Material World

Buildings

To coincide with the opening of a new exhibition at London's Science Museum entitled 'Building to the Limits', the programme features some unconventional science that's now impacting on how we think about building.

We look at fluid flow dynamics, for example, how understanding liquid movements help us build better and what the techniques of constructing racing car bodies can add to the houses of the future.

Two of the advisors to the Science Museum exhibition are taking part in the programme: Fluid Flow specialist Professor Andrew Woods, head of the BP institute at Cambridge University, and Malcolm Parish, a composite engineer with construction company Ambiente Housing.

Birdsong

Whether it's a rude awakening by the dawn chorus, or the accompaniment to a gentle stroll through the countryside, nature's music - birdsong - is all around us.

But why do they do it? Is song the avian equivalent of human language?

This week Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr Rob Thomas from Cardiff University Biosciences department and Peter Slater, Professor of Natural History at the University of St Andrews. They'll be letting us into the secrets of the bird's world, from virtuoso performances in Central America, to the dawn chorus tactics of the robins in our gardens.

Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Peter Slater to explore the mysteries of birdsong.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper talks to explorer Pen Hadow from his Arctic ice expedition. 2009 marks the fortieth anniversary of the first surface survey of the northern polar ice, led by Sir Wally Herbert. Almost in his footsteps, Hadow is currently trying to reach the North Pole on foot, carrying out a similarly scientific survey. He speaks from the shifting floes where he and his team are currently measuring this year's ice melt. Sir Wally's daughter Kari Herbert tells us about her father's achievements and legacy, and Dr Seymour Laxon of UCL tells of forthcoming attempts to check ice thickness from space, namely Cryosat 2.

As leaders of the G20 leading industrial nations meet in London to discuss recovery packages for the world's economies, we ask what science can do to help end the global recession. Historian Eric Rauchway has been looking back to the Great Depression of the 1930s, the attempts to use science to bolster the measures of Franklin Roosevelt's reflationary New Deal, and how the New Deal laid the groundwork for post-war science policy. Sir Martin Taylor explains the thinking behind the Royal Society's Fruits of Curiosity enquiry, announced this week to establish the role of science in the UK economy.

And 4.00pm on 2 April 2009 marks the beginning of '100 Hours of Astronomy', one of the key events in 2009's International Year of Astronomy. More than 1,500 public events in 130 countries make up this three-day sequence. Co-chair Douglas Pierce-Price tells Quentin about it from ESO in Germany.

Quentin Cooper talks to Explorer Pen Hadow from his arctic ice expedition.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Apennine area of Italy has long been interesting to geologists for the bed of limestone very close to the surface. New rock protruding from the surface allows scientists to see and measure recent faulting and shifting as the mountains continue to settle.

It is generally believed that the L'Aquila earthquake produced a shift of about 25 centimetres. If Ken can find the new scarp, he can make a series of accurate measurements over a period of weeks. He hopes that these measurements will help him to build an accurate picture of how the earthquake has affected the local rock structure. It might also help answer questions about what has been going on under Italy for the last 30 million years, and what might happen in the future.

On the 9th April 1969, people in the west of England saw the first British Concorde on its maiden flight from Filton, near Bristol. At the time it seemed to herald a new age of faster-than-a-bullet travel for all. But, as history shows, Concorde remained a luxury for the rich and famous. The planes were decommissioned in 2003.

Quentin speaks to Peter G Coen, Principal Investigator in Supersonic Aeronautics at NASA's Langley Research Centre. He asks what happened to the supersonic dream and whether supersonic passenger travel might one day take to the sky again, with or without its tell-tale sonic boom.

Also, Quentin discusses brain scans with Geraint Rees from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, and with Daniel Glaser, Head of Special Projects at the Wellcome Trust.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) have become essential tools for investigating the brain. Thanks to brain scanning, our knowledge of core physical processes - memory, sight, muscle control - has been hugely improved. But are researchers justified in using these tools to delve into more complex and subjective areas such as emotions, aesthetics and morality?

Forty years after the first British Concorde flight what happened to the supersonic dream?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper talks from the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

The world's first retro-fitted carbon capturing coal-fired power station will soon begin operating in France. Stuart Haszeldine, head of the Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage, talks about the realities of scrubbing, sequestering and and whether Britian might be falling behind.

Barbara Webb of Edinburgh University's School of Informatics talks about her work building and studying robot insects. A robotic cricket can teach us a lot about how to make better robots, but also how insects must actually work.

Quentin also looks at the life of John Maddox, whose unorthodox approach to editing the journal Nature arguably changed the face of modern science.

Quentin Cooper samples the delights of the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper and guests discuss how machines are learning to recognise and express emotions. He meets Professor Roddy Cowie and Professor Rosalind Picard, two researchers hoping to develop robots that can read our moods.

In Nebraska, space lawyers gather to thrash out how the world might deal with the threat of Near Earth Objects: asteroids that might one day crash to earth with devastating consequencies. Even if we have the technology to do something about it, how would the nations of the world best agree to get on with it? Ben Baseley-Walker of the Secure World Foundation, co-sponsor of the conference, hopes that talking about the legal niceties now rather than later could save valuable time should the warning ever come.

Plus, after chancellor Alistair Darling announced a 750 million pound fund to help innovation and emerging technologies, Hagan Bayley, Professor of Chemical Biology at Oxford University, visits the studio on his way to pick up an enterprise award for a cheap DNA sequencing device.

How machines are learning to recognise and express emotions.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper looks at the science behind the potential flu epidemic emanating from the 'swine' flu outbreak in Mexico.

Analysts at the World Influenza Centre in Mill Hill, Hertforshire, describe how the molecular details of flu samples from across the globe will help them pin down the origin of the outbreak, and foresee its progress. And from Toronto how the SARS outbreak of 2003 led to a complete rethink of how to handle flu pandemics.

Climate scientists have published further evidence that maintaining current levels of CO2 emmissions will lead to serious global warming. Even the international target of a 2 degree celsius rise in temperature will be hopelessly exceeded if levels are not reduced quickly and drastically.

Professor Nial Tanvir describes observations of the most distant object ever seen. Gamma rays from a star exploding very soon after the beginning of the universe completed their 13 billion year journey when they reached NASA's Swift telescope.

Science behind the potential flu epidemic emanating from the Mexican 'swine' flu outbreak.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper looks at the 'Two Cultures' divide, 50 years on from CP Snow's lecture. Snow's observations were borne out of his time in Whitehall, finding himself to possess a scientific literacy that was then, he claimed, a rare commodity in what he termed the 'corridors of power'. Sir David King was Tony Blair's Chief Scientific Adviser, while Professor John Marburger was Scientific Adviser to President George W Bush. Quentin hears to what extent things have changed and how much of Snow's argument rings true today.

Also, the European Space Agency plans to launch a joint mission, firing two separate space telescopes into space atop one rocket: the Planck Surveyor and the Herschel Space Observatory. They will sit in a gravitational equilibrium point betweent he earth and the sun - a much more stable place for a telescope than earth orbit - and gaze at the universe in microwave and infrared light. Hubble only sees in visible light, when most of the universe actually emits in these arguably less aesthetic wavelengths. Professor George Efstathiou and Dr Dave Clements discuss the scientific hopes of these next-generation observatories.

Quentin Cooper looks at the 'Two Cultures' divide in goverment.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper reports on the final Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission. Astronaut Jeff Hoffman shares his experience of installing the camera that is being replaced and Steve Beckwith, former director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, explains the long struggle to get the mission approved.

Some 50 years after thalidomide caused so many deformed births, scientists in Aberdeen describe their work which purports to explain, for the first time, exactly why it does what it does.

Quentin speaks to the CERN scientist who is thought to be the inspiration behind the film and novel Angels and Demons.

Quentin Cooper reports on the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper looks at the maths of scrappage, the government's 300 million-pound scheme for paying you 2,000 pounds to scrap your 10-year-old car. Is it actually any good for the environment?

As flowers bloom at Chelsea, we look at the evolutionary history of flowering plants and their social insect partners - the bees.

And as the news agenda was briefly dominated by the announcement of the spectacular fossilised remains of a small eocene mammal - named Ida by her discovers - Quentin looks at the scientific credentials of some of the grander claims being made, and at the high-profile manner in which the announcement was made. Can she really be the supposed 'missing link' between the primates and other mammals? Or is it more of a case of a missing link between the media and science?

Quentin Cooper looks at the maths of scrappage and the science of the missing link.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The recent nuclear test by North Korea sent shock waves around the world - through the rocks of the planet's crust. Those seismic signals are about all we can know of the country's nuclear progress. But one man does know a lot more: one of the USA's top nuclear experts, he has seen North Korea's nuclear facilities in person. Quentin hears what it is like to hold North Korean plutonium in your hand and how it could help untangle the crisis. Also, the toolbox of techniques for watching clandestine nuclear developments from afar.

The 1930s 'dust bowl' in America's Great Plains provoked one of the greatest migrations in human history. Quentin Cooper hears from one of the scientists who are only now unravelling the causes, and looking for the lessons in a warming climate.

The common rook turns out to have an innate tool-using ability that it doesn't generally bother to use. The scientists who have discovered this hidden talent argue it makes rooks more intelligent than chimpanzees. What might Aesop's thirsty crow tell us about the evolution of tool-making?

North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the causes of the 1930s 'Dustbowl', and tool-using rooks.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Archaeologists have, for the first time in 150 years, presented a crudely-fashioned hand axe that helped change our view of human origins. Last seen just a few months before Darwin published On Origin of Species, the stone axe showed that humankind had been on the planet far longer than anyone had ever realised. This artefact was lost among hundreds of similar prehistoric tools in the vaults of the Natural History Museum in London, until it was rediscovered by Clive Gamble. Clive showed it to Quentin as enthusiasts arrived to see it.

Should we be able to test ourselves instead of going to a doctor? It is now easy for us to get hold of self-test genetics kits over the internet for conditions like Alzheimer's or breast cancer. At the Cheltenham Science Festival, consultant clinical geneticist Professor Peter Farndon talked about their reliability and what problems self testing can lead to, when we get potentially life-changing results without professional support.

Quentin also visits Tewksbury to talk about the flooding of Gloucestershire rivers with Professor Lindsey McEwen of the University of Gloucestershire. She looks at historical records to understand the patterns of floods on the Severn and Avon.

And science writer Simon Singh tells Quentin about his hopes for changing the English libel laws to allow more freedom for science journalists.

Quentin Cooper reports from the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

All new housing must be zero-carbon by 2016 according to government policy, but is such a commitment even meaningful? The aim seems worthy, but experts say that new homes often use twice the energy expected, partly because the engineering science is too poor. As the UK research councils pour new money into eco-engineering, Quentin Cooper hears about the challenges of low-carbon housing.

The WHO appear likely to announce that the H1N1 swine flu outbreak has indeed reached pandemic level. Quentin speaks to the epidemiologist who published, in the journal Science, some of the first predictions. Is it turning out as they expected?

A compound designed to attack the DNA of cancer cells failed. Instead, researchers at the University of Warwick tried it out on infectious bacteria, and it killed them in minutes. Could it be the new secret weapon in our dwindling anti-biotic arsenal?

Plus the news stories of impending planetary collision, albeit in billions of years time, are examined. Actually, the work published in the journal Nature, the result of some of the most powerful computing in the world, suggests to astronomers that inter-planetary collision is instead less likely than they feared.

Low-energy housing, cancer DNA, Swine Flu, plus stories of impending planetary collision.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper looks at the science of the ancient microbes being discovered in frozen ice cores from Greenland. Maybe 120,000 years old, the new species, named Herminimonas Glaciei, is 50 times smaller than E. coli, and seemingly needs minimal nutrients to survive, perhaps living in the narrow capillaries of liquid water between ice crystals 3km below the surface. What does it, and other microbes being discovered in extreme environments mean for the search for life in the seemingly hostile stretches of space?

Fans have greeted the publication of the new season's football fixture list. Quentin hears from the man who draws up the calendar for the Premiership, Championship, English leagues 1 and 2, and the Scottish league. The mathematical system he uses, established in 1982, uses surprisingly sophisticated algorithm to meet all the teams' differing needs.

The printworks fire in Leominster recently sent a plume of smoke into the sky, reminiscent of the Buncefield storage depot fire of December 2005. It was after Buncefield that procedures for emergency air-quality monitoring were put in place to help inform the authorities of when and where evacuations might be necessary.

Quentin Cooper checks out microbes, maths behind football's calendar and Leominster's air.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper champions chimp culture, how it has evolved and the view of ourselves in relationship to them.

He re-measures dinosaurs in light of new evidence; it seems there are serious problems with the equations that have been used for decades.

Also on the programme, Quentin dissects the process of conducting a fair election using a naturally occurring quirk of statistics.

Quentin Cooper champions chimp culture, measures dinosaurs and dissects elections.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper Reports from the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition.

Pupils from the Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys describe some of their experiments: real physics research while studying for A-Levels. Teacher Dr Becky Parker discusses how all 6th form physics departments could be as successful as hers.

Ecologists of the Evolution Megalab appeal for people to go out and count snails to help them with their international investigations into climate change and predation.

The vets of the Royal Veterinary College teach students what to feel for up a cow's rear end - James Herriot style - using advanced virtual-reality computer simulation.

Also, as the summer air starts to get a bit hazy, researchers from Imperial College demonstrate the next generation of small mobile air-quality detectors for monitoring traffic fumes.

Quentin Cooper reports from the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2009.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper hears about the birth of an ocean - in the Afar triangle off the Horn of Africa, which is breaking away from the mother continent.

Plus the science behind the week's headlines on artificial sperm from Newcastle University; and the Easter Island compound, Rapamycin, which could help us all live to an older age.

Quentin Cooper hears about the birth of an ocean off the Horn of Africa.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Michael Snyder from Stanford University's genetics department explains his research into the genes which cause Trisomy 21, otherwise known as Down's syndrome.

Also, on the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, Professor Geoffrey Eglinton of Bristol University discusses his search for life in moon dust.

A total solar eclipse is set to cast a shadow moving over five hours from the edge of India to the heart of the South Pacific, passing over Bhutan, Shanghai and Japan on its way. There won't be another eclipse like it for 120 years. For scientists, this is an unparalled chance to peer into the Sun's corona, while the rest is hidden from view. With Lucie Green and Dr Ken Phillips from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL.

New strategy for climate and energy; Down's syndrome; moon dust; solar eclipse.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Among the cargo Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took to the Moon on Apollo 11 in 1969 was an array of mirrors that are still, 40 years on, at the forefront of science. By bouncing laser beams of light off the mirrors, scientists are now able to measure the Moon's position to an accuracy of one millimetre. They have already shown that the Moon is receding at a speed of nearly four centimetres every year. But with these more precise measurements they can even test whether Einstein got his theory of gravity absolutely right.

An update on how solar scientist Lucie Green fared on her trip to the Pacific to observe the latest total eclipse.

400 years ago, Englishman Thomas Harriot was the first to draw a telescopically-enhanced map of the moon's surface. It is due to go on display as part of the Science Museum's Cosmos and Culture exhibition.

Further out in space, an Australian amateur astronomer has noticed a new spot on Jupiter's tempestuous surface. As the world's biggest telescopes wheel round to have a look, we hear of the similarities with the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levi 9. It seems we missed a big splash this time.

And as Australia begins testing its version of a swine flu vaccine, Quentin finds out how to make a vaccine and what the challenges are of getting one in time for the impending northern hemisphere flu season.

Apollo 11's long-surviving scientific legacy and the first man to map the moon.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

As Cambodia reports a rise in tolerance to the Artemisinin class of anti-malarial drugs, calls come from Nature, the Lancet and the WHO to further deploy so-called 'combination therapies' to combat the disease rather than risk a strain of Artemisinin resistant malaria. Quentin Cooper talks to Prof Chris Whitty, director of research at the Department for International Development, about resistance and epidemiology. They are joined by Colin Hill, chair of a consortium that aims to make the shrub Artemisia Annua a UK cash crop in order to make production of the drug cheaper.

As Ofcom reports on variance in UK broadband bandwidth provision, Prof Laurie Cuthbert of Queen Mary, University of London's Department of Electrical Engineering talks about the material nature of the broadband network. What is the difference between a balanced pair and a DSLAM multiplexer? How many mega bytes does it take to bite of bit of the world wide web?

Hailed as the beginning of gene therapy 20 years ago, the discovery of the Cystic Fibrosis Gene had raised expectations of marvellous new cures of gene based diseases - by replacing a mutated gene with a straight one, for example. Quentin catches up with Prof Eric Alton, whose team are currently doing safety trials on a new therapy to see if the technology has lived up to its initial promise.

And as England take on Australia in the third Test, Quentin pitches a question or four to Dr David James on the state of cricket grounds. How might science help the groundsmen in charge of our first-class pitches to raise the English game?

The genetics of cystic fibrosis, 20 years on.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

UK researchers have managed to scan the brains of a handful of criminal psychopaths, in an attempt to understand what makes their minds different.

Three research groups have managed to grow adult mice from re-programmed skin cells

As unmanned drones allow Nevada-based soldiers to fight remote war in Afghanistan, Quentin Cooper hears about the technological and ethical challenges.

Psychopathy under the microscope; mice without mothers; drones at war.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

100 years after its discovery, Quentin talks to Dr Richard Fortey and Dr Nick Butterfield about the significance of the Burgess Shale, the world's most famous fossil location.

Jon Woodruff looks back over 1,500 years of hurricanes and their causes. Medieval seasons were worse than ours; are they really linked to climate change and are they getting worse?

Saturn's rings will pass precisely edge-on to the Sun as the planet passes through its equinox. For the first time ever we have a space craft capable of scrutinising the small bulges and the shadows they cast. Prof Carl Murray tells us what they imply for the evolution of the solar system.

The greatest fossil field yet found, the archaeology of hurricanes and Saturn edge-on.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper talks to Dr Mark Lythgoe, author of a study on the use of magnets and iron filings to guide stem cells to their intended site. As all the materials involved have had prior approval for use with patients, this development could mark a rapid step towards cinical trials and treatments.

Usain Bolt claims that he can beat his own sprint record, but just how fast is it possible for a human to run? Steve Haacke and Jan Magnus discuss their work in energy analysis and statistical modelling in attempts to pinpoint an unbeatable time.

As a red tide affects Cornwall and sea lettuce threatens Brittany, Dr Eileen Cox discusses algae blooms, their causes, effects and indications about the current state of the environment.

Formed 90 years ago, the International Astronomical Union gathers every three years to discuss the naming and classifications of celestial bodies, the wider cosmological agenda and how to tell the world, among other issues. Quentin speaks to Ian Robson, just back from the last IAU meeting in Rio, to find out what has been decided this time.

The fastest man alive, algae blooms, naming stars and moving stem cells with magnets.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper hears about the English astronomer who spotted an extraordinary solar eruption in September 1859 that created the most brilliant and extensive auroras ever witnessed on Earth, and which put out of action the newly-built telegraph networks. The impact of such a storm on today's telecommunications infrastructure could be huge.

Solar storms are just one possible catastrophe that could strike the Earth, but how can science be used to help the financial markets assess risk and predict material losses from catastrophic events? The process is beginning in the USA with the trading of 'catastrophe bonds'. Florida-based climatologist James B Elsner talks about how science is joining forces with the markets.

Reports estimate that one fifth of the UK's honey bees died during last winter. We find out about new research that is trying to understand why Colony Collapse Disorder is threatening honey bee populations around the world. But are we any nearer a definitive answer to the disappearance of the honey bee? Quentin talks to leading entomologist May Berenbaum.

The next generation of Taser guns seems to be on the way. On sale in the USA and being looked at by the Home Office in the UK, the XREP (extended range electronic projectile) has a range of almost 100 feet, over three times that of current models. It has already been dubbed the 'Taser shotgun'. Supporters say it will help police bring down suspects from a much greater distance; critics say it will greatly increase the risk of serious injuries. Quentin talks to David Wilkinson, who for four years led research into Taser use at the Home Office Scientific Development Branch.

Solar storms, catastrophe financing, the disappearing honey bees and Taser guns.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper and guests dissect the week's science.

With two major announcements this summer on improvements to the rail network, transport minister Lord Adonis explains how they should help connect cities and reduce our carbon footprint. With energy analyst Mark Barrett.

A physicist explains how he forecast a collapse of the Shanghai stock market and what it tells us about the dynamics of the financial sector.

With children returning to school this week, two health experts explain how they plan to track the changes in the flu pandemic.

How a gene 7,500 years ago helped us acquire a taste for milk.

Rail upgrades, econophysics, flu at school and milk genes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper hears what became of the Large Hadron Collider, one year on from the much-vaunted Big Bang Day.

In September 2008, Radio 4 decamped to the Swiss countryside to broadcast the launch of the most complicated experiment ever attempted, the giant, atom-smashing Large Hadron Collider at the CERN facility. But before the month was out, the experiment was suspended, after a major electrical failure.

Steve Myers, CERN's director of accelerators, recalls the events of the day, what went wrong and looks forward to the restart later this year. Experimental particle physicist Terry Wyatt describes the impact on his colleagues, and warns that CERN's rival establishment Fermilab may now be the first to discover the Higgs.

Also, with NASA warning that it can't afford to return people to the Moon, John Zarnecki looks at the relative merits of human and robotic space exploration.

Quentin Cooper hears what became of the Large Hadron Collider.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

As international negotiations stumble towards a replacement for the Kyoto climate protocol, it is a sobering thought that the greatest reduction in greenhouse gases comes from a completely different treaty. The Montreal Protocol, which came into force 20 years ago to protect the ozone layer, also managed to remove huge quantities heat-trapping CFC gases from the atmosphere. To mark World Ozone Day, Quentin Cooper looks at the lessons from this most successful of environmental treaties.

Also, the legacy of crop scientist Norman Borlaug. Quentin hears about the challenges of feeding the world in 2050, and how science can help.

And the cup and the cuppa - what determines the taste of tea?

World Ozone Day, 20 years on; Feed the World.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Vaccine trails in Thailand suggest it may be possible to find safe protection from HIV; Quentin Cooper gets the experts' view.

In the light of 2009's wet summer, Quentin hears about the long-range influences that can steer bad weather our way.

We give a new carbon-fibre vilin a professional roadtest.

New hopes of an effective AIDS vaccine; the wet summer of 2009; a new carbon-fibre violin.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Earthquakes in southeast Asia have caused hundreds of deaths, if not more; Quentin Cooper hears what links them, what differentiates them, and about the continuing seismic threat in the region.

President Hu Jintao of China has promised notable improvements in China's carbon efficiency; we hear what this might actually mean in terms of China's burgeoning economy

Also, why behaving green appears to give people a license to turn mean, and the spin on spintronics - how electrons' magnetic properties could revolutionise the digital age.

The earthquakes in southeast Asia; China's greenhouse gases; green but mean; spintronics.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper is joined by Pen Hadow, the polar explorer who reports that the Arctic could be free of ice during summers within a decade because of global warming. Quentin hears how Pen's trek over the polar ice drew him to this conclusion.

Physicist Prof Alan Guth explains why he calls the beginning of time, the first instant when the Universe was created out of nothing, 'the ultimate free lunch'.

As Kew Millennium Seed Bank announces that it has banked 10 per cent of the world's wild plant species, we ask how technology can help to conserve the remaining 90 per cent.

Arctic ice loss; an inflating universe; conserving the world's plants at Kew Seed Bank.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

NASA plans to launch its massive Ares 1 rocket, the first test flight of its vehicle planned to replace the Shuttle in the next decade. Gareth Mitchell looks forward to this first step in NASA's Constellation programme for human space exploration.

Also, earlier this month, the cover of Science was graced with a collection of bones - the fossil of Ardi, possibly the most important human ancestor yet found. With its two key discoverers at the Royal Society, Gareth grabbed the chance to hear what it's like to uncover such a rare piece of pre-history.

And if you thought you'd already about the most important human ancestor this year, that was Ida, the much-celebrated 47 million-year-old lemur lookalike, which scientists now report in Nature had nothing to do with our origins after all.

NASA's new Ares 1 rocket; Ardi the human ancestor.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper hears from participants in a new collaboration between writers and scientists, assembled by novelist Geoffrey Ryman.

Where have all the metals gone? Jason Rauch discusses his mineralogical map showing metals usage around the world, and how landfills and city streets may be the mines of the future.

150 years after Darwin's Origin of Species, Yale University's Steve Stearns forecasts the trends in human evolution over the next few generations.

Quentin Cooper explores mundane science fiction, where imagination meets reality.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

DNA is celebrated as the molecule that carries our genes from generation to generation. But a small group of pioneering chemists and physcists are using DNA to build the nano-engines of the future. Quentin Cooper hears about these miniature biological machines.

The Nazca civilisation is famous for the giant lines it inscribed into the high Peruvian desert; catastrophic deforestation is now blamed for its demise 1500 years ago.

ESA's SMOS satellite is intended to map soil moisture across the planet and the trajectories of the ocean currents. Quentin hears how it will improve weather forecasts.

DNA nano-machines; the demise of the Nazca; SMOS satellite.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

With little more than two weeks to go before negotiators gather in Copenhagen to debate cuts in greenhouse gases, the scientific pressure is rapidly growing for them to succeed. Quentin Cooper hears the latest from the scientific frontline: news of the continuing rapid growth in greenhouse gas emissions, and the threat to Antarctica from global warming.

It would have 'algae tubes', be made largely of glass and have an 'algae photovoltaic bioreactor' at its heart: the Algae House is the award-winning design of a house of the future.

A team of postgraduate students at Cambridge University have set out one possible future for the concept 'algaetecture'. They plan to exploit the properties of algae to generate hydrogen to be used in hydrogen fuel cells and to harvest the algae to create biofuels, all in the domestic setting of the home. Quentin Cooper meets the students who think the future's bright - the future's algae green.

Quentin Cooper reports on new climate change research ahead of the Copenhagen summit.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Already dubbed 'Climategate', Quentin Cooper finds out what the real scientific impact is of computer hacking, and leaking, of over ten years-worth of climate researchers' emails at the University of East Anglia.

Do the benefits outweigh the risks for the scientists drilling into the mega-thrust earthquake zone just off the coast of Japan? Will it give us an earthquake early warning system?

17,650: that's the number of species so far found by the Deep Ocean Survey; how many more can we expect?

And with tragic collapse of bridges in Cumbria during the heavy rains of the past few days, how can science help prevent such collapses happening in the future?

The scientific impact of 'Climategate'; deep Ocean survey; drilling earthquake zones.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper looks into the science underlying extending healthy life and asks if you can live longer without dietary restriction and with parents of different sexes.

He also hears about the latest from the Large Hadron Collider experiment at CERN.

What's the toughest bacterium in the world? One of those battling it out for the title is Deinococcus radiodurans. It was discovered in the 1950s after surviving in cans of food after they had been bombarded with radiation. Its ability to repair its own DNA means it could be used in the future to reclaim land contaminated by nuclear or chemical events. Quentin finds out how scientists are uncovering the secrets behind its ability to survive extreme temperatures, severe dehydration and lethal doses of radiation. Understanding how bacteria like Deinococcus coordinate their arsenal of defence mechanisms could help scientists overcome the defences of dangerous, disease causing bacteria.

CERN particle smashing; secrets of toughest bacterium; lab pork; how to live longer.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In the USA, fuelled by more than 100 million dollars from the Federal Recovery Act, the Ocean Observatories Initiative has just begun. It plans to create an unprecedented network of underwater surveillance equipment in the earth's oceans. Europe and Asia also have plans for networks of ocean observatories. Quentin Cooper finds out how monitoring the oceans deeps, second by second, will help us understand scientific questions as far ranging as the process of ocean circulation and the impact of future climate change.

As politicians and climate scientists in Copenhagen struggle to reach agreement on limiting greenhouse gas emissions, some scientists are wondering if they can reduce climate change by engineering the Earth. Geoengineering might involve reflecting sunlight back into space or removing some of the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Quentin Cooper hears from a geoengineer who thinks it's possible. And the latest from the launchpad of NASA's WISE satellite mission, due to blast off to map the entire sky in infrared.

Ocean observatories? Quentin Cooper looks at global plans to monitor the deep sea.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In the long term, if carbon emissions are not controlled, global warming may be even greater than current predictions, according to new research. Quentin Cooper hears how a study of climate three million years ago - the last time carbon dioxide levels were high - suggests that long-term changes to vegetation and ice caps will lead to an even warmer world.

Also in the programme, how burning coal in China may change cancer rates as well as the climate. A new British telescope, VISTA, to reveal the heat of creation and a breakthrough in understanding cancer as the genome of lung and skin cancers are mapped for the first time.

Predicting our climate future; revealing heat of cosmic creation; mapping cancer's genome.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper is joined by palaeontologist Mike Benton, atmospheric physicist Helen Brindley and cosmologist Gerry Gilmore for a special question and answer edition of the programme.

Quentin Cooper and an expert panels of guests answer listeners' questions.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

'Amateur' is not a term that's always considered as a compliment, but it should be, argue amateur scientists. The word amateur comes from the French 'amour', meaning someone who loves what they do. At one stage in the past, nearly all scientists were amateurs. Quentin Cooper looks into the continuing role of enthusiasts at the front line of research.

He is joined by Dr Adam Rutherford from the journal Nature, Professor Rob Fuller, who co-ordinates the work of 30,000 volunteers for the British Trust for Ornithology, prize-winning young scientist Hannah Stuart, and founder President of the Society for Amateur Scientists in the USA, Dr Shawn Carlson. He also visits the garden observatory of Tom Boles, who monitors 12,000 galaxies for exploding stars from his home in Suffolk.

Quentin Cooper looks into the continuing role of enthusiasts at the front line of research

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

It may have been rather chilly in the UK this week, but that's nothing compared to July 1983 at the Russian Vostok Research Station in Antarctica, where it got down to minus 89.2 degrees Celsuis. Professor John Turner of the British Antarctic Survey describes how it happened and how it's helping him to perfect climate models to reveal future change.

ALMA -Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array - is under construction on the Chajnantor plain of the Chilean Andes, 5,000 metres above sea level. It will be made up of 80 high-precision antennas and will transform our understanding of the physics of the 'cold universe'. The cold universe is made up of regions that are optically dark to us but shine brightly in the millimetre portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. By exploring the cold universe scientists hope to study the formation of stars and planets underway in star nurseries. Gareth Mitchell finds out how work is going after the recent first successful measurements taken by ALMA.

Neanderthals have a reputation as dim-witted brutes, but that's not fair, says Professor João Zilhão of Bristol University. He tells Gareth about the discovery of Neanderthal shell jewellery in Spain, and of traces of pigment probably used as body paint or make-up. He also has new evidence that our own ancestors inherited both genes and culture from Neanderthals.

There are more than 400 recognised breeds of domestic dog in the world, a huge diversity of shapes and sizes that, says Professor Josh Akey of the University of Washington in Seattle, makes them a natural laboratory for the genetics of selective breeding. His studies have revealed the gene that gives the Shar-pei its wrinkly skin and hopes that this and other traits will help us understand both human and canine disease.

Gareth Mitchell hears about Neanderthals, dogs, telescopes and the coldest place on Earth.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

A thousand years ago, the centre of world science and invention was not in Europe but the Middle East. Muslim minds produced a flying machine in the 9th century, the first distillation system, surgical instuments familiar in a modern hospital, and the most accurate clock in 1,000 years. Gareth Mitchell visits the Science Museum in London and picks out a few exhibits from an exhibition of 1,001 inventions.

Gareth Mitchell investigates the latest science news and inventions from 1,000 years ago.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Fifty years on from the first steps in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, Quentin Cooper asks 'why the eerie silence?' Why have we detected no signal from ET? Does this mean we're alone in the universe?

Meanwhile, down here on Earth, how universal are our non-verbal expressions of emotion? And how has cancer treatment changed from the days of 'one drug fits all'? How a new strategy of personalised medicine might save lives and at the same time save the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds.

Plus, Do You Want To Be A Scientist? The latest from our talent search for amateur scientists.

Quentin Cooper reports on progress towards personalised cancer treatment.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Take the carbon dioxide from a power station or factory chimney and use it to grow algae which are then turned into biofuel. It sounds too good to be true and of course there's a snag; you have to disolve the carbon dioxide in water before the algae can use it and that only happens slowly - unless you inject it as microscopic bubbles, and that takes a lot of energy.

