coal-burning plant in the city, there was a massive public uproar. Opposition from environmental and citizens groups was so great, the company had to scrap the plan and come up with a more environmentally palatable solution. Vattenfall seems to now be bending over backwards to make Berlin a model metropolis when it comes to energy efficiency, and emissions reductions.

Report: Leah McDonnell

Cleaning up the Mediterranean

The world's oceans are littered with garbage, from tiny pieces of plastic to giant oil barrels. For almost two decades the people living in nations around the Mediterranean have been combating that.

According to the UN's Mediterranean Pollution Assessment and Control Programme an estimated 6.4 million tons of litter are disposed into the sea each year. In addition to that, they say 13,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating on every square kilometer of ocean surface. Rubbish left on beaches across the Mediterranean put at risk the biodiversity of the entire region due to the currents that can transport it from one area to another, not to mention the damage to marine species, such as whales, that mistake the rubbish for food.

Despite efforts at the regional, national and local levels to address the issue, marine litter still remains a major problem in the Mediterranean. That's why every year at the end of May environmentalists in the 21 countries that face the Mediterranean organize to clean it up. The Clean Up the Med initiative is coordinated by the Italian Mediterranean Observatory and involves volunteers picking up rubbish on beaches and from the ocean.

Report: Stephanie Raison

Biodynamic viticulture takes hold at the top of the world

Tending to a vineyard high in the mountains presents a large number of difficulties. It seems, however, that most of those can be overcome when approached from a biodynamic angle.

In recent years biodynamic grape growing has been gaining in popularity and has produced astoundingly good wines in vineyards around the world. Swiss entrepreneur and winemaker Donald Hess has introduced biodynamic viticulture at his vineyard high in the mountains of northwestern Argentina. Although a number of vintners have since followed suit, he was the first to introduce the method, developed in Europe by Rudolf Steiner, to his vineyards Estancia and Bodega Colomé, and has subsequently produced a wine rated as the best in Argentina by independent wine tasters in the United States.

Report: Mariana Schroeder

Nature: 11 June 2009

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:40:52 GMT

11 June 2009: Typhoons that trigger earthquakes, the search for extra terrestrial life starts on Earth, worms that refuse to die, and possible planetary collisions.

Science Weekly: The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:06:24 GMT

Tim Radford talks to Ian Sample about the joys of the Guardian Science Book Club and this month's title, The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker

Willem Schulte on the future of oil

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:06:00 GMT

NYT: Science Times for 6/09/2009

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:00:00 GMT

This week: Endangered animals making too much of a comeback, how snakes and cells slither, and do jellybeans help you exercise?

The Science of H1N1

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:24:47 GMT

An in-depth look at the science behind the current influenza pandemic, plus some of the work research being done to keep us healthy.

Researchers Study Vaccines For Skin Cancer

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:03:30 GMT

Can targeted vaccines help the human immune system respond better to cancer therapies? Douglas Schwartzentruber, medical director of the Center for Cancer Care at the Goshen Health System in Goshen, Ind., describes a study of a vaccine that can help slow the progress of metastatic melanoma.

Isaac Newton: Physicist And ... Crime Fighter?

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:03:26 GMT

Isaac Newton is best known for his studies of physics and for developing the three basic laws that describe motion. In Newton and the Counterfeiter, author Thomas Levenson describes another side of Newton: his career as the crime-fighting head of the Royal Mint.

Safety in the summer

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:22:43 GMT

Nigel Hawkes tells Helen MacDonald about a conference on the role of junior doctors in patient safety, Duncan Jarvies talks to Jan Jansen about what military medicine can teach the NHS about trauma surgery, and we find how to play safely on trampolines. Birte Twisselmann takes us through the news. See also; Damage control resuscitation for patients [...]

Quirks & Quarks - 2009-06-06

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How the Komodo Dragon Slays its Prey, Eyes in the Front of its Back, The Poop on Penguins, Julie Payette Heads to Space, Raining Meteorites, Fact or Fiction - Old Age and Sleep

Science Show - 2009-06-06

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

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.

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Talking to the head of the US climate delegation at the UNFCCC climate talks, journey across a barrier island to find out how the work of one conservation group can have a global impact, and meeting an 11-year-old whose passion for the environment has really taken root.

Tune into the program or download it as a podcast.

Charting the road to Copenhagen

The second round of climate talks have convened in Bonn, with representatives of 181 nations coming together to work out an agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Delegates from over 180 nations have agreed on a first draft text as a basis for the upcoming six months of negotiations; even though both developed and developing countries have some serious problems with the wording. The Kyoto Protocol, which was finalized back in 1997, is especially famous for one reason: it was never ratified by the United States, despite the fact that both a democrat and a republican have sat in the White House since that time.

With the new administration of Barack Obama comes a renewed US eco-friendly policy and many nations are hoping that the Copenhagen Agreement will be able to succeed where Kyoto failed. Living Planet sat down with Dr. Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change and the head of the US climate delegation.

Interview: Mark Mattox

Conservation and ingenuity help preserve barrier islands

Join Living Planet on a journey across a barrier island to find out how the work of one conservation group can have a global impact.

Since Barack Obama became US President in January this year, attitudes towards actively combating global warming have slowly started to shift. It will take a long time to change the average American's voracious energy consumption, but there are pockets of the US riding on the new wave of eco and energy-consciousness. There are areas that are leading the way in reducing their footprint on the environment - like Bald Head Island off the coast of North Carolina. The effects of global warming are already being felt there in the form of sea level rise and so the island's close-knit community is trying to do all it can to save its unique habitat.

Bald Head is a barrier island, which is a long, relatively narrow chunk of land running parallel to the mainland, built up by the action of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges. They exist all over the world, meaning conservation practices implemented on Bald Head can and do apply globally.

Report: Anja Kueppers

German student initiates a major tree-planting campaign

An 11-year-old from Bavaria has been inspired to encourage other children across the nation into helping him plant one million trees by the end of the year.

Felix Finkbeiner is an 11 year old from Bavaria with a passion for all things environmental. He has started an initiative called "Plant for the Planet", in which he hopes to persuade children across Germany to help him plant a million trees by the end of the year. He goes around to schools giving presentations to encourage others to become ambassadors of sorts, and has become so famous that the western German city of Duisburg has named him the patron of their environment days, something they've been doing for the past 16 years, and which today include more than 100 activities stretched out over the span of two weeks. These environment days always coincide with the United Nations World Environment Day, which is on June 5th this year. This past weekend Felix was in Duisburg to give his presentation to yet another group of school children, followed by a trip into the woods to plant some trees.

Report: Sarah Stolarz

Nature: 4 June 2009

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:00 GMT

4 June 2009: Entangling ions, reprogramming diseased cells, imaging and reality, and what Antarctica looks like beneath all that ice.

Chronicles of a Science Experiment: Episode 10

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:06:00 GMT

Science Weekly: Fossil Ida and the astronaut

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:51:18 GMT

Adam Rutherford from Nature discusses the media reaction to the discovery of fossil Ida, and we find out more about Timothy Peake - Britain's first official astronaut

Inventing Scientists

Fri, 29 May 2009 15:37:24 GMT

One of the country's biggest inventors (think the Segway, iBot, and portable dialysis machine), talks about his FIRST program aimed to get high schoolers onto the path to become scientists.

Whistle down the archive

Fri, 29 May 2009 16:42:43 GMT

In the wake of nurse Margaret Haywood being struck off the UK nursing register; Rebecca Coombes talks to lawyers Peter Gooderham from Cardiff University, and Chris Cox from the Royal College of Nursing, about the legal implications of whistleblowing. David Payne talks to Tony Delamothe about the BMJ’s online archive, which is now searchable back to [...]

The Truth about Cats and Dogs

Fri, 29 May 2009 16:05:08 GMT

Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief John Rennie talks about the contents of the June issue, including articles on the evolution of cats and the physiology of sled dogs. Plus, we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Digging into the mystery of missing toxic waste in Italy, touring the Elbe River floodplains along the Green Band and getting an education in marine ecology at an Emirati aquarium.
Tune into the program or download it as a podcast.Italy's missing toxic waste

31 million tons of toxic waste went missing in Italy last year. Most people blame the ecomafia - organized crime groups committing acts with huge consequences to people and the environment.

Every hour, three crimes against the environment are committed in Italy, the biggest violators being the ecomafia - the Italian Environment League name for environmental damage committed by organized crime groups. According to the latest ecomafia report, organized crime bosses in Italy earned 20 billion euros ($27.8 billion) last year at the expense of the environment. Trucks transport waste from the industrial north to the south day and night, year-round, and deposit it in mostly illegal and unregulated landfills.

In 2008, the Campania region around Naples was the most polluted region with almost 600 waste violations, 15 percent of the national total, followed by Puglia and Calabria with some 300 each. As well as polluting the environment, studies by the World Health Organization have linked the illegal dumps to cancer, birth defects and other health problems.

Report: Stephanie Raison

Travelling along the Green Band: Part II

Is it possible to combine nature protection with tourism?

The Green Band is a 1,400 kilometer strip of connected natural habitats that runs from the Baltic Sea, south to the Mediterranean and then east to the Black Sea. It's a physical reminder of the Iron Curtain that once divided Europe into east and west. And while it tore regions and families apart, the division was actually a stroke of luck for nature.

Some 600 endangered plants and animals call the Green Band home. Part of the band includes a segment of the Elbe River, which once served as a natural border between East and West Germany. The floodplains around this mighty waterway have been returned to their natural state, helping creatures like the sea eagle find a home and bringing tourism money to the area.

Report: Richard Fox

Tackling marine conservation in the UAE

Most aquariums take pride in having an extremely diverse collection of animals from around the world, but the one in the emirate of Sharjah takes a different approach.

The emirate of Sharjah only covers 2,600 square kilometers, but it's a real hotspot for biological diversity -- if you know where to look. You have to leave behind the tiny chunk of desert, home to almost a million people, and head to the sea. Some of the most brightly colored and oddly shaped creatures in the world call this place home. Enthusiastic divers describe the beauty of the seabed and the coral reef. But what if diving isn't your thing but the environment is?

Well, the place to see some of these marvels is the Sharjah aquarium with its one million liters of water full of the most extraordinary and exquisite fish. The small emirate is next door to Dubai and the aim of its innovative aquarium is educational. Its goal is teaching conservation, environmental awareness and the people who run it have structured a long-term policy of getting visitors to treasure and enjoy what is available locally.

Report: Sylvia Smith

Nature: 28 May 2009

Wed, 27 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT

28 May 2009: Transgenic monkeys that glow green, quantum states that change as soon as you look at them, and a new approach to the war on cancer.

Swine flu: Planning

Tue, 26 May 2009 16:37:51 GMT

In this podcast we look at planning for a pandemic (this is particularly applicable for GPs in the UK). Helen Morant talks to Maureen Baker, honorary secretary of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and Kate Adams, a GP in East London, about what’s been done to help the country prepare for a ‘flu outbreak. This [...]

Science Weekly: Hay Festival special

Mon, 25 May 2009 11:12:34 GMT

Nicholas Stern, Anthony Giddens and Marcus Brigstocke look on the bright side of climate change action, Astronomer Royal and Royal Society president Martin Rees discusses extraterrestrial life, and Steve Jones shares his Darwin reading list

Go Fly a Kite

Fri, 22 May 2009 16:08:34 GMT

Check out one of New York's kite flying showdowns and the science, design, and history behind our earliest flying machines.

Libel, science, and the polypill

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:35:18 GMT

Duncan Jarvies speaks to Professor Malcolm Law about the importance of lowering blood pressure in everyone old enough to be at risk of a heart attack or stroke, regardless of their blood pressure. Deborah Cohen talks to Simon Singh about the libel action against him, and what it means for science journalism. And Annabel Ferriman [...]

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 21 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Discovering the eco-paradise the Iron Curtain left behind, listening in on German climate talks, getting the view of a biodiversity expert on the future of the world's crops and looking back on a cycling trip across Africa.
Tune into the program or download it as a podcast.Travelling the Green Band

Once a demarcation that divided a continent, the former Iron Curtain has become an eco-paradise for plants and animals across Germany.

2009 marks 20 years since the Berlin Wall came down, and while the wall is famous world wide as a division between the democratic west and the communist east, it wasn't the only visible demarcation. The Iron Curtain ran from the Baltic Sea in northern German, down to the Mediterranean and then east to the Black Sea, splitting Germany and the rest of Europe in two. But while this line - known as the Death Strip - was bad for the people of the continent, it turned out to be exactly what nature needed. It's become the longest string of connected natural habitats in Europe.

Report: Richard Fox

Politicians and experts discuss climate change in Berlin

In the run-up to the environment meetings in Copenhagen this fall countries all over the world are holding talks of their own to discuss what they're going to do about climate change - and Germany is no different.

Ongoing climate change is predicted to have far-reaching impacts on our health and economies. Western Europe happens to be in a region where rising temperatures will certainly not have the same catastrophic effects as in areas where the weather is already sweltering hot. Nevertheless, climate change is giving politicians and scientists in northern climates a headache too. Germany is one of the few countries which already has a federal draft climate adaptation plan which is currently being subjected to public debate. Among other things, the plan looks at possible impacts on agriculture here, which was also the topic at the centre of discussions during a national conference in Berlin recently.

Report: Hardy Graupner

Climate Witness: Biodiversity

In Living Planet's Climate Witness series, we hear first hand testimony about the effects of climate change.

Climate change has the potential to drastically alter the way the world feeds itself. If the mean temperature across the planet goes up, it will completely change weather patterns - possibly turning what are now the world's grain baskets into dry wastelands. The Convention on Biological Diversity recognizes this, which is why they have made the theme of this year's International Day for Biological Diversity "Biodiversity and Agriculture". Stefano Padulosi is a senior scientist with Bioversity International, based in Rome. He has spent much of his career - in Europe and Africa - working with the crops that fuel the world.

Report: Stephanie Raison

Cycling across Africa for the environment

13 months ago two Germans set out from Ethiopia by bike. Now their trip, which has taken them through 12 countries, is complete.

Two Germans have been biking across Africa. For 13 months Ragna Schmidt-Haupt and Amiram Roth-Deblon traveled through 12 countries spreading eco ideas - and learning a few as well. Their campaign is called "Cycle Generation- Feel Africa", and is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme as well as by the World Future Council. Ragna and Amiram have reached the end of their journey - in Cape Town, South Africa. Living Planet catches up with the two cyclists as they reflect on their trip.

Interview: Mark Mattox

Nature: 21 May 2009

Wed, 20 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT

21 May 2009: The link between cancer and Down's syndrome, how life survived multiple meteorite impacts 3.9 billion years ago, and why obesity is more about genes than lifestyle.

High Achievement High Schoolers

Tue, 19 May 2009 21:00:08 GMT

High school scientists Sruti Swaminathan, Maia ten Brink, Alyssa Bailey, Moyukh Chatterjee and Fedja Kadribasic, all winners of state competitions sponsored by the American Junior Academy of Sciences, talk about their research. Plus, we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news

Science Weekly: The science of Angels & Demons

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:28:45 GMT

The team untangles the unholy mess of Catholicism and physics in the new film starring Tom Hanks. Could antimatter really be used to blow up the Vatican?

Taking Science to Congress

Fri, 15 May 2009 15:10:59 GMT

A former Congressman gives scientists concrete suggestions on how to get government thinking science, in one of the keynote lectures of the Two Cultures conference.

Evidence for, evidence against

Fri, 15 May 2009 17:08:41 GMT

This week Duncan Jarvies talks to Raluca Ionescu-ittu, from McGill University, about folic acid fortification. Deborah Cohen finds out from Professor Edzard Ernst about the first homeopathic treatment to be licenced by the UK’s medicines regulatory agency the MHRA. Birte Twisselmann takes us through the news. See also: Prevalence of severe congenital heart disease after folic acid [...]

Swine flu: Ethical implications

Thu, 14 May 2009 15:05:58 GMT

Dr Tony Calland, chair of the BMA medical ethics committee and a recently retired GP, and Dr Andrew Hartle, chair of Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust Clinical Ethics Committee and an anaesthetics consultant at St Marys’s hospital in London, discuss the ethical dilemmas that doctors are likely to face as a pandemic worsens. To what [...]

Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the World

Thu, 14 May 2009 16:30:00 GMT

Taking in the sights, smells and tastes of an eco-friendly farmer's market in a UNESCO biosphere reserve, following the trail of some very delicate insects, and taking back the streets from carbon-emitting cars in Italy.
Franco-German farmers’ market showcases UNESCO biosphere reserve

Fresh food markets are common place around most European cities and towns, but few involve wares from two nations, take place in a biosphere reserve and showcase an eco-friendly way of production.

Imagine being able to eat fantastically tasty food that is good for you AND good for the environment. Well, that's possible at the Farmers’ Markets held regularly in the Biosphere Reserve of the Pfaelzerwald/Vosges du Nord. The UNESCO Reserve runs from the southern German state of Rhineland Palatinate over the border into the French province of Alsace. The cross-border farmers’ markets are part of a project to help preserve sustainable agriculture in the reserve, and thus conserve endangered habitats.

Report: Kate Hairsine

Scientists prove European butterflies at risk from climate change

Butterflies are some of the most beautiful creatures in the insect world. They're also some of the most fragile, and not just physically.

In the first large-scale study of its kind in history, biologists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany have published their analysis of butterfly population data from all parts of Europe. After applying climate change models to this data, they have come up with some drastic potential scenarios concerning the disappearance of many European butterfly species due to global warming. The study, titled “The Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterflies”, also predicts a northward shift among many butterfly species. What made this large project possible were the contributions of thousands of ordinary people across Europe who observed butterflies for years and recorded what they saw.

Report: Eva Wutke

Taking back the streets of Italy

Italians and their cars: A match made in heaven that's wreaking havoc on the environment. Once a year, however, eco groups fight back.

Anyone who visits Italy is almost certain to come back with stories of mad drivers and crazy traffic. The Italians love their cars. In fact, Italy has one of the highest levels of car ownership in the world. With an estimated 620 cars for every 1000 inhabitants it’s not surprising that Italy’s cities are choked with traffic and smog. In Rome that number goes up by 100, and the city’s open spaces have been taken over by parked cars, leaving residents with few places to socialize freely and safely. However on May 10th streets across Italy were returned to pedestrians as part of the Italian Environment League's "One Hundred Streets to Play In" campaign.

Report: Stephanie Raison

Nature: 14 May 2009

Wed, 13 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT

14 May 2009: A 35,000 year-old figurine with exaggerated breasts, the origins of RNA, a new light source that could replace ugly fluorescent strip lights, and is free will an illusion?

Beauty Is Truth (and Science)

Mon, 11 May 2009 16:41:08 GMT

Procter & Gamble scientists Greg Hillebrand and Jay Tiesman talk about scientific research related to beauty products and cosmetics. Plus, we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Web sites related to this episode include www.pg.com/science

The Sweetest Sounds: What is Music to Your Ears?

Fri, 08 May 2009 15:15:03 GMT

A perception expert teams up with a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter to explore our sense of hearing, with a little musical accompaniment, of course.

Science Weekly: Why do we still disagree about climate change?

Fri, 08 May 2009 10:35:41 GMT

Mike Hulme, a founding director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, proposes a radical change in the way we talk about global warming

Nature Extra: Ian McEwan

Fri, 08 May 2009 15:00:08 GMT

Ian McEwan: Booker Prize-winning novelist Ian McEwan often takes inspiration from science for his emotion-laden novels. He spoke at an event at University College London last week and Charlotte Stoddart chatted to him afterwards about emotion, literature and the brain.