Home Planet

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Home Planet returns to Radio 4 with answers to another selection of your questions. How do we know how old the Earth is? Why are there no penguins at the North Pole? How do earthworms get into elevated compost bins? Why are there no green mammals? Plus a proposal that we should harvest and eat insect swarms.

Answering these questions are science writer Dr Lynn Dicks, ornithologist Graham Appleton, and environment scientist Professor Philip Stott. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want addressed in future programmes.

We would like your help in surveying the British house martin population. The British Trust for Ornithology is conducting a house martin survey, and we are also asking listeners for their experiences with these charming summer visitors. Please let us know your sightings and observations by clicking the 'contact us' link.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

What contribution do the millions of cigarettes smoked each day make to atmospheric pollution? Why do we not hear more about the extremely potent greenhouse gases leaking from refrigeration units the world over, HFCs? Could algae be a new low-impact food crop? What can the Danish experience of wind farms tell us about the UK's plan to produce 40 per cent of its energy from wind, and does a kilogramme weigh less at the Equator than the North Pole?

On the panel are Professor Sue Buckingham, Director of the Centre for Human Geography and Environmental Issues at Brunel University, science writer Ehsan Masood and Professor Philip Stott, environmental scientist at the University of London. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

We would like your help in surveying the British House Martin population. The British Trust for Ornithology is conducting a House Martin survey, and we are also asking listeners for their experiences with these charming summer visitors. Please let us know your sightings and observations by clicking the 'contact us' link.

Do the millions of cigarettes smoked each day contribute to atmospheric pollution?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Richard Daniel and a panel discuss listeners' questions. On the panel are Dr Ros Taylor of Kingston University, Professor Denis Murphy of the University of Glamorgan, and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist at the University of London.

Is planting German oaks in British woods likely to be a problem?

Has anyone shown the relationship between individual wealth and the emission of greenhouse gases?

Why do cold oceans support more life than warm seas?

Can we plant more forests to reduce the risk of flooding?

Do large animals have bigger cells than smaller ones, or do they have more of the same size?

Plus a request for your observations of House Martins - have they returned in 2009, and have they bred successfully?

Home Planet will visit the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water to record a programme on the evening of Friday 21 August. Listeners are invited to come to the recording, and if you want to ask a question, please let the programme know in advance by clicking on the Contact Us link above.

Richard Daniel and his team debate if planting more forests can reduce flooding risks.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Should we be constructing artificial reefs as havens for harried marine life? Why does no-one talk about cement when discussing climate change yet it is one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide? And just how much carbon dioxide is there in the atmosphere and can human activity really effect it? Also, how well is the message about environmental degradation being transmitted and why do larger animals live longer than small ones?

On the panel are marine biologist Dr Helen Scales, Professor Andrew Watkinson, Director of Living With Environmental Change, and Professor Philip Stott, environmental scientist at the University of London.

As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

House Martins. We want to hear your observations of House Martins; have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?

Finally, Home Planet will be at the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water to record a programme on the evening of Friday 21 August. Listeners are invited to come to the recording, and if you want to ask a question, please let the programme know in advance by clicking on the Contact Us link above.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Given the vast number of different beetle species on Earth, do we not live in the age of the beetle? And if so, what was the beetle that surprised one listener by nipping him on the toe?

Why does the Moon always point the same face towards the Earth and why does it appear that the bright side of the Moon does not always point towards the Sun?

And finally, what can or should be done about the vast numbers of plastic bags consumed by the agricultural industry?

On the panel are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford of the University of Cambridge, soil scientist Dr Chris Collins of the University of Reading and entomologist Richard Jones. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Don't forget we want to hear your observations of House Martins; have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Do we truly appreciate the role that trees play in moderating our climate? Do Tree Preservation Orders fail to protect trees and why do trees split as they grow?

Why has hemp not made a bigger impact on the building industry?

Concern over so-called 'kinetic plates', designed to generate electricity as cars drive over them. Are they really producing power for free or are they yet another way big business can extract income from the customer?

Tackling these conundrums are planning expert Professor Yvonne Rydin, forest ecologist Dr Nick Brown and Professor Philip Stott. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Don't forget we want to hear your observations of House Martins; have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

A good night's sleep is one of life's simple pleasures, and a lack of sleep can cause all sorts of problems from simple irritation to dramatic hallucinations. Give a thought, then, to animals who are often on the go for long periods of time. Do they suffer from sleep deprivation or have they developed ways of avoiding the consequences of too little rest?

Sadly, many of the UK's rivers carry a burden of rubbish, plastics, supermarket trolleys and the like. Is there, you ask, a system that filters out this debris and stops it heading out to see, or will those floating plastic bottles one day make it to the ocean?

Plus the puzzle of the water-smooth pebbles buried deep in a clay bed, the possible fishery-protection role of windfarms and when will new types of new energy production technologies be up and running?

Answering theSE questions are marine biologist Prof Graham Underwood, alternative energy expert Dr Nick Riley and Prof Philip Stott. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Don't forget we want to hear your observations of House Martins; have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Richard Daniel and the team are out and about for the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water. Unsurprisingly many of the questions are bird related: do seagulls eat insects on the wing, are jays on the increase and do kestrels eat birds as large as wood pigeons?

We also take a broader view of the universe, in fact the broadest possible, as one listener challenges our resident astronomer to provide an answer posed by her children: 'What is there beyond the stars?'

On the panel are astronomer Carolin Crawford, conservationist and ornithologist Derek Moore and Professor Philip Stott.