Quentin Cooper hears how researchers in Sheffield have developed a much more energy-efficient way of producing microbubbles and are applying it both to biofuel production and cleaning up pollution.

How can we be sure that scientific research is accurate and honest while, at the same time, innovative? The standard answer is by the process known as peer review, where other scientists assess it before it is published. But this week has seen accusations that climate scientists have bypassed the process, that stem cell reviewers are suppressing rival work, and the retraction of a paper published over a decade ago. Can peer review get its house in order?

Plus the Sun in high definition with the upcomng launch of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, and internet pioneer Jaron Lanier on his new manifesto, You are not at Gadget. The internet - what went wrong?

Quentin Cooper finds out how microscopic bubbles could boost biofuel production.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Millions of Toyota owners have had their cars recalled for a variety of design problems, among them the energy-saving hybrid Prius, in which some drivers report concerns with the brakes, which are controlled by computer software. Quentin Cooper asks if cars are becoming too complex to ensure safety, or if 'drive-by-wire' is inevitable in cars of the future.

After 60 years, the BBC's Research and Development department is moving out of its grand home in Surrey. Quentin visits Kingswood Warren, where FM radio, digital audio broadcasting and HD TV were developed, meets some of the pioneers of broadcast engineering and asks what new technologies are on the horizon today

Also in the programme, a man preserved in permafrost for 4,000 years has led to the first ancient human genome being revealed, and how quantum physics has helped create a portable magnetic monitor to diagnose heart problems.

Quentin Cooper visits the BBC's R&D HQ to see what new technologies are on the horizon.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper talks to Duncan Wingham, Professor of Climate Physics at University College, London for an update on the European Space Agency's ice mission satellite, CryoSat. The first CryoSat mission ended in disaster five years ago when the launch rocket malfunctioned. Next week, a new satellite, CryoSat-2, will be launched. If the launch goes according to plan, the satellite will enter an orbit 700 kilometres above the Earth. Using the first all-weather microwave radar altimeter, CryoSat will investigate the Earth's ice fields and map ice thickness over water and land.

A report in Nature suggests that the brains of songbirds are physically changed by the songs they sing. Quentin discusses the research with the paper's lead author, Richard Mooney, Professor of Neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine. Richard describes the 'sensitive period' in both birds and humans when the brain is most receptive to learning.

Quentin also hears about the world's most accurate clock. The Aluminium Ion Clock is more than twice as precise as the previous pacesetter based on an atom of mercury. It's accurate to one second in about 3.7 billion years. Quentin talks to Till Rosenband, one of the researchers at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) who developed the clock. He also talks to Patrick Gill from the National Physical Laboratory in Middlesex.

Quentin Cooper meets the man behind CryoSat-2, rebuilt to study changing polar ice.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We tend to think of the universe as consisting of matter and energy, arrayed in space and time. But to a quantum physicist like Vlatko Vedral of Oxford University, all the world is information. There's the information in our books and websites and in the DNA in our cells; but in a sense, the entire universe and its workings are the ebb and flow of information. Professor Vedral discusses quantum information with Quentin Cooper. Where did it all come from? Where is it leading? And how can we tap into it with super-fast quantum computers?

Quentin Cooper hears that the universe is made of information.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The science of earthquakes. After the powerful Chilean earthquake and the devastating events in Haiti, Quentin Cooper talks to scientists who try to make sense of it all. The Chilean event was the fifth most powerful on record, but the far weaker Haitian one was among the most deadly. Earthquakes this century have killed three quarters of a million - far more than projected - yet as the Chilean quake has shown, if buildings are well constructed and people are well prepared, casualties do not have to be astronomical.

Quentin Cooper discusses the science of earthquakes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science and the recession: can blue skies research help rebuild our economy, as the Royal Society suggests? Quentin Cooper hears from the author of the report, Martin Taylor of Manchester University, and from academic and entrepreneur David May of Bristol University's computer science department.

Also: we can do it, even educated rats can do it. Now smart oil drops can do it as well - navigate their way unaided round complex mazes. Quentin hears how it may lead to drugs that can home in on their targets.

And the big turn off. Researchers in Bristol have been finding out if turning off traffic lights can actually improve traffic flow, and if there are any untoward consequences.

Quentin Cooper hears about science and the recession.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

With more and more doubts being raised about climate research. Quentin Cooper asks, 'how does science handle the issue of uncertainty?' How do different branches of research quantify what they can't be sure of? The Royal Society is to hosting a special meeting - Handling Uncertainty - to discuss these issues, and Quentin gets a foretaste.

Artificial photosynthesis makes biofuels better than plants do. Quentin talks to its inventor

The UK is finally getting its first space agency; what will be its purpose?

Uncertatinty in science; artificial photosynthesis; a UK space agency?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

A new species of ancient human, discovered from the DNA in a tiny finger bone - the experts explain the implications.

Shipping: the hidden polluter. It's been estimated shipping kills 60,000 annually through its polluting exhaust fumes. As the Marine Environment Protection Committee meets in London to discuss solutions, Quentin Cooper hears what can be done.

A new Society of Biology is being launched in London. Will it give the life sciences a better voice?

New species of ancient human; shipping: the hidden polluter.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In a landmark ruling this week, a New York court judge has declared that several patents for a genetic cancer test are not valid. The finding comes after years of argument over the rights and wrongs of patenting disease genes, with objectors arguing that patents limit free inquiry, supporters insisting that fair rewards promote continued research. On Material World, Quentin Cooper will be hearing about the significance of the court case, and hearing what the evidence is either way in the debate.

4 billion years ago, the Sun was far dimmer than it is now, but all the geological evidence is that the world was no colder then than now. Now there seems to be an answer to this "faint young Sun paradox" first posed by astronomer Carl Sagan 30 years ago. Geologist Minik Rosing explains how a lack of continental rock, and eternal clear blue skies stopped the world from freezing over.

Also in the programme, Quentin hears from the first two shortlisted contenders in our So You Want to Be a Scientist talent search.

And he talks to the Manchester biologist who's working on plastic-chomping bacteria, to help deal with our waste problem.

Quentin Cooper hears about genes, science and patents.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In a landmark ruling this week, a New York court judge has declared that several patents for a genetic cancer test are not valid. The finding comes after years of argument over the rights and wrongs of patenting disease genes, with objectors arguing that patents limit free inquiry, supporters insisting that fair rewards promote continued research. On Material World, Quentin Cooper will be hearing about the significance of the court case, and hearing what the evidence is either way in the debate.

4 billion years ago, the Sun was far dimmer than it is now, but all the geological evidence is that the world was no colder then than now. Now there seems to be an answer to this "faint young Sun paradox" first posed by astronomer Carl Sagan 30 years ago. Geologist Minik Rosing explains how a lack of continental rock, and eternal clear blue skies stopped the world from freezing over.

Also in the programme, Quentin hears from the first two shortlisted contenders in our So You Want to Be a Scientist talent search.

And he talks to the Manchester biologist who's working on plastic-chomping bacteria, to help deal with our waste problem.

Quentin Cooper hears about genes, science and patents.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

As colour returns to gardens across the country after the long cold winter, Quentin Cooper hears how records from two and a half centuries of nature-watching reveal the gradual advance of spring, and what this says about climate change.

Also in the programme, the UK team who have built a tsunami simulator to see how buildings can best resist the powerful seawaves created by earthquakes.

Nanoelectronics are brought a step closer with a new kind of digital logic.

And we hear from more potential participants in Radio 4's "So You Want to be a Scientist" talent search.

Tsunami simulator; spring advances; nanoelectronics.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

As colour returns to gardens across the country after the long cold winter, Quentin Cooper hears how records from two and a half centuries of nature-watching reveal the gradual advance of spring, and what this says about climate change.

Also in the programme, the UK team who have built a tsunami simulator to see how buildings can best resist the powerful seawaves created by earthquakes.

Nanoelectronics are brought a step closer with a new kind of digital logic.

And we hear from more potential participants in Radio 4's "So You Want to be a Scientist" talent search.

Tsunami simulator; spring advances; nanoelectronics.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper reports from the Edinburgh International Science Festival on the latest discoveries and their implications.

He hears (quite literally) how engineers can now design the acoustic of a building and re-create a 3-dimensional soundscape within it.

He explores the progress that has been made towards creating artificial life and the ethical questions it raises.

And he goes to an innovative Scottish research company to shake a bionic hand - and the flesh and blood hand of its inventor.

Plus, as the judges approach their final decision next week, we hear more Shortlisted entries for 'So You Want To Be A Scientist'.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper reports from the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper reports from the Edinburgh International Science Festival on the latest discoveries and their implications.

He hears (quite literally) how engineers can now design the acoustic of a building and re-create a 3-dimensional soundscape within it.

He explores the progress that has been made towards creating artificial life and the ethical questions it raises.

And he goes to an innovative Scottish research company to shake a bionic hand - and the flesh and blood hand of its inventor.

Plus, as the judges approach their final decision next week, we hear more Shortlisted entries for 'So You Want To Be A Scientist'.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper reports from the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper listens in to the judging process for the 'So You Want To Be A Scientist' talent search and announces which four finalists have been chosen to perform their experiments in Radio 4's amateur science search, from this shortlist:

Sam O'Kell, Croupier: I believe the greatest crowd density at a music gig is not at the front but three rows back. I would test this by wearing a pressure sensing vest beneath normal clothes, and take readings at different locations in the crowd.

Ruth Brooks, Retired special needs tutor: What is the homing distance of the Garden Snail that decimates my plants? How far away do I have to dump them before they find their way back to my garden?

Shane Record, Art gallery owner: Because people are reluctant to enter my art gallery I put a realistically dressed mannequin in, her back to the gallery entrance, to bring people in. Does it work or am I just an eccentric artist?

Nina Jones, A-level student: What makes up a typical Facebook profile picture? Adults choose pictures showing an event in their lives - their wedding, or a photo with their children - whereas teenagers show themselves with friends at a party. I will test these predictions and look into why this occurs.

Nick Walthew, Retired farm manager: Who are happier, people travelling north or south on the M1? I would test this by waving at travellers going north and south and counting the number of people who wave back.

Ben Fernando, GCSE student: An investigation to see whether girls prefer pink because they can see further into the far red part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

John Rowlands, Aerial photographer: To investigate the frequency and brightness of noctilucent clouds, which have been linked to climate change.

Annie Trolley, Hospital secretary: Whenever my teenage boys use aerosol deodorants in their bathroom I can smell it from my bedroom. I hate it! Is this something innate, or do we learn by experience?

Owen Griffiths, Artist: I propose to have a piece of music based on the sounds of bees sung to the hive by a choir, and see if this increases the production of honey.

Angus Johnson, Retired computer programmer: Is there a difference between men and women in their visual ability to find one item amid a clutter of objects?

The four finalists will be chosen by our esteemed judging panel from the world of science:
- Prof Lord Robert May, former Government Science Adviser
- Prof Tanya Byron, Clinical Psychologist/broadcaster
- Mark Henderson, Times Science Editor
- Prof Trevor Cox, Acoustic Engineer/EPSRC Media Fellow

Also in the programme: The latest from the Iceland Volcano. Just what does volcanic dust do to a jet engine? Is there a safe level? How to you see the fine dust from the ground, the air and from space? Quentin is joined by Dr Peter Webley from the University of Alaska, Dr Joseph Ulanowski from the University of Hertfordshire, and Dr Colin Brown from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

Quentin Cooper announces the results of a talent search for amateur scientists.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper listens in to the judging process for the 'So You Want To Be A Scientist' talent search and announces which four finalists have been chosen to perform their experiments in Radio 4's amateur science search, from this shortlist:

Sam O'Kell, Croupier: I believe the greatest crowd density at a music gig is not at the front but three rows back. I would test this by wearing a pressure sensing vest beneath normal clothes, and take readings at different locations in the crowd.

Ruth Brooks, Retired special needs tutor: What is the homing distance of the Garden Snail that decimates my plants? How far away do I have to dump them before they find their way back to my garden?

Shane Record, Art gallery owner: Because people are reluctant to enter my art gallery I put a realistically dressed mannequin in, her back to the gallery entrance, to bring people in. Does it work or am I just an eccentric artist?

Nina Jones, A-level student: What makes up a typical Facebook profile picture? Adults choose pictures showing an event in their lives - their wedding, or a photo with their children - whereas teenagers show themselves with friends at a party. I will test these predictions and look into why this occurs.

Nick Walthew, Retired farm manager: Who are happier, people travelling north or south on the M1? I would test this by waving at travellers going north and south and counting the number of people who wave back.

Ben Fernando, GCSE student: An investigation to see whether girls prefer pink because they can see further into the far red part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

John Rowlands, Aerial photographer: To investigate the frequency and brightness of noctilucent clouds, which have been linked to climate change.

Annie Trolley, Hospital secretary: Whenever my teenage boys use aerosol deodorants in their bathroom I can smell it from my bedroom. I hate it! Is this something innate, or do we learn by experience?

Owen Griffiths, Artist: I propose to have a piece of music based on the sounds of bees sung to the hive by a choir, and see if this increases the production of honey.

Angus Johnson, Retired computer programmer: Is there a difference between men and women in their visual ability to find one item amid a clutter of objects?

The four finalists will be chosen by our esteemed judging panel from the world of science:
- Prof Lord Robert May, former Government Science Adviser
- Prof Tanya Byron, Clinical Psychologist/broadcaster
- Mark Henderson, Times Science Editor
- Prof Trevor Cox, Acoustic Engineer/EPSRC Media Fellow

Also in the programme: The latest from the Iceland Volcano. Just what does volcanic dust do to a jet engine? Is there a safe level? How to you see the fine dust from the ground, the air and from space? Quentin is joined by Dr Peter Webley from the University of Alaska, Dr Joseph Ulanowski from the University of Hertfordshire, and Dr Colin Brown from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

Quentin Cooper announces the results of a talent search for amateur scientists.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper and guests dissect the week's science news. This week:

With oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico following an explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, Professor Chuck Kennicutt of Texas A&M University outlines the threat the oil slick represents, what might be done to mitigate the effects and how the oil will eventually disperse.

Can scientific development and innovation push the economic recovery forward? The authors of a new report "Big Potatoes: The London Manifesto for innovation" believe so. Launched at the Royal Society the report highlights how there is currently very little debate in society about research and development. It has become socially acceptable not to know about science, argue the authors, and this change in public and political attitude is stifling economic recovery as well as limiting future innovation and therefore the creation of new industries and jobs for the future. Quentin is joined by one of the reports co-authors Professor James Woudhuysen and the former vice-president of the Royal Society, Sir Martin Taylor.

Another of our 'So You Want To Be A Scientist' finalists, John Rowlands, starts his experiment on 'noctilucent clouds'. These luminous layers of ice crystals appear high up in the atmosphere between May and August, but no one knows exactly why these mysterious clouds appear. Quentin takes John to meet his mentor, Prof Nick Mitchell from the Centre for Space, Atmospheric & Oceanic Science, who is going to try and help him find out.

Interior Traces is a series of live radio plays that next week go on tour. They explore the effects of brain imaging on individual identity and society through the stories of two characters with different brain conditions. They contrast present understanding with an imagined future in which people can be told in advance that they may develop a tumour or even a violent criminal tendency. Quentin meets writer and neuroscientist Dr Louise Whiteley and Dr Daniel Glaser of the Wellcome Trust and the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Escaping oil, a manifesto for innovation, glowing clouds and brain traces.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper and guests dissect the week's science news. This week:

With oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico following an explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, Professor Chuck Kennicutt of Texas A&M University outlines the threat the oil slick represents, what might be done to mitigate the effects and how the oil will eventually disperse.

Can scientific development and innovation push the economic recovery forward? The authors of a new report "Big Potatoes: The London Manifesto for innovation" believe so. Launched at the Royal Society the report highlights how there is currently very little debate in society about research and development. It has become socially acceptable not to know about science, argue the authors, and this change in public and political attitude is stifling economic recovery as well as limiting future innovation and therefore the creation of new industries and jobs for the future. Quentin is joined by one of the reports co-authors Professor James Woudhuysen and the former vice-president of the Royal Society, Sir Martin Taylor.

Another of our 'So You Want To Be A Scientist' finalists, John Rowlands, starts his experiment on 'noctilucent clouds'. These luminous layers of ice crystals appear high up in the atmosphere between May and August, but no one knows exactly why these mysterious clouds appear. Quentin takes John to meet his mentor, Prof Nick Mitchell from the Centre for Space, Atmospheric & Oceanic Science, who is going to try and help him find out.

Interior Traces is a series of live radio plays that next week go on tour. They explore the effects of brain imaging on individual identity and society through the stories of two characters with different brain conditions. They contrast present understanding with an imagined future in which people can be told in advance that they may develop a tumour or even a violent criminal tendency. Quentin meets writer and neuroscientist Dr Louise Whiteley and Dr Daniel Glaser of the Wellcome Trust and the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Escaping oil, a manifesto for innovation, glowing clouds and brain traces.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper meets the scientists making news. He hears the science behind clearing up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and how engineers trying to stop the leak are at the cutting edge of technology.

We find out about strange undersea domes that have been spotted off the California coast. They are extinct asphalt volcanoes made from a mixture of hardened crude oil and marine fossils.

Also on the programme, how one of our "So You Want to be a Scientist?" finalists will be contributing to the growing amount of research into crowd dynamics. Could his idea lead to changes in crowd management at major events?

And Quentin investigates the science of Plasmonics, the ultimate ability to control light and use it to process information and manipulate materials at the smallest scale imaginable.

Controlling the interaction between light and matter is fundamental to science and to technology - from probing entanglement in quantum physics to harnessing the spectacular information carrying capacity of optical fibres. Nanoscale fabrication allows the manufacture of new materials with increasing sophistication and freedom of design, but controlling light at the nanoscale remains a challenge. Traditionally light can only be controlled on length scales down to a little below the wavelength of light, a few hundred nanometres, hence the usual resolution limit of optical microscopes and telescopes. However, a new paradigm called plasmonics is emerging, to control light below its wavelength limit, down to nanometre length scales.

Stopping the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Plasmonics, the ability to control light.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week the dangers of deep water exploration. How do engineers drill wells into the rock below the sea bed? How do they overcome the different currents that drag the mile long steel tube in different directions?

The maths behind electoral reform - is there such a thing as a fair voting system?

The fourth of our finalists from our science talent search "So you want to be a scientist?" meets her mentor and decides on how best to track snails from her garden.

And fifty years of the laser - what will be next fifty bring - we find out if nuclear fusion is a reality?

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Deep water exploration, the maths of electoral reform, snail trails and lasers turn 50.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week the dangers of deep water exploration. How do engineers drill wells into the rock below the sea bed? How do they overcome the different currents that drag the mile long steel tube in different directions?

The maths behind electoral reform - is there such a thing as a fair voting system?

The fourth of our finalists from our science talent search "So you want to be a scientist?" meets her mentor and decides on how best to track snails from her garden.

And fifty years of the laser - what will be next fifty bring - we find out if nuclear fusion is a reality?

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Deep water exploration, the maths of electoral reform, snail trails and lasers turn 50.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week he hears about the novel techniques that are being used to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Richard Pike, from the Royal Society of Chemistry, tells us how these methods should work as many of them have not been tested before.

The International Day for Biological Diversity in the UK is almost upon us; joining Material World this week Dr. Bob Bloomfield from the Natural History Museum and Dr. Ben Collen, from the Zoological Society of London, to discuss how humans are impacting on species loss and to explain why biodiversity needs to be taken as seriously as climate change.

Could tree rings from conifer trees that are thousands of years old tell us what the climate used to be like? Professor Chris Turney from Exeter University has been studying these ancient trees which have been preserved in peat bogs in New Zealand.

And what is a quantum kilogram? It does not exist yet! The kilogram is the only standard unit that is still based on an artefact. Jonathan Williams from the National Physical Laboratory explains how scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram. He also tells Quentin about the importance of standard measurements in science and engineering, all this on World Metrology Day.

Cleaning up the oil spill, biodiversity, tree rings and quantum kilograms.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week he hears about the novel techniques that are being used to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Richard Pike, from the Royal Society of Chemistry, tells us how these methods should work as many of them have not been tested before.

The International Day for Biological Diversity in the UK is almost upon us; joining Material World this week Dr. Bob Bloomfield from the Natural History Museum and Dr. Ben Collen, from the Zoological Society of London, to discuss how humans are impacting on species loss and to explain why biodiversity needs to be taken as seriously as climate change.

Could tree rings from conifer trees that are thousands of years old tell us what the climate used to be like? Professor Chris Turney from Exeter University has been studying these ancient trees which have been preserved in peat bogs in New Zealand.

And what is a quantum kilogram? It does not exist yet! The kilogram is the only standard unit that is still based on an artefact. Jonathan Williams from the National Physical Laboratory explains how scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram. He also tells Quentin about the importance of standard measurements in science and engineering, all this on World Metrology Day.

Cleaning up the oil spill, biodiversity, tree rings and quantum kilograms.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

This week, the planes are flying again, but for how long? Has Iceland and its unpronouncable volcano got more volcanic ash to send our way? Quentin talks to Dr Joseph Ulanowski from the Centre for Atmospheric & Instrumentation Research at the University of Hertfordshire who's co-author of a paper investigating the odd electrical charges found within the plume. He also talks to Dr Carina Fearnley, from University College London's brand new Institute For Risk and Disaster Reduction, which has launched itself with a report on the implications of the Icelandic eruption.

A new rocket is on the launch pad in Florida. It's not an expensive NASA one, but a low-cost Falcon 9, developed by PayPal founder and head of Space-X, Elon Musk. For the first time, says space commentator Stuart Clark, the nation that claims to be the home of free enterprise is bringing the pioneer spirit back to space. If all goes well, Falcon 9 could soon be delivering cargo and eventually astronauts to the International Space Station - becoming, after the retirement of the Space Shuttle, the USA's only human spaceflight vehicle.

Why and how did the giant sauropod dinosaurs get so big? Not just bigger than elephants, but ten times bigger. Martin Sander, Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology at Bonn University tells Quentin that it may have been because they didn't chew their food, giving them time to swallow more into the great fermentation vats of their stomachs.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper investigates volcanic ash, new rockets and supersize dinosaurs.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

This week, the planes are flying again, but for how long? Has Iceland and its unpronouncable volcano got more volcanic ash to send our way? Quentin talks to Dr Joseph Ulanowski from the Centre for Atmospheric & Instrumentation Research at the University of Hertfordshire who's co-author of a paper investigating the odd electrical charges found within the plume. He also talks to Dr Carina Fearnley, from University College London's brand new Institute For Risk and Disaster Reduction, which has launched itself with a report on the implications of the Icelandic eruption.

A new rocket is on the launch pad in Florida. It's not an expensive NASA one, but a low-cost Falcon 9, developed by PayPal founder and head of Space-X, Elon Musk. For the first time, says space commentator Stuart Clark, the nation that claims to be the home of free enterprise is bringing the pioneer spirit back to space. If all goes well, Falcon 9 could soon be delivering cargo and eventually astronauts to the International Space Station - becoming, after the retirement of the Space Shuttle, the USA's only human spaceflight vehicle.

Why and how did the giant sauropod dinosaurs get so big? Not just bigger than elephants, but ten times bigger. Martin Sander, Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology at Bonn University tells Quentin that it may have been because they didn't chew their food, giving them time to swallow more into the great fermentation vats of their stomachs.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper investigates volcanic ash, new rockets and supersize dinosaurs.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week the spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now into its third month. So some of the more "out there" ideas for tackling the disaster are beginning to seem more appealing. Ideas like using naturally occurring bacteria to break down the oil without the need for possibly toxic clean-up chemicals. This approach has already been successfully trialled by a team from the University of Bangor. Christoph Gertler from the School of Biological Sciences discusses with Quentin if it is still too soon to make an impact on the world's largest oil spill.

The Nobel Prizes have been with us for well over 100 years but they only reflect the major areas of science as they were a century ago, with awards for Physics, Chemistry and Medicine or Physiology. There's not even a prize for Mathematics. To reward work in some of the most exciting areas the Kavli Prizes were established two years ago, honouring achievements in Nanotechnology, Astrophysics and Neuroscience - the ultra-small, the ultra-large and the ultra-complex. The man behind the prizes - the Norwegian-American Fred Kavli announces this year's laureates.

Strangely glowing clouds will soon start appearing at night - noctilucent clouds as they are called. There have already been some spotted in Russia and Denmark. Most of his evenings John Rowlands - one of the finalists in our So You Want To Be A Scientist - therefore has been on his lonesome windy, spot in the north of Anglesey... He discusses his experiment with his science mentor Professor Nick Mitchell of the University of Bath.

From many islands in the Pacific there's nothing to see but sea. Yet humans slowly spread out over the whole area. How they did it and where they came from remains a mystery. A mystery that could finally be solved by pigs. Researchers have taken the three thousand year old remains of pigs across the Pacific, analysed their bones and DNA and may be able to reconstruct the migration route of the early colonists. Professor Keith Dobney, Chair of Human Palaeoecology at Aberdeen University.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper on oil-eating bacteria, ancient pigs, noctilucent clouds and Kavli Prizes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week the spill in the Gulf of Mexico is now into its third month. So some of the more "out there" ideas for tackling the disaster are beginning to seem more appealing. Ideas like using naturally occurring bacteria to break down the oil without the need for possibly toxic clean-up chemicals. This approach has already been successfully trialled by a team from the University of Bangor. Christoph Gertler from the School of Biological Sciences discusses with Quentin if it is still too soon to make an impact on the world's largest oil spill.

The Nobel Prizes have been with us for well over 100 years but they only reflect the major areas of science as they were a century ago, with awards for Physics, Chemistry and Medicine or Physiology. There's not even a prize for Mathematics. To reward work in some of the most exciting areas the Kavli Prizes were established two years ago, honouring achievements in Nanotechnology, Astrophysics and Neuroscience - the ultra-small, the ultra-large and the ultra-complex. The man behind the prizes - the Norwegian-American Fred Kavli announces this year's laureates.

Strangely glowing clouds will soon start appearing at night - noctilucent clouds as they are called. There have already been some spotted in Russia and Denmark. Most of his evenings John Rowlands - one of the finalists in our So You Want To Be A Scientist - therefore has been on his lonesome windy, spot in the north of Anglesey... He discusses his experiment with his science mentor Professor Nick Mitchell of the University of Bath.

From many islands in the Pacific there's nothing to see but sea. Yet humans slowly spread out over the whole area. How they did it and where they came from remains a mystery. A mystery that could finally be solved by pigs. Researchers have taken the three thousand year old remains of pigs across the Pacific, analysed their bones and DNA and may be able to reconstruct the migration route of the early colonists. Professor Keith Dobney, Chair of Human Palaeoecology at Aberdeen University.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper on oil-eating bacteria, ancient pigs, noctilucent clouds and Kavli Prizes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

This week, as polar scientists meet in Oslo to present their findings from International Polar Year, we hear from two of them about the potentially fragile ecosystems on land and in the sea. Geraint Tarling from the British Antarctic Survey describes the differences between the marine food chains in Arctic and Antarctic waters and the importance of krill, perhaps even to offset climate change. And his colleague Pete Convey outlines the threat posed by introduced alien species on the fragile land communities of Antarctica and its islands.

Britain's horse chetnuts are under threat! The iconic conker trees are suffering from what's called 'bleeding canker' as their leaves turn prematurely brown and die, under attack from the Horse Chestnut leaf miner catterpillar. Darren Evans of Hull University is looking for volunteers to monitor the spread of the disease.

As the World Cup gets underway in South Africa, England fans are only too well aware that their team has a less-than-perfect record for penalty shoot-outs. So what advice can Exeter University psychologist Greg Wood give them?

There's a new term for an old science: molecular gastronomy - cooking to most of us! Prior to their double act at the Cheltenhan Science Festival, Quentin hears from chemist and food science writer Harold McGee and culinary wizard Heston Blumenthal about the science behind their success.

Quentin Cooper on Polar Year, conker canker, penalties and molecular gastronomy.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

This week, as polar scientists meet in Oslo to present their findings from International Polar Year, we hear from two of them about the potentially fragile ecosystems on land and in the sea. Geraint Tarling from the British Antarctic Survey describes the differences between the marine food chains in Arctic and Antarctic waters and the importance of krill, perhaps even to offset climate change. And his colleague Pete Convey outlines the threat posed by introduced alien species on the fragile land communities of Antarctica and its islands.

Britain's horse chetnuts are under threat! The iconic conker trees are suffering from what's called 'bleeding canker' as their leaves turn prematurely brown and die, under attack from the Horse Chestnut leaf miner catterpillar. Darren Evans of Hull University is looking for volunteers to monitor the spread of the disease.

As the World Cup gets underway in South Africa, England fans are only too well aware that their team has a less-than-perfect record for penalty shoot-outs. So what advice can Exeter University psychologist Greg Wood give them?

There's a new term for an old science: molecular gastronomy - cooking to most of us! Prior to their double act at the Cheltenhan Science Festival, Quentin hears from chemist and food science writer Harold McGee and culinary wizard Heston Blumenthal about the science behind their success.

Quentin Cooper on Polar Year, conker canker, penalties and molecular gastronomy.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

"Science, Uncertainty, Evidence and Policy", that's the title of an event, this week in Parliament, organised by the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology. The purpose: to get together experienced politicians that have dealt with science issues, scientists and - new MPs, that are interested in science but don't know too much about it. Quentin Cooper discusses the issue of science literacy amongst MPs with Phil Willis, now Lord Willis, former MP and chair of the Science and Technology Committee and Stephen Mosley, the new MP for the City of Chester.

Hailed as the "Bionic Bulldog", 8 year old Roly now lives with a prosthetic implant that replaces his cancerous femur. Veterinary surgeon Dr Noel Fitzpatrick performed the surgery, and managed to reattach the tendons to the metal implant by using a new technique: The tendons are allowed to grow into a mesh-like structure inside the transplant. Veterinary surgeon Dr Noel Fitzpatrick performed the surgery, and explains how both animals and humans can benefit from it.

Experiments in which animals are used for human purposes are controversial, even more so if the experiments involve genetic engineering, say pigs with glowing noses or ones that develop diseases after their genes have been altered. Two scientists outline the controversy in a meeting at Edinburgh Zoo and join Quentin for the programme: Peter Sandoe, director of the Danish centre for bioethics and risk assessment, and Bruce Whitelaw, leading scientist at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, where the cloned sheep Dolly was born.

A new type of blast-proof curtain made from what is called an auxetic material that gets thicker, not thinner, when stretched is being developed to provide better protection from the effects of bomb explosions. The new curtain is designed to remain intact and capture debris such as flying glass when windows are blown in. Julian Wright of Exeter University tells Quentin that the scientists are also developing similar materials to be used in medicine - for instance bandages that change colour when they have been applied too tightly.

Quentin Cooper with science for MPs, bionic bones, animal ethics and a weird material.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

"Science, Uncertainty, Evidence and Policy", that's the title of an event, this week in Parliament, organised by the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology. The purpose: to get together experienced politicians that have dealt with science issues, scientists and - new MPs, that are interested in science but don't know too much about it. Quentin Cooper discusses the issue of science literacy amongst MPs with Phil Willis, now Lord Willis, former MP and chair of the Science and Technology Committee and Stephen Mosley, the new MP for the City of Chester.

Hailed as the "Bionic Bulldog", 8 year old Roly now lives with a prosthetic implant that replaces his cancerous femur. Veterinary surgeon Dr Noel Fitzpatrick performed the surgery, and managed to reattach the tendons to the metal implant by using a new technique: The tendons are allowed to grow into a mesh-like structure inside the transplant. Veterinary surgeon Dr Noel Fitzpatrick performed the surgery, and explains how both animals and humans can benefit from it.

Experiments in which animals are used for human purposes are controversial, even more so if the experiments involve genetic engineering, say pigs with glowing noses or ones that develop diseases after their genes have been altered. Two scientists outline the controversy in a meeting at Edinburgh Zoo and join Quentin for the programme: Peter Sandoe, director of the Danish centre for bioethics and risk assessment, and Bruce Whitelaw, leading scientist at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, where the cloned sheep Dolly was born.

A new type of blast-proof curtain made from what is called an auxetic material that gets thicker, not thinner, when stretched is being developed to provide better protection from the effects of bomb explosions. The new curtain is designed to remain intact and capture debris such as flying glass when windows are blown in. Julian Wright of Exeter University tells Quentin that the scientists are also developing similar materials to be used in medicine - for instance bandages that change colour when they have been applied too tightly.

Quentin Cooper with science for MPs, bionic bones, animal ethics and a weird material.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Pine Island Glacier is the biggest in Western Antarctica - but it is not as big as it used to be. It is melting because of the warming waters surrounding it. The annual ice loss is estimated tens of billions of tonnes which adds nearly a millimetre to sea levels every year. New research, published in the journal Nature Geoscience suggests that the rate of ice loss is speeding up because it's no longer held back by a rocky ridge. Dr. Adrian Jenkins from the British Antarctic Survey is the lead author of this latest study and joins Quentin on the programme.

The simulated mission to Mars is now well underway in Russia. 6 volunteers are making themselves at home on the 520 day experiment which will help scientists prepare for a real mission to the Red Planet in the future: Dr. Patrik Sundblad the Director of Human Spaceflight at the European Space Research and Technology Centre tells Quentin how things are going so far.

Quentin also catches up with 'So you want to be a scientist' finalist Sam O'kell and Professor Geoff Lawday as Sam prepares to test out his specially built pressure suit at the Roskilde Music Festival in Denmark - one of the biggest in Europe.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Could Venus actually be very similar to Earth? Quentin Cooper finds out.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Could Venus actually be very similar to Earth? That is a hot topic of discussion at the International Venus Conference. On this week's Material World, Quentin Cooper finds out if the two planets may at one time have been almost identical.

The Pine Island Glacier is the biggest in Western Antarctica - but it is not as big as it used to be. It is melting because of the warming waters surrounding it. The annual ice loss is estimated tens of billions of tonnes which adds nearly a millimetre to sea levels every year. New research, published in the journal Nature Geoscience suggests that the rate of ice loss is speeding up because it's no longer held back by a rocky ridge. Dr. Adrian Jenkins from the British Antarctic Survey is the lead author of this latest study and joins Quentin on the programme.

The simulated mission to Mars is now well underway in Russia. 6 volunteers are making themselves at home on the 520 day experiment which will help scientists prepare for a real mission to the Red Planet in the future: Dr. Patrik Sundblad the Director of Human Spaceflight at the European Space Research and Technology Centre tells Quentin how things are going so far.

Quentin also catches up with 'So you want to be a scientist' finalist Sam O'kell and Professor Geoff Lawday as Sam prepares to test out his specially built pressure suit at the Roskilde Music Festival in Denmark - one of the biggest in Europe.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Could Venus actually be very similar to Earth? Quentin Cooper finds out.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

350 years ago, a group of 'natural philosophers' got together to found a club in London. With the patronage of Charles II, they called it 'The Royal Society'. Today it is the nation's elite academy of sciences and, to celebrate the anniversary, it is staging its Summer Exhibition this week on the Southbank of the Thames. Quentin Cooper visits the exhibition to see a model volcano, a holographic mine detector, a flying penguin, segments of the biggest telescope in the world, the longest-lived animal on Earth and to test his own cultural evolution. Plus amateur snail science at the Gardener's Question Time Summer Garden Party.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper visits the Royal Society's Summer Exhibition on London's Southbank.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

350 years ago, a group of 'natural philosophers' got together to found a club in London. With the patronage of Charles II, they called it 'The Royal Society'. Today it is the nation's elite academy of sciences and, to celebrate the anniversary, it is staging its Summer Exhibition this week on the Southbank of the Thames. Quentin Cooper visits the exhibition to see a model volcano, a holographic mine detector, a flying penguin, segments of the biggest telescope in the world, the longest-lived animal on Earth and to test his own cultural evolution. Plus amateur snail science at the Gardener's Question Time Summer Garden Party.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper visits the Royal Society's Summer Exhibition on London's Southbank.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

The first full-sky image from Europe's Planck telescope revealing the oldest light in the Universe was published this week. Quentin Cooper speaks to Planck scientist Dr. Dave Clements to find out what this imag is really showing.

This week we find out about the earliest inhabitants on the British Isles. Stone tools discovered at a site in Norfolk suggest that early humans arrived in Britain 800000 years ago, pushing back previous estimates by 100000 years. Their diet must have been rich in meat to survive the harsh winters. Quentin also finds out about our much older ancestors from Kenya who thanks to a varied diet of crocodiles and catfish were able to grow bigger brains.

One of our finalists of the 'So you want to be a scientist?' talent search has been collecting data to test out his theory. Sam O'Kell and his mentor Professor Geoff Lawday have been testing a pressure suit at the Roskilde music festival to find out how crowds behave when listening to different bands.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper dissects the latest science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

The first full-sky image from Europe's Planck telescope revealing the oldest light in the Universe was published this week. Quentin Cooper speaks to Planck scientist Dr. Dave Clements to find out what this imag is really showing.

This week we find out about the earliest inhabitants on the British Isles. Stone tools discovered at a site in Norfolk suggest that early humans arrived in Britain 800000 years ago, pushing back previous estimates by 100000 years. Their diet must have been rich in meat to survive the harsh winters. Quentin also finds out about our much older ancestors from Kenya who thanks to a varied diet of crocodiles and catfish were able to grow bigger brains.

One of our finalists of the 'So you want to be a scientist?' talent search has been collecting data to test out his theory. Sam O'Kell and his mentor Professor Geoff Lawday have been testing a pressure suit at the Roskilde music festival to find out how crowds behave when listening to different bands.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper dissects the latest science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Dr. Richard Pike, the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry joins Quentin in the studio with an update of the latest news from the BP oil situation.

The first ever All Party Parliamentary Group on Life Sciences is being set up at Westminster. The founder of the group, Penny Mordaunt MP Portsmouth North is in the studio to tell us why such a group is important to universities, industry and voters.

Six of Italy's top seismologists could face charges of manslaughter after failing to give a warning before the deadly earthquake that struck the central Italian city of L'Aquila on 6 April 2009. The indictment has outraged experts around the world, who note that earthquakes cannot be predicted and who say that the Italian government neglected to enforce building codes that could have reduced the toll. Quentin speaks to Professor Ian Main from Edinburgh University about why it is impossible to predict earthquakes.

And we return to So You Want to be a Scientist finalist John Rowlands and catch up on his noctilucent cloud experiment so far.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper with the latest from the BP oil spill, and the L'Aquila earthquake.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Dr. Richard Pike, the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry joins Quentin in the studio with an update of the latest news from the BP oil situation.

The first ever All Party Parliamentary Group on Life Sciences is being set up at Westminster. The founder of the group, Penny Mordaunt MP Portsmouth North is in the studio to tell us why such a group is important to universities, industry and voters.

Six of Italy's top seismologists could face charges of manslaughter after failing to give a warning before the deadly earthquake that struck the central Italian city of L'Aquila on 6 April 2009. The indictment has outraged experts around the world, who note that earthquakes cannot be predicted and who say that the Italian government neglected to enforce building codes that could have reduced the toll. Quentin speaks to Professor Ian Main from Edinburgh University about why it is impossible to predict earthquakes.

And we return to So You Want to be a Scientist finalist John Rowlands and catch up on his noctilucent cloud experiment so far.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper with the latest from the BP oil spill, and the L'Aquila earthquake.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week: the science behind crowd management, could cross-bred bees remove deadly parasites in hives and could singing also help stop the bee decline. And are we born with built in grammar knowledge and if we're not, can we learn it?

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper dissects the latest science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week: the science behind crowd management, could cross-bred bees remove deadly parasites in hives and could singing also help stop the bee decline. And are we born with built in grammar knowledge and if we're not, can we learn it?

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper dissects the latest science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week we're back discussing the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and how the leaking well will be permanently sealed. Quentin finds out how proteins can function without water and the science of snails - do they have a homing instinct?

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper dissects the latest science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week we're back discussing the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and how the leaking well will be permanently sealed. Quentin finds out how proteins can function without water and the science of snails - do they have a homing instinct?

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper dissects the latest science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week he looks to the night sky to see the Perseid Meteor Shower, he explores a new carbon capture project that is getting started in California this month. Quentin also delves into the world of Photonic Molecular Materials as he finds out about the process of making solar cells cheaper and out of plastic, and the So You Want To Be A Scientist noctilucent cloud experiment is coming to an end so we hear the latest from our finalist, John Rowlands.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper on meteors, carbon capture, plastic solar cells and noctilucent clouds.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week he looks to the night sky to see the Perseid Meteor Shower, he explores a new carbon capture project that is getting started in California this month. Quentin also delves into the world of Photonic Molecular Materials as he finds out about the process of making solar cells cheaper and out of plastic, and the So You Want To Be A Scientist noctilucent cloud experiment is coming to an end so we hear the latest from our finalist, John Rowlands.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper on meteors, carbon capture, plastic solar cells and noctilucent clouds.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Gareth Mitchell presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition; DIY on the International Space Station, will astronauts have to be doing more of this work in the future? It's getting 'Hot in the City' - the latest predictions suggest our cities could be 10 degrees warmer than the countryside by the end of the century, Gareth explores the possible solutions. Can you prove anything with science? Gareth talks to scientists about why we ignore any science we don't agree with and fail to act on anything we do believe in; and monitoring the wolf population in Germany.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Gareth Mitchell explores DIY on the International Space Station, hot cities and wolves.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Gareth Mitchell presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition; DIY on the International Space Station, will astronauts have to be doing more of this work in the future? It's getting 'Hot in the City' - the latest predictions suggest our cities could be 10 degrees warmer than the countryside by the end of the century, Gareth explores the possible solutions. Can you prove anything with science? Gareth talks to scientists about why we ignore any science we don't agree with and fail to act on anything we do believe in; and monitoring the wolf population in Germany.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Gareth Mitchell explores DIY on the International Space Station, hot cities and wolves.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. This week he finds out why it will take so long to reach the trapped miners in Chile. He catches up on the infestation of the Horse Chestnut Tree by tiny parasitic moths and also why our current thinking on how Black Holes are formed could be all wrong. And he talks to one of our So you want to be scientist finalists about the results from his experiments. Will Sam be able to to tell where the safest place to be in a crowd at a rock concert is?

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition; The Cluster mission is ten years old this week. Quentin discusses how its findings help us understand the protective properties of the magnetosphere against solar winds. The problem of cracking concrete and its potential bacterial solution is discussed as Quentin looks at bio-concrete which uses a strain of mineral-eating bacteria to do the job. As the humble fruit fly stars in its own conference Quentin takes a closer look at how important Drosophilia are in genetic experiments and interviews with all four So You Want To Be A Scientist finalists at the crucial results phase of their experiments.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper talks to scientists publishing their research in peer reviewed journals.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition; The Cluster mission is ten years old this week. Quentin discusses how its findings help us understand the protective properties of the magnetosphere against solar winds. The problem of cracking concrete and its potential bacterial solution is discussed as Quentin looks at bio-concrete which uses a strain of mineral-eating bacteria to do the job. As the humble fruit fly stars in its own conference Quentin takes a closer look at how important Drosophilia are in genetic experiments and interviews with all four So You Want To Be A Scientist finalists at the crucial results phase of their experiments.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper talks to scientists publishing their research in peer reviewed journals.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition: Business Secretary Vince Cable has unveiled plans for a squeeze on public funding for scientific research. Quentin discusses what impact this could have on British science. Quentin talks to archaeologist Dr Timothy Taylor about why, despite our frailty, humans have become the dominant species. Quentin also asks why the European eel is on the decline. He talks to Dr Julian Metcalfe from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), about the 'Eeliad' project which will use GPS to track eels as they migrate across the Atlantic Ocean. And, a week before the So You Want To Be A Scientist final, Nina Jones and her mentor Dr Bernie Hogan analyse the results from their Facebook experiment & discuss their findings.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Discussing Vince Cable's plans to squeeze public funding for scientific research.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition: Business Secretary Vince Cable has unveiled plans for a squeeze on public funding for scientific research. Quentin discusses what impact this could have on British science. Quentin talks to archaeologist Dr Timothy Taylor about why, despite our frailty, humans have become the dominant species. Quentin also asks why the European eel is on the decline. He talks to Dr Julian Metcalfe from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), about the 'Eeliad' project which will use GPS to track eels as they migrate across the Atlantic Ocean. And, a week before the So You Want To Be A Scientist final, Nina Jones and her mentor Dr Bernie Hogan analyse the results from their Facebook experiment & discuss their findings.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Discussing Vince Cable's plans to squeeze public funding for scientific research.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Gene therapy. 20 years after the first trial, Quentin asks whether it will eventually make it into conventional medicine, and why it's taking so long.

Forensic archaeology in the search for the 'disappeared' from Northern Ireland's troubles. Last weekend, Charlie Armstrong, a victim of the IRA, was at last given a proper burial. John McIlwaine explains how geophysics helped trace his hidden remains.

And British geology in your pocket. To mark its 175th anniversary, the British Geological Survey crams its entire geological map of the British Isles into a smartphone app for all to use.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Gene therapy. 20 years after the first trial, Quentin asks whether it will eventually make it into conventional medicine, and why it's taking so long.

Forensic archaeology in the search for the 'disappeared' from Northern Ireland's troubles. Last weekend, Charlie Armstrong, a victim of the IRA, was at last given a proper burial. John McIlwaine explains how geophysics helped trace his hidden remains.

And British geology in your pocket. To mark its 175th anniversary, the British Geological Survey crams its entire geological map of the British Isles into a smartphone app for all to use.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents the week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition: the latest planet capable of supporting life; how the World Wide Web unveils the laws of our collective behaviour; 'dry water' - a powder that's 95% H2O; and the discovery of Francis Crick's lost correspondence, revealing the fractious exchanges between the rival parties hunting the structure of DNA.

The producer is Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents the week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition: the latest planet capable of supporting life; how the World Wide Web unveils the laws of our collective behaviour; 'dry water' - a powder that's 95% H2O; and the discovery of Francis Crick's lost correspondence, revealing the fractious exchanges between the rival parties hunting the structure of DNA.

The producer is Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Stem cell trials - Geron's spinal cord therapy starts after years of regulatory wrangles. Human remains and archaeology - researchers complain of burdensome regulations. And a brief encounter with a comet chaser
NASA's Deep Impact space probe is closing in on the Comet Hartley 2; Quentin hears about the science astronomers hope to learn from the encounter.

Stem cell trials; human remains and archaeology; and a brief encounter with a comet chaser

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Stem cell trials - Geron's spinal cord therapy starts after years of regulatory wrangles. Human remains and archaeology - researchers complain of burdensome regulations. And a brief encounter with a comet chaser
NASA's Deep Impact space probe is closing in on the Comet Hartley 2; Quentin hears about the science astronomers hope to learn from the encounter.

Stem cell trials; human remains and archaeology; and a brief encounter with a comet chaser

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Also, after the last in the series A History of the World in a Hundred Objects celebrates the latest in electrical gadgetry, Quentin sees the humble glass electrical valve that kick started the whole electronic revolution. The first electronics.

And pollution from space travel. As the world's richest line up for the first private flights into space, experts warn that rocket exhausts could exacerbate the problem of global warming.

Indonesian disasters; The first electronics; Pollution from space travel.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Indonesian disasters: Quentin hears from the experts about the causes of this week's Sumatran earthquake and tsunami, and the latest eruption of Mount Merapi on Java, and how science can help.

Also, after the last in the series A History of the World in a Hundred Objects celebrates the latest in electrical gadgetry, Quentin sees the humble glass electrical valve that kick started the whole electronic revolution. The first electronics.

And pollution from space travel. As the world's richest line up for the first private flights into space, experts warn that rocket exhausts could exacerbate the problem of global warming.

Indonesian disasters; The first electronics; Pollution from space travel.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.

Bigger bangs at CERN; What made last winter so cold? Invisibility cloaks come closer.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Bigger bangs at CERN; Last winter's deep cold; Invisibility cloaks.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.

Bigger bangs at CERN; What made last winter so cold? Invisibility cloaks come closer.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Bigger bangs at CERN; Last winter's deep cold; Invisibility cloaks.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition: the development of disease resistant crops the better to feed our swelling population; trapping anti-hydrogen atoms to unravel one of the great mysteries in physics; and exhuming the body of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe to find out whether he really died of a bladder infection.

The producer is Roland Pease.

Crop breeding improved; catching anti-atoms; Tycho Brahe exhumed.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents this week's digest of science in and behind the headlines. In this edition: the development of disease resistant crops the better to feed our swelling population; trapping anti-hydrogen atoms to unravel one of the great mysteries in physics; and exhuming the body of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe to find out whether he really died of a bladder infection.

The producer is Roland Pease.

Crop breeding improved; catching anti-atoms; Tycho Brahe exhumed.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.
Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.
Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.
Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.
Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. In the programme this week he discusses the new government proposals to include fewer science voices on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Getting into space is still proving harder than it looks, Quentin looks back on recent mishaps in man's attempts to conquer space. Also in the programme, will we soon be sequencing our own genomes in our own homes?

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. In the programme this week he discusses the new government proposals to include fewer science voices on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Getting into space is still proving harder than it looks, Quentin looks back on recent mishaps in man's attempts to conquer space. Also in the programme, will we soon be sequencing our own genomes in our own homes?

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

2010 - year of disasters. Floods, wild fires, volcanoes, earthquakes, and a record breaking oil spill. Material World has time and again been reporting on some of the disasters that have struck over the year. And earth scientists gather at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco to review their data from each event, Quentin Cooper asks how science helped, and what the lessons are for the future.

Producer: Roland Pease.

2010 - year of disasters. Quentin Cooper asks how science helped, and how it improved.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

2010 - year of disasters. Floods, wild fires, volcanoes, earthquakes, and a record breaking oil spill. Material World has time and again been reporting on some of the disasters that have struck over the year. And earth scientists gather at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco to review their data from each event, Quentin Cooper asks how science helped, and what the lessons are for the future.

Producer: Roland Pease.

2010 - year of disasters. Quentin Cooper asks how science helped, and how it improved.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Our latest hominid cousin - new DNA evidence from a Siberian cave reveals our complex genetic past; lessons from Einstein- reminiscences of an aspiring scientist who got advice from the best qualified of family friends; cooking the perfect Christmas turkey - advice from a molecular gastronomist.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Our latest hominid cousin, lessons from Einstein and cooking the perfect Christmas turkey.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Our latest hominid cousin - new DNA evidence from a Siberian cave reveals our complex genetic past; lessons from Einstein- reminiscences of an aspiring scientist who got advice from the best qualified of family friends; cooking the perfect Christmas turkey - advice from a molecular gastronomist.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Our latest hominid cousin; lessons from Einstein; cooking the perfect Christmas turkey.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper catches up with the four finalists of the So You Want to Be a Scientist talent search that was featured in Material World across the summer. Have they continued to do research and think about science? 2010 has also been a year when the Royal Society aimed to engage the public more with science, through the events that were part of its Year of Science. What impact have these activities had?

Producer: Pamela Rutherford.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper catches up with the four finalists of the So You Want to Be a Scientist talent search that was featured in Material World across the summer. Have they continued to do research and think about science? 2010 has also been a year when the Royal Society aimed to engage the public more with science, through the events that were part of its Year of Science. What impact have these activities had?

Producer: Pamela Rutherford.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Adam Rutherford investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Adam Rutherford investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The producer is Martin Redfern.

Adam Rutherford investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper talks to Professor George Griffin, Head of the Academic Centre for Infection at St George's, University of London.

Hominid teeth

Early cavemen had foreign brides! An international team of researchers has been studying hominid teeth from two caves in South Africa. They were looking at the ratios of different types or isotopes of strontium in the teeth which they thought might reflect changing diet due to seasonal migration. Instead, they found a significant difference between the teeth of males and females. Most of the males had strontium values similar to those in the nearby rocks, suggesting they had lived in the same area for most of their lives, whereas many of the females seems to have come from different areas. Professor Julia Lee-Thorp, from the University of Oxford, explains more.

Science and Innovation

Writer Mark Stevenson, has curated a series of talks at the British Library as part of their Out of This World exhibition. His talk, ‘The Age of Entanglement' looks at human interaction with science and innovation and whether we are too dependent on technology and how we view progress. He believes that science and innovation in the UK is being stifled and that there is a fear about progress. Last week, David Cameron and President Obama announced a key collaboration initiative concentrating on science, innovation and education. Obama called science education 'critical to our future prosperity' and said that the U.S. and U.K could continue to emphasize 'investments in education, science, technology, infrastructure -- things that help our economies grow'. How dependent are we on technology and innovation? Quentin talks to Mark Stevenson and Sir Martin Taylor.

Fly Your Thesis!

Postgraduate students from Leicester have just had the next best thing to a spaceflight. They are back from a series of flights in France with the European Space Agency aboard a plane sometimes dubbed ‘the vomit comet'. It was part of an initiative called ‘fly your thesis' in which PhD student projects get the chance to fly in a series of parabolic flights that simulate the weightlessness of space. Apart from the fun of experiencing zero gravity, they were also investigating one of the mysteries of the early stages of planetary formation.

David Gray and Dr Charly Feldman from Leicester University, join Quentin to explain more.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly round-up of the latest science research.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper discusses climate change, quasars, mobile phones and happy faces.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer Martin Redfern (BBC).

Quentin hears about krill, sensations at the Royal Society, and the science of body art.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin explores hidden landscapes, mythical monsters and Tibetan singing bowls.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin on Dawn over Vesta, reducing animal experiments and the physics of cricket.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

New clues to Higgs, badgers and bovine TB and diamond clues to the deep Earth.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

He discusses the famous experiment carried out by Stanley Milgram in 1961 that showed how far people will go when obeying orders with psychologist Professor Alex Haslam of Exeter University.

Mathematician and stand up comedian Matt Parker and Professor of Computer Science Peter McOwan of Queen Mary University have set up an educational website to reveal how much science and technology is behind magic tricks. They try some of them out on Quentin in the studio.

The near and far sides of the moon are very different geologically. This observation has puzzled scientists, but now Professor Erik Asphaug from the University of California in Santa Cruz and colleagues have come up with a theory. He explains to Quentin how the earth once had two moons which collided to form the one that now orbits our planet.

50 years since Milgram's obedience experiment, and the science behind magic.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Mob psychology, multiple sclerosis, chimp communication and shrunken heads.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Mob psychology, multiple sclerosis, chimp communication and shrunken heads.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Brainy bees, feeling surgery, jaws, baby plesiosaurs and time perception.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper reports from the British Science Association Festival in Bradford.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin RedfernEhsan Masood asks if an intergovernmental panel can protect biodiversity. He looks at how the slippery surface of the pitcher plant might be harnessed to make new nonstick coatings and at a substance isolated from invasive harlequin ladybirds that could be the next antimalarial drug. Also, are wildfires a natural part of the environment, even in Britain, and what can we do to prepare for them?

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Ehsan Masood on biodiversity, slippery surfaces, drugs from ladybirds and fire.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.

Producer: Fiona Roberts

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.

Producer: Fiona Roberts

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.

Producer: Fiona Roberts

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.

Producer: Fiona Roberts

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.

Producer: Deborah Cohen

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science.

Producer: Deborah Cohen

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Fission at Fukushima?

It's been eight months since the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan's Honshu Island. Now at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, despite all the efforts to stabilise and disable the power station, there are signs that nuclear fission may still taking place within one of the reactors. There's also fresh speculation based on atmospheric modelling that the scale and range of radioactive emissions from the plant, at the time of the disaster, were much greater than the Japanese government reported. Quentin is joined by Robin Grimes, Professor of Materials Physics and Director of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College London, to discuss how significant these findings are.

Airships - The Future of Air Travel?

This week the Airships Association has held a meeting in London to galvanise interest in a new European project to develop commercial airships. Paul Stewart, Professor of Control Engineering and Pro-Vice Chancellor in research at Lincoln University, outlines to Quentin why he believes the airship may well be one of the main forms of air travel in the future.

Legend of the Sunstone

How did the Vikings make their epic voyages, even supposedly reaching America? According to Norse legends they wielded a "Sunstone", a rock capable of working out where the sun was, even if, as was often the case in the far north, conditions were overcast. But there may well be some truth behind the myth - at least according to a paper just published by the Royal Society. Quentin speaks to Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan, Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, to see if there's any substance to the stories.

Producer: Fiona Roberts.

Quentin Cooper discusses the latest events at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Fission at Fukushima?

It's been eight months since the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan's Honshu Island. Now at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, despite all the efforts to stabilise and disable the power station, there are signs that nuclear fission may still taking place within one of the reactors. There's also fresh speculation based on atmospheric modelling that the scale and range of radioactive emissions from the plant, at the time of the disaster, were much greater than the Japanese government reported. Quentin is joined by Robin Grimes, Professor of Materials Physics and Director of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College London, to discuss how significant these findings are.

Airships - The Future of Air Travel?

This week the Airships Association has held a meeting in London to galvanise interest in a new European project to develop commercial airships. Paul Stewart, Professor of Control Engineering and Pro-Vice Chancellor in research at Lincoln University, outlines to Quentin why he believes the airship may well be one of the main forms of air travel in the future.

Legend of the Sunstone

How did the Vikings make their epic voyages, even supposedly reaching America? According to Norse legends they wielded a "Sunstone", a rock capable of working out where the sun was, even if, as was often the case in the far north, conditions were overcast. But there may well be some truth behind the myth - at least according to a paper just published by the Royal Society. Quentin speaks to Vasudevan Lakshminarayanan, Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, to see if there's any substance to the stories.

Producer: Fiona Roberts.

Quentin Cooper discusses the latest events at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week Quentin investigates fracking for oil and gas - could it cause earthquakes or contaminate water supplies? Listening to the ground with an optical fibre to hear what's going on down a borehole. A visit to the new Hidden Heroes exhibition at the Science Museum and a last chance for amateur scientists to enter 'So You Want To Be A Scientist.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Fracking for gas, listening to quakes, hidden heroes and amateur science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week Quentin investigates fracking for oil and gas - could it cause earthquakes or contaminate water supplies? Listening to the ground with an optical fibre to hear what's going on down a borehole. A visit to the new Hidden Heroes exhibition at the Science Museum and a last chance for amateur scientists to enter 'So You Want To Be A Scientist.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Fracking for gas, listening to quakes, hidden heroes and amateur science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, risk and uncertainty: how to communicate it to politicians and the public. Quentin Cooper asks the Government Chief Science Advisor, Sir John Beddington and the Chairman of the Lord's Committee on Science and Technology, Lord Krebs. Also, revealing the secrets of locust flight: how they may help the design of miniature flying robots.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Top government scientists discuss risk and Quentin investigates insect flight.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, risk and uncertainty: how to communicate it to politicians and the public. Quentin Cooper asks the Government Chief Science Advisor, Sir John Beddington and the Chairman of the Lord's Committee on Science and Technology, Lord Krebs. Also, revealing the secrets of locust flight: how they may help the design of miniature flying robots.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Top government scientists discuss risk and Quentin investigates insect flight.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper asks if it's worth extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and how it might be done with carbon nanotubes. He hears how industry is planning for a world shortage of rare elements. A 500 million year old monster eye with 16 000 lenses and the first finalists shortlisted from listeners who want to be a scientist.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Catching carbon from air, scarce elements, fossil eyes and amateur scientist candidates.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper asks if it's worth extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and how it might be done with carbon nanotubes. He hears how industry is planning for a world shortage of rare elements. A 500 million year old monster eye with 16 000 lenses and the first finalists shortlisted from listeners who want to be a scientist.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Catching carbon from air, scarce elements, fossil eyes and amateur scientist candidates.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents the latest on the search for the Higgs particle, hears about a scheme to pair scientists with members of Parliament, announces the next group of shortlisted candidates for So You Want to Be a Scientist and sniffs the smell of the Moon from a lunar exhibition in Liverpool.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

The Higgs particle, pairing scientists with MPs, amateur scientists and moon art.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents the latest on the search for the Higgs particle, hears about a scheme to pair scientists with members of Parliament, announces the next group of shortlisted candidates for So You Want to Be a Scientist and sniffs the smell of the Moon from a lunar exhibition in Liverpool.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

The Higgs particle, pairing scientists with MPs, amateur scientists and moon art.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In this special edition, Adam Rutherford finds out which four finalists will be competing for the title of BBC Amateur Scientist of the Year.

Over 1,000 people entered 'So You Want to Be a Scientist?' hoping to put their scientific questions to the test. During the last few weeks on Material World, we've met the 10 amateur scientists on this year's shortlist. But which of them will make the final four to turn their idea into an experiment?

Nobel prize-winning biologist Sir Paul Nurse chairs the judging panel and is joined by astronomer Dr Lucie Green, statistician Dr Yan Wong from Bang Goes the Theory and science journalist Mark Henderson. They'll decide which entries show the most scientific promise and discuss how these budding amateur scientists might go about designing their experiments.

Producer: Michelle Martin.

Revealing the four finalists competing to become the BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In this special edition, Adam Rutherford finds out which four finalists will be competing for the title of BBC Amateur Scientist of the Year.

Over 1,000 people entered 'So You Want to Be a Scientist?' hoping to put their scientific questions to the test. During the last few weeks on Material World, we've met the 10 amateur scientists on this year's shortlist. But which of them will make the final four to turn their idea into an experiment?

Nobel prize-winning biologist Sir Paul Nurse chairs the judging panel and is joined by astronomer Dr Lucie Green, statistician Dr Yan Wong from Bang Goes the Theory and science journalist Mark Henderson. They'll decide which entries show the most scientific promise and discuss how these budding amateur scientists might go about designing their experiments.

Producer: Michelle Martin.

Revealing the four finalists competing to become the BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

So how might the world actually end? Could geological or cosmic catastrophe take place this year, and if not, how do we know? But this is not just about geology and astronomy. It's also about human psychology. Why do predictions of an apocalypse continue? What drives those who invent them, and their followers who sometimes have such strong beliefs that they commit mass suicide?

And will the world end eventually, and if so, how and when? Quentin Cooper investigates the end of the world with the help of astronomers, psychologists and anthropologists.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin asks if the world will end in 2012 and why people make apocalyptic predictions.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The ancient Mayans had two calendars; the solar calendar of the agricultural year and a lunar calendar on which they based their religious festivals. The two don't coincide very often. The longest cycle they considered lasts 5 125 years and completes a cycle on 21st December 2012 at the midwinter solstice. That has given rise to predictions that this is when the world will end - something not stated in the Mayan texts. It was also the basis for the Hollywood epic 2012 with earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and all the special effects of modern film making.

So how might the world actually end? Could geological or cosmic catastrophe take place this year, and if not, how do we know? But this is not just about geology and astronomy. It's also about human psychology. Why do predictions of an apocalypse continue? What drives those who invent them, and their followers who sometimes have such strong beliefs that they commit mass suicide?

And will the world end eventually, and if so, how and when? Quentin Cooper investigates the end of the world with the help of astronomers, psychologists and anthropologists.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin asks if the world will end in 2012 and why people make apocalyptic predictions.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern, Victoria Kent.

Teaching computer science, mapping dark matter, emerging pests and nasty noises.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, as Education Secretary Michael Gove calls for better computer science in schools, Quentin looks at how cheap or open source software and hardware could help. Seeing the invisible: the most detailed map of dark matter in the universe has been unveiled at this weeks' meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Royal Horticultural Society reveals its list of the worst garden pests of 2011. And Adam Rutherford samples horrible sounds with So You Want To Be A Scientist finalist Izzy Thomlinson.

Producer: Martin Redfern, Victoria Kent.

Teaching computer science, mapping dark matter, emerging pests and nasty noises.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Adam Rutherford joins another of our amateur finalist in 'So You Want to Be a Scientist?'. Val Watham from Berkshire wonders if the right stripes really do make you look slimmer and embarks on an experiment to prove it.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

The world in 3D, Darwin's lost fossils, fashionable stripes, and the end of Angkor.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, Quentin Cooper studies the most detailed 3D map yet made of the entire land surface of the Earth. He looks into a dusty cabinet containing some of Darwin's fossil collection and asks if climate change could have been responsible for the fall of the Khmer empire in Cambodia.

Adam Rutherford joins another of our amateur finalist in 'So You Want to Be a Scientist?'. Val Watham from Berkshire wonders if the right stripes really do make you look slimmer and embarks on an experiment to prove it.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

The world in 3D, Darwin's lost fossils, fashionable stripes, and the end of Angkor.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

The next flu pandemic, an Arctic bulge, faces and voices and the Panama Canal.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Do the health and bio-security risks of influenza research justify its benefits in preparing for the next pandemic? Could a fresh water bulge in the Arctic Ocean upset the British climate? Does the shape of someone's face affect the tone of their voice? And will the widening of the Panama Canal bring environmental benefits? Quentin Cooper questions the scientists involved.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

The next flu pandemic, an Arctic bulge, faces and voices and the Panama Canal.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Genome ethics, having friends takes brains, emotional art, and triggering an ice age.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper discusses a survey of ethical attitudes to sharing genome information; why having many friends calls for a bigger brain; how the last of our So You Want to Be a Scientist finalists plans to study emotional responses to art; and how volcanic eruptions triggered a little ice age.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Genome ethics, having friends takes brains, emotional art, and triggering an ice age.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Over the next two weeks Radio 4 will be broadcasting plays about Freud's famous cases. Deborah Levy has dramatised the stories of Dora and the Wolfman.

In Material World Quentin Cooper asks leading neuroscientist Uta Frith whether Freud's approach to understanding his patients would pass modern scientific scrutiny. And looks at Freud's legacy in the 21st century.

Cold Winters in a warming world

Three cold European winters on the trot, and a faltering in the long term rise in global average temperatures - signs for some that something is wrong with climate science. Not so for forecaster Judah Cohen. Cooling, he says, is confined to northern hemisphere winters, and reflects change atmospheric circulation patterns that are a result of the greater warming picture. On Material World he explains this paradox.

Breakthrough

After years of drilling, a Russian team has at last broken through into Lake Vostok, long hidden under 3 kilometres of Antarctic ice. Professor Martin Siegert, Principal Investigator on a rival British team boring into Lake Ellsworth thousands of km across the continent, reflects on what happens next, and explains the scientific motivation for these complex projects.

Disco Balls in orbit

The maiden flight of ESA's Vega launcher will be carrying a half-tonne, super-reflective disco ball into Earth orbit on Monday. LARES, the Laser Relativity Satellite, is intended to test key predictions of Einstein's theory of gravity, says Principal Investigator Ignazio Ciufolini. Science writer Stuart Clark also joins Quentin to explain why gravity is still at the frontiers of science.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper asks if Freud was a scientist, and reviews the week's science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Freud in the Age of Neuroscience

Over the next two weeks Radio 4 will be broadcasting plays about Freud's famous cases. Deborah Levy has dramatised the stories of Dora and the Wolfman.

In Material World Quentin Cooper asks leading neuroscientist Uta Frith whether Freud's approach to understanding his patients would pass modern scientific scrutiny. And looks at Freud's legacy in the 21st century.

Cold Winters in a warming world

Three cold European winters on the trot, and a faltering in the long term rise in global average temperatures - signs for some that something is wrong with climate science. Not so for forecaster Judah Cohen. Cooling, he says, is confined to northern hemisphere winters, and reflects change atmospheric circulation patterns that are a result of the greater warming picture. On Material World he explains this paradox.

Breakthrough

After years of drilling, a Russian team has at last broken through into Lake Vostok, long hidden under 3 kilometres of Antarctic ice. Professor Martin Siegert, Principal Investigator on a rival British team boring into Lake Ellsworth thousands of km across the continent, reflects on what happens next, and explains the scientific motivation for these complex projects.

Disco Balls in orbit

The maiden flight of ESA's Vega launcher will be carrying a half-tonne, super-reflective disco ball into Earth orbit on Monday. LARES, the Laser Relativity Satellite, is intended to test key predictions of Einstein's theory of gravity, says Principal Investigator Ignazio Ciufolini. Science writer Stuart Clark also joins Quentin to explain why gravity is still at the frontiers of science.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Quentin Cooper asks if Freud was a scientist, and reviews the week's science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The supermassive star Eta Carinae could be on the brink of exploding into a supernova. In Victorian times, this normally innocuous star suddenly brightened to be the second brightest star in the night sky - for those in the southern hemisphere at least. But it happened before modern astronomical techniques could capture its full details. Now however, researchers are getting a second chance to examine the eruptions that caused the brightening. Because light reflected off nearby galactic clouds has started arriving, 150 years later than the first glimmerings, revealing in reflected glory the details of those Victorian events. Professor Nathan Smith of the Steward Observatory in Arizona is one of the world's experts on Eta Carinae, and joins Quentin Cooper to describe what the latest observations reveal.

Water water everywhere

We may all be watching carefully how much water flows through our taps, and how much we waste. But a new report warns that a fifth of the water consumed round the world has nothing to do with plumbing, drinking and washing. Agricultural produce and industrial production also have a huge impact on natural water resources, and the goods that come through our doors should also be considered a form of 'virtual' water consumption, the authors say. Arjen Hoekstra from the Water Footprint Network and ecological economist Klaus Hubacek join the programme to discuss the implications.

New Elizabethans

As Radio 4 starts the quest for the 60 individuals who have done the most to change our lives since Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, Material World throws the spotlight on scientists, medics and engineers, with the help of historian Jon Agar, and journalist Vivienne Parry.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Star on the brink of a supernova explosion; our global water footprint; New Elizabethans.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Reflections on a supernova in waiting

The supermassive star Eta Carinae could be on the brink of exploding into a supernova. In Victorian times, this normally innocuous star suddenly brightened to be the second brightest star in the night sky - for those in the southern hemisphere at least. But it happened before modern astronomical techniques could capture its full details. Now however, researchers are getting a second chance to examine the eruptions that caused the brightening. Because light reflected off nearby galactic clouds has started arriving, 150 years later than the first glimmerings, revealing in reflected glory the details of those Victorian events. Professor Nathan Smith of the Steward Observatory in Arizona is one of the world's experts on Eta Carinae, and joins Quentin Cooper to describe what the latest observations reveal.

Water water everywhere

We may all be watching carefully how much water flows through our taps, and how much we waste. But a new report warns that a fifth of the water consumed round the world has nothing to do with plumbing, drinking and washing. Agricultural produce and industrial production also have a huge impact on natural water resources, and the goods that come through our doors should also be considered a form of 'virtual' water consumption, the authors say. Arjen Hoekstra from the Water Footprint Network and ecological economist Klaus Hubacek join the programme to discuss the implications.

New Elizabethans

As Radio 4 starts the quest for the 60 individuals who have done the most to change our lives since Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, Material World throws the spotlight on scientists, medics and engineers, with the help of historian Jon Agar, and journalist Vivienne Parry.

Producer: Roland Pease.

Star on the brink of a supernova explosion; our global water footprint; New Elizabethans.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Do men have a genetic future? Defining the kilogram and how to turn sunshine into fuel.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper hears that men may not be heading for extinction after all! The male Y-chromosome is degenerate but, according to a new study, has been stable since we diverged from monkeys 25 million years ago. But the fundamental unit of mass, the kilogram, may not be stable. Attempts to redefine it in terms of fundamental constants are fraught with difficulty. But there is hope on the horizon for mimicking one of nature's greatest secrets, photosynthesis, the ability to turn sunshine into fuel.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Do men have a genetic future? Defining the kilogram and how to turn sunshine into fuel.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Chief Science Advisers in Government, animals in research, and the oldest forest.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper hears the outcome of the House of Lords review into the role of the government's departmental Chief Scientific Advisers from the chair of the committee, Lord Krebs. There is news of progress towards refining, reducing and replacing the use of animals in scientific experiments. And we take a walk in the forest - the oldest forest ever discovered, home to strange plant ancestors nearly 400 million years ago.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Chief Science Advisers in Government, animals in research, and the oldest forest.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Aliens in Antarctica, meteor impacts, nasty noises and star-quakes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper asks if tourists and scientists may be bringing aliens into Antarctica. He checks out a controversial collision 12 900 years ago in which an asteroid impact may have changed the climate. He hears how one of our amateur scientists is investigating why we hate nasty noises and he discovers how star-quakes could help us discover habitable planets.

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Aliens in Antarctica, meteor impacts, nasty noises and star-quakes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Co-curator Ghislane Boddington and Prof Noel Sharkey talk to Quentin about a new exhibition opening on Friday at FACT, Liverpool, called Robots and Avatars. The vision of numerous artists of a near future where we freely interact with colleagues and friends in the form of robots or remote projections as avatars will be on display. What are the implications for how we live and work?

An update from 'So You Want to Be a Scientist' - Material World's search for the BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year. One of our four finalists, Dara Djavan Khoshdel aged 25 from Bournemouth, starts his experiment at Modern Art Oxford. He's testing people's emotional reactions to paintings using a skin galvanometer, which measures our micro-sweating. But will the strength of people's reaction match the financial value of each artwork?

Producer: Martin Redfern.

Quentin Cooper with news of a new hominin puzzle from China, and where art meets science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Producer: Julian Siddle.

The science of auctions, life on the ocean floor, and why the clock change might kill us.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

An environmental conference in London this week gave scientists the chance to get together ahead of the next round of international climate change negotiations. We look at the subject of geo -engineering. Once the realm of science fiction, the idea of using chemicals to seed clouds or reflect light back from the sun is now being seen as a serious option for dealing with climate change.

So You Want to be a Scientist. The clothes are ready for our experiment looking at the arguments over vertical versus horizontal stripes, which ones really do have a slimming or fattening effect?

Gas eating bacteria, how to save the world and what stripes might do to your figure.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

A leak of gas from a platform 150 miles off the Scottish coast is causing concerns, particularly over risks of explosion. We look at the environmental effects of the gas and ways of clearing it up. As with oil spills bacteria may play a role in its dispersal.

An environmental conference in London this week gave scientists the chance to get together ahead of the next round of international climate change negotiations. We look at the subject of geo -engineering. Once the realm of science fiction, the idea of using chemicals to seed clouds or reflect light back from the sun is now being seen as a serious option for dealing with climate change.

So You Want to be a Scientist. The clothes are ready for our experiment looking at the arguments over vertical versus horizontal stripes, which ones really do have a slimming or fattening effect?

Gas eating bacteria, how to save the world and what stripes might do to your figure.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We discuss why the makers of a new comedy film staring a cartoon version of Charles Darwin felt it necessary to drop the word 'scientists' from the title for international release.

And we look behind the government plans to allow the security services greater access to our online data, emails and text messages. We ask what information could really be gleaned by subjecting such data to algorithmic analysis.

The influence of mathematical models on the sculptor Henry Moore.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We visit the Science Museum in London where a new exhibition has opened to show the influence of complex mathematical models on the work of sculptor Henry Moore.

We discuss why the makers of a new comedy film staring a cartoon version of Charles Darwin felt it necessary to drop the word 'scientists' from the title for international release.

And we look behind the government plans to allow the security services greater access to our online data, emails and text messages. We ask what information could really be gleaned by subjecting such data to algorithmic analysis.

The influence of mathematical models on the sculptor Henry Moore.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Much of the coverage of the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has concentrated on the fate of the passengers, but the sinking also had an effect on global telecommunications. Morse code messages transmitted from the vessel using the then new telegraph technology alerted the world to the liner's fate. Confusion over how these messages were relayed, received and reacted to led to new legislation on safety at sea, and new international standards for telegraphy. Michael Hughes, author of a new book Titanic Calling, tells Gareth of the technological impact of the tragedy.

Can computers tell what you're thinking ? Perhaps not. However, new research suggests they may be better than humans at detecting the facial expressions that give away when someone is lying. US researchers 'trained' computers to detect subtle eye movements made while lying. Venu Govindaraju, of the Centre for Unified Biometrics and Sensors at the State University of New York in Buffalo, says the technique could be expanded to look at other facial expressions, as they all seem to change when we don't tell the truth.

And we hear from another of our So You Want To Be A Scientist finalists, on his experiment looking into how closely peoples' faces match their voices.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Undersea earthquakes, Titanic telecommunications, and do people sound how they look?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Gareth Mitchell examines Wednesday's Indonesian earthquake. Widespread damage was avoided as this huge 'horizontal strike' earthquake did not generate the giant tsunami waves which engulfed the region in 2004. Dr Richard Luckett from the British Geological Survey explains the differences between this and other earthquakes.

Much of the coverage of the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has concentrated on the fate of the passengers, but the sinking also had an effect on global telecommunications. Morse code messages transmitted from the vessel using the then new telegraph technology alerted the world to the liner's fate. Confusion over how these messages were relayed, received and reacted to led to new legislation on safety at sea, and new international standards for telegraphy. Michael Hughes, author of a new book Titanic Calling, tells Gareth of the technological impact of the tragedy.

Can computers tell what you're thinking ? Perhaps not. However, new research suggests they may be better than humans at detecting the facial expressions that give away when someone is lying. US researchers 'trained' computers to detect subtle eye movements made while lying. Venu Govindaraju, of the Centre for Unified Biometrics and Sensors at the State University of New York in Buffalo, says the technique could be expanded to look at other facial expressions, as they all seem to change when we don't tell the truth.

And we hear from another of our So You Want To Be A Scientist finalists, on his experiment looking into how closely peoples' faces match their voices.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Undersea earthquakes, Titanic telecommunications, and do people sound how they look?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The maths of politics. Stand up Mathematician Matt Parker and professor of theoretical physics Andrea Rapisarda look at the role mathematics plays in elections and the way politicians behave. Andrea argues political decisions would be improved if politicians were selected at random rather than elected, but Matt sees the mathematical flaw in electoral systems, which he likens to rolling a dice - one where the voters hardly ever get the outcome they wish for.

Its 40 years since British scientist Godfrey Hounsfield invented the CT scan. This multilayered use of x ray imagery has revolutionised the diagnosis of internal health problems and is used worldwide. We speak to Liz Beckmann, one of Godfrey Hounsfield's former colleagues and the co author of a new book on his life and work, out this week; 'Godfrey Hounsfield: Intuitive Genius of CT

And we continue our experiments for 'So You Want To Be A Scientist'...

Science magazine programme.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, new research number crunching millions of bits of data on breast cancer has allowed scientists to reclassify the disease into 10 different subtypes. They say this is a huge break though which will lead to new treatments and improve outcomes for women with the disease. The lead author of the Cancer Research UK study Carlos Caldas explains its impact.

The maths of politics. Stand up Mathematician Matt Parker and professor of theoretical physics Andrea Rapisarda look at the role mathematics plays in elections and the way politicians behave. Andrea argues political decisions would be improved if politicians were selected at random rather than elected, but Matt sees the mathematical flaw in electoral systems, which he likens to rolling a dice - one where the voters hardly ever get the outcome they wish for.

Its 40 years since British scientist Godfrey Hounsfield invented the CT scan. This multilayered use of x ray imagery has revolutionised the diagnosis of internal health problems and is used worldwide. We speak to Liz Beckmann, one of Godfrey Hounsfield's former colleagues and the co author of a new book on his life and work, out this week; 'Godfrey Hounsfield: Intuitive Genius of CT

And we continue our experiments for 'So You Want To Be A Scientist'...

Science magazine programme.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

It's just over a century since scientists first showed that cosmic rays can come from distant stars. Subsequent research into their effects here on earth has led to the worrying conclusion that they could destroy much of our global communications infrastructure. We hear about those early cosmic ray pioneers and the role of hot air Balloons in determining where they come from, with Professor Alan Watson from Leeds University. And speak to Dr Christopher Frost from The Rutherford Appleton laboratory's Neutron Irradiation facility, who is trying to recreate the effects of those rays to see how they affect modern electronics.

And from our ‘So You Want to be a Scientist' experiment, we look more widely at what makes us talk the way we do.

Science magazine programme.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In this Week's programme Gareth Mitchell looks at the future of road transport. According to transport researchers the car as we know it will have to become a thing of the past if traffic is to continue flowing. Drivers will need to be more like passengers and leave much of the decision making about what vehicles do on our roads to computerised transport management systems.

It's just over a century since scientists first showed that cosmic rays can come from distant stars. Subsequent research into their effects here on earth has led to the worrying conclusion that they could destroy much of our global communications infrastructure. We hear about those early cosmic ray pioneers and the role of hot air Balloons in determining where they come from, with Professor Alan Watson from Leeds University. And speak to Dr Christopher Frost from The Rutherford Appleton laboratory's Neutron Irradiation facility, who is trying to recreate the effects of those rays to see how they affect modern electronics.

And from our ‘So You Want to be a Scientist' experiment, we look more widely at what makes us talk the way we do.

Science magazine programme.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Gamma rays can be bent. A French research institute has found a way of refracting these radioactive beams in much the same way as visible light. The discovery opens up a whole new area of research, and potential Nano scale probing technologies which could seek out many materials from drugs' to nuclear waste and have the potential to treat cancer much more accurately than any current radiation based methods.

A few weeks ago we discussed the government's plans to give the security services greater powers to snoop on our online activities. The plan would need the co operation of internet service providers, and mobile phone companies who would have to hand over data showing the activities of their customers. One person who knows all about the methodology is the author who goes by the pseudonym DR K, in the past he has been a computer Hacker, and written a book about his experiences, The Real Hacker's Handbook.

Also, on today's So You Want To Be A Scientist. Our 18 yr old amateur scientist Izzy Thomlinson launching a national experiment on Horrible Sounds this week.

Together with her mentor, Prof Trevor Cox, they've designed an online test to find out why some people are more sensitive to nasty noises than others.

You can take part by listening to a selection of noises, from nails scraping down the blackboard to squeaking polystyrene, and rating them on a scale of ‘not unpleasant' to ‘extremely unpleasant'.

Take the test now by clicking on the link below!

Science magazine programme.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The hour of dog and wolf' is a new book by Neuroscientist John Coates. A former Wall Street trader, he argues that financial decision making may owe rather more to the bodies hormonal response to success and stress than prudent financial planning. He argue the recent financial crisis was worsened by hormones designed primarily to keep us alive in dangerous situations, and his experimental work with traders shows a direct link between hormone secretions and profit levels.

Afghanistan is a great place to watch the stars because of the high altitude and clear skies due to the lack of light pollution. Now a new international project ‘Reach For The Stars' is aiming to put astronomy on the Afghan school curriculum. Through distributing astronomy text books in local languages and giving practical demonstrations, the organisers hope to encourage wider interest in science amongst Afghanistan's schoolchildren. Mike stone worked in Afghanistan for the UN before becoming involved in the project.

Do people with similar faces also have similar voices? ‘So You Want to be a Scientist?' finalist William Rudling was at the Bang Goes the Theory roadshow in Sheffield over the bank holiday to find out what visitors thought.

Almost 900 people took part in William's test, including Andy Kershaw from BBC Radio Sheffield.

If you were not able to make it to Sheffield last weekend, you can take part in William's online experiment now - just click on 'The Experiment' link below.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The number of science advisors is expanding, many government departments now have one, and the number working internationally is also on the increase. But why the sudden rise and what influence can science advisors have over government policy. Anne Glover science advisor to the European Union discusses the issue with James Wilsdon, Professor of science and democracy at Sussex University.

With Munch and Rothko paintings selling for record prices in the past couple of weeks, we return to our So You Want to Be a Scientist experiment on art and emotion.

Dara Djavan Khoshdel, aged 24 from Bournemouth, is hoping to find out if people viewing expensive artworks experience a greater emotional reaction. But to make sure the study is 'blind' none of the participants have been allowed to know the price beforehand. Dara and his mentor, physiologist Andrew Parker from the University of Oxford, gathered their data at Modern Art Oxford's Graham Sutherland exhibition in March.

While Dara is busy crunching the numbers, Quentin is joined by Chris McManus, a Professor of Psychology at UCL and Dara's other mentor, art historian Prof Martin Kemp. They discuss the science of aesthetics and whether there's reason to believe that expensive art moves us more emotionally.

And finally, subway systems around the world work as self-organising systems says a team of Theoretical physicists from France's National centre for scientific research. They applied a mathematical analysis to the structure and development of 14 of the world's biggest major underground railway systems and concluded that no matter how or when they were built they all exhibit the same underlying structure, one that has developed without pre planning and has led to the common mathematical relationships between lines and stations.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This Week Quentin Cooper looks at why research into the distribution of pollen around Srebrenica forms a key part of the evidence in the Bosnian war crimes tribunals. Tony Brown, now Professor of Geography at Southampton University led a UN sponsored project with the grisly task of examining pollen samples found on many of the bodies disinterred after the conflict.

The number of science advisors is expanding, many government departments now have one, and the number working internationally is also on the increase. But why the sudden rise and what influence can science advisors have over government policy. Anne Glover science advisor to the European Union discusses the issue with James Wilsdon, Professor of science and democracy at Sussex University.

With Munch and Rothko paintings selling for record prices in the past couple of weeks, we return to our So You Want to Be a Scientist experiment on art and emotion.

Dara Djavan Khoshdel, aged 24 from Bournemouth, is hoping to find out if people viewing expensive artworks experience a greater emotional reaction. But to make sure the study is 'blind' none of the participants have been allowed to know the price beforehand. Dara and his mentor, physiologist Andrew Parker from the University of Oxford, gathered their data at Modern Art Oxford's Graham Sutherland exhibition in March.

While Dara is busy crunching the numbers, Quentin is joined by Chris McManus, a Professor of Psychology at UCL and Dara's other mentor, art historian Prof Martin Kemp. They discuss the science of aesthetics and whether there's reason to believe that expensive art moves us more emotionally.

And finally, subway systems around the world work as self-organising systems says a team of Theoretical physicists from France's National centre for scientific research. They applied a mathematical analysis to the structure and development of 14 of the world's biggest major underground railway systems and concluded that no matter how or when they were built they all exhibit the same underlying structure, one that has developed without pre planning and has led to the common mathematical relationships between lines and stations.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We also look at how street lighting is affecting micro environments. Insects and arachnids seem to grow and multiply under new whiter brighter street lights. We discuss the consequences of this with researcher Thomas Davies from Exeter University.

Silicon chips are a key component of computers, but now a new type of chip with moveable silicon offers the chance of much faster operation and the preservation of huge amounts of data without the need to power the chips. Tony Kenyon form the University College London's Photonic Materials lab heads the team behind the new invention.

We also look at earthquake prediction and ask why it is currently impossible so say exactly when and where earthquakes will occur.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Energy generation perceptions, light loving bugs, fast chips, and predicting earthquakes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In this week's programme Angela Saini asks whether the UK government's plans for future energy provisions live up to public expectations. New research shows the public generally favour renewable technologies over fossil fuels, but can the reality of our energy needs be squared with the public's wishes? We discuss this with public perception and energy policy experts Professors Nick Pidgeon from Cardiff University and Jim Watson from Sussex University.

We also look at how street lighting is affecting micro environments. Insects and arachnids seem to grow and multiply under new whiter brighter street lights. We discuss the consequences of this with researcher Thomas Davies from Exeter University.

Silicon chips are a key component of computers, but now a new type of chip with moveable silicon offers the chance of much faster operation and the preservation of huge amounts of data without the need to power the chips. Tony Kenyon form the University College London's Photonic Materials lab heads the team behind the new invention.

We also look at earthquake prediction and ask why it is currently impossible so say exactly when and where earthquakes will occur.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Energy generation perceptions, light loving bugs, fast chips, and predicting earthquakes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We hear the first results from one of our 'So You Want to Be a Scientist' teams. What noises do we really find horrible and why?

And we examine the state of the world's helium supply. It's not just used to inflate party balloons, helium has a key role in protecting sensitive microelectronics and enabling the correct functioning of medical scanners and equipment used in the study of neutrons. It occurs in the same deposits as natural gas, but is not managed well by the industries which extract and store it according to Dr Richard Clarke from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

80 years of neutrons, why helium gas isn't a laugh and horrible noises we love to hate.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

It's 80 years since British Physicist James Chadwick discovered the Neutron. Finding this key particle led to the development of many different branches of science from theoretical physics to modern medicine, engineering and electronics. Quentin Cooper discuss the significance of Chadwick's work and his legacy with Professor Peter Rowlands, from Liverpool University - where Chadwick worked on particle accelerators and Professor Andrew Harrison, from the Institut Laue-Langevin, one of the world's leading neutron research facilities.

We hear the first results from one of our 'So You Want to Be a Scientist' teams. What noises do we really find horrible and why?

And we examine the state of the world's helium supply. It's not just used to inflate party balloons, helium has a key role in protecting sensitive microelectronics and enabling the correct functioning of medical scanners and equipment used in the study of neutrons. It occurs in the same deposits as natural gas, but is not managed well by the industries which extract and store it according to Dr Richard Clarke from the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

80 years of neutrons, why helium gas isn't a laugh and horrible noises we love to hate.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We look at the transit of Venus. Venus passed between the earth and the sun earlier this week - and won't do so again for over 100 years. Observed in past centuries this phenomenon is credited with helping devise methods to navigate the earth's oceans, but it is also helping us now to detect distant planets that we cannot see.

And we catch up with 'So You Want to Be a Scientist' finalist Val Watham. After a lot of hard work analysing the results, Val can finally shed some light on whether horizontal or vertical stripes are more flattering.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Legionnaires' bacteriology, why Venus is good for science and the true illusion of stripes

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper looks at the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Scotland. He speaks to leading bacteriologist Professor Hugh Pennington about the causes of the disease, its history and why Legionnaires', one of the world's most dangerous bacterial pathogens, is so hard to detect.

We look at the transit of Venus. Venus passed between the earth and the sun earlier this week - and won't do so again for over 100 years. Observed in past centuries this phenomenon is credited with helping devise methods to navigate the earth's oceans, but it is also helping us now to detect distant planets that we cannot see.

And we catch up with 'So You Want to Be a Scientist' finalist Val Watham. After a lot of hard work analysing the results, Val can finally shed some light on whether horizontal or vertical stripes are more flattering.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Legionnaires' bacteriology, why Venus is good for science and the true illusion of stripes

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Just ahead of the finals in Cheltenham, we catch up with two of our 'So You Want to Be a Scientist?' finalists. William Rudling can finally shed some light on whether people who look similar also have similar voices. And we hear from Dara Djavan Khoshdel if people's emotional response to an artwork is a good predictor of the monetary value of that artwork.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Quentin Cooper looks at how mathematical genius Alan Turing helped form the digital age.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This month sees the 100th anniversary of the birth of British mathematician and computer pioneer Alan Turing. Lauded by many as one of the founding fathers of information technology, his visionary ideas and theories are at the heart of our digital age. Yet until relatively recently he was forgotten, his achievements ignored. We discuss his legacy with Dr Tilly Blyth, curator if computing and information at London's science museum and Dr Peter Bentley, reader in computer science at University College London and the author of the recently published 'digitized' in which he compares the work of Alan Turing with other computer age pioneers.

Just ahead of the finals in Cheltenham, we catch up with two of our 'So You Want to Be a Scientist?' finalists. William Rudling can finally shed some light on whether people who look similar also have similar voices. And we hear from Dara Djavan Khoshdel if people's emotional response to an artwork is a good predictor of the monetary value of that artwork.

Producer: Julian Siddle.

Quentin Cooper looks at how mathematical genius Alan Turing helped form the digital age.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We also hear from scientist and journalist Ben Goldacre about a new push to use methods from medical testing to examine the effectiveness of government social policy initiatives.

We speak to the winner of The Venture prize, £25000 for scientific innovation. They are looking at ways to turn laboratory work into a commercial product. Researchers at Oxford University hope to use cheap and widely available metals to replace expensive coatings on computer screens and solar panels.

And we hear about new developments in producing sustainable packaging materials.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Finch report, a government report into science publishing came out last week. Its findings were not widely covered despite feelings running high about the influence of the multi million pound science publishing industry. Many scientists are unhappy with the current science publishing system, where important research findings are published in commercial journals. They say scientific data gleaned from publicly funded research should be freely available. We speak to the report's Author Dame Janet finch.

We also hear from scientist and journalist Ben Goldacre about a new push to use methods from medical testing to examine the effectiveness of government social policy initiatives.

We speak to the winner of The Venture prize, £25000 for scientific innovation. They are looking at ways to turn laboratory work into a commercial product. Researchers at Oxford University hope to use cheap and widely available metals to replace expensive coatings on computer screens and solar panels.

And we hear about new developments in producing sustainable packaging materials.

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Also in today's programme, Quentin visits the annual Summer Science Exhibition at the Royal Society. Dr Phil Manning explains how particle physics does not just allow scientists to find Higgs, but can also tell us about the colour of dinosaurs. His group uses a particle accelerator to 'read' fossils. At another stand, Dr Gianluca Memoli and Ian Butterworth from the National Physical Laboratory tell Quentin why the sound of bubbles can have interesting medical applications. And Dr Stephen Leslie maps the genetic make-up of the different peoples in the UK. Quentin finds out he is actually more of a soft Southerner than the tough Northerner he fancied himself to be ...

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week scientists at CERN in Geneva have discovered a sub-atomic particle they think might be the long-sought Higgs Boson particle. Quentin talks to leading CERN scientists Professor Jim Virdee and his colleague at Imperial College, Professor Gavin Davies, about the implications of this finding.

Also in today's programme, Quentin visits the annual Summer Science Exhibition at the Royal Society. Dr Phil Manning explains how particle physics does not just allow scientists to find Higgs, but can also tell us about the colour of dinosaurs. His group uses a particle accelerator to 'read' fossils. At another stand, Dr Gianluca Memoli and Ian Butterworth from the National Physical Laboratory tell Quentin why the sound of bubbles can have interesting medical applications. And Dr Stephen Leslie maps the genetic make-up of the different peoples in the UK. Quentin finds out he is actually more of a soft Southerner than the tough Northerner he fancied himself to be ...

Quentin Cooper investigates the news in science and science in the news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In this week's programme Angela Saini visits the Farnborough International air show to find out how technology might speed up the airport security process. David Smith from FLIR demonstrates a mock-up of a future passenger check-in, where hidden radioactivity detectors can spot suspicious isotopes before those carrying them know they've been scanned. And with the European Union keen to allow bottles of water to be carried again onto planes next year, he demonstrates a scanner which should be able to detect liquid explosives.

Angela also speaks to Oliver B怀cking and Mark Stevens, of start-up company DNA-Tracker, about how their technology could track mobile phones to check for suspicious behaviour as passengers move around the terminal.

Angela also discusses with Civil Engineer Peter Budd how good airport design can make visiting airports a positive experience.

And we hear from Designer Bill Walmsley about synthetic sandbag technology, now used to defend many of our airports from car bombs.

Angela Saini examines new technology designed to speed up airport security checks.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

With the Olympics only weeks away, airport security has been high on the government's agenda. Recent long queues and the time taken to clear security at Heathrow in particular has been criticised by MPs.

In this week's programme Angela Saini visits the Farnborough International air show to find out how technology might speed up the airport security process. David Smith from FLIR demonstrates a mock-up of a future passenger check-in, where hidden radioactivity detectors can spot suspicious isotopes before those carrying them know they've been scanned. And with the European Union keen to allow bottles of water to be carried again onto planes next year, he demonstrates a scanner which should be able to detect liquid explosives.

Angela also speaks to Oliver B怀cking and Mark Stevens, of start-up company DNA-Tracker, about how their technology could track mobile phones to check for suspicious behaviour as passengers move around the terminal.

Angela also discusses with Civil Engineer Peter Budd how good airport design can make visiting airports a positive experience.

And we hear from Designer Bill Walmsley about synthetic sandbag technology, now used to defend many of our airports from car bombs.

Angela Saini examines new technology designed to speed up airport security checks.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

99.9% of all creatures that ever roamed the Earth are no longer alive today. As a memorial to all species lost since the dodo, the project MEMO (Mass Extinction Monitoring Observatory) will erect a huge bell-tower on the Isle of Portland in Dorset.

Also in Dorset, a science/art collaboration as part of the Cultural Olympiad is unveiled next week on and around the Jurassic Coast. The producer and earth science advisor to Exlab discuss what will be seen and also the criticism that there was little or no science included in the festivities.

We also take a look at crowd funding as a new means to fund scientific research. Matt Salzberg has set up Petridish.org as a means to connect scientists and potential donors. Science communicator Alice Bell will join Quentin in the studio to discuss implications and potential ethical pitfalls.

Neanderthal medicine, commemorating extinctions, ExLab and the ethics of crowd funding.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Researchers have found new evidence that suggests Neanderthals may have used medicinal herbs to treat their ailments. In northern Spain they have found evidence they ate certain plants with no nutritional, but some medicinal, benefits.

99.9% of all creatures that ever roamed the Earth are no longer alive today. As a memorial to all species lost since the dodo, the project MEMO (Mass Extinction Monitoring Observatory) will erect a huge bell-tower on the Isle of Portland in Dorset.

Also in Dorset, a science/art collaboration as part of the Cultural Olympiad is unveiled next week on and around the Jurassic Coast. The producer and earth science advisor to Exlab discuss what will be seen and also the criticism that there was little or no science included in the festivities.

We also take a look at crowd funding as a new means to fund scientific research. Matt Salzberg has set up Petridish.org as a means to connect scientists and potential donors. Science communicator Alice Bell will join Quentin in the studio to discuss implications and potential ethical pitfalls.

Neanderthal medicine, commemorating extinctions, ExLab and the ethics of crowd funding.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

While it is unlikely that the UK will be hit by a tsunami caused by an earthquake, rare but very large underwater landslides could cause a huge amount of destruction in coastal areas. A UK-wide project, led by researchers at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, has recently been awarded a grant of £2.3 million to investigate such tsunami threats to the UK. Quentin speaks with Peter Talling to discuss the severity of the tsunami threat and the importance of this research.

NASA has announced that this month an unusually large percentage of the surface of the Greenland ice sheet has melted. It is far from unusual for Greenland's ice caps to melt slightly in summer, but the geographical extent and speed of the current melt have not been observed since the satellite age, and perhaps have not happened since the late 19th century. Quentin is joined from the University of Sheffield by Edward Hanna to find out whether the reaction to the news this week was proportional.

Finally Quentin is joined in the studio by Dr Andrew King of the Royal Veterinary College to discuss herd behaviour of sheep. By kitting out a herd of sheep and a sheepdog with small GPS backpacks, his group has found evidence that sheep in a herd will display selfish behaviour in order to stay safe, for the first time quantifying a previously qualitative theory.

Simulating a whole bacterium, UK tsunamis, melting Greenland ice, and herd behaviour.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Researchers at Stanford University and the J Craig Venter Institute have managed for the first time to make a computer simulation of an entire organism. Quentin is joined by Markus Covert, the team's leader, to learn how the scientists were able to successfully simulate the workings of the simple bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium.

While it is unlikely that the UK will be hit by a tsunami caused by an earthquake, rare but very large underwater landslides could cause a huge amount of destruction in coastal areas. A UK-wide project, led by researchers at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, has recently been awarded a grant of £2.3 million to investigate such tsunami threats to the UK. Quentin speaks with Peter Talling to discuss the severity of the tsunami threat and the importance of this research.

NASA has announced that this month an unusually large percentage of the surface of the Greenland ice sheet has melted. It is far from unusual for Greenland's ice caps to melt slightly in summer, but the geographical extent and speed of the current melt have not been observed since the satellite age, and perhaps have not happened since the late 19th century. Quentin is joined from the University of Sheffield by Edward Hanna to find out whether the reaction to the news this week was proportional.

Finally Quentin is joined in the studio by Dr Andrew King of the Royal Veterinary College to discuss herd behaviour of sheep. By kitting out a herd of sheep and a sheepdog with small GPS backpacks, his group has found evidence that sheep in a herd will display selfish behaviour in order to stay safe, for the first time quantifying a previously qualitative theory.

Simulating a whole bacterium, UK tsunamis, melting Greenland ice, and herd behaviour.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin also finds out how a mathematical approach can help elucidate the historical basis of some of our oldest classical texts. Padraig Mac Carron and Ralph Kenna, join him from Coventry University.

And Alex Kacelnik joins Quentin from Oxford to discuss the question as to whether or not animals have empathy.

A look at phonics and neuroscience, maths and the epic classics, and animal empathy.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

While school children are enjoying a well-deserved holiday, Quentin Cooper discusses the use of phonics to teach children to read and looks at the extent to which neuroscience can help inform education policy. He is joined from Cambridge by Usha Goswami and from York by Charles Hulme.

Quentin also finds out how a mathematical approach can help elucidate the historical basis of some of our oldest classical texts. Padraig Mac Carron and Ralph Kenna, join him from Coventry University.

And Alex Kacelnik joins Quentin from Oxford to discuss the question as to whether or not animals have empathy.

A look at phonics and neuroscience, maths and the epic classics, and animal empathy.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Butterflies in Japan, around Fukushima, have been affected by exposure to radioactive material following the nuclear meltdown 18 months ago, a new study in the journal, Scientific Reports, suggests. Scientists found an increase in leg, antennae and wing shape mutations among the Pale Grass Blue butterfly. Biologist Tim Mousseau from the University of South Carolina studies the impacts of radiation on animals and plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima and says the Japanese research has important implications for life in Fukushima.

Parkinson's Disease is a neurological condition with no cure. It's also very difficult to diagnose because there is no objective test. But now, a UK mathematician could be close to providing a fast and cheap way to make early diagnosis, using voice-pattern recognition. Dr Max Little, a research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, developed an algorithm while studying at Oxford University. Changes to speech is one of the main symptoms of the disease, and by collecting 10,000 voice samples from people around the world, hopes are that the rich voice dataset will be able to identify specific symptoms and provide early diagnosis. Also in the conversation is Dr Keiran Breen, Director of Research and Innovation at Parkinson's UK, who thinks this research will be of benefit.

British scientists are preparing to set off for the Antarctic in an ambitious project to drill down into a sub glacial lake that hasn't seen the light of day for hundreds of thousands of years. Engineers from the British Antarctic Survey are using a giant drill to bore down three kilometres into Lake Ellsworth in an expedition that's been 15 years in the planning. Using high-pressure hot water, Andy Tait, lead drill engineer, describes the challenges and aims of the project.

Producer: Fiona Hill.

How a child with total paralysis could kick a football using a brain-controlled suit.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

A suit that is controlled by the brain is close to enabling a quadriplegic child to kick a football. Neuroscientist Professor Miguel Nicolelis has pledged that he's close to perfecting an entire robotic body suit that will be operated by thought alone. Users will be able to imagine an action, and the brain will send signals to the prosthetic device to complete the action. Based at Duke University, Professor Nicolelis tells Quentin Cooper that his recent research has given him new confidence that his World Cup pledge is deliverable. By placing sensors all over the exo-skeleton, the robotic arm or body suit can now send signals back to the brain, giving the user a sense of touch.

Butterflies in Japan, around Fukushima, have been affected by exposure to radioactive material following the nuclear meltdown 18 months ago, a new study in the journal, Scientific Reports, suggests. Scientists found an increase in leg, antennae and wing shape mutations among the Pale Grass Blue butterfly. Biologist Tim Mousseau from the University of South Carolina studies the impacts of radiation on animals and plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima and says the Japanese research has important implications for life in Fukushima.

Parkinson's Disease is a neurological condition with no cure. It's also very difficult to diagnose because there is no objective test. But now, a UK mathematician could be close to providing a fast and cheap way to make early diagnosis, using voice-pattern recognition. Dr Max Little, a research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, developed an algorithm while studying at Oxford University. Changes to speech is one of the main symptoms of the disease, and by collecting 10,000 voice samples from people around the world, hopes are that the rich voice dataset will be able to identify specific symptoms and provide early diagnosis. Also in the conversation is Dr Keiran Breen, Director of Research and Innovation at Parkinson's UK, who thinks this research will be of benefit.

British scientists are preparing to set off for the Antarctic in an ambitious project to drill down into a sub glacial lake that hasn't seen the light of day for hundreds of thousands of years. Engineers from the British Antarctic Survey are using a giant drill to bore down three kilometres into Lake Ellsworth in an expedition that's been 15 years in the planning. Using high-pressure hot water, Andy Tait, lead drill engineer, describes the challenges and aims of the project.

Producer: Fiona Hill.

How a child with total paralysis could kick a football using a brain-controlled suit.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

A global challenge to invent a new toilet that doesn't need water, electricity or a septic system, doesn't pollute and costs less than five cents a day is being worked on by scientists around the world. Professor Sohail Khan from Loughborough University is one of the winners of the Reinvent the Toilet competition run by the Gates Foundation. His team's design is based on hydrothermal carbonisation - a sort of pressure cooker which converts waste into something that looks and smells like coffee.

When a bomb explodes in a warzone, it produces a blast wave and then a thermal heat wave that can reach temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists in the USA have developed a camouflage make-up designed to protect exposed skin for 15 seconds - and in some cases up to a minute - from this intense heat. Professor Robert Lochhead and a team at the University of Southern Mississippi were commissioned by the Department of Defence to develop the make-up. It protects soldiers from the searing heat of roadside Improvised Explosive Devices as well as providing traditional camouflage. Field trials are now underway. The team used silicones, which absorb radiation at wavelengths outside the intense heat spectrum, instead of the traditional hydrocarbon ingredients used in cosmetics.

Age-related hearing loss is inevitable and irreversible, but now British birdwatchers are worried it could be affecting their ability to record and survey, accurately, bird species with higher-pitched song. Eminent birder, Richard Porter, put the peregrine among the pigeons when he admitted his inability to hear certain species' birdsong in an article in British Birds magazine. At the RSPB's annual British Bird Fair, he tells Quentin that he's concerned that higher range hearing loss could be distorting the all-important surveys of British birds. Acknowledging the possibility of an age hearing effect on the data, Andy Clements, Director of the British Trust for Ornithology, outlines new research, planned for the Autumn, to measure volunteers' hearing abilities and cross reference this with known bird populations.

Quentin Cooper investigates Mars, bomb-proof make-up, toilets of the future, and bird song

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

As public interest in the red planet reaches a peak and NASA's Rover Curiosity begins tentatively to roll across the Martian surface, their next lander - called InSight - is announced to some fanfare. Based on an older, simpler, static probe, InSight will look for Marsquakes and teach us about the deep seismic structure of Mars. But as the former head of Science and Robotic Missions at the European Space Agency, now President of the Royal Astronomical Society, Prof David Southwood tells Quentin, there is some disappointment for planetary scientists, and fears that with budgetary cuts jeopardising many planned missions, Curiosity could be the last hurrah for this golden age of Martian exploration.

A global challenge to invent a new toilet that doesn't need water, electricity or a septic system, doesn't pollute and costs less than five cents a day is being worked on by scientists around the world. Professor Sohail Khan from Loughborough University is one of the winners of the Reinvent the Toilet competition run by the Gates Foundation. His team's design is based on hydrothermal carbonisation - a sort of pressure cooker which converts waste into something that looks and smells like coffee.

When a bomb explodes in a warzone, it produces a blast wave and then a thermal heat wave that can reach temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists in the USA have developed a camouflage make-up designed to protect exposed skin for 15 seconds - and in some cases up to a minute - from this intense heat. Professor Robert Lochhead and a team at the University of Southern Mississippi were commissioned by the Department of Defence to develop the make-up. It protects soldiers from the searing heat of roadside Improvised Explosive Devices as well as providing traditional camouflage. Field trials are now underway. The team used silicones, which absorb radiation at wavelengths outside the intense heat spectrum, instead of the traditional hydrocarbon ingredients used in cosmetics.

Age-related hearing loss is inevitable and irreversible, but now British birdwatchers are worried it could be affecting their ability to record and survey, accurately, bird species with higher-pitched song. Eminent birder, Richard Porter, put the peregrine among the pigeons when he admitted his inability to hear certain species' birdsong in an article in British Birds magazine. At the RSPB's annual British Bird Fair, he tells Quentin that he's concerned that higher range hearing loss could be distorting the all-important surveys of British birds. Acknowledging the possibility of an age hearing effect on the data, Andy Clements, Director of the British Trust for Ornithology, outlines new research, planned for the Autumn, to measure volunteers' hearing abilities and cross reference this with known bird populations.

Quentin Cooper investigates Mars, bomb-proof make-up, toilets of the future, and bird song

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Kepler spacecraft has spotted a binary star system with more than one planet orbiting. Furthermore, one of the planets could have liquid water.

An image of the rocky base of Mount Sharp on Mars shows a feature which, to a terrestrial geologist, looks exactly like evidence for a river delta.

This week a paper in the Journal of Neuroscience looks at the physical structure of piano tuners' brains. An area in the hippocampus shows changes in size that relate to the amount of time piano tuners have been working, not to their age.

And it is suggested by researchers in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that chimpanzees won't punish thieves unless they are themselves the victim. Could it be that third party punishment is unique to humans among the higher primates?

Piano tuners' brains, exo-planets and chimp justice. Quentin Cooper presents science news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines...

The Kepler spacecraft has spotted a binary star system with more than one planet orbiting. Furthermore, one of the planets could have liquid water.

An image of the rocky base of Mount Sharp on Mars shows a feature which, to a terrestrial geologist, looks exactly like evidence for a river delta.

This week a paper in the Journal of Neuroscience looks at the physical structure of piano tuners' brains. An area in the hippocampus shows changes in size that relate to the amount of time piano tuners have been working, not to their age.

And it is suggested by researchers in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that chimpanzees won't punish thieves unless they are themselves the victim. Could it be that third party punishment is unique to humans among the higher primates?

Piano tuners' brains, exo-planets and chimp justice. Quentin Cooper presents science news.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper features some of the highlights of the British Science Festival in Aberdeen, including research into foods that could make us feel full for longer that could be useful to help people lose weight. He'll also be finding out why Aberdeen University ecologists have been tracking voles in the north west of Scotland and how the flooded old mines under Glasgow could be a source of heating for homes and offices. And there's a report on the latest news about the human genome which reveals more of what our DNA actually does.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper explores how online social pressure can increase voter turnout.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. Material World this week is full of record breakers: an experiment involving 61 million people, an update on what is happening with the furthest-flung man-made object from Earth; the Voyager space craft, the largest botanical project ever completed - the Flora of Tropical East Africa and the biggest award for engineering - The Queen Elizabeth Prize.

Quentin Cooper explores how online social pressure can increase voter turnout.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Climate computer modelling and its use in determining future UK energy policy.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper asks how climate computer modelling is being used to determine future UK energy policy. Also on the programme how flies could help feed livestock; could growing protein on larvae be an ingenious solution to food shortages? And how bumblebees find their food in the wild - the first study to look at their behaviour outside the laboratory.

Climate computer modelling and its use in determining future UK energy policy.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper visits the Gravity Fields festival in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Retractions - what happens when published research is wrong? With Quentin Cooper.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week Material World looks into what happens when published research is wrong, or worse fraudulent? When a published peer reviewed article is subsequently found to have something wrong with it, journals may send out a retraction notice. But do these notices tell the whole story? Research out this week suggests that up to two thirds of retracted papers are due to scientific misconduct, rather than simple error. Also ecologists ask the public to help them identify 2 million bat calls and test tube spiders; how one of the largest British spiders has been reared in captivity and is now being released into the wild.

Retractions - what happens when published research is wrong? With Quentin Cooper.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Nobel Prizes for 2012; the science and the glory.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

As part of the inaugural Biology Week, Prof. Adam Hart outlines the results from this year's Flying Ant Survey, promoted by the Society of Biology. 6000 sightings were reported by the public. And it seems that this year at least, there was no single genuine Flying Ant Day...

Two interesting new exoplanets have been announced this week: one discovered by the crowd research site planethunters.org which would seem to have four suns; the other, orbiting one of our nearest stars, alpha centauri B, and likely to be our nearest planetary neighbour outside of our solar system.

And finally, this year marks 50 years of British involvement in space. Royal Mail has released a set of stamps covered with images from ESA space probes of the sights of our solar system. Stuart Clark explains.

What is the scientific evidence behind the badger cull?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The ten year randomised badger culling trial was set up under the eye of Lord Krebs. On Material World this week he outlines some of the scientific knowledge - and the gaps in that knowledge - that relate to the two licences granted recently to pilot wider badger culls in England. Badgers can carry TB and infect cattle. Bovine TB is a significant and growing problem for British farmers.

As part of the inaugural Biology Week, Prof. Adam Hart outlines the results from this year's Flying Ant Survey, promoted by the Society of Biology. 6000 sightings were reported by the public. And it seems that this year at least, there was no single genuine Flying Ant Day...

Two interesting new exoplanets have been announced this week: one discovered by the crowd research site planethunters.org which would seem to have four suns; the other, orbiting one of our nearest stars, alpha centauri B, and likely to be our nearest planetary neighbour outside of our solar system.

And finally, this year marks 50 years of British involvement in space. Royal Mail has released a set of stamps covered with images from ESA space probes of the sights of our solar system. Stuart Clark explains.

What is the scientific evidence behind the badger cull?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The men - fours scientists, two engineers and a government official - were found guilty of manslaughter for downplaying the risks of a big earthquake happening, after months of weaker tremors. But did the scientists get too close to a political role in those confused days? Will the verdict deter other scientists from offering their advice in future?

Prof Tom Jordan, who chaired an International Committee formed at the request of the Italian government to look into risk communication gives his thoughts on the verdict, and Dr Roger Mussen and Prof Robert Holdsworth give a UK view on the consequences for science.

Dr Jacob Dahl is trying to decrypt one of the oldest known written languages, proto-Elamite. He's putting hi-tech images of over 1000 clay tablets online, and hopes that with international cooperation he'll have cracked the code in the next two years.

And Dr Leonel Dupuy describes his breakthrough in the development of a see-through soil which will revolutionise crop studies, enabling extraordinarily highly detailed images of root systems in vivo.

Six-year sentences handed to Italian earthquake specialists for bad L'Aquila advice.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Seven members of a panel convened by Italy's Civil Protection Department in the days prior to the L'Aquila earthquake of 2009 have this week been sentenced to six years each in prison. The trial has been watched eagerly around the world by seismologists and earthquake specialists around the world.

The men - fours scientists, two engineers and a government official - were found guilty of manslaughter for downplaying the risks of a big earthquake happening, after months of weaker tremors. But did the scientists get too close to a political role in those confused days? Will the verdict deter other scientists from offering their advice in future?

Prof Tom Jordan, who chaired an International Committee formed at the request of the Italian government to look into risk communication gives his thoughts on the verdict, and Dr Roger Mussen and Prof Robert Holdsworth give a UK view on the consequences for science.

Dr Jacob Dahl is trying to decrypt one of the oldest known written languages, proto-Elamite. He's putting hi-tech images of over 1000 clay tablets online, and hopes that with international cooperation he'll have cracked the code in the next two years.

And Dr Leonel Dupuy describes his breakthrough in the development of a see-through soil which will revolutionise crop studies, enabling extraordinarily highly detailed images of root systems in vivo.

Six-year sentences handed to Italian earthquake specialists for bad L'Aquila advice.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Just a little over a decade ago a massive international effort went into the first sequencing of a human genome. This week, scientists writing in the journal Nature present a study that has sequenced the genomes of over a thousand individuals, from many different countries. It hopes to provide a reference map of local variabilities to help researchers understand indicators of disease or medicinal effectiveness in individuals.

Also on the programme; the real threats to British trees. Ash dieback may be in the headlines but between 3 to 4 million larches have been felled since 2009, horse chestnuts are seldom being replanted because of the destruction caused by the leaf miner moth and bleeding canker and will the elm ever recover from Dutch elm disease? Professor Clive Brasier, Andrew Halstead and Dr. Micheal Pocock discuss the 10 current epidemics that are infecting trees in Britain.

Gareth Mitchell investigates energy storage solutions and the threats to our woodlands.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In a few weeks the Government will unveil its new energy bill. Recently energy sources and prices have occupied a lot of headlines, and a couple of weeks ago much was made over an industrial process to convert air into petrol. What links all these things together is the often under-reported issues surrounding energy storage. John Loughhead and Malcolm Wilkinson discuss the various challenges and possible solutions to storing electrical energy to bridge the gaps between a varying energy demand and an intermittent renewable supply.

Just a little over a decade ago a massive international effort went into the first sequencing of a human genome. This week, scientists writing in the journal Nature present a study that has sequenced the genomes of over a thousand individuals, from many different countries. It hopes to provide a reference map of local variabilities to help researchers understand indicators of disease or medicinal effectiveness in individuals.

Also on the programme; the real threats to British trees. Ash dieback may be in the headlines but between 3 to 4 million larches have been felled since 2009, horse chestnuts are seldom being replanted because of the destruction caused by the leaf miner moth and bleeding canker and will the elm ever recover from Dutch elm disease? Professor Clive Brasier, Andrew Halstead and Dr. Micheal Pocock discuss the 10 current epidemics that are infecting trees in Britain.

Gareth Mitchell investigates energy storage solutions and the threats to our woodlands.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

A haul of stone blades from a cave in South Africa suggests that early humans were already masters of complex technology more than 70,000 years ago. The journal Nature reports on the new find which suggests that early humans passed on this knowledge down the generations. Dr. Curtis Marean, an archaeologist at Arizona State University in Tempe, who led the team that found the bladelets and Dr. Matthew Pope from the University College London argue that this could be the earliest evidence of truly modern human behaviour.

Finally why are birds migrating to the UK literally falling out of the sky and dying - Graham Madge from the RSPB explains more.

Coffee extinction, evidence of the earliest human society, and migratory birds dying.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Climate change alone could wipe out wild Arabica coffee by the end of this century, according to new research published in the journal PLOS One. Commercially grown Arabica coffee is from limited genetic stock and the loss of the wild crop could have significant implications for the sustainability of high quality coffee. Dr. Aaron Davis, Head of Coffee Research at Kew Gardens, who led the study, discusses the findings with global crop wild relative expert Dr. Nigel Maxted from the University of Birmingham.

A haul of stone blades from a cave in South Africa suggests that early humans were already masters of complex technology more than 70,000 years ago. The journal Nature reports on the new find which suggests that early humans passed on this knowledge down the generations. Dr. Curtis Marean, an archaeologist at Arizona State University in Tempe, who led the team that found the bladelets and Dr. Matthew Pope from the University College London argue that this could be the earliest evidence of truly modern human behaviour.

Finally why are birds migrating to the UK literally falling out of the sky and dying - Graham Madge from the RSPB explains more.

Coffee extinction, evidence of the earliest human society, and migratory birds dying.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

A report this week issued by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB suggests that crucial mistakes in our carbon accounting procedures make burning biomass in the form of wood appear a better idea than it really is. In fact, they go so far as to suggest we'd be better off sticking with coal. Yet recently some of the UK's biggest coal-fired plants have announced big increases in their biomass mix. From Princeton University in the US, Tim Searchinger - upon whose work much of the report is based - outlines the thinking. Gaynor Hartnell, CEO of the industry's Renewable Energy Association disputes the report.

Also this week, many results form the different LHC experiments at CERN are being presented at a meeting in Kyoto. Many scientists' hopes over the years have been that the LHC will find unexpected results and discoveries that will herald the New Physics - the theories that will take us beyond the standard model. A favourite has been supersymmetry. This week, a new type of decay (a Bs meson decaying into a muon and an anti muon) has been observed at a rate that almost exactly supports the standard model, rather than anything more exotic. And as we go to air, even the recently discovered Higgs boson seems to be nothing more exciting than a bog-Standard Model Higgs. But are reports of supersymmetry's demise highly exaggerated?

In the Netherlands, researchers have been working out whether emotions may be transmitted between humans via Chemosignals in people's sweat. You don't smell them, they are neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but left on a sweaty rag and wafted under female's noses they elicited a fear-like (and a disgust-like) response.

And finally Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal of consortium ASTRAEA talks to Quentin about imminent testing of civilian applications for Unmanned Aircraft, AKA drones...

Quentin Cooper looks at the idea of converting power stations to burn wood from trees.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines.

A report this week issued by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB suggests that crucial mistakes in our carbon accounting procedures make burning biomass in the form of wood appear a better idea than it really is. In fact, they go so far as to suggest we'd be better off sticking with coal. Yet recently some of the UK's biggest coal-fired plants have announced big increases in their biomass mix. From Princeton University in the US, Tim Searchinger - upon whose work much of the report is based - outlines the thinking. Gaynor Hartnell, CEO of the industry's Renewable Energy Association disputes the report.

Also this week, many results form the different LHC experiments at CERN are being presented at a meeting in Kyoto. Many scientists' hopes over the years have been that the LHC will find unexpected results and discoveries that will herald the New Physics - the theories that will take us beyond the standard model. A favourite has been supersymmetry. This week, a new type of decay (a Bs meson decaying into a muon and an anti muon) has been observed at a rate that almost exactly supports the standard model, rather than anything more exotic. And as we go to air, even the recently discovered Higgs boson seems to be nothing more exciting than a bog-Standard Model Higgs. But are reports of supersymmetry's demise highly exaggerated?

In the Netherlands, researchers have been working out whether emotions may be transmitted between humans via Chemosignals in people's sweat. You don't smell them, they are neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but left on a sweaty rag and wafted under female's noses they elicited a fear-like (and a disgust-like) response.

And finally Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal of consortium ASTRAEA talks to Quentin about imminent testing of civilian applications for Unmanned Aircraft, AKA drones...

Quentin Cooper looks at the idea of converting power stations to burn wood from trees.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper investigates the science in the news and the news in science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper presents his weekly digest of science in and behind the headlines. He talks to the scientists who are publishing their research in peer reviewed journals, and he discusses how that research is scrutinised and used by the scientific community, the media and the public. The programme also reflects how science affects our daily lives; from predicting natural disasters to the latest advances in cutting edge science like nanotechnology and stem cell research.

Quentin Cooper investigates the science in the news and the news in science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

An expedition of scientists, helicopter pilots, chefs and engineers embark on a four month mission to eradicate the brown rat from South Georgia. Professor Tony Martin, the team's leader, will be talking to Quentin about how his team will spread rat bait across 94,000 hectares of land.

Olive oil could be used to preserve ancient stone buildings, like York Minster. Synchrotron X-ray methods are used to understand the protective powers of olive oil for stone. Dr Karen Wilson will be joining Quentin on the line from Cardiff.

Also, Quentin talks to Professor Martyn Poliakoff about the new Romantic Chemistry exhibition at the Royal Society. The exhibition looks at the most unusual elements discovered by Fellows of the Society during the Romantic period (1780-1825).

UK Energy Bill, rat cull in South Georgia, the powers of olive oil, and Romantic Chemistry

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Dr Dave Reay analyses the latest Energy Bill statement by the Energy Secretary.

An expedition of scientists, helicopter pilots, chefs and engineers embark on a four month mission to eradicate the brown rat from South Georgia. Professor Tony Martin, the team's leader, will be talking to Quentin about how his team will spread rat bait across 94,000 hectares of land.

Olive oil could be used to preserve ancient stone buildings, like York Minster. Synchrotron X-ray methods are used to understand the protective powers of olive oil for stone. Dr Karen Wilson will be joining Quentin on the line from Cardiff.

Also, Quentin talks to Professor Martyn Poliakoff about the new Romantic Chemistry exhibition at the Royal Society. The exhibition looks at the most unusual elements discovered by Fellows of the Society during the Romantic period (1780-1825).

UK Energy Bill, rat cull in South Georgia, the powers of olive oil, and Romantic Chemistry

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We also interview James Watson the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA on the reissue of his classic work on the subject 'The Double Helix'.

How science can save boring climate talks and an interview with DNA pioneer James Watson.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

With the on-going climate talks in Doha not hitting the headlines Quentin Cooper asks whether such large scale and largely incomprehensible meetings are effective at delivering anything worthwhile on climate change. Can science take the initiative from the policymakers and present the subject in a way which interests and inspires the public?

We also interview James Watson the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA on the reissue of his classic work on the subject 'The Double Helix'.

How science can save boring climate talks and an interview with DNA pioneer James Watson.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We also look at the mystery of Piltdown man. Once thought of as the missing link between ancient apes and humans this Sussex fossil was exposed as a fake more than 50 years ago. The mixture of human, orang-utan and chimpanzee parts is the subject of a new scientific investigation using modern techniques including DNA analysis. Researchers hope to solve the mystery of who produced the hoax and why.

Also on the programme we speak to mathematicians who may have found a way of making computers process information thousands of times faster than they do now.

And we discuss the 'science of Middle earth' how far the fantasy of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit stories accurately reflect science.

Science cash prizes, science in The Hobbit, and solving an archaeological hoax.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Earlier this week, Steven Hawking was awarded 3 million dollars for his contribution to theoretical physics. 7 scientific leaders at CERN received the same amount between them. We look at the impact of awarding such prizes. While they create headlines for the scientists involved - do they help promote the science and are they fair, given the collaborative nature of contemporary scientific research?

We also look at the mystery of Piltdown man. Once thought of as the missing link between ancient apes and humans this Sussex fossil was exposed as a fake more than 50 years ago. The mixture of human, orang-utan and chimpanzee parts is the subject of a new scientific investigation using modern techniques including DNA analysis. Researchers hope to solve the mystery of who produced the hoax and why.

Also on the programme we speak to mathematicians who may have found a way of making computers process information thousands of times faster than they do now.

And we discuss the 'science of Middle earth' how far the fantasy of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit stories accurately reflect science.

Science cash prizes, science in The Hobbit, and solving an archaeological hoax.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

We also look to Antarctica, a project to drill through the frozen surface of Lake Ellsworth has been suspended due to problems with a hot water powered drill. Scientists hope to resume drilling by Christmas day and obtain samples for their search for life forms that may have existed for millennia below the lakes frozen surface.

We talk to Alexander Kumar a doctor who has spent the past 9 months living in Antarctica as part of an European Space Agency project to look at the physiological and psychological impact of extreme cold and isolation - which ESA hopes will help inform future long distance space missions to other planets.

And we hear from children's presenters Dick and Dom about their new science series 'How Dangerous' which is being broadcast on 4 Extra starting on Christmas Eve.

Unintelligent IQ tests, frozen Lakes, human life on Mars, and Santa stuck in a chimney.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The tornado that tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday 20th May is nothing new to the area, which is situated at the Southern tip of 'tornado alley' and was crippled by an equally devastating tornado back in 1999. But what is it that makes this stretch of land so susceptible to these phenomena and what can its residents do to protect themselves? Professor John Snow from the University of Oklahoma's College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences sheds some light on what life is like as a resident of 'tornado alley'.

Year on year, another tree disease or pest is identified within British borders with ash dieback the latest in a long list of pathogens attacking our native species. In light of this, The Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce has compiled its final report this week. Chris Gilligan, chairman of the expert taskforce and Professor of Mathematical Biology at the University of Cambridge, talks us through the report's recommendations.

In August 2011, outbreaks of Schmallenberg Virus in cattle, goats and sheep emerged in some countries of Western Europe. The most dramatic effects of the virus can be seen in stillborn calves and lambs with severe deformities. Just over a year since the virus was first discovered in the UK, a vaccine has been developed in time for the breeding season. Professor Peter Borriello, CEO of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, explains how the vaccine was engineered so quickly.

Professor Hugh Griffiths, the winner of the Institution of Engineering and Technology's (IET) A F Harvey Prize, is receiving his prize tonight - £300, 000 to continue his work on bistatic radar and using FM radio waves and TV signals as radar. He joins Quentin Cooper in the studio.

Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz.

Why is Oklahoma so prone to tornadoes and what can residents do to protect themselves?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The tornado that tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday 20th May is nothing new to the area, which is situated at the Southern tip of 'tornado alley' and was crippled by an equally devastating tornado back in 1999. But what is it that makes this stretch of land so susceptible to these phenomena and what can its residents do to protect themselves? Professor John Snow from the University of Oklahoma's College of Atmospheric & Geographic Sciences sheds some light on what life is like as a resident of 'tornado alley'.

Year on year, another tree disease or pest is identified within British borders with ash dieback the latest in a long list of pathogens attacking our native species. In light of this, The Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce has compiled its final report this week. Chris Gilligan, chairman of the expert taskforce and Professor of Mathematical Biology at the University of Cambridge, talks us through the report's recommendations.

In August 2011, outbreaks of Schmallenberg Virus in cattle, goats and sheep emerged in some countries of Western Europe. The most dramatic effects of the virus can be seen in stillborn calves and lambs with severe deformities. Just over a year since the virus was first discovered in the UK, a vaccine has been developed in time for the breeding season. Professor Peter Borriello, CEO of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, explains how the vaccine was engineered so quickly.

Professor Hugh Griffiths, the winner of the Institution of Engineering and Technology's (IET) A F Harvey Prize, is receiving his prize tonight - £300, 000 to continue his work on bistatic radar and using FM radio waves and TV signals as radar. He joins Quentin Cooper in the studio.

Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz.

Why is Oklahoma so prone to tornadoes and what can residents do to protect themselves?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Professor Elspeth Garman commemorates a century since the publication of an idea that made discovering protein structures possible: The Bragg Equation. She takes us from the Braggs' father-and-son discovery of x-ray crystallography and publication of the structure of table salt in 1913, to the cutting-edge work happening in her lab at Oxford University. Her team's past projects have included determining the structure of the N9 part of influenza viruses, which was used to develop antiviral drugs. She explains how this work and cryogenically cooling proteins to preserve them inside the Diamond Light Source synchrotron are where crystallography is heading.

How can we better understand and perhaps control the spread of drug-resistant HIV? Dr Katrina Lythgoe, an evolutionary epidemiologist from Imperial College London and L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women In Science fellow, recently published work in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Academy B that suggests HIV may evolve more slowly in a population of humans that it does in an individual person.

FameLab, started in the UK in 2005, and is now a world-leading science communication competition. To-date, more than 5000 young scientists and engineers from over 20 countries have participated so far. Lyubov Kostova, Public Communications Manager at the British Council in Bulgaria and Timandra Harkness - writer, performer and FameLab stalwart - discuss why the model is so successful.

Author Ann Cleeves's crime novel Shetland features a surprising character from real life: Dr James Grieve, a senior forensic pathologist at the University of Aberdeen. Ann and James discuss whether media portrayals of crime reflect the real-life people and real-life science involved.

The producers were Jen Whyntie and Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper is at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Professor Elspeth Garman commemorates a century since the publication of an idea that made discovering protein structures possible: The Bragg Equation. She takes us from the Braggs' father-and-son discovery of x-ray crystallography and publication of the structure of table salt in 1913, to the cutting-edge work happening in her lab at Oxford University. Her team's past projects have included determining the structure of the N9 part of influenza viruses, which was used to develop antiviral drugs. She explains how this work and cryogenically cooling proteins to preserve them inside the Diamond Light Source synchrotron are where crystallography is heading.

How can we better understand and perhaps control the spread of drug-resistant HIV? Dr Katrina Lythgoe, an evolutionary epidemiologist from Imperial College London and L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women In Science fellow, recently published work in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Academy B that suggests HIV may evolve more slowly in a population of humans that it does in an individual person.

FameLab, started in the UK in 2005, and is now a world-leading science communication competition. To-date, more than 5000 young scientists and engineers from over 20 countries have participated so far. Lyubov Kostova, Public Communications Manager at the British Council in Bulgaria and Timandra Harkness - writer, performer and FameLab stalwart - discuss why the model is so successful.

Author Ann Cleeves's crime novel Shetland features a surprising character from real life: Dr James Grieve, a senior forensic pathologist at the University of Aberdeen. Ann and James discuss whether media portrayals of crime reflect the real-life people and real-life science involved.

The producers were Jen Whyntie and Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper is at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Landing on the floor of the Gale Crater, next to a mountain of sedimentary strata, the 10 different instruments carried on board will provide more knowledge of the geological history of Mars - including the possibility of microbial life during an earlier, wetter epoch of Mars' past - than any previous mission.

Quentin Cooper reports on the latest surface rover mission to Mars, NASA's Curiosity.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper reports on the latest surface rover mission to Mars - NASA's Curiosity, or Mars Science Laboratory - twice as long, twice the science, and five times as heavy as its famous forebears.

Landing on the floor of the Gale Crater, next to a mountain of sedimentary strata, the 10 different instruments carried on board will provide more knowledge of the geological history of Mars - including the possibility of microbial life during an earlier, wetter epoch of Mars' past - than any previous mission.

Quentin Cooper reports on the latest surface rover mission to Mars, NASA's Curiosity.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

100 Years Of Plastic
Bakelite, the original plastic, is a hundred years old this year. The invention of Belgian-born Leo Hendrik Baekeland, it spawned an industry that now churns out 100 million tonnes annually around the world.

As the Science Museum unveils its exhibition Plasticity, curator Susan Mossman and professor of polymer science Dame Julia Higgins join Quentin Cooper to celebrate a class of materials that have transformed our lives.

Model Species
In little more than 100 years our understanding of inheritance and genetic disease has advanced dramatically. One of the remarkable aspects to all that study is that it has involved surprisingly few species. But what have a fruit fly or a zebrafish got to do with diabetes or muscular dystrophy?

Jim Endersby's new book, A Guinea Pig's History of Biology, traces some of the few special animals and plants that have taught us the facts of life. He and Charlotte Sleigh, senior lecturer in the history of science at the University of Kent, discuss the decisions researchers have made and will make in choosing which species to study.

Quentin Cooper explores the history of plastics and asks what the future may bring.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

75th Anniversary of Polythene
In 1933 a remarkable series of coincidences led to the discovery of a material that would change our lives forever. In this week's Material World, Quentin Cooper celebrates the 75th anniversary of the discovery of polythene. He is joined by Geoff Mitchell, Professor of Polymer Physics at the University of Reading and by Professor Dame Julia Higgins from Imperial College London to find out about polythene's uses, abuses and why polymers and plastics are still at the front line of scientific research.

Sound Perception
How does the brain process sound? How exactly can we distinguish between the clatter of cutlery or the beauty of singing. Sounds are pressure waves moving through the air, but our brains somehow manage to interpret this one-dimensional information and reconstruct the object that created it. Quentin is joined by Jan Schnupp, Neuroscientist from the University of Oxford and Sophie Scott from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience to find out how.

Quentin Cooper investigates research into how the brain processes complex sounds.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Acoustic Mapping
Scientists have been recreating the exact sounds of a building without having to actually be there.

Sue Nelson talks to Damian Murphy from York University who is using the latest acoustic mapping techniques to recreate the exact sound of ancient and new buildings.

He does this by capturing a series of room impulse response profiles - the acoustic fingerprint of a particular environment for a sound source and listener located at a specific position within it.

He can even recreate the acoustics of buildings that no longer exist, such as the old cathedral in Coventry.

Sue also talks to psychoacoustics expert Dr. Peter Rutherford from the School of the Built Environment at the University of Nottingham about how we hear and the interplay between music and the environment.
He explains how the physical acoustic properties of a building can change depending on how your brain listens to it and why the designers of concert halls are increasingly turning to scientific techniques to create exactly the right kind of sound.

The Earth's big dynamo
The problem of how the Earth generates and maintains its magnetic field was described by Einstein as one of the top five problems facing physics.

Theory has been about 30 years ahead of experiment in the realm of `Magnetohydrodynamics` - the area of physics that deals with how a massive ball of liquid metal can generate, and sustain, a magnetic field in the way the Earth's core seems to.

Recently a team of scientists in France have taken the lead in the race to build a model Earth by stirring a tank of liquid sodium using a pair of propellers spinning in opposite directions.

Joining Sue to discuss how such a simple apparatus has potentially opened up a whole new corner of experimental physics is Professor Keith Moffatt of Trinity College, Cambridge and Dr Jean-Fran瀀ois Pinton of the Ecole Normale Sup退rieure in Lyon.

Quentin Cooper finds out computers can simulate the acoustics of any building.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Algae
We take algae for granted - scum on a lake or seaweed round your toes... but algae is being used to develop cancer and malaria drugs, as well as being used in food, toothpaste, and even keeping the head on your pint of beer. Quentin talks to Michael Guiry, who is attempting to catalogue all algae and to Juliet Brodie who is using DNA barcoding to look at algae's genetic makeup.

Voice Forensics
Humans are pretty good at recognising voices, but would you trust your ears to link a voice recording to a suspect in a court of law? How reliable is ear witness testimony and what clues can the professional phonetician use to help solve crimes? Quentin talks to phoneticians Peter French and Francis Nolan about how they unearth hidden information in the voice to help police find and identify potential suspects.

Quentin Cooper and phoneticians Francis Nolan and Peter French discuss voice recognition.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

New DNA sequencing techniques have helped reveal the genetic make-up of a horse dating back more than 700,000 years. Gareth Mitchell speaks to paleoecologist Prof Keith Dobney on the challenges and wider importance of this scientific breakthrough and they ponder which ancient genomes will most likely be laid bare in the future.

Uncertainty is an integral part of scientific research, and drives our quest for discovery. Expressions like "limits of confidence" are often treated by the public as a weakness and an indication that scientists don't really know anything "for sure". Sometimes commentators interpret uncertainty as a license for claiming anything could be true. How does scientific truth sit with uncertainty? Professor Ian Stewart, a mathematician from Warwick University, and Professor Angela McLean, from the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, discuss why uncertainty is part of science and how acknowledging uncertainty is a strength rather than a weakness.

Effort spent carefully flavouring and seasoning your food could all be wasted if you don't pay attention to the cutlery you to eat it with. Prof Charles Spence joins the show from Oxford to explain why and possibly provide advice on which cutlery to use.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

How 700,000-year-old horse DNA could change the way scientists study evolution.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Animal Robots
Scientists are looking at the whiskers and the extraordinary sensing abilities of the rat. It's lead to the creation of ‘whiskerbot' a new type of robot that will be able to go into the places too dangerous for us humans to reach. On its journey it will tell us more about how the human brain makes sense of what we sense everyday. Sue Nelson is joined by Professor Tony Prescott, Adaptive Behaviour Research Group, Sheffield University and Dr Tony Pipe, IAS Laboratory, University of the West of England.

Plate Tectonics
The UK may have recently experienced its biggest earthquake in over 25 years, with toppling chimney pots a symbol of the shuddering events on the Earth's surface, but just what is happening below our feet?Sue Nelson talks to scientists who have discovered the first direct evidence of how and when the Earth's crust, made up of rock plates, sinks downwards into the deepest reaches of the Earth. Could this improve our ability to assess earthquake risk? Sue is joined by Dr Saskia Goes, Department of Earth Science & Engineering, Imperial College, University of London and Dr Arwen Deuss, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge.

Sue Nelson explores the world of animal robots.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

ARCTIC SEA ICE
Polar explorer Pen Hadow is teaming up with scientists to lead an expedition to survey the Arctic ice cap. He will be measuring its thickness, to find out more about the speed it's melting and further our understanding of its impact on climate change. Pen and his fellow team member Dr Jaoa Rodriquez from Cambridge University will join Quentin to explain more about the extraordinary world of moving ice.

LEFT HANDEDNESS
Fact: There are 3 times more left handed people in the UK today than in Victorian times. Why?

What causes some people to be left and others to be right handed? And why does where you live affect the answer? Professor Chris McManus and Dr Alan Beaton will be telling Quentin more.

Quentin Cooper talks finds out why there are so many more left handed people.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Art and Perception
The analytical facts of science and the imaginative dreamings of art sometimes seem poles apart. But they meet up in the human brain through the process of perception.

In Material World this week, Quentin Cooper hears from a leading neuroscientist - Professor Colin Blakemore and artist Daria Martin about the process of perception and how art can link the senses in surprising ways.

Colin Blakemore says: `I'm particularly interested in works of art as objects of perception, as well as metaphors for perception (simultaneously things in their own right, while representative of other things, other thoughts, other sensations).

Art, like mathematics, or a scientific model or theory, is the use of one form of representation to provoke enquiry or understanding about another.

And, like an equation or a theory, good art is beautiful or powerful in its own right, as well as being inherently satisfying in the way that it describes something else.` Daria Martin says her films are very far from being documentaries.

`You might describe them as 'fantasies. And yet they are made with real locations, real performers. They start as daydreams in my mind, and their actualisation is a kind of modelling of that daydream. In a sense, I attempt to capture what it's like to be in someone's head.` The discussion explores the suggestion that all art is ‘synaesthetic' - in other words it uses perception through one sense, such as vision, to evoke other senses and emotions.

The Fruit Fly's Brain
The latest `buzz` in neuroscience is all about flies' brains. Dr Kevin Moffat of Warwick University and Dr Richard Baines of Manchester University join Quentin Cooper to discuss how the tiny Drosophila melanogaster, or `fruit fly` is providing scientists with intriguing clues about how the brain works and what happens when it goes wrong. Brain research has taken flight as scientists have successfully engineered flies that closely model the symptoms of human diseases such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's.

Age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's are a growing health concern as humans are now living for longer. In addition, about one third of people with epilepsy are resistant to the drugs that are currently available. These powerful little creatures provide a tool that can help to unravel the underlying causes of brain diseases and accelerate the development of new drug treatments.

Quentin Cooper and guests discuss the latest developments in the world of science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Back to the Future: Dan Dare
It inspired one of the country's best known cosmologists, Stephen Hawking and Buckingham Palace had it regularly delivered during the 1950s.

The Eagle magazine sold 1 million copies per issue in its hey day.

A new Science Museum's exhibition ‘Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain' explores the legacy of World War Two for the country's science.

Quentin Cooper is joined by exhibition curator Ben Russell to find out more.

Synthetic Biology
The emerging field of synthetic biology could open up an entirely new field of medicine.

Could we one day use the techniques of engineering to manipulate our genetic circuitry inside our cells to permanently protect us against diseases like cancer?

Quentin Cooper talks to biologist John McCarthy from Manchester University and Engineer Richard Kitney, Imperial College, London.

Quentin Cooper discusses the postwar boom in science and technology with Ben Russell.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Bee Declines
Over a third of all the honeybees in the United States have died in the past two years. Beekeepers in the UK are noticing declines in the number of bees surviving the winter. Three out of the 25 species of bumblebees native to the UK are now extinct with others facing losses. What's happening to our bees? Quentin Cooper talks to Alison Benjamin amateur beekeeper and co-author of `A World Without Bees` and Dr Nigel Raine, bee ecologist from Queen Mary University in London to find out.

Tungunska Fireball
On the 30th June 1908, a huge fireball hurtled towards the Tunguska River region of Siberia. The explosion that followed was as powerful as 1000 Hiroshima bombs and knocked down an estimated 80 million trees. But 100 years later scientists are yet to find an impact crater or tell-tale meteorite remains. So what happened? Quentin is joined by Dr Phil Bland and Gareth Collins from Imperial College London to find out.

Quentin Cooper investigates the huge fireball that exploded in June 1908 in Siberia.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

EU states have voted in favour of a proposal to restrict the use of certain pesticides that have been linked to causing serious harm in bees. Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides are sprayed onto seeds and spread throughout the plant as it grows. There has been a lot of concern about this systematic approach, with some scientists arguing that it is comparable to using antibiotics prophylactically. Professor Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex and Dr. Lynn Dicks from the University of Cambridge discuss the scientific evidence currently available on these pesticides as well as the limited data available on the state of pollinating insects.

Patients in the UK have begun being enrolled into trials to see if an engineered virus can be used to heal their damaged and struggling hearts. The trial will use a virus to introduce genetic material into heart muscle to reverse the organ's decline. Researchers found that levels of the protein SERCA2a were lower in heart-failure patients. So they devised a genetically modified virus, with the instructions for producing more of the protein that can infect the heart. The virus will be released into the damaged heart muscle of patients involved in two separate trials testing both the safety and effectiveness of this potential treatment. Dr Alexander Lyon, a cardiologist at one of the hospitals involved, the Royal Brompton in London, and also a Senior Lecturer in Cardiology at Imperial College London is in the studio.

Why are petals all sorts of different shapes? New research shows that petals get their shape from a hidden molecular map within their buds that tells them how to grow. Dr Susana Sauret-Gueto from the John Innes plant science Centre in Norwich explains more about her research.

The science behind the EU pesticide ban - will it protect bees? Quentin Cooper presents.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

EU states have voted in favour of a proposal to restrict the use of certain pesticides that have been linked to causing serious harm in bees. Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides are sprayed onto seeds and spread throughout the plant as it grows. There has been a lot of concern about this systematic approach, with some scientists arguing that it is comparable to using antibiotics prophylactically. Professor Dave Goulson from the University of Sussex and Dr. Lynn Dicks from the University of Cambridge discuss the scientific evidence currently available on these pesticides as well as the limited data available on the state of pollinating insects.

Patients in the UK have begun being enrolled into trials to see if an engineered virus can be used to heal their damaged and struggling hearts. The trial will use a virus to introduce genetic material into heart muscle to reverse the organ's decline. Researchers found that levels of the protein SERCA2a were lower in heart-failure patients. So they devised a genetically modified virus, with the instructions for producing more of the protein that can infect the heart. The virus will be released into the damaged heart muscle of patients involved in two separate trials testing both the safety and effectiveness of this potential treatment. Dr Alexander Lyon, a cardiologist at one of the hospitals involved, the Royal Brompton in London, and also a Senior Lecturer in Cardiology at Imperial College London is in the studio.

Why are petals all sorts of different shapes? New research shows that petals get their shape from a hidden molecular map within their buds that tells them how to grow. Dr Susana Sauret-Gueto from the John Innes plant science Centre in Norwich explains more about her research.

The science behind the EU pesticide ban - will it protect bees? Quentin Cooper presents.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Marine plankton that live in tiny, intricate silica castles could make new biosensors and sun cream. White beetles that owe their whiteness to nanotechnology could lead to better paper. A fossil fly's eye could boost the efficiency of solar cells. Secrets of a butterfly's wing could make colourless colours in new cosmetics. And the hairs on a sea mouse could self-assemble the optical computers of the future.

All these are examples of microscopic nanostructures in nature that are so small that they interact with the wavelength of light, presumably to convey advantages to the creatures that make them, and perhaps that could be harnessed for human technology. Quentin Cooper hears how bio-mimetics - learning technological lessons from nature - is seeing the light and pointing the way to new, efficient optical material and devices.

Professor Pete Vukusic of Exeter University is a physicist with an interest in beetles and tiny marine diatoms; Professor Andrew Parker, a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London, studies how living things produce colour without pigment and how natural structures process light.

Invasive Tree Pests

Autumn appeared to come early this year for horse-chestnut trees across the UK. While other tree species are even now holding on to their remaining leaves, horse chestnut trees are being besieged by an invasive pest - a caterpillar called the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner.

Will the horse chestnut follow the doomed fate of the Dutch elm? Experts are concerned about the number of alien pests and diseases that are appearing in the UK, threatening the plants in our gardens, parks and across the countryside, as a result of being inadvertently imported into the UK.

Climate change is also likely to increase this risk. Is the very survival of our conker trees under threat? And what about other iconic tree species such as the Oak or Beech?

Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr Glynn Percival, Plant Physiologist at Bartlett Tree Research Laboratory and Dr Joan Webber, Principal Pathologist at the Forestry Commission, Farnham.

Quentin Cooper hears how bio-mimetics is pointing the way to new optical materials.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Blood Brain Barrier
The Blood Brain Barrier is an extraordinary mechanism. Its been known about for well over 100 years but it's only in the last 10 or 15 years that researchers have started to get an idea of the Blood Brain Barrier's role in diseases like MS, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Joan Abbott, Blood Brain Barrier group, King's College, University of London and Professor Sanjay Sisodiya, Institute of Neuroscience, University College, University of London to find out more.

The Domesday Book and Dead Sea Scrolls

The Domesday Book and Dead Sea Scrolls are written on parchment which is made from animal skin. This skin can degrade and turn into collagen losing the writings for ever. Quentin Cooper meets Professor Tim Weiss, Head of School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University. He is using powerful x-rays to examine incredibly small samples of the texts to see how they are degrading and what can be done to stop it.

Quentin Cooper explores the Blood Brain Barrier.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

DEFRA's Chief Scientific Advisor meets with scientists at the Royal Society to discuss future strategies in controlling bovine TB. Ian Boyd has called together sixty leading experts in bovine TB with the aim of developing new strategies in controlling the disease. He speaks to Quentin Cooper from the meeting. Also on the programme Christl Donnelly, Professor of Statistical Epidemiology at Imperial College London, and James Wood Alborada Professor of Equine and Farm Animal Science at Cambridge, both of whom were at the meeting.

The rediscovery of a mystery animal in the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery's underground storeroom proves that a non-native 'big cat' prowled the British countryside at the turn of the last century. When the skeleton of the animal was compared to the mounted skin, researchers realised that the description in the records was wrong and that it was in fact a Canadian lynx. The researchers studied the teeth of the lynx and looked at strontium isotopes in the bones to find out where it lived. Dr Ross Barnett, from the University of Durham and the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen, tells us more.

Shark teeth found at the bottom of aquariums are being used by scientists at Birmingham University to find out about biological diversity in ancient seas. Ultimately the work could help predict what will happen to life in the currently warming seas. Sharks lose teeth regularly and researchers think that clues to marine biological diversity over millions of years may be locked up in sharks' teeth. Studying oxygen isotopes, which are incorporated into sharks' teeth as they develop, can reveal the temperature of the seawater the shark lived in at the time. Dr. Ivan Sansom, a Palaeobiologist, is leading the project.

The latest in the battle against bovine TB, as leading scientists meet with policy makers.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

DEFRA's Chief Scientific Advisor meets with scientists at the Royal Society to discuss future strategies in controlling bovine TB. Ian Boyd has called together sixty leading experts in bovine TB with the aim of developing new strategies in controlling the disease. He speaks to Quentin Cooper from the meeting. Also on the programme Christl Donnelly, Professor of Statistical Epidemiology at Imperial College London, and James Wood Alborada Professor of Equine and Farm Animal Science at Cambridge, both of whom were at the meeting.

The rediscovery of a mystery animal in the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery's underground storeroom proves that a non-native 'big cat' prowled the British countryside at the turn of the last century. When the skeleton of the animal was compared to the mounted skin, researchers realised that the description in the records was wrong and that it was in fact a Canadian lynx. The researchers studied the teeth of the lynx and looked at strontium isotopes in the bones to find out where it lived. Dr Ross Barnett, from the University of Durham and the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen, tells us more.

Shark teeth found at the bottom of aquariums are being used by scientists at Birmingham University to find out about biological diversity in ancient seas. Ultimately the work could help predict what will happen to life in the currently warming seas. Sharks lose teeth regularly and researchers think that clues to marine biological diversity over millions of years may be locked up in sharks' teeth. Studying oxygen isotopes, which are incorporated into sharks' teeth as they develop, can reveal the temperature of the seawater the shark lived in at the time. Dr. Ivan Sansom, a Palaeobiologist, is leading the project.

The latest in the battle against bovine TB, as leading scientists meet with policy makers.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Bricks Made Out of Rubbish
In Britain around 350million bricks are manufactured each year and over the same period, millions of tonnes of broken glass and ash from waste incinerators are buried as landfill. Researchers from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council seem to have developed the prefect solution; build with the rubbish. The product in question is the `Bitublock`, which combines waste ash and crushed glass with bitumen to make an alternative to the traditional concrete building blocks. These blocks can be made from up to 100% waste material, and if put into full scale production they could make use of nearly 60% of incinerator ash.

Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr John Forth from Leeds University School of Civil Engineering and Dr Clare Perkins from ARUP Materials Consulting, to discuss how construction could be going green.

Subliminal Messaging
In 1957 marketeer James Vicary published a paper in which he claimed to have increased sales of fizzy drinks and popcorn in a cinema by repeatedly showing images for very short bursts in between the frames of the movie. There was a public outcry and the practice of subliminal messaging was banned in many countries.

However, by 1962 nobody had managed to repeat the results and Vicary eventually conceded that he had faked the demonstration. Interest in the brain's ability to receive and process information unconsciously has continued however, and it is only recently, with modern brain imaging techniques, that psychologists have been able to look into these dark corners of our minds.

Quentin is joined to discuss the potential of the techniques by Geraint Jones, Professor of Cognitive Neurology at Universal College London and Jane Raymond, Professor of Experimental Consumer Psychology at the University of Wales, Bangor.

Quentin Cooper talks to two civil engineers who want to build houses from recycled rubbish

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Caf退 Scientifique
Caf退 Scientifique is a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology and hear scientists, or writers on science, talk about their work and discuss it with diverse audiences. Meetings have taken place in caf退s, bars, restaurants and even theatres, but always outside a traditional academic context.

The first Caf退s Scientifiques were held in the UK in Leeds in 1998 - since then they've spread worldwide, and now Junior Caf退s are being set up in schools, and video links are connecting caf退s across the oceans.

As Caf退 organisers from across the globe gather in Leeds to share ideas, Quentin Cooper hears the latest thinking from two participants, Tom Shakespeare of Newcastle University, and Jenny Gristock of Sussex University.

What happened to the Polymaths?
So many of the great thinkers and great breakthroughs in the history of science are associated with work which would now be labelled interdisciplinary. More than that, the polymaths of old seemingly knew everything there was to know.

Maybe that just isn't possible now, and the age where one person could know everything is past. But what have we lost in today's world of specialised experts, and should we be encouraging young scientists to do more than "mere" interested dabbling in the future?

On Wednesday 16th May the Royal Institution is holding a debate on the subject of polymathy. Oliver Morton, News and Features Editor of the Journal Nature, and Science Writer Dr John Whitfield join Quentin to discuss the pros and cons of stepping outside your speciality.

Quentin Cooper investigates Cafe Scientifique, an informal discussion forum.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

CAPTIVE BREEDING
Captive breeding is sometimes touted as the answer to save threatened animal populations, but the modern attitude of zoos to captive breeding is complex.

Normally, breeding is done only to replace captive animals, to allow close-up research, and to raise awareness and money; not to repopulate wild animals. Captive breeding for reintroduction into the wild is a last resort in cases where the animal would otherwise go extinct, and when the problems in the habitat that caused the decline have been fixed—an example of this is Andrew Cunningham's project to breed vultures in India.

He's based at the Zoological Society of London, as is Sarah Christie who works with big cats. Tigers are popular among amateur breeders in the US, and commercial breeders in China who hope to make money from the illegal tiger bone trade.

Private breeders claim to be contributing to tiger conservation, but Sarah emphasises the difference between zoo breeding programs, which she calls ‘conservation breeding', and private breeding, which she calls ‘farming'.

POLYMER ELECTRONICS
Plastics are well known for their insulating properties, but in the 1970s researchers discovered a plastic polymer that could conduct electricity. It could do this because of its special molecular structure.

These polymers have varying abilities to conduct electricity and are the basis for a new field of research: plastic electronic engineering. Quentin Cooper finds out from Professors Henning Sirringhaus of Cambridge University and Donal Bradley of Imperial College London how polymers are being used to replace metals and semiconductors in electronic circuits.

In fact electronic devices made from conducting plastics are cheap to manufacture and can be very light and flexible, opening up a host of new applications.

Polymer-based television screens are set to challenge existing ways of watching.

In the future these materials will make possible things like thin, flexible laptops and even artificial skin for robots.

Quentin Cooper explores the thin and flexible world of plastic electronic engineering.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Changing Climates, Evolving Humans
Humans are geographically the most widely distributed species of mammal on the planet. It is all too easy to put this, and the success in general of humans, down to our intelligence and our ability to manipulate our surroundings. It is tempting to see us as somehow immune to and above the `natural world`.

However each year natural disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes are stark reminders that the environment plays a key role in shaping our future. The Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) Environmental Factors in the Chronology of Human Evolution and Dispersal (EFCHED) programme has been set up to find out what affect the environment has had on human evolution.

Quentin discusses the issues with Professor Clive Gamble, Professor of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London and Dr Michael Petraglia, Lecturer in Human Evolution at the University of Cambridge.

Sounds of Materials
Next week the Tate Modern in London is hosting an event to launch an audio tour of the gallery exploring the sounds of materials, entitled What Can the Matter Be?

Kings College London's Materials Library has taken a slightly off-the-wall appraisal of the exhibits - looking at the science of the sounds of the materials. Quentin is joined by Professor Trevor Cox of Salford University and Dr Mark Miodownic from King's to discuss the sounds materials make, with the aid of some studio props.

Quentin Cooper investigates climate change and its contribution to the origin of mankind.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Next week, representatives of the 188 nations that have signed the Chemical Weapons Convention meet in the Hague for its third review. Professor Leiv Sydnes, from the University of Bergen in Norway, chaired last year's international assessment of the impact of scientific advances on the Convention. He has expressed his concerns in the journal Nature that chemical and biological weapon advancement has gone beyond current legislation.

From chemical to biological warfare, Quentin Cooper moves to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. Dr. David Keir, Scientist and Programme manager at VERTIC - an NGO which monitors the development, implementation and effectiveness of international agreements - talks about the scientific credibility of plans by North Korea to restart its plutonium reactor. Are the on-going claims of increasing their nuclear capabilities realistic?

President Obama announced a major new scientific project to push forward the field of neuroscience. The BRAIN project is a $100million initiative to unlock the mysteries of our grey matter. Professor John Hardy, from UCL's Institute of Neurology, is one of the leading global Alzheimer's scientists in the UK and explains how significant technological progress has allowed this project to be created.

Foot and Mouth disease spreads quickly through livestock populations costing up to $4billion every year in developing countries, and also regularly infects animals in the developed world. Current vaccines are effective but difficult to make and administer. A completely new type of vaccine, much safer, easier and cheaper to make than the current one, has been developed by UK researchers. Professor Ian Jones, from the University of Reading and Dr. Bryan Charleston, from the Pirbright Institute explain their work.

Are international treaties keeping up with new biological and chemical weapons?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Next week, representatives of the 188 nations that have signed the Chemical Weapons Convention meet in the Hague for its third review. Professor Leiv Sydnes, from the University of Bergen in Norway, chaired last year's international assessment of the impact of scientific advances on the Convention. He has expressed his concerns in the journal Nature that chemical and biological weapon advancement has gone beyond current legislation.

From chemical to biological warfare, Quentin Cooper moves to the nuclear threat posed by North Korea. Dr. David Keir, Scientist and Programme manager at VERTIC - an NGO which monitors the development, implementation and effectiveness of international agreements - talks about the scientific credibility of plans by North Korea to restart its plutonium reactor. Are the on-going claims of increasing their nuclear capabilities realistic?

President Obama announced a major new scientific project to push forward the field of neuroscience. The BRAIN project is a $100million initiative to unlock the mysteries of our grey matter. Professor John Hardy, from UCL's Institute of Neurology, is one of the leading global Alzheimer's scientists in the UK and explains how significant technological progress has allowed this project to be created.

Foot and Mouth disease spreads quickly through livestock populations costing up to $4billion every year in developing countries, and also regularly infects animals in the developed world. Current vaccines are effective but difficult to make and administer. A completely new type of vaccine, much safer, easier and cheaper to make than the current one, has been developed by UK researchers. Professor Ian Jones, from the University of Reading and Dr. Bryan Charleston, from the Pirbright Institute explain their work.

Are international treaties keeping up with new biological and chemical weapons?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Dr. Matthew Balme from the Open University talks to Quentin Cooper about the latest results from the Mars Curiosity Mission. The finding of neutral water, he says, indicates that many more types of microorganism may have once inhabited the Red Planet.

Ellie Pearce, from the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology in Oxford, explains why big eyes in Neanderthals may have led to a stunted social life, and eventually their extinction.

Is John Snow, born 200 years ago this week, really the man who should be remembered as the father of modern epidemiology? He is credited with tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho in 1854 to a single water supply in Broad Street (now Broadwick Street). Canadian bioethicist and author of "Disease Maps" Professor Tom Koch argues that there were others involved, and that such findings are seldom so straightforward.

Finally a novel approach to finding drugs for tapeworms. Scientists have sequenced the genomes of four tapeworms and have published their work in the journal Nature. They are now trying to identify drugs that interact with human proteins and seeing if they would also work in the same way in tapeworms. Dr. Magdalena Zarowiecki, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, explains how this method could be a cheap and quick way of finding a treatment for some of the world's most neglected diseases.

Drinking water on Mars, big eyes in Neanderthals, cholera history and tapeworm genetics.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Dr. Matthew Balme from the Open University talks to Quentin Cooper about the latest results from the Mars Curiosity Mission. The finding of neutral water, he says, indicates that many more types of microorganism may have once inhabited the Red Planet.

Ellie Pearce, from the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology in Oxford, explains why big eyes in Neanderthals may have led to a stunted social life, and eventually their extinction.

Is John Snow, born 200 years ago this week, really the man who should be remembered as the father of modern epidemiology? He is credited with tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho in 1854 to a single water supply in Broad Street (now Broadwick Street). Canadian bioethicist and author of "Disease Maps" Professor Tom Koch argues that there were others involved, and that such findings are seldom so straightforward.

Finally a novel approach to finding drugs for tapeworms. Scientists have sequenced the genomes of four tapeworms and have published their work in the journal Nature. They are now trying to identify drugs that interact with human proteins and seeing if they would also work in the same way in tapeworms. Dr. Magdalena Zarowiecki, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, explains how this method could be a cheap and quick way of finding a treatment for some of the world's most neglected diseases.

Drinking water on Mars, big eyes in Neanderthals, cholera history and tapeworm genetics.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

By sailing into the heart of the climate debate, the expedition was intended to draw people's attention to this climatic tipping point. Quentin witnesses some of the scientific research at the front line of climate change, including a visit to the front of the Jakobshavn Glacier, one of Greenland's largest glaciers, which is moving at a faster rate than ever before and losing 20 million tons of ice every day.

Quentin Cooper joins scientists, artists and musicians on a research cruise to Greenland.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Cluster Chemistry
There are lots of examples in science where the whole is not quite equal to its constituent parts. In this case it's clusters containing a small number of molecules or atoms that can have very different properites to than the bulk material. This emerging field of chemistry is called ‘Cluster Chemistry' or ‘Cluster science'. It's still pretty theoretical with not very many practical applications at the moment.

Quentin talks to scientists Dr. Stuart Mackenzie, from the Department of Chemistry at Cambridge University and Professor Prof Anthony Stace, Head of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, who are learning from clusters about how atoms and molecules fit together and react with one another. Cluster chemistry looks at clusters of atoms or molecules of a certain size where they are not single atoms/molecules and they are not big enough to act like the bulk material - the properties of elements and substances. These clusters have been shown to have unique electrical, geometric and reactive properties which can tell scientists a lot about how atoms and molecules fit together and work.

Particle Cancer Therapy
The idea that antimatter beams could treat cancer might seem ridiculous, but researchers working at CERN's particle accelerator laboratory in Geneva don't think so. They have just reported a successful first experiment into the biological effects of antiproton radiation on living cells. Researchers have found that an antiproton beam was four times more effective than a proton beam at killing a focused area of hamster cells suspended two centimetres deep in gelatine. The experimental setup was intended to simulate irradiating a section of tissue in the body.

It's the next step in the field of charged particle cancer therapy - destroying a tumour by firing a beam of energetic particles at it, rather than the more conventional x-ray treatment. Far less healthy tissue gets destroyed, whilst the tumour itself receives nearly all the energy of the beam particles. Rates of success seem far higher. Quentin talks to Professor Ken Peach from the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, University of Oxford and Professor Bleddyn Jones of University Hospital Birmingham & Institute of Cancer Studies about how so-called charged particle therapy works by accelerating protons or carbon ions to just the right energy to destroy the cancerous DNA.

Quentin Cooper investigates the experimental cancer treatment, 'charged particle therapy'.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The new corona virus - has it really mutated to be able to jump between humans?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper looks at the coronavirus that has been transmitted from one individual to another in the UK. Professor Maria Zambon, an expert virologist at the Health Protection Agency, and Ian Jones, Professor of Virology at Reading University, discuss these latest infections, what is being done to find out more and why coronaviruses are being so closely studied. Will science be able to trace the sources of horsemeat that have illegally entered the European food chain? Chris Smart from Leatherhead Food Research explains more about DNA identification of potentially contaminated meat. Another use for DNA could be as a data storage device. Dr. Nick Goldman from the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge tells Quentin Cooper how. And Davide Dominoni from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology has found that city dwelling blackbirds are ready to reproduce earlier than their rural counterparts - and it appears to be because of increased light exposure.

The new corona virus - has it really mutated to be able to jump between humans?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Cosmic String
Could the Universe be tied up with cosmic string? In this week's Material World, Quentin Cooper talks to the two scientists who think they have found evidence it might be. Cosmic strings are strange remnants from the very early universe. So what is cosmic string, where would you find it and why does evidence for its existence shed light on theories of how the Universe formed? Quentin is joined by Mark Hindmarsh, Reader in Physics and Martin Kunz, Lecturer in Theoretical Cosmology, both from the University of Sussex.

Antarctic Volcanoes
You don't really expect to find volcanoes under the polar ice caps, but this is exactly what scientists at the British Antarctic Survey say they have found. Could evidence discovered using new radar techniques be proof of the biggest volcanic eruption in the Antarctic in the last 10,000 years? Quentin is joined by David Vaughan, Glaciologist & Principle Investigator and Hugh Corr, Glacier Geophysicist - both part of the British Antarctic Survey team.

Quentin Cooper learns about an Antarctic volcano which erupted more than 2,000 years ago.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Cutty Sark
At 4am on May 21st 2007 a huge fire ripped through the Cutty Sark threatening the conservation of the 19th century tea clipper held in dry dock in Greenwich. Quentin talks to Richard Doughty, Chief executive and Ian Bell technical manager of the Cutty Sark trust to find out what damage was caused by the fire and its rescue and how conservation work 6 months later is continuing to put the wind back in her sails.

Lord Kelvin
On 17th December 1907 the man who paved the way for the digital revolution died. Lord Kelvin laid the first transatlantic telegraph cable, wrote his first scientific paper at the age of 16, invented the inkjet printer and amassed a total of 75 patents in his lifetime. Probably best known for the temperature scale named after him Kelvin had countless other scientific achievements and is buried next to Isaac Newton in Westminster Abbey. Quentin is joined by David Saxon, Kelvin professor of physics at Glasgow University and by Wilson Sibbett professor of Natural Philosophy at the university of St. Andrews to explore his life and legacy 100 years on.

Quentin Cooper reports on the restoration of the Cutty Sark.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Darwin and the Eye
Quentin Cooper hears about the latest remarkable example of natural selection - a fish eye that focuses light using a dished mirror - and how it illustrates Charles Darwin's 150-year-old theory.

Darwin recognised that the eye, in all its perfection, could represent a real problem for the theory of evolution. But in fact, with hundreds of different seeing organs specialising in different functions across the animal kingdom, the eye actually reveals the great inventiveness of natural selection.

Kepler's New Astronomy
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is celebrating the birth of modern astronomy, reminding the world of Galileo's first use of the telescope to study the heavens 400 years ago.

What's being overlooked in the clamour is the Nova Astronomia or New Astronomy published by Galileo's contemporary Johannes Kepler the same year.

Insisting on physical causes underlying planetary motions, this volume demonstrated conclusively that the Earth orbits the Sun, and not the other way round.

And the work led directly to Newton's law of Gravity.

Quentin Cooper hears about the latest remarkable example of natural selection.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The first ever census on deer numbers in the country shows that current management of these wild animals isn't controlling numbers. Estimates suggest there are 1.5 million deer now roaming the countryside, the biggest number since the ice age. But to just keep this number stable more than 50% would have to be culled every year. Is this the only option to controlling these animals which are having a significant and detrimental effect on our woodlands and are the cause of thousands of road traffic accidents? Dr. Paul Dolman, from the University of East Anglia and the lead author of the new research, puts forward his case.

Dr. David Clements, from Imperial College London, returns to the programme to highlight the success of Herschel - the European Space Agency's flagship Space Observatory. He was there at the telescope's launch - back in 2009 - and now will see its end as the onboard supply of helium, which cools the instruments, slowly runs out and the telescope loses its sight.

Also this week, why is the potato such a successful vegetable that can grow in many different climates? Dr. Christian Bachem from the Laboratory of Plant Breeding at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and his team have found a single gene that could be responsible. Knowing that could make it possible to breed even more extreme varieties to meet our ever increasing reliance on the humble spud.

Finally Dr Richard Russell, from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, may have discovered an underlying method by which we all guess a person's age. Writing in the Journal PLOS One, it seems a higher contrast between lips, eyes and the skin makes people look younger - something with which lipstick and eye shadow wearers can agree.

Is a deer cull the solution to controlling ever-increasing numbers? With Quentin Cooper.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The first ever census on deer numbers in the country shows that current management of these wild animals isn't controlling numbers. Estimates suggest there are 1.5 million deer now roaming the countryside, the biggest number since the ice age. But to just keep this number stable more than 50% would have to be culled every year. Is this the only option to controlling these animals which are having a significant and detrimental effect on our woodlands and are the cause of thousands of road traffic accidents? Dr. Paul Dolman, from the University of East Anglia and the lead author of the new research, puts forward his case.

Dr. David Clements, from Imperial College London, returns to the programme to highlight the success of Herschel - the European Space Agency's flagship Space Observatory. He was there at the telescope's launch - back in 2009 - and now will see its end as the onboard supply of helium, which cools the instruments, slowly runs out and the telescope loses its sight.

Also this week, why is the potato such a successful vegetable that can grow in many different climates? Dr. Christian Bachem from the Laboratory of Plant Breeding at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and his team have found a single gene that could be responsible. Knowing that could make it possible to breed even more extreme varieties to meet our ever increasing reliance on the humble spud.

Finally Dr Richard Russell, from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, may have discovered an underlying method by which we all guess a person's age. Writing in the Journal PLOS One, it seems a higher contrast between lips, eyes and the skin makes people look younger - something with which lipstick and eye shadow wearers can agree.

Is a deer cull the solution to controlling ever-increasing numbers? With Quentin Cooper.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Designer Soils
Could the earth beneath your feet be used to help tackle climate change? Quentin finds out how soil could be the key to trapping carbon and keeping it firmly below ground. He's joined by Professor David Manning, School of Civil Engineering & Geosciences, University of Newcastle and Professor Karl Ritz, School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University.

Stealth Warships
The military are always on the look out for new ways to keep their ships, vehicles and aircraft undetected. Quentin Cooper finds out how state of the art physics and the use of meta materials could create 'invisibility cloaks' for ships at sea. Quentin is joined by Chris Lavers, Senior Lecture in Sensing and Sensors Technology, Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

Quentin Cooper explores new research into keeping warships and aircraft undetected.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Designing Against Crime
How can businesses use design to lower crime? When the Design and Technology Alliance (DTA) was formed in September 2007, its intention was to promote innovation, identify incentives for business to use design to lower crime and to advise on what consumers want.

These crime-fighters cannot fly and do not possess secret weapons, but they are armed with the power of design technology.

Quentin Cooper is joined by designer Sebastian Conran, director of Studio Conran and founder member of the Design and Technology Alliance, and Lorraine Gamman, Professor in Design Studies at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design - and Director of the Design Against Crime Research Centre.

They are looking into new ways to deter crimes by designing harder to steal objects and by rethinking the way we design public spaces where things like bikes are kept.

Facial Recognition
Face processing (the way that we look at faces, the decisions we make about faces) is key to human communication and social interaction - how do we do it and are there different ways of doing it in different parts of the World.

Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr Lisa DeBruine of Aberdeen University has shown how we can learn, in a fraction of a second, the sex of a person, their age, their emotional wellbeing, how healthy they are, and whether we might be related to them.

And by Roberto Caldara of Glasgow University - who looked at eye movements of Western caucasians and East Asian observers as they examined new faces.

His findings show that different cultures process faces in different ways.

Westerners tend to look at the eyes and mouth, while East Asians fix the central part of the fac

A Dornier 17 bomber shot down over the English Channel has been brought back from its watery grave. The plane was in surprisingly good condition and materials scientist Professor Mary Ryan, from Imperial College, London, explains what prevented the plane from corroding into oblivion and what the next steps will be to protect this important war relic for future generations.

Seeds time their germination to coincide with favourable growing conditions. Research carried out by a team led by Professor Ian Graham from the University of York shows that seed dormancy and germination is controlled by multiple genes - a so-called gene network - which are orchestrated by a protein called SPATULA - a multi-purpose protein that might play an important role in producing the crops of tomorrow.

There's no doubt that a top speed in excess of 50 mph makes the cheetah a formidable predator, but studies of animals fitted with GPS collars shows that they rarely hunt running flat out. Instead, they use phenomenal manoeuvrability to keep pace with the twists and turns of their quarry and, as Professor Alan Wilson from the Royal Veterinary College has found out, this requires an impressive ability for rapid acceleration and deceleration.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Is there any online or digital activity that we can hide?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Dry Rot
The dry rot fungus, Serpula lacrymans is the most destructive timber decay fungus in the Northern Hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand. It not only brings about the dramatic decay of timber but its ability to spread across non-nutritional surfaces, such as concrete, makes it particularly pervasive. The mere mention of `dry rot` instils a sense of fear and dread in any home-owner but the destruction of the dry rot fungus in our buildings often pales in comparison with the damage wrought by remedial treatments.

Quentin talks to Dr Jagjit Singh, a mycologist and the managing director of Environmental Building Solutions Ltd. He says `Often the lack of understanding of the biology of the fungus is primarily responsible for misconceived ideas about its treatment.` He's been on an expedition to the Himalaya to discover the origins of the fungus. They're joined by Dr Sarah Watkinson, a researcher in the Plant Sciences Department of Oxford University with The Joint Genome Institute in America sequencing the S.lacrymans genome.

The aim of the project is primarily to find novel strategies for bio-energy production but the genome sequence itself will contribute to a greater understanding of the biological processes that underlie its role in woodland ecosystems and provide clues for novel control strategies.

Contagious Laughter
Ever heard a joke that you don't quite understand and yet you laugh anyway just because everyone else is? Quentin explores why laughter is so contagious. New research by Professor Sophie Scott, a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICN) at UCL has discovered the neural processes that determine why when we hear laughter we feel compelled to smile, or even laugh as well.

The implications for contagious laughter reach beyond using canned laughter to make us laugh at comedies. Professor Robin Dunbar is a British anthropologist and an evolutionary psychologist who is Director of the Lucy to Language Project. This is the British Academy's Centenary Research Project looking into the archaeology of the social brain. He suggests that it had for early humans (and has for us today) an instrumental role in the establishment and maintenance of large social groups.

Exploring just why laughter is so contagious, with Quentin Cooper.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper is at the Edinburgh International Science Festival which runs until April 7th. With Professor Colin Blakemore and Professor Chris Rapley, he discusses "dangerous" ideas in science.

And what is the lasting value of science festivals? Are they any more than "feel-good" events for the committed? Quentin discusses this theme with Ian Wall - who claims to have invented the Science Festival over 20 years ago and - Keir Liddle of Edinburgh Skeptics, an organisation which runs science events alongside arts festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe.

Quentin talks about 'dangerous' ideas at Edinburgh's International Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper is at the Edinburgh International Science Festival which runs until April 7th. With Professor Colin Blakemore and Professor Chris Rapley, he discusses "dangerous" ideas in science.

And what is the lasting value of science festivals? Are they any more than "feel-good" events for the committed? Quentin discusses this theme with Ian Wall - who claims to have invented the Science Festival over 20 years ago and - Keir Liddle of Edinburgh Skeptics, an organisation which runs science events alongside arts festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe.

Quentin talks about 'dangerous' ideas at Edinburgh's International Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

EGYPTIAN MEDICINE
Scientists are examining plant remains found in ancient Egyptian tombs in the Sinai to discover what plants and herbs they used as medicine. Drs Jackie Campbell and Ryan Metcalfe from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester alongside the Egyptian Medicinal Plant Conservation Project in St Katherine's, Sinai have been checking out the plants and medical papyri.

DNA analysis of the ancient plant remains will hopefully pinpoint the exact species and sub-species of herbs and resins. Then researchers can determine if the ancient Egyptians cultivated important medical plants, used what was locally available or indeed traded with other regions.

Egyptologists have already discovered some of the ailments suffered by the Egyptians - haemorrhoids, lung disease, schistosomiasis and many fatal traumas, associated with construction work, were rife. Many of the medical treatments used to treat such ailments are still being used today.

CYTOKINES
Cytokines are small proteins that act as messengers between animal cells. In humans they act a bit like hormones but on a very local - less than a millimetre - scale. They are however absolutely essential to the body's immune response.

At this year's European Inventor of the Year awards held in Munich two weeks ago, Professor Marc Feldmann of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology received the Lifetime Achievement award for his work on cytokines and rheumatoid arthritis.

During the late 1980s he found that when the body's immune system responds to infection, one cytokine in particular - known as TNF? - is the trigger for all the others. So in diseases like arthritis where the immune system is attacking the body itself, blocking the function of TNF? is enough to calm the system down and cure the arthritis.

He is joined by long time colleague Professor Fionula Brennan to discuss their decades of work and hopes for future treatments of virulent infections such as SARS and H5N1.

Quentin Cooper and Oliver Morton discuss what happened to the great polymaths of the past.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

El Niကo
The El Niကo Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a huge, unpredictable climate system that alternately brings drought and flood to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The most recent El Niကo event is currently petering out and now Australia, having suffered its longest drought period on record, is cautiously optimistic that rain will soon start to fall as La Niကa, the other extreme of the oscillation, is likely to develop. Press reports have suggested that this last El Niကo event might lead to 2007 being globally the hottest year on record.

But has the earth been here before? Oceanographers have been investigating the possibility that 2-4 million years ago, when there were more greenhouse gases and the earth was warmer than now, the region was afflicted by a permanent El Niကo. Quentin is joined By Alan Haywood, palaeoceanographer at Leeds University, and John Hammond of the BBC Weather Centre to discuss the lessons for our future.

Leonard Euler
Leonard Euler (15 April 1707 - 7 September 1783) was the most prolific mathematician who ever lived. His output was vast, and there are precious few areas of mathematics that were not touched by his genius. From practical problems of his day, such as the design of sailing masts and municipal lotteries to the highest reaches of pure maths and number theory, his own work accounted for approximately one third of all the maths published in the 19th century.

Joining Quentin this week is maths historian Robin Wilson, professor of pure maths at the Open University and Gresham Professor of Geometry in London, and Dr Julian Havil, maths teacher at Winchester College in Hampshire.

Quentin Cooper looks into the life and work of mathematician Leonhard Euler.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Emil Abderhalden
Quentin Cooper tells the story of Emil Abderhalden, the biochemist who rose to the heart of the German scientific establishment on the back of a bogus theory of 'protective enzymes' he first conceived 100 years ago.

By the 1930s, his theory was being used in futile blood tests for pregnancy and schizophrenia, and the infamous Dr Josef Mengele employed them in his experiments at Auschwitz. Despite doubts about his work across the world, Abderhalden was nominated 51 times for the Nobel Prize.

The End of Gaia
Environmentalist James Lovelock argues that the living planet Earth is fatally wounded by humanity's activities, and argues in his new book The Vanishing Face of Gaia that we have to learn to face this grim fact.

Dr Lovelock explains to Quentin how he reached his conclusion, and why it is so much more stark than most forecasts for global warming and environmental degradation.

Quentin Cooper tells the story of biochemist Emil Abderhalden.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Encyclopedia Of Life
As the tercentenary of the Swedish botanist, and father of taxonomy, Carolus Linnaeus approaches, a global consortium has promised to catalogue all 1.2 million known living species on an online Encyclopaedia of Life. Quentin hears from the Natural History Museum's Graham Higley how it's supposed to work, and from Oxford University's professor of Ecology, what it's hoped to achieve.

Artemisinin
And deep within that catalogue you'll eventually find Artemisia Annua, Chinese wormwood, an ancient herbal medicine now being used across Africa to treat malaria - killer of 3 million every year.

But supplies of the active compound artemisinin are limited. Plant breeder Maggie Smallwood from York University and Chris Whitty, Professor of International Health at the London School of Tropical Medicine, explain how production can be boosted to meet the massive demand for the drug.

Quentin Cooper explores the Encyclopedia Of Life.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Malham Dale in North Yorkshire is an area of outstanding beauty.

It's known for the Tarn, one of the highest lakes in the UK, and its striking limestone rocks.

Anyone who's walked around the area will have appreciated the wide sweeping views, but may not have been aware of the vast number of plants that grow on the limestone.

This week Quentin Cooper is at the Field Centre in Malham with a group of Open University students who are learning how to do environmental research.

He accompanies them to two sites - a bog and a hillside - and watches them as they set up their areas of study, or quadrats.

The students then identify the species inside their quadrats and estimate how much of the area they cover. On the limestone hillside they can find up to 65 species of plants.

Quentin discusses the importance of this kind of environmental research with three experts who are working with the students - Robin Sutton from the Field Centre, and Hilary Denny and Mark Brandon from the Open University.

They explain how the use of quadrats is the standard approach taken by professional ecologists.

And they talk about how ecologists use the National Vegetation Classification system to understand the UK landscape.

Quentin finds out about how knowledge gained from quadrats can reveal the impact of climate change and help decide which areas of the country should be conserved.

Quentin Cooper joins students on an Open University course studying the environment.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Currently, scientific research in the UK receives an estimated 4.9 billion euro from the EU's FP7 program, a figure that is likely to climb to as much as 8 billion euro when the current program finishes in 2013. With the possibility of a referendum on EU membership becoming more apparent, what would happen to UK scientific research if the UK were to leave the EU altogether? UKIP MEP Roger Helmer and Professor Ed Hinds of Imperial College London discuss the implications with Gareth Mitchell.

The existence of pear-shaped nuclei has long been predicted, but although some qualitative hints of this nuclear shape have been found, the quantitative information to back this up has been sparse. By using accelerated beams of heavy, radioactive ions, a team lead by researchers at the University of Liverpool recently found a clear pear shape in the nucleus of radium isotopes. As explained by Professor Jonathan Butterworth from University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy, these findings hold huge promise in furthering our understanding of nuclear structure and also, testing the standard model of particle physics.

By examining White Dwarf stars in the nearby Hyades Cluster, Dr Jay Farihi from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, found that these dead stars were 'polluted' by low levels of carbon and lots of silicon. Dr Farihi hopes to use these findings to gain invaluable insights into the fate of our own solar system when, as predicted, the sun ceases to exist in 5 billion years.

What would happen to UK scientific research in the UK were to leave the EU?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Currently, scientific research in the UK receives an estimated 4.9 billion euro from the EU's FP7 program, a figure that is likely to climb to as much as 8 billion euro when the current program finishes in 2013. With the possibility of a referendum on EU membership becoming more apparent, what would happen to UK scientific research if the UK were to leave the EU altogether? UKIP MEP Roger Helmer and Professor Ed Hinds of Imperial College London discuss the implications with Gareth Mitchell.

The existence of pear-shaped nuclei has long been predicted, but although some qualitative hints of this nuclear shape have been found, the quantitative information to back this up has been sparse. By using accelerated beams of heavy, radioactive ions, a team lead by researchers at the University of Liverpool recently found a clear pear shape in the nucleus of radium isotopes. As explained by Professor Jonathan Butterworth from University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy, these findings hold huge promise in furthering our understanding of nuclear structure and also, testing the standard model of particle physics.

By examining White Dwarf stars in the nearby Hyades Cluster, Dr Jay Farihi from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, found that these dead stars were 'polluted' by low levels of carbon and lots of silicon. Dr Farihi hopes to use these findings to gain invaluable insights into the fate of our own solar system when, as predicted, the sun ceases to exist in 5 billion years.

What would happen to UK scientific research in the UK were to leave the EU?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, Quentin Cooper goes to Durham to meet students on course DXR222, Exploring Psychology Project.

The week-long residential course aims to make students aware of the practical, moral and ethical issues that have to be taken into account when designing a psychological investigation.

The students are invited to develop their own investigations into either memory or communication. They have to frame their investigations in either qualitative or quantitative mode.

Quentin talks to groups of students as they discuss topics for their projects. Topics include the impact of the smoking ban on smokers, whether chewing gum aids memory, and the difference between implicit and explicit memory.

Quentin then talks to Dr Ilona Roth, the Course Tutor, and Dr Alex Easton, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Durham University, about the interplay of qualitative and quantitative research.

Dr Easton argues that psychology is still a young academic discipline. This is why psychologists need to describe human behaviour in qualitative terms, to enable them to develop meaningful quantitative frameworks. Dr Roth explains how she applies both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to an analysis of poetry.

Quentin also meets Chris Gibbons, an OU psychology tutor and research fellow at Queen's University Belfast. Chris is working with the group who are trying to measure implicit and explicit memory. He talks about the ethical issues raised when an experiment requires deception.

Quentin Cooper joins an Open University psychology course in Durham.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Family Resemblance
Looking like your blood relatives could be a mixed blessing in more ways than one. While inheriting your father's nose or mother's chin might be disconcerting enough in itself, sharing facial characteristics with our relations could mean we're also likely to suffer from the same illnesses they do. The signs are there from an early age. New research is currently going on in Manchester on how studying the faces of babies and young children could give vital clues to diagnosing genetic conditions such as Williams Syndrome.

Quentin is joined by Dian Donnai, Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of Manchester and Tony Little, Research Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Stirling to find out just how strong the link between our appearance and underlying genetics really is.

The Science of Addiction
What help can science be for addicts? If we develop greater understanding of the underlying chemistry, biology, psychology and social factors, it may help us explain why individuals become addict

In November 2006 an international team of ocean scientists caused shockwaves in the scientific community. They predicted that by 2050 the world would lose the vast majority of fish species - and that we're already a third of the way there. What measures are needed to prevent mass marine extinctions? And are they feasible when so many people rely on the sea for survival?

One year on, Quentin Cooper meets with Fisheries Scientist - Nick Dulvy and Professor of Marine Conservation - Callum Roberts to look at how this argument has been assessed by the scientific community.

The Geological Society's Anniversary

200 years ago, the world's oldest geological society was formed. It has helped Britain to become a leader in global geoscience. Who were the geologists who changed our world forever? Quentin is joined by the society's current president - Dr Richard Fortey along with their magazine editor -Ted Nield.

Quentin Cooper ask are the vast majority of fish species doomed?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Flood Warning

The floods in Yorkshire and elsewhere are a reminder of how vulnerable we are to quirks of nature. An unusual pattern of storm clouds is all it takes to bring torrents into people's front rooms. 10,000 homes are thought to have been affected, and insured losses are said to be at least a billion pounds. And with climate change, extreme storms are expected to become more common. Quentin hears from Professors Ian Cluckie and Anthony Illingworth about two major projects intended to give us fast and reliable early warning of impending floods.

Fuel Cells from Chocolate and Road Dust

Hydrogen fuel cells have been much touted as the major energy carrier in a post-fossil fuel economy. But, whilst they can generate clean electricity locally with only water vapour as exhaust, exactly how to source the ingredients sustainably is a subject of concern for many climate thinkers. After a chance encounter, exploration geologist Dr Hazel Prichard of Cardiff University and Prof Lynne Macaskie of Birmingham's School of Biosciences, combined forces to pursue a very unusual type of recycling.

Hazel tells Quentin about her work on tracking platinum in the dust left on roads by catalytic converters on cars and how it can be harvested by a strain of E. coli bacteria (not the famous, dangerous strain). And as Lynne describes - the bacteria are taken from a biosynthetic process that makes pure hydrogen from chocolate waste.

Quentin explores how to make fuel cells out of chocolate and road dust.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Foam Water Cube
What's the most efficient way of packing bubbles into a foam? It's a question formulated over a century ago and has kept physicists busy staring into beer glasses ever since.

Now, the solution proposed by an Irish physicist has become a landmark - the Aquatics Centre for the Beijing Olympics, known as the Water Cube and designed from a foam of 4500 giant bubbles.

Physicist Professor Denis Weaire of Trinity College Dublin meets Quentin in the studio and structural engineer Tristram Carfrae, who designed the Aquatics Centre, joins them from Sydney.

Gravity Satellite: GOCE
It is over 300 years since Sir Issac Newton discovered the laws of gravity but scientists are still trying to find out precisely how it acts upon all areas of the Earth. A revolutionary new European Space Agency satellite called GOCE - Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, is set to find out this September.

Dubbed the 'racing car' of spacecrafts, the arrow-like GOCE is designed to cut through what remains of the Earth's atmosphere and orbit at just 250km about the surface of the planet - and produce a map of the geoid - the gravity field of the Earth.

Quentin is joined by Professor Alan O'Neil, Director of National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Reading and Professor Philip Moore, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, University of Newcastle, to find out how GOCE will help us find out more about the Earth's oceans, rocks and climate.

Quentin Cooper reports on a new satellite designed to map the Earth's gravitational field.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Forensic Science in Fact and Fiction

Bookshops and TV schedules are full of it.
From CSI to Silent Witness, forensic science has become a hugely popular part of crime fiction. Advances are also revolutionising real-life detection. Quentin is joined by forensic science expert Lorna Dawson from the Macaulay Institute and crime fiction writer Margaret Murphy to discuss the latest advances and how accurately they are portrayed in fiction. In particular, they hear how soil samples from shoes can reveal regional geology, local vegetation and micro-organisms and even characteristics of an individual garden.

A Musical Memory Tour
Quentin goes on a musical memory tour to the famous Cavern Club, successor to the Beatles' first venue, to find the links between memory and music.

For many of us, songs by the Beatles trigger vivid and specific memories. What's going on in our brains when this happens and what makes a tune 'catchy'? Can music help us to hang on to their cherished memories? University of Leeds psychologist Martin Conway and UCL Neuroscientist Hugo Spiers join Quentin at the Cavern Club along with musician Mehmet Husseyin.

Quentin Cooper reports from the British Association Science Festival in Liverpool.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Fossil Colourisation
Quentin will be exploring how fossil remains of the dinosaurs is revealing information about their colouring and marking - were they striped or spotty - purple or yellow? The development of colour and the eye to see it, over 500 million years ago, was a trigger to the biggest expansion of life on the planet - the ‘Cambrian explosion'. Quentin is joined by Professor Andrew Parker, a Research Leader in Zoology at the Natural History Museum and Dr Phil Manning, Lecturer in Palaeontology, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester.

Symmetry
Quentin finds out about a mathematical object called the monster with more symmetries than there are atoms in the Sun and finds out why you need 100s of thousands of dimensions to actually see it. The beauty and essence of symmetry and why it's vital for communications and code breaking. Quentin is joined by Marcus Du Sautoy, Professor of Maths at the University of Oxford and author of Finding Moonshine and Prof Robert Curtis, Deputy Head of Research, School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham.

Quentin Cooper explores how fossils reveal information about dinosaurs' skin colourings.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Fungi Exploitation
Science is going back to basics ...We look at how more than 28,000 strains of fungus held in the UK's national collection are becoming the focus of research seeking new antibacterial drugs. The collection has great roots - it still holds an original sample of Sir Alexander Fleming's penicillin. Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr Joan Kelley, Executive Director Bioservices, CABI and Professor Peter Bramley, Head of the School of Biological Sciences Royal Holloway, University of London.

Electron Microscopes
We meet the scientists who are using the advances in microscopes used to make computer chips to explore the world of biological systems - at the atomic level. This new nano microscope technology is allowing scientists to move clusters of atoms while they actually look at them, and to create three dimensional images of biological systems ten thousands times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Can this nano-vision help in the fight against some of the most dangerous diseases - like cancer? Quentin is joined by Dr Andy Bushby, Director of NanoVision Centre, Queen Mary, University of London and by Dr Lucy Collinson, Head of Electron Microscopy, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK

Quentin Cooper explores incredible advances in microscope technology.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Global Science
Our planet provides food, water and energy for its 6.6 billion inhabitants. Science helps us maximise the Earth's resources, but the world's natural mechanisms are coming under unprecedented strain.

In this week's programme, Quentin Cooper talks to four scientists about the role of science in sustaining and preserving our world. Now more than ever, scientific expertise needs to be harnessed in order to combat global warming, a challenge that affects us all.

But if science is to provide us with solutions, we also need global political agreement. And we have to recognise that science, especially at the high-tech end, requires a large financial investment from multinational companies.

Quentin discusses these issues with Professor Sir David King, recently retired Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Office of Science and Technology; Professor Chris Whitty from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; Professor Richard Davies, Director of the Centre for Research into Earth Energy Systems at the University of Durham; and Professor Andy Stirling, Director of Science for The Science & Technology Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex.

Quentin Cooper is joined by a panel to discuss the role of science in our world.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Hazardous Waste

As pressure grows for councils to recycle more and more material, just what is it we throw away? Someone has to find out, and that someone is Dr Nick Voulvoulis of Imperial College, whose team sorted through the bins of 500 households for over half a year, to see what might be hazardous, and what might be usefully recycled.

He's joined in the studio by Professor Ken Peattie, an expert in sustainability in business from Cardiff University.

Homing in on Odysseus' Home.
Homer's Odyssey is the story of its hero's eleven year quest to find his home island of Ithaca. If it's a true story, it happened about 500 years before Homer composed his poem. Ever since then people have argued where the real island is.

Now one theory places it on a peninsula of modern Cephalonia - once separated, it's supposed, by a narrow channel of water.

In two weeks time a team of geologists will be heading there to see how old the bridge of rock between the two parts is, and whether it could have been built by earthquake-induced landslides.

The leader of that team, Edinburgh's Professor John Underhill joins Quentin Cooper and Durham University classicist Dr Barbara Graziosi to describe the theory and how their explorations will test it.

Quentin Cooper investigates how much we could recycle if we really wanted to.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

HECToR The Supercomputer
What's the size of 60 wardrobes standing side by side, can perform 63 million million calculations a second and answers to the name Hector? Answer: the UK's new supercomputer based at Edinburgh University. Quentin Cooper is at Edinburgh's International Science festival and is joined by Professor Arthur Trew, Director of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre and Professor Richard Kenway, Mathematical Physics, Edinburgh University to find out how Hector can help develop life saving drugs, model climate change and help us better understand the behaviour of the smallest fundamental particles.

Skin Cancer
Between 2000 and 2004, 1000 people in Scotland were diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Quentin Cooper meets two researchers who are looking at the genetics of skin cancer: Dr Elizabeth Patton, Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, The University of Edinburgh and Professor Ian J. Jackson Senior Scientist, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh.

They are looking at how the gene for red hair - found in mammoths, red setters, birds and humans is helping to understand skin cancer and the way the body might be able to fight it.

Quentin Cooper investigates HECToR, Britain's new national supercomputer.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper speaks to Professor Roderick Smith, the Head of the Future Rail Research Centre at Imperial College, London about the engineering advances needed for high speed rail. Also on the programme; what now for nuclear waste? Dr. Richard Shaw, the leader of the Radioactive Waste Management Programme at the British Geological Survey, explains what will happen now with Britain's radioactive waste. Professor Neil Shubin, from the University of Chicago, presents his idea that the one place where the universe, the solar system and the planet merge is inside our bodies. And finally Dr Luca Turin, from the Fleming Biomedical Research Sciences Centre in Greece, and Tim Jacob, Professor of Physiology at Cardiff University, discuss the controversial theory that the way we smell involves quantum physics.

Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz.

High-speed rail; Radioactive waste; Universe within us; Quantum Biology.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper speaks to Professor Roderick Smith, the Head of the Future Rail Research Centre at Imperial College, London about the engineering advances needed for high speed rail. Also on the programme; what now for nuclear waste? Dr. Richard Shaw, the leader of the Radioactive Waste Management Programme at the British Geological Survey, explains what will happen now with Britain's radioactive waste. Professor Neil Shubin, from the University of Chicago, presents his idea that the one place where the universe, the solar system and the planet merge is inside our bodies. And finally Dr Luca Turin, from the Fleming Biomedical Research Sciences Centre in Greece, and Tim Jacob, Professor of Physiology at Cardiff University, discuss the controversial theory that the way we smell involves quantum physics.

Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz.

High-speed rail; Radioactive waste; Universe within us; Quantum Biology.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Humans and Crops
How is DNA analysis and radio carbon dating helping bioarchaeologists understand when and where farming first started and the kinds of crops our ancestors grew? Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Glynis Jones from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield and by Professor Huw Jones from the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge to find out.

Rosalind Franklin
Material World will be shedding light on the woman who has been called by some 'the dark lady of DNA'. It is 50 years since the death of Rosalind Franklin, the woman who made a major contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Quentin meets Nobel laureate Sir Aaron Klug who worked with Rosalind Franklin in the 1950s to discuss her life, legacy and incredible contribution to science and medicine.

Quentin Cooper reveals how domesticated crops spread through Europe.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Hydrophobicity -
Or fear of water. Birds, insects and even humans have developed ways to repel water. But what happens when it happens to large areas of soil? Sue Nelson finds out what makes a surface waterproof and why hydrophobic soil in some parts of the country contributed to the effects of this year's summer floods. Sue talks to Stefan Doerr from the University of Wales in Swansea and GlenMcHale from Nottingham Trent University about water and getting wet and why soil that shrugs off water can cause flooding, loss of fertility and massive soil erosion.

Intelligent agents
A new breed of intelligent agents could soon be saving our cities and negotiating crucial deals on the Stock Exchange. But this is no army of James Bonds - Sue talks to Nick Jennings from the University of Southampton and Steve Osborn from Lostwax about a new generation of computer robots who can make their own decisions and even outperform humans. They can negotiate, co operate and even cheat on the money markets and could soon be helping to coordinate rapid responses to major disasters like earthquakes or terrorist attacks.

Quentin Cooper and Nick Jennings discuss computer programs which make their own decisions.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

International Polar Year
This year thousands of scientists from around the world will begin the most intensive period of research on the Polar Regions in half a century. International Polar Year (IPY) is one of the most ambitious international scientific programmes ever attempted, with 50,000 scientists and 60 nations involved.

Quentin talks to Dr Cunnan Ellis Evans from the British Antarctic Survey who is Secretary for the UK committee of International Polar Year, and Professor Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute about the project.

Concrete
Saturday 3rd March 2007 marks the 25th Anniversary of opening of the Barbican. The concrete structure caused some criticism in its day, but can concrete now be seen as a classic building material and how has the substance and manufacture changed since it was invented more than 2000 years ago? The basic recipe for concrete is ‘sticky stuff' and stones. The sticky stuff - usually Portland cement, often mixed with a Pozzolanic material such as rice husk ash or fly ash from furnaces - will change chemically into a hard material when water is added. Concrete is having a bit of a renaissance and researchers are looking at making the manufacture more environmentally friendly: producing `green-crete` using recycled materials and using concrete for some more unusual applications.

Quentin talks to Professor Pal Mangat, Director of the Centre for Infrastructure Management at Sheffield Hallam University, and Bob Cather, Associate Director of Arup Materials Consulting about the history and future of concrete.

Quentin Cooper discusses the science of the International Polar Year project.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The most powerful earthquake in Iran for half a century happened this week. More than 60 times the energy was released compared to the one nearby ten years ago which destroyed much of the city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. Yet so far the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake is far far lower. To explain this and more Dr Roger Musson from the British Geological Survey joins Quentin Cooper this week.

The genome of the tiny zebrafish has been sequenced in great detail, but why is this animal of such biological significance to researchers? Two new studies, published in the journal Nature, outline just why the zebrafish has proved so useful, and how studying and modifying its genome may not only lead to new ways of combating human diseases, but whole new concepts in biology. Discussing why the zebrafish has become the vertebrate model of choice for many scientists are Dr Jason Rihel from University College London, who uses zebrafish to study autism, schizophrenia and sleeping disorders, and Dr Derek Stemple, Head of Mouse and Zebrafish genetics at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge, whose team has completed this latest work.

Earth and Mars are currently in solar conjunction which means that the sun is between the two. This makes contacting NASA's Curiosity Rover on the Red Planet very tricky. It also means Paolo Bellutta, Curiosity's driver, gets a few days off work. He's used the free time to come to the UK and talk about what he does at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London. En route, he dropped into the Material World studio to say hello.

Quentin Cooper on the remarkable zebrafish, the Khash earthquake, and driving on Mars.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The most powerful earthquake in Iran for half a century happened this week. More than 60 times the energy was released compared to the one nearby ten years ago which destroyed much of the city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. Yet so far the death toll from Tuesday's earthquake is far far lower. To explain this and more Dr Roger Musson from the British Geological Survey joins Quentin Cooper this week.

The genome of the tiny zebrafish has been sequenced in great detail, but why is this animal of such biological significance to researchers? Two new studies, published in the journal Nature, outline just why the zebrafish has proved so useful, and how studying and modifying its genome may not only lead to new ways of combating human diseases, but whole new concepts in biology. Discussing why the zebrafish has become the vertebrate model of choice for many scientists are Dr Jason Rihel from University College London, who uses zebrafish to study autism, schizophrenia and sleeping disorders, and Dr Derek Stemple, Head of Mouse and Zebrafish genetics at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge, whose team has completed this latest work.

Earth and Mars are currently in solar conjunction which means that the sun is between the two. This makes contacting NASA's Curiosity Rover on the Red Planet very tricky. It also means Paolo Bellutta, Curiosity's driver, gets a few days off work. He's used the free time to come to the UK and talk about what he does at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London. En route, he dropped into the Material World studio to say hello.

Quentin Cooper on the remarkable zebrafish, the Khash earthquake, and driving on Mars.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Is junk DNA really rubbish? Scientists dispute recent findings about our genetic code. Dr. Ewan Birney from the European Bioinformatics Institute defends his work, while Professor Chris Ponting from Oxford University discusses the latest research on the functionality of our DNA. Professor Mark Pagel from Reading University has analysed Homer's writing by using the language within his poems to date the work. And why did a fire start at the the last remaining pit in Warwickshire? Dr. Dr Guillermo Rein, from Imperial College, London and Tony Milodowski from the British Geological Survey explain how spontaneous heating events, like this fire, occur.

Is junk DNA really rubbish? Scientists dispute recent findings about our genetic code.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Is junk DNA really rubbish? Scientists dispute recent findings about our genetic code. Dr. Ewan Birney from the European Bioinformatics Institute defends his work, while Professor Chris Ponting from Oxford University discusses the latest research on the functionality of our DNA. Professor Mark Pagel from Reading University has analysed Homer's writing by using the language within his poems to date the work. And why did a fire start at the the last remaining pit in Warwickshire? Dr. Dr Guillermo Rein, from Imperial College, London and Tony Milodowski from the British Geological Survey explain how spontaneous heating events, like this fire, occur.

Is junk DNA really rubbish? Scientists dispute recent findings about our genetic code.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Will the Nasa Kepler mission become one of the Space Agency's most famous and significant achievements? Quentin Cooper speaks to William Borucki, Principal Scientist on Kepler, who believes it will be. Also Dr. Stephen Lowry from the University of Kent describes how data collected from the fly by of the asteroid Apophis will help scientists track its course - and determine if it will hit the Earth. Dr. David McInroy from the British Geological survey talks about the difficulties of Arctic drilling and Dr. Tim Behrens from University College London explains why some areas of the brain are proving very popular with neuroscientists.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Exoplanets, near-Earth asteroids, Arctic drilling and the most popular brain research.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Will the Nasa Kepler mission become one of the Space Agency's most famous and significant achievements? Quentin Cooper speaks to William Borucki, Principal Scientist on Kepler, who believes it will be. Also Dr. Stephen Lowry from the University of Kent describes how data collected from the fly by of the asteroid Apophis will help scientists track its course - and determine if it will hit the Earth. Dr. David McInroy from the British Geological survey talks about the difficulties of Arctic drilling and Dr. Tim Behrens from University College London explains why some areas of the brain are proving very popular with neuroscientists.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Exoplanets, near-Earth asteroids, Arctic drilling and the most popular brain research.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Life on Mars
For as long as humans have dreamed of visiting Mars, we have imagined a mysterious, alien place. Yet the more we learn about the planet, with the help of a series of successful unmanned missions, the more similar it seems to our own planet. The current NASA lander, Phoenix, is finding more and more evidence that Mars may not be such a hostile environment. Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr. David Catling, an astrobiologist working on the Phoenix project, and Dr. Matt Balme from the Open University's Planetary Science Institute, to find out whether life on Mars is such a remote possibility after all.

Sports Drug Testing Science
This year around 1,500 drug tests will be conducted on British athletes heading to Beijing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. But how are the scientists coping with the ever more sophisticated use of performance enhancing drugs? Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor David Cowan, Director of The Drug Control Centre, University of London. He will be travelling to Beijing Olympics to help the drug monitoring team, and will be responsible for drug testing at the London Olympics in 2012. Quentin and Professor Cowan are joined by Professor Chris Cooper, Biological Sciences, University of Essex.

Quentin Cooper explores the possibility of past or future life on Mars.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Lobster Hotels
An adult female lobster can lay twenty thousand eggs, yet, in the wild, only one of those is likely to develop to maturity and even that may end up on a plate. Quentin hears how science is giving lobsters a helping hand - or perhaps a helping claw - in protected hatcheries and providing lobster hotels in artificial reefs.

In the UK, lobster fisheries contribute £1.8 million to the local economy, yet declining stocks threaten the industry with collapse. Already, stocks in Norway have crashed. The National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow, Cornwall is hatching thousands of eggs in the safety of special tanks and releasing them into selected habitats to continue development in the wild. Hatchery General Manager Dominic Boothroyd says they even have an ‘adopt a lobster' scheme to engage the public.

Meanwhile, Dr Tom Wilding from the Scottish Association for Marine Science's Duffstaffnage Marine Laboratory near Oban is working on the Loch Linnhe Artificial Reef, a sort of high-rise hotel for marine creatures such as lobsters. It's made of a pile of blocks with spaces between and within the blocks that are just right to get lobsters started on the property ladder. In the future, new habitats are possible around the bases of offshore wind farms.

Hair Biomarkers
What can someone's hair tell us about them?A single fibre of hair can give a valuable chronological record of a person's activities and lifestyle - whether it is used by a biochemist testing for drug abuse, or by an archaeologist looking at specimens hundreds of years old.

These ‘biochemical signatures' can be utilised in such diverse areas as archaeology, forensics, law enforcement and sports science.

Quentin is joined by Dr Andrew Wilson, University of Bradford and Dr Richard Paul, University of Glamorgan who both use the biochemical signatures of hair in their work, but with two very different applications.

It is revealing new insights into human diet in ancient past - and the very recent past - with new tests for hair which can reveal the alcoholic drinking habits of a person over the last six months. Hair raising revelations on Material Worl

Locusts
As the authorities in Yemen prepare to wage war against a plague of locusts in the country's inhospitable interior, and as authorities in Pakistan and India heave a sigh of relief that a threatened invasion of the voracious insects into the subcontinent has failed to materialise, we hear about the bizarre behaviour of these members of the grasshopper family, and how plagues of them develop and be controlled.

Iain Couzin has been studying the different phases of locust behaviour in his Oxford lab; and Roy Bateman helped develop Green Muscle, a natural pesticide based on a fungus that selectively attacks locusts.

Snails' Migratory Trails
It's surprisingly hard to trace where humans are from based on their DNA. Over the years we've all intermingled and inter-married too much to make such studies terribly meaningful on scales much smaller than continents.

But as the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age and humans spread into the new territories they brought with them many different animals, and studies of their DNA heritage - coupled with archaeological evidence - are providing scientists with valuable insights into the routes the early humans took.

As he tells Quentin this week, Dr Angus Davison of Nottingham University's school of biology is inviting inhabitants of parts of Ireland and the Scottish Isles to send him snails - the perhaps unwitting companions of some of the earliest human pioneers - to help him map the early migrations.

And Dr Keith Dobney from the University of Durham's Archaeology department talks of his work studying pigs and the spread of animal husbandry as modern human life took hold.

Snail trails could lead scientists to the answer of where our ancestors came from.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The programme celebrates citizen science and do-it-yourself discovery, as part of 'So You Want to Be a Scientist?', Radio 4's search for the next BBC Amateur Scientist of the Year.

Producer: Michelle Martin

A special recording from the National Maritime Museum as part of London Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Longitudinal Studies
For forty years, a dedicated team of researchers has been monitoring the wellbeing of thousands of civil servants. Not out of any particular concern for their health, but to discover how lifestyle and social class can affect our chances in the medical world. Whitehall I, as the study has become known, reveals that mortality rates are four times higher for the lowest civil service grades than for the top ones. Now Whitehall II is trying to dig behind the headline to look for the causes.

Quentin Cooper talks to the current head of the project Sir Michael Marmot, and to Professor George Davey-Smith of the similar ‘Children of the '90s' Avon study to find out the trials and tribulations of long-term longitudinal health studies.

Alternative Health Degrees
Alternative Health is on trial in the journal Nature this week with pharmacologist David Colquhoun accusing several universities of offering science degrees devoid of science, in topics like homeopathy and integrated health.

He's joined in the studio by David Peters, Clinical Director at the University of Westminster School of Integrated Health, to discuss what is and what isn't ‘science'.

Quentin Cooper reports on long-term studies looking at the health of the nation.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Maths of Bikes
No Tour de France is truly complete without the question of drugs being raised, or without the spectacle of tens of bikes tumbling over in a massive pile up.

But bikes are in fact unreasonably stable, and can roll for long distances without even a rider to steer them.

The maths of bicycles has engaged top scientists for over a hundred years, but only this year it seems has it been got absolutely right.

Engineer and cycling enthusiast Jim Papadopoulos joins Material World along with motorcycle expert and control engineer David Limebeer.

Learning Arithmetic
Where does maths come from? Before we're taught in primary schools the rudiments of arithmetic, how come we are still able to know that two is more than one, that three is less than five?

It seems that children are born with an innate sense of magnitude with which we (alongside certain animals) can do simple arithmetic before we have even heard of plus, minus, seven, twelve, or Bertrand Russell.

Camilla Gilmore recently published in the journal Nature a paper describing her work with children who have just learned to count, who have not learnt arithmetic, but who are nevertheless able to use innate non-symbolic representations to do approximate addition and subtraction.

As Brian Butterworth tells us, insights into the development of formal logic in kids' brains could provide solace for the 6-7% of the school population who find numeracy hour a humiliating daily disaster. They are those who suffer undiagnosed dyscalculia - a malfunction in the working of the innate mental magnitude system.

Quentin Cooper explores the phenomenon of a bicycle's stability.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper hears about medical isotopes, one of the staples of modern medicine which allow doctors to track down damaged tissue and diseased organs.

These radioactive tracers are in danger of vanishing from our medical shelves because the ageing nuclear reactors that they are made in keep breaking down. Quentin talks to a supplier of medical isotopes and a leading user, to hear about our need for these chemicals and what can be done to ensure their availability.

The End of Harappa
Four and a half thousand years ago, one of the great civilisations in the world thrived in the north western corner of the Indian subcontinent.

Great, intricately ordered cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were home to tens of thousands citizens. And then within five hundred years the Harappan civilisation faded away.

Quentin Cooper hears about problems in the supply of medical isotopes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Medical Micro Machines
In the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, a motley crew of medics and glamorous assistants jumped aboard the submarine Proteus before being miniaturised and sent off into the body of Jan Benes.

Their mission was to remove a potentially fatal blood clot from his brain, and the idea of treating people with mini machines has been in our collective psyche ever since. Despite being unable to shrink either people or submarines, researchers are successfully combining biology with mechanics and electronics.

Professor Tony Turner from Cranfield University joins Quentin Cooper to discuss the world of biosensors - where special molecules read the make up of our bodily fluids and pass the information to electronic devices. But to keep all these devices running, we need more power.

So project leader Martin McHugh and researchers from Southampton University have developed a battery that's powered by the heart. Both guests discuss this new frontier in medicine - including where it's going, safety issues, and the public response to fusing man and machine.

The Superorganism
Ants are remarkable examples of miniaturisation. In computer terms, they pack a surprising processing power into a small space. But as animals go, they are still quite simple, relying on instinctive, repetitive behaviours.

But an ant colony is very different and can display complex behaviour and what looks like planning and even creativity far beyond the knowledge and capacity of any individual ant. According to biologists E.O.Wilson and Bert H怀lldobler, writing in a new book, an ant colony is an example of a ‘superorganism'.

Altruistic cooperation, complex communication and division of labour all contribute to the biological organisation that transforms a colony of individuals into a superorganism. Research into the superorganism provides a deep look into a part of the living world hitherto glimpsed by only a few. Ants, termites, bees all make the transformation to superorganism.Could human society be going the same way?

Quentin is joined by Bert H怀lldobler from Arizona State University and Charlotte Sleigh from the University of Kent, author of ‘Ant' and ‘Six Legs Better' and an expert on the history of the study of these fascinating creatures.

Quentin Cooper investigates the nature of superorganisms.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Metabolomics
Metabolomics, is a way of getting a snapshot of the health of living organisms by analysing the fats, sugars and other metabolites present under particular condition

Morphic Fields
In 1981 Rupert Sheldrake published the first edition of his book "A New Science of Life". It challenged the orthodox assumptions of science, suggesting that there exists in nature a sort of collective memory pervading physical and biological systems which he called Morphic Resonance.

The idea met with considerable hostility from conventional scientists. The then editor of Nature described the book as "the best candidate for burning there has been for many years." More than 25 years later, Sheldrake claims that his ideas have not been disproved.

Far from it, he says, there is more evidence than ever. So there's a new, substantially revised and extended edition of the book. Is it still a good candidate for the bonfire?

Quentin discusses the claims and criticisms of the theory with Rupert Sheldrake and Prof Bernard Carr, a physicist and cosmologist from Queen Mary College University of London.

Social Evolution
The human body has evolved over many millions of years. But how has the human mind evolved, and do these changes influence the way we behave today?

These questions are the basis of evolutionary psychology - a science that's less than 20 years old but has the potential to change the way we organise society. Researchers suggest that our prehistoric ancestors evolved the ability to talk, trust others, feel jealousy and live in groups because of pressures in their ancient environment.

But evolutionary psychology isn't all about the past. Professors Mark van-Vugt from the University of Kent and Robin Dunbar from the University of Oxford join Quentin Cooper to discuss the ways we can apply this knowledge to the problems of today. They explain why the tax man has to be heavy-handed, what the number 150 has to do with our social networks and the best way to get people to care about the environment.

Developments in evolutionary psychology and how it can help policy-makers.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper joins Open University scientists on Mount Etna, who have been monitoring Europe's most active volcano for more than 30 years.

They visit a fissure on the eastern flank which is slowly producing lava along an underground tube and climb to the summit, which rises and falls under the combined effects of gravity and molten magma. If a giant landslide were ever to reach the sea it could result in a tsunami around the Mediterranean.

The slope now seems to have stabilised, but Etna is not a tame volcano and only through long-term monitoring will scientists fully understand its ways.

Quentin Cooper joins Open University scientists on Mount Etna.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The advent of the randomised clinical trial (RCT) helped transform clinical decision making from subjective anecdotal pronouncements to evidence-based choices. To mark the 100th anniversary of the UK's Medical Research Council, Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr Catherine Elliott and Professor Andrew Nunn, both from the MRC, to reflect on the first such trial, and its subsequent ramifications, pioneered by the MRC's Sir Austin Bradford Hill for the treatment of TB.

The ecology of Ireland is subtly different to Britain's. It's long been known that certain species of animal and plant - such as the strawberry tree - exist in Ireland and the Mediterranean, but are not found in Britain. Now, geneticists at the University of Nottingham have confirmed a unique and close relationship between the snails of Ireland and those of a small region in the Pyrenees. As Dr. Angus Davison suggests, it raises the possibility that these snails were brought directly to Ireland by a single voyager, perhaps in the bilges of a trading boat, some 8000 years ago by-passing the British mainland.

When the curtain falls, what determines the length of the rapturous ovation? Is it really all to do with the quality of the show? Or could it be down to other, unrelated factors? Latest research suggests that the quality of his performance will have less impact than social pressure. Behavioural researcher Dr Richard Mann, from Uppsala University explains why and also what the wider implications of his studies of applause might mean.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper looks back at 100 years work of the MRC.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Laura Mersini-Houghton is appearing at this weekend's How The Light Gets In festival of philosophy and music in Hay-on-Wye.Born in Albania, she is a cosmologist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill whose theory of the origin of the visible universe has attracted a lot of attention for its strong observational predictions.
As she and Marcus Chown explain to Quentin Cooper, the recently released data from the Planck telescope lend particular support.

Could the big blue blotch on the Cosmic Microwave Background be a kind of shadow cast just after the big bang by a neighbouring universe beyond our own?

"Are evolutionary changes in our genome a cause or a consequence of cultural innovation?"

In last week's journal Science, a piece by Simon Fisher and Matt Ridley suggested that contrary to much received wisdom, we must consider whether sometimes in the evolution of the human genome, it is cultural changes which have led to genetic ones.
According to Ridley, mistaking cause for effect is common in the science, and this realisation could have profound consequencies for our understanding of who - and why - we are.

Is time real after all?

Many physicists and thinkers over the last century or so have treated our experience of the passage of time as an illusional human adaptation, and is actually unreal.
Some powerful physics relies on time being reversible, and a lot of particle physics works equally well backwards as forwards.
But in Lee Smolin's new book, Time Reborn, he outlines his conclusions from 20 years thinking, that time is real after all.
As he explains to Quentin, more importantly for him this implies the laws of physics are not constant, but have likely changed over the course of the history of the universe.

Observational evidence of universes beyond our own? Laura Mersini-Houghton and Lee Smolin.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Laura Mersini-Houghton is appearing at this weekend's How The Light Gets In festival of philosophy and music in Hay-on-Wye.Born in Albania, she is a cosmologist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill whose theory of the origin of the visible universe has attracted a lot of attention for its strong observational predictions.
As she and Marcus Chown explain to Quentin Cooper, the recently released data from the Planck telescope lend particular support.

Could the big blue blotch on the Cosmic Microwave Background be a kind of shadow cast just after the big bang by a neighbouring universe beyond our own?

"Are evolutionary changes in our genome a cause or a consequence of cultural innovation?"

In last week's journal Science, a piece by Simon Fisher and Matt Ridley suggested that contrary to much received wisdom, we must consider whether sometimes in the evolution of the human genome, it is cultural changes which have led to genetic ones.
According to Ridley, mistaking cause for effect is common in the science, and this realisation could have profound consequencies for our understanding of who - and why - we are.

Is time real after all?

Many physicists and thinkers over the last century or so have treated our experience of the passage of time as an illusional human adaptation, and is actually unreal.
Some powerful physics relies on time being reversible, and a lot of particle physics works equally well backwards as forwards.
But in Lee Smolin's new book, Time Reborn, he outlines his conclusions from 20 years thinking, that time is real after all.
As he explains to Quentin, more importantly for him this implies the laws of physics are not constant, but have likely changed over the course of the history of the universe.

Observational evidence of universes beyond our own? Laura Mersini-Houghton and Lee Smolin.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Nature's Best Kept Secret
Quentin Cooper hears about nature's best kept secret - the factory of life. It is well known that genes written in DNA are the code of life, carrying information from generation to generation. But without a code-reading machine, our DNA would be useless.

Quentin learns about the biological machine that does just that in every cell in our bodies, indeed in every cell in every living organism - a machine called the ribosome. This single, extraordinarily adaptable device manufactures every protein in our body, constantly working to keep our metabolism and life processes going. When we take antibiotics, it is usually to block the ribosomes in infectious bacteria. Tiny variations mean that those in our cells can keep going.

Because the ribosome is built out of DNA's simpler cousin RNA, this biological constructor provides the strongest clue that life developed out of a primordial soup of simple reacting RNA molecules.

Quentin Cooper hears about the DNA reading machine, the ribosome.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Neutrons Probe Spider Silk Secrets
Just outside Oxford there's a state-of the-art particle accelerator. It's not searching for the secrets of the cosmos but probing materials in greater detail than is possible with any microscope. It's the ISIS neutron source and has just had a major upgrade.

The intense beams of neutrons it sends out are being used by more than 2,000 scientists ranging from chemists to geologists. They can reveal the chemicals of life in molecular detail and the structure of materials used in electronics and nanotechnology. The newly completed upgrade will provide a second experimental hall, primarily for biological sciences. Quentin Cooper hears about the latest applications for the vast instrument.

For example, ISIS is being used to identify the molecular recipe for spider silk. Spider-silk is five times the strength of steel and more flexible than the material used in bullet proof vests. That's leading to many potential new applications.

Far from catching flies, silk is forming the basis of bio-compatible materials for surgical sutures, bone, cartilage and tendon replacements and even guide tubes to regenerate damaged nerves. But the scientists at the Oxford Silk Group don't want to start a spider farm!

They hope to reproduce in lab and ultimately factory what spiders do in nature. And for that they need to understand how the silk molecules behave, dry out and strengthen as the spider draws them from its spinarette. And that means looking at them with pulses of neutrons.

Neutrons are also helping aerospace companies tackle the challenge of cosmic radiation and its damaging effect on microchips in airplanes. They can identify materials that can store hydrogen safely, efficiently and cost-effectively for hydrogen cars of the future. And, looking to the past, the technology is helping scientists discover the true origins of historical artefacts. These have included ornate pistols owned by a former US President and Japanese swords that date back over a thousand years.

Concrete Canvas and Emergency Shelters

Engineers find solutions, and there's no greater need for such ingenuity than in the wake of a disaster. Whether it be earthquakes or war, there are people around the world in desperate need of shelter and basic infrastructure.

Arup engineer Jo da Silva joins Quentin Cooper to talk about her work co-ordinating the building of shelters after the 2004 tsunami. She also discusses the key engineering problems in disaster zones, and how a mixture of materials and local expertise can ensure the re-building lasts in the long-term. A post-disaster solution suggested by Peter Brewin and his colleague is concrete canvas. This flexible cloth is impregnated with concrete powder and only needs water and oxygen to set hard.

It's so tough that the MoD is already using it to strengthen defences on the frontline in Afghanistan. Although it's currently too expensive to be suitable for shelters, the material has potential for making secure buildings and emergency field hospitals when and where they're needed.

How neutrons are revealing the secrets of materials, from spider silk to Samurai swords.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

NOBEL PRIZE FOR MEDICINE
Sir Martin Evans has helped to transform our understanding of diseases like cancer and heart disease. His discovery of embryonic stem cells has led to the ground breaking technology of gene targeting.

Quentin talks with this year's winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine - Sir Martin Evans and his colleague Professor Alan Clark about investigating the function of individual genes and the incredible ability to `knock them out`.

THE PEPPERED MOTH
The Peppered Moth used to be mostly light with dark speckles but then came the industrial revolution. And the moth changed its spots. A neat example of natural selection in action? Not so said critics of Darwin seizing on controversy over some of the original moth experiments.

And the moth was withdrawn from school textbooks. The controversy doesn't end there. Professor Mike Majerus and Jerry Coyne want the moth restored to the ranks of Darwin's Dignitaries and tells Quentin why.

The Peppered Moth and its significance in the debate about Darwin's evolutionary theory.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Dreamliner is grounded and engineers are still trying to determine what went wrong. But what challenges do scientists face when designing planes? Professor Peter Bruce from St. Andrews University and Jeffrey Jupp, visiting professor at Bath University discuss. Professor Wendy Barclay from Imperial College London explains the controversies around H5N1 research and why it can now be restarted. Also, did wolves change their diets to become dogs? Dr. Erik Axelsson from Uppsala University in Sweden joins us on the line. And the science behind the decision to take mackerel off the sustainable food list.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

How to design a new plane, bird flu, dog domestication and mackerel.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Dreamliner is grounded and engineers are still trying to determine what went wrong. But what challenges do scientists face when designing planes? Professor Peter Bruce from St. Andrews University and Jeffrey Jupp, visiting professor at Bath University discuss. Professor Wendy Barclay from Imperial College London explains the controversies around H5N1 research and why it can now be restarted. Also, did wolves change their diets to become dogs? Dr. Erik Axelsson from Uppsala University in Sweden joins us on the line. And the science behind the decision to take mackerel off the sustainable