Richard Daniel and the team are at the British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Have you ever sat in your car at a traffic light thinking that there has to be a better way to manage traffic? One listener writes to ask whether it would be possible to coordinate traffic control measures to ease vehicles through congested areas, reducing carbon emissions at the same time.

Sticking with carbon dioxide release, why is it that, despite huge amounts pouring into our atmosphere, global temperatures have gone down over the last seven years?

If you have spent any time on Britain's south coast this year you may have noticed huge growths of seaweed blanketing beaches, mudflats and harbours. Rather than letting it rot, could it be harvested and put to good use as fertiliser or fuel for biodigesters? And when does planting forests cause more problems than it solves?

Teasing these questions apart are Prof Philip Stott, forestry expert Dr Anna Lawrence, and Prof Andrew Watkinson, the chair of Living With Environmental Change. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Don't forget we want to hear your observations of House Martins; have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Our planet is peppered with great valleys and depressions, many of which are both arid and below sea level. We are concerned that rising sea levels will threaten coastal populations, so could we not kill two birds with one stone by pumping sea water into, say, the Great African Rift Valley? It could also generate power by running the water through hydro-electric turbines. Once done, the once-arid areas would be overflowing with sea water, good for algae but not for the majority of land grown crops. So could genetic engineering step in to produce salt tolerant plants able to feast on this bounty/

Plus a discussion of the world's distribution of oxygen, tackling invasive plants by targeting their friendly funghi and how much we can allow scepticism to stifle action on climate change.

On the panel are Prof Sue Buckingham, Director of Centre for Human Geography at Brunel University, planet geneticist Prof Denis Murphy of the University of Glamorgan, and Prof Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London. As always we want to hear listeners' comments on the topics discussed and any questions to put to future programmes.

Don't forget we want to hear your observations of House Martins; have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Wood is, according to many, one of the greenest fuels available. If more trees are planted to replace those burnt for heat then it has a very small carbon footprint. Yet burning wood can also produce large amounts of noxious smoke, some elements of which can cause major health problems. So how can these two observations be reconciled? Are we swapping low carbon for high pollution?

And what about aircraft contrails? They are visible from almost all parts of the planet, so are they blocking out sunlight and having an effect on global temperatures? Then there's the story of acid rain: did it really go away? Plus concerns over carbon capture and storage, and what causes the mysterious lights reported during earthquakes?

On the panel are Dr Lynn Dicks, Ehsan Masood and Pro Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London. As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Don't forget we want to hear your observations of House Martins. Have they returned this year and when, and have they bred successfully?

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

There's a distinctly avian hue to this programme as we reveal the results of our summer-long house martin survey. Just how have these birds fared in 2009? How do they manage to live alongside the apparently similar swifts and swallows, are they competing for a limited supply of food, or is there something else going on? And just why did one listener's house become a magnet for little owls?

We also keep our gaze upwards to answer two astronomical queries. Does the Moon appear different to observers in the southern hemisphere and are there really more stars in the universe than grains of sand on the beach?

On the panel are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford, ornithologist Graham Appleton and Prof Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Sea levels are rising; it is a slow rise on a human scale, but inexorable. Within a few decades we are likely to see significant amounts of coastal land disappear. But just what will this mean for the ecology of the Earth? Will a more watery world have a radically different climate? Will it become a soggier place to live overall?

A wetter world might make it harder to get around but until that happens, one Home Planet listener wants to put trucks and lorries under curfew to reduce the congestion on our busy roads. Is this a good idea and will it really make it easier to travel?

We return to the thorny issue of disposing of unwanted wood. Isn't it, asks one listener, a good idea to bury it in landfill and lock the carbon it contains safely away from the atmosphere?

And we look again at hemp. It seems that much has happened in the few short weeks since we last discussed the potential of this plant.

On the panel are planning expert Professor Yvonne Rydin, sustainable development specialist Dr Ros Taylor and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about rising sea levels.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world and our impact on it.

'Eagled-eyed' implies an ability to spot objects at a great distance, but perhaps a more extraordinary skill is shown by another bird of prey, the osprey. It can spot fish underwater despite the reflected glare of the African Sun, and then pick them off with pinpoint accuracy. We find out how they manage such a feat and whether we humans could learn a trick or two from them.

Ospreys also use all four limbs - two wings and two legs - to pursue and then grab their prey but what is so special about the number four. Why do all land vertebrates have four limbs?

We also feature a round up of our warm, wet and windy autumn, the key environmental issues. And puzzle over why, when we have the same technological know how, Californians can buy powerful and versatile electric cars that are unavailable to the British consumer.

On the panel are conservationist Derek Moore, Professor Sue Buckingham of Brunel University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Richard Daniel and the team look at how the osprey has an amazing ability to spot prey.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Nuclear power is being offered as one solution to the problems of burning fossil fuels and its likely that new atomic power stations will be built in the coming decades. But how would you react if you were told that they would run out of fuel in a matter of decades? Home Planet asks how big stocks of uranium are and whether their really is enough to fuel a nuclear boom.

How, too, will rain forests and savannahs be treated at the Copenhagen summit? Could seeding clouds have diverted the recent devastating rain away from Cumbria? Can incinerators ever be a safe method of waste disposal, and what are the limits of scientific discovery?

On the panel are conservationist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University, science writer Ehsan Masood and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

As always we want to hear your comments on the topics discussed and any questions you might want to put to future programmes.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

When sea level rises are discussed the focus is, unsurprisingly, on the shrinking land mass. We are, after all, terrestrial creatures. But what about the vast numbers of creatures that live in the seas and oceans? Listeners ask if more water will provide them with more opportunity, and if so could we exploit their gain, replacing farm land with fisheries? Creative thinking is required to solve many of the world's problems so could a need for fresh water in arid countries, a surfeit at the poles and a glut of unused oil tankers be combined in an elegant solution to water shortages?

Also, could the move towards burning biomass for energy be boosting an undesirable global trade, just how efficient is evolution and the seaweed invasion that never was.

On the panel are sustainable development expert Dr Ros Taylor of Kingston University, marine biologist Professor Graham Underwood of the University of Essex and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

If you have any comments on the topics discussed or any questions you might want to put to future programmes, please do let us know.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

It's a biology based programme as we tackle your questions on insects and sea life. What, for example, killed the large number of bumblebees whose corpses were found beneath a tree last summer? Why are moths placid and easy to handle while their fluttery cousins, butterflies, are skittish and difficult to trap? And why do butterflies flit rather than simply flying in a straight line to their destination?

Then there's the challenge of taxonomy. Identifying closely related species is difficult, but getting it wrong can have dire implications for their conservation. Also, a question about evolution in action. Is anything evolving to eat the mountain of plastic pollution sloshing around in the oceans?

On the panel are marine biologist Dr Helen Scales; entomologist Richard Jones and environmental scientist from the University of London, Professor Philip Stott.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss insects and sea life.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

What, too, is the future of UK forestry; how do plants' need for oxygen balance out with their production of this crucial gas and how is it possible for astronomers to detect the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation?

We also want your help in finding out how the New Year festivities affect roosting birds. Do you have a nestbox camera which shows black-and-white pictures using infrared lighting? If you do, Graham Appleton from the BTO, one of our regular panelists, would like to know if you have birds roosting in your nest box. We'd like you to turn on your camera on New Year's Eve to see how much disturbance fireworks cause. Graham will be with us on 4 January to discuss your responses. Remember, this needs to be an infrared camera. You don't want to wake up birds by turning on a normal light.

On the panel are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford of Cambridge University, plant geneticist Professor Denis Murphy of the University of Glamorgan, and forestry expert Dr Nick Brown of Oxford University.

If you have any comments on the topics discussed or any questions you might want to put to future programmes, please do let us know.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the environment and the natural world.

The focus is on energy and climate change. Starting with a question about carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - is there a point when it will reach saturation and emitting any more of the gas will not have any effect? Nuclear power is being offered as a solution to reducing carbon dioxide emissions but how efficient is it? And if it produces waste heat, doesn't that add to the problems of a warming planet?

Then there's the recently revived idea of whether vegetarians produce less greenhouse gas than meat-eaters. Are sea level rises really such a problem when we have centuries of experience building sea defences? And what caused the ebb and flow of ice ages in historical times?

On the panel are development expert Prof Sue Buckingham of Brunel University; geologist and energy specialist Dr Nick Riley of the British Geological Survey; and Prof Andrew Watkinson, director of Living with Environmental Change.

Richard Daniel and guests discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The first recorded proposal for a Severn Barrage was in 1849 - not to produce electricity but to produce a large, reliable, harbour. Since then many different ideas have been put forward for using the huge tidal drop of the Severn Estuary to produce electricity. None have so far been built and this week you want to know the panel's views on why this might be.

There's also the many and varied techniques that birds use to see into water, and how fish spot them coming. Is it possible to exploit the ocean's dead zones to produce valuable crops? And just how is it that electricity knows to stick to the cable and not electrocute the birds so cheekily perched upon them?

We also hear the results of the survey of the impact of fireworks on roosting birds.

On the panel are marine biologist Helen Scales, ornithologist Graham Appleton and Professor Philip Stott, environmental scientist of the University of London. If you have any comments on the topics discussed or any questions you might want to put to future programmes, please do let us know.

Richard Daniel is joined by Helen Scales, Graham Appleton and Professor Philip Stott.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We have a heady mix of energy, biology and a little bit of physics this week. First for the energy. You want to know if the ultra-green claims made for wood pellet burners really stand up to scrutiny. And then there's the issue of demand. Unless we have accurate ways of predicting future energy demand then any discussion on energy production is more or less pointless. At least that's what one listener contends, and the panel chews over the idea.

Next up is the biology. Why do birds eat seeds that pass through their gut unchanged and what happens to us if we eat the same seeds? And what was the extraordinary worm that was seen emerging from a Nepalese praying mantis, which then flew away unharmed?

For the physics one listener wants to know why a bottle of water he picked up from an icy car froze solid in a matter of seconds. Is there a simple explanation or does he have superhuman powers?

Tackling this eclectic mix are ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University, planning expert Professor Yvonne Rydin of University College, London and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Richard Daniel and his team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The new series kicks off with a remarkable revelation about how our minds might be controlled by parasites within our brains. Are we really just vehicles for their survival? Inundation by the sea is often portrayed as the end to any agricultural soil. Yet many parts of the world successfully grow all sorts of crops on land reclaimed from the sea. Is the salination really as serious as it is made out to be? Why does wood buried deep inside a living tree emerge in so many different colours, and do hibernating animals have some mechanism to stop their limbs seizing up after months of inactivity? Why, too, is the Richter scale logarithmic and is there something special about logs that allows us to understand them more easily?

Join Richard Daniel and his guests - ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University, forest ecologist Dr Nick Brown of Oxford University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The series kicks off with a revelation about how our minds may be controlled by parasites.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Many of the world's living creatures are threatened with extinction - the great apes, tigers, blue fin tuna to name just a few. The last thing any conservationist would suggest is that we should teach children how to capture, kill and preserve these magnificent creatures. But there is one area of conservation that needs people to do just that, and unless they do then the chances of understanding and preserving thousands - if not millions - of species is jeopardised. Discover why conserving some species involves killing a few of them.

There's also the question of whether lead from spent WWII ammunition is affecting human health today, and why some earth worms curl up in a ball rather than run away and hide. Also, if one of the defining features of an insect is that it has six legs, how come there are some with only four?

Join Richard Daniel and his guests entomologist Richard Jones, soil scientist Dr Chris Collins of Reading University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Join Richard Daniel and his guests marine biologist Dr Helen Scales; conservationist Derek Moore and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Climate change is one of the most complex, and controversial, topics in science at the moment. We take a long, hard look at the realities of climate change: what's known and, more importantly, where the uncertainties lie. What will the farmers of the future be planting? Will their crops be subtle variations of the ones we see today or, you ask, is there something surprising waiting in the wings to feed the world's growing population? As technology improves it will produce more efficient energy sources and less power hungry devices. So is it really going to cost trillions of pounds to ameliorate the effects of climate change? And how much electricity could we generate if we put a tiny hydroelectric plant in every body of moving water in the country?

Join Richard Daniel and his guests, climate change expert Prof Mike Hulme, environment scientist Dr Ros Taylor and plant geneticist Prof Denis Murphy.

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Richard Daniel and the team discuss listeners' questions about the natural world.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Friday night in any town centre provides ample evidence of humanities' love of intoxication. Drugs and alcohol have been associated with human activity for as long as there have been humans to have activities. But does this extend to other members of the animal kingdom. This week you ask whether a crow was deliberately drugging itself on fumes from a household chimney. What, you want to know, are the brown mites found swarming all over a bumblebee. More bird behaviour as you ask where all the black headed seagulls go in summer and do pigeons surf over oncoming traffic? And why do we hear so little about the origins of life on Earth?

Joining Richard Daniel for this week's Home Planet are ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University; Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology; and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The producer is Toby Murcott, and this is a Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Richard Daniel and the team discuss birds, bees and the origins of life.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The Earth has experienced a number of major earthquakes in the last few months - some of the worst natural disasters to strike for centuries. One Home Planet listener wants to know whether climate change might be having an unexpected effect and increasing the rate at which these deadly quakes strike.

Carbon capture and storage is touted as the way to burn fossil fuels for energy without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. But is it safe?

The programme wraps up with two totally different perspectives on sunlight. Could it be used to dispose of pernicious plastics and why is it so much hotter at the equator than at the poles?

On the panel are Dr Ros Taylor of Kingston University; Dr Nick Riley of the British Geological Survey and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London. The presenter is Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Subjects include plastic waste, capturing carbon dioxide and the frozen poles.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull has brought major disruption to thousands of travelers, and has dominated the headlines. On this edition of Home Planet, listeners ask about some other aspects of this spectacular natural event.

Has the reduction in aircraft emissions been balanced by the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the volcano in that time? All volcanoes emit sulphurous gases which have a cooling effect on the Earth. Is it feasible to deliberately pump sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere to counter the effects of global warming? And will the ash landing in the seas around Northern Europe fertilise the ocean this summer, producing a larger than normal algal bloom and hence a bumper catch of fish?

Then there's the curious observation from one listener that the Sun appeared to be much brighter this winter. Is there any scientific evidence to back up this idea and if not, why not?

We finish with the complex but fascinating question of why there is so little lithium in the Universe. The answer takes us back to the origins of time itself.

The panel this week is ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University; Dr Carolin Crawford, an astronomer also at Cambridge University and Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia.

Presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Volcanic ash as fertiliser, intense winter Sun and cooling the Earth.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

A holiday in the countryside would not be complete without a collection of seashells or pine cones. But with nature coming under pressure from all sides is it okay to gather a few mementoes to remind you of your holiday? Or should we take nothing but pictures to remind us of our time away?

Why are grey squirrels appearing to develop patches of red fur? Does this mean the British woodland favours those with a reddish hue?

Does the mimicry of songbirds give us a hint of the sounds of ancient woodland?

Should we in the Earth's temperate zones be setting an example and planting more trees?

Answering these questions are Dr Anna Lawrence, Head of the Social and Economic Research Group of the Forestry Commission; Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London and Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology. The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Camouflaged squirrels, holiday mementoes and garden birds.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We know that the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased over the last 150 years or so; much has been said about possible negative effects.

But could there be a silver lining to this gaseous cloud?

Plants need carbon dioxide to photosynthesise so could more CO2 mean faster plant growth and bigger crops? Should we stop planting trees and just let nature take its course, slowly converting untouched grassland to forest? Is the disease trichomoniasis spreading in wild birds and if so, what can be done to halt it's progress? Do swans murder geese and do magpies deserve their reputation as the scourge of songbird nests?

This week's panel is comprised of forest biologist Dr Nick Brown of Oxford University; Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400.

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Killer magpies, murderous swans and planting trees.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Cleaning insects from car windscreens used to be a regular chore in the spring and summer months. Yet today, observes one listener, there are comparatively few to scrape off, even after a long journey. Does this mean that insect numbers are in decline, or just that car manufacturers have improved the aerodynamics of cars?

And sticking with cars, will the much hyped move to a hydrogen economy produce an unexpected consequence for the climate? Touted as green because they emit nothing but water vapour, one listener wants to know whether this exhaust is as benign as many suggest - because water vapour is itself a powerful greenhouse gas.

There's also the prickly question of whether hedgehogs prey on bees; how do intricate frost patterns form on the inside of frozen windows, and is there any evidence that mobile phone masts affect bee populations?

Answering the questions are science writer Joanne Baker of the journal Nature, entomologist Richard Jones and Professor Philip Stott, environmental scientist from the University of London. All under the watchful eye of presenter Richard Daniel.

Contact:
Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Producers: Nick Patrick and Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The team discuss ice patterns on windows and insects on cars.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

A listener wants to know what the Pioneer and Voyager space programmes can tell us about the movement of man-made objects in space, and we find out whether anything can escape the clutches of a black hole.

There's more on the fate of our insect population and the story of a moth that bites. And fans of magpies will be pleased to hear how one listener thinks that they play a key part in the story of evolution!

Answering the questions this week are the ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks, the astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford and the biotechnician Professor Denis Murphy. All under the watchful eye of presenter Richard Daniel.

Contact:

~Home Planet

BBC Radio 4

PO Box 3096

Brighton

BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Producers: Nick Patrick and Toby Murcott

The impact of light on the human brain, and do moths bite?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

If you fly over the British countryside at this time of year you will see brown fields of ripening crops, broken up by oases of green woods and spinneys. The trees will continue to grow well into the autumn while the crops will be harvested shortly, losing months of potentially valuable growing time.

One listener wants to know whether food production would be higher if we could exploit that extra time by switching to tree crops rather than annual plants.

There's also the puzzle of why rabbits - creatures hunted by a variety of other animals - give their presence away by flashing their white tails as they run.

We explore the zone between fresh and salt water, and the potential of canals to reduce flooding. And, more than two hundred years after Coleridge wrote of the curse of the Ancient Mariner, we ask why it is that humans cannot drink seawater.

On the panel are human geographer Professor Sue Buckingham of Brunel University; Prof Andrew Watkinson, Director of Living With Environmental Change and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Contact:
Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Producers: Nick Patrick and Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

The panel tackle flooded canals, drinking seawater and rabbits' tails.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Bovine TB is a major problem for dairy farmers in many parts of the UK, particularly Wales and the West Country.

Cattle with the disease have to be slaughtered, costing millions in compensation. The disease is carried by badgers and many have argued for a cull of these creatures as a result. But will it work?

In this week's Home Planet, recorded in front of an audience in West Wales, the panel discuss the science behind the badger cull and alternatives to killing these protected creatures.

The banks of many rivers and streams in Wales are covered by a sweet smelling, pretty but unwanted invader, Himalayan Balsam. Introduced in the middle of the 19th century it has spread rapidly, choking out other native plants. But is it the menace it's made out to be or would removing it do more harm than good?

The panel also discuss scallop dredging in the Special Area of Conservation in Cardigan Bay; whether the current climb back to economic growth is good for conservation and why fungi come in such a range of colours.

On this week's panel are marine biologist Dr Helen Scales, conservationist Derek Moore and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Email: home.planet@bbc.co.uk
Telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Himalayan balsam, scallop dredging and badger culls.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Sea levels are rising by a few millimetres a year and the rate at which they do so is increasing. It is not enough to see on an annual basis but it is predicted to make a significant impact over the next few decades. The amount of rise varies in different parts of the world though.

In this week's programme one listener wants to know to what extent land erosion and local geology affects sea level rise. And does rock and dust arriving from space make an impact?

We've also the puzzle of how a gentle breeze can bring the sound of church bells from miles away, or silence them for those nearby. The speed of sound is far greater than the wind so what is causing this phenomenon?

We discuss, too, the origins of life on earth and a double bill of amphibious questions. How do toads eat snails and when did frogs and toads evolve to live on land?

On this week's panel are marine and fresh water biologist Professor Graham Underwood, science writer Jo Baker and Professor Philip Stott; an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Frog evolution and the sound of bells carried on the wind.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The waste from a nuclear power plant contains materials that can be turned into atomic bombs. Nuclear fusion has long been promised as the fuel of the future. It doesn't produce the same type of waste but one Home Planet listener wants to know whether it might have some as yet unseen military purpose.

With all the concern about carbon dioxide, where does the gas come from to produce fizzy drinks, and does it make a significant contribution to our carbon footprint? Will the move to electric cars require more fossil fuel power stations to charge them? Could water be an alternative, greener way to cool the steamy London Underground? And we are due for another ice age, can we pump sufficient carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to stave it off?

Richard Daniel is joined by this week's panel: Dr Ros Taylor of Kingston University; Science Writer Ehsan Masood and Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Richard Daniels discusses green cars, fizzy drinks and water cooling.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Each year, grass fields in Northumbria sprout mysterious frothy clumps. They start out white and quickly decay to yellow then crumble away. No bird or animal has been seen depositing them and they appear overnight like something in a fairy tale.

On today's Home Planet, the team dive into these curious clumps and come up with the answer. They're not magical but they do come from one of the strangest living things to be found in the British Isles. There's also the puzzle of the geese that fly North for the winter; the source of the bright light that rushes South across the night sky and how do gold atoms formed in distant supernovae end up nuggets here on Earth.

Answering these questions in this week's Home Planet are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford of Cambridge University; conservationist Derek Moore and; Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Mysterious froth; satellite watching; salty kingfishers.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We all know that wind in the trees can produce a distinctive gentle rustle, but one Home Planet listener was startled to hear loud creaks and chirrups coming from French woodland on a hot sunny day. It wasn't insects, they could see no animals so what was producing this mysterious tree borne noise?

We have the tricky question of how many people can planet Earth naturally sustain, is it a scientific or a political question? Did Welsh drovers know of an otherwise hidden forest of Scot's pine, a species thought to be extinct in the UK, why do maps and atlases always have North at the top and how do trees growing on inclines keep their foliage the same height above the ground despite the slope.

Answering these questions in this week's Home Planet are are Human Geographer Professor Sue Buckingham of Brunel University, Dr Nick Brown, a forest ecologist from Oxford University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Travelling Scots pine trees and Northern biased maps.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

One of the more startling finds in ancient Egyptians tombs were pots of honey, more or less unscathed after thousands of years. This week you want to know why honey doesn't go off. You have two sea borne riddles for our panel, why do animals that live in perpetual darkness bother with coloured camouflage and why do all air breathing sea animals waggle their tails up and down rather than side to side. Who will win in an epic battle of the insect giants - when dragonfly meets hornet. And why has there been an explosion of biting deer keds or louse flies.

On the panel this week are marine biologist Dr Helen Scales; entomologist Richard Jones and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Swimming mammals and an epic tussle - dragonfly v hornet.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

There's also the question of can we live without domestic livestock, what is the agricultural impact of the gradual reduction in smoking, and why the Icelandic volcano might bring a hidden benefit to British farmers.

And as the festive season approaches, is it really better for the environment to buy a real Christmas tree?

On the panel this week are Dr Ros Taylor, an expert in sustainability from Kingston University; soil scientist Dr Chris Collins of Reading University and ornithologist Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Orninthology.

Contact:

~Home Planet

BBC Radio 4

PO Box 3096

Brighton

BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

Hovering blackbirds, fertile volcanoes and Christmas trees.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We all know that stormy weather can damage property, blow down trees, or bring devastating floods. But this week one listener wants to know whether an Atlantic storm could have been responsible for a leak in a central heating system?

We review the many sightings of waxwings you've sent in from around the country. Discuss the best way of classifying birds and ask what can be done to prepare for the catastrophic eruption of a supervolcano.

And the programme kicks off with a graphic encounter between a crow and a rabbit.

On the panel today are science writer Dr Jo Baker; Professor Philip Stott an environmental scientist from the University of London, and conservationist Derek Moore.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Supervolcanoes, waxwings and leaky central heating.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We are all urged to put our empty cans, wrappers and bottles in the recycling box, but is what is the real cost of this process and is it a sensible use of resources? Electric cars are advertised as costing just pence to run, a fraction of the cost of a tank of petrol. But does this reflect the true cost of running these vehicles? Should we be more concerned about the release of vast quantities of methane as the frozen tundra thaws and is a cement that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it takes to produce too good to be true? And do calculations of global warming take into consideration the recent, unusually cold long clear nights

Answering the questions today are Human Geographer Professor Sue Buckingham of Brunel University; Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia and Professor Philip Stott an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Methane emissions and the value of recycling.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Harlequin ladybirds are invading the British Isles, threatening native species of these iconic beetles. But they still munch greenfly and are still the gardeners friend. This week one listener wants the answer to her particular conundrum, whether to welcome or remove the harlequins hibernating in their allotment.

Could pumping compressed air into holes in the ground smooth out the erratic electricity supply produced by wind turbines? Why did some toad tadpoles living in an abandoned sink fail to mature into adults?

Should carbon dioxide be seen as a valuable fertiliser rather than a threat to the climate and why don't lions get scurvy despite the lack of fresh fruit in their diet.

The panel for this week is made up of ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University; Dr Nick Riley of the British Geological Survey and marine and freshwater biologist Professor Graham Underwood from Exeter University.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Late developing toads and why lions don't get scurvy.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Astronomers have now detected hundreds of planets orbiting stars other than our own. Many of them are gas giants but some could be rocky bodies not dissimilar to our own Earth. And of course, the question most people would like answered is do they harbour life? It's a difficult question to answer, not least, what would we look for? This week one Home Planet listener has a surprising suggestion, go hunting for gold. We've a proposal for a novel memorial in space, ponder the role of low level radiation in driving evolution and ask whether there is somewhere in the world that is experiencing a heat wave to counterbalance the UK's current cold winter.

The panel this week comprises the astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford of Cambridge University; the Director of Living With Environmental Change Professor Andrew Watkinson and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from London University.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Radioactivity and evolution, and a novel memorial in space.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Animals that live in the depths of the ocean have to tolerate near total darkness, enormous pressures and temperatures hovering around freezing. The darkness is because light can't penetrate deep water; the pressure because of the enormous mass of water pressing down from above. But what about the cold? This week one listener asks, if squeezing gases makes them hot, why are the ocean depths so chilly?

Is the high density of modern agricultural crops taking on the role played by rainforests and how do fossil hunters know when they have a new species or just an odd example of a well known organism.

And out of the archives comes an extraordinary recording, the sound of a living leaf struggling to suck in water.

Answering the questions in this week's programme are marine biologist Dr Helen Scales; Dr Nick Brown, a forest ecologist from Oxford University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton
BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Or telephone: 08700 100 400

Presenter: Richard Daniel
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Can crops replace rainforest? And life in the ocean depths.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We discover why rays of sunlight seen emerging from behind clouds appear to be pointing in different directions. Discuss the practicalities of scavenging trace amounts of precious metals from dirty water.

And does the gravitational tug of the Sun and Moon have an effect on volcanic activity here on Earth.

Doing the thinking this week are Dr Jo Baker of the journal Nature; Dr Ehsan Masood of Research Fortnight and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Contact:

~Home Planet

BBC Radio 4

PO Box 3096

Brighton

BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

What produced the mysterious ice spike in a frozen beaker?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The panel members this week are marine biologist Dr Helen Scales; plant geneticist Professor Denis Murphy of the University of Glamorgan and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Are marine creatures under threat from noisy wind turbines?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The questions they posed the panel included whether rockets are more damaging to the ozone layer because they deposit their pollution high in the atmosphere. What can be done to enforce Tree Preservation Orders. Can moles be eradicated humanely; are the British Isles moving westward and why might Lancashire fields be filled with un-harvested crops.

The panel members this week are marine biologist Dr Ros Taylor of Kingston University; and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London and Sally Roberts, Chairman of the Lancaster Federation of Women's Institutes.

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Changing coastlines and humane mole eradication.

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We're all encouraged to use low energy light bulbs, but has the change from less efficient incandescent bulbs reduced the nation's electricity bill? Are we at risk of squandering our supplies of helium gas?

Does more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere really mean a warmer world and how do you measure their capacity to trap heat in the first place?

Answering the questions this week are science writer Dr Jo Baker of the journal Nature; Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Why does it appear to be colder just as dawn breaks?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Continuing the astronomical theme, you ask why does the light in January seem that bit clearer than murky December days? Also, what is the likely impact of growing fields of Elephant grass on British farms? And can the panel name any species that have gone extinct in recent years where their disappearance cannot be attributed to human activity?

On the panel this week are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford of Cambridge University; Professor Andrew Watkinson, Director of Living with Environmental Change and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

What was the cause of the green ring seen around the Moon?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Folklore suggests coppiced trees live forever but, you ask, can this really be the case? Where do grasses hide their flowers, why do crop plants become sterile over time? And how high is or was the highest mountain ever to have existed on Earth?

On the panel this week are Human Geographer Professor Sue Buckingham of Brunel University; Professor Denis Murphy, plant geneticist from the University of Glamorgan and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Can we reduce food scarcity by reducing food waste?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Also, ecologists are putting a monetary value on nature in order to persuade our money driven economies to preserve them. But is this really a constructive way to conserve nature or is it just another way of pandering to our selfish view that the world is there to serve us. Why does one blue tit spend twenty minutes inside a bat box each night and what was it that prompted a midnight blackbird serenade.

Answering these and other questions this week are Yvonne Rydin, Professor Planning at University College London, Conservationist Derek Moore and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

Would many small nuclear power plants be better than one large one?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Ground nesting birds are highly vulnerable while on their nests, how do they avoid detection by hungry predators? And how do modern apples stay so fresh for so long?

Pheasants appear on the face of it to employ a rather foolhardy breeding strategy. They nest on the ground within easy reach of foxes, marauding dogs and other predators. Yet they do manage to raise chicks and clearly avoid detection, so how do they do it? Plans are in hand to build a new mega-sewer for London, but you want to know this week whether sewer disposal is the most effective way to deal with our effluent? Then there's the puzzle of how do bee eating birds avoid getting stung? How do some apples appear to remain forever young? And how do you attract swifts to new nesting boxes?

On the panel this week are Professor Sue Buckingham of Brunel University, Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

How do ground-nesting birds avoid detection by predators?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

This year some magnolias bloomed again in the autumn and other plants such as rhubarb are also showing some particularly unseasonable behaviour.

This week one listener wants to know whether this means our seasons are changing, and what might be the probable impact of such a change. You also want to know whether seabirds are taking valuable fish out of the nets of fishermen, or is it we humans doing the same to gulls, auks and gannets? Why do planets always end up orbiting around their star's equator? And what are the mysterious coronal holes that appear in the Sun's atmosphere?

On the panel this week are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford of Cambridge University; Professor Andrew Watkinson, Director of Living with Environmental Change; and Professor Philip Stott and environmental scientist of the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Do second flushes of spring blooms signal changing seasons?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We tackle two mysterious insect disappearances; why are there so few wasps around this summer and do particular pesticides have a role to play in the dramatic loss of honey bees. Also, how do snowdrop bulbs bury themselves so deep in the ground and we identify a mysterious insect seen in one listener's garden?

On the panel this week are entomologist Richard Jones; ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University and Professor Denis Murphy, plant geneticist from the University of Glamorgan..

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Are pesticides linked to the collapse in honey bee numbers?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Making up the panel this week are ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University; entomologist Richard Jones and Dr Chris Collins, a soil scientist from Reading University.

Contact:

~Home Planet

BBC Radio 4

PO Box 3096

Brighton

BN1 1PL

Or email home.planet@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Will the cold winter halt the spread of bluetongue disease?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

The concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is continuing to rise and a number of schemes have been suggested to limit this increase. This week one Home Planet listener wants to know what plants might do this job most effectively, and should we planting them for that reason? Then there's the puzzle that even though carbon dioxide levels have risen, global temperatures appear to have stabilized over the last few decades. Is this really the case and what are the implications for climate science? Japanese knotweed, water hyacinth and kudzu are all invasive plant species causing significant damage to sensitive environments. There is a great deal of effort put into removing them but is there an alternative approach to dealing with these alien species? And just how does water vapour trap heat on Earth rather than reflecting it back into space in the first instance.

On the panel this week are marine biologist Dr Helen Scales; forestry expert Dr Nick Brown of Oxford University and Mike Hulme, Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia..

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.
Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Which plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere most effectively?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

Then we descend to the seas, lakes and rivers where those who can spend time relaxing on the water. But are the anti-fouling paints, engine exhausts and various other boating paraphernalia polluting the waters in which we play? One listener wants to know what's eating what in a garden pond. We move onto land to find out whether roadside pollution makes picking blackberries from the verge a hazard? And what links swarms of jellyfish, Himalayan glaciers and a recent poll of the British public?

We have a trio of professors lined up to do the answering this week, they are Sue Buckingham - Professor of Social Work at Brunel University; Mike Hulme - Professor of Climate Change at the University of East Anglia and Graham Underwood - Professor of Marine and Freshwater Biology at Essex University.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

With Richard Daniel. Is pollution from leisure craft damaging the environment?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We also discuss the fate of comets, do they slowly boil into oblivion as they swing past our Sun? Are constellations fixed in the night sky and why do rivers stay fresh while the sea stays salty?

Answering these and other questions this week are astronomer Dr Carolin Crawford, marine biologist Dr Helen Scales and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Are comets boiled away to nothing by the heat of the Sun?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

As the next generation of genetically modified crops emerge from the world's laboratories, you ask how do we know just what's in them and what might be the environmental impacts of their widespread use?

You also ask why do flying geese honk and why, when millions of birds must die each year, do we so rarely find their corpses?

On the Home Planet panel for this week are ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University; Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

Presenter: Richard Daniel

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4.

Many birds must die each year, so why are their corpses so rare?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We have abundant energy trapped deep beneath our feet in the hot rocks of the Earth's crust. Why then have we not exploited this resource more widely. Should we be investing in this relatively untapped form of renewable energy. And staying with renewable energy, have new developments in solar panels really improved them to a point where they are a reliable and economical way of generating electricity. Should we be capping natural sources of carbon dioxide before considering curbing our own emissions? And we discuss two insect breeding conundrums. Should we breed butterflies artificially to boost the wild populations, and has over-breeding of honey bees resulted in feeble insects no longer able to resist natural threats and predators.

On the panel this week are Dr Ros Taylor of Kingston University; entomologist Richard Jones and Dr Nick Riley of the British Geological Survey.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Has breeding docile honey bees weakened them?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

This week the residents of Faversham got the chance to quiz the Home Planet team on these and many other issues. What should an English market town do to reduce its carbon emissions? What will be the impact of the Localism Bill, currently going through the House of Lords? And does living in an historic place make you happy?

On the panel this week are conservation architect and heritage campaigner John Sell; ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

What challenges face market towns in the modern world?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

We know now that the dark side of the Moon is not dark, but it does always point away from the Earth. This week you want to know why and does it ever show another face? One listener challenges the panel to explain how some baby newts and toads got into a steep sided trough and why they could not get out again? Is renewable energy truly renewable or could we ever extract so much wind and tidal energy that it could effect our climate? And what did the dinosaurs ever do for us?.

On the panel this week are science writer Jo Baker of the journal Nature; marine and freshwater biologist Professor Graham Underwood of Exeter University and Professor Philip Stott and environmental scientist of the University of London.

Producer: Toby Murcott
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Could large numbers of wind turbines affect our climate?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

One listener also wants to know whether computer models will ever become sufficiently good to be able to predict future climate. How do migrating swifts know when to stop flying north and why do predators often have such yellow eyes?

On the panel this week are ornithologist Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology; Professor Andrew Watkinson, Director of Living With Environmental Change and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Will it ever be viable to grow seaweed to make into petrol?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

A new generation of nuclear reactor powered by the element thorium is being developed in a number of different countries. Would this be a safer alternative to the current uranium based power stations? Should we consider domestic cats as an invasive species and what would have happened if Russia, not America, had landed the first men on the moon?

On the panel this week are Dr Anna Lawrence Head of Social and Economic Research at the Forestry Commission, science writer Ehsan Masood and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

With Richard Daniel. Is it viable to grow coppiced woodland along Britain's roads?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

This week one Home Planet listener wants to know how these birds survive and even thrive in these extremely inhospitable conditions. Then there's the violent behaviour of a mob of crows, why did they kill one of their own? Who has the biggest impact on the environment, the rich with their bigger carbon footprint or the poorest people forced by circumstances to pillage the land on which they live. And we explore some of the links between poverty and environmental degradation.

Answering these and other questions this week are Graham Appleton of the British Trust for Ornithology, Ros Taylor, development specialist from Kingston University and Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

How does the sea-going albatross survive Antarctic storms?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it

And why do dogs insist on rolling in the myriad of unpleasant things they find in fields, and then come home so proud of their new smell?

On the panel this week are ecologist Dr Lynn Dicks of Cambridge University, naturalist Derek Moore and Professor Philip Stott an environmental scientist from the University of London.

The programme is presented by Richard Daniel.

Producer: Toby Murcott

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.

Why are there so few lapwings left in the UK?

Programme answering listeners' questions about planet Earth and our impact upon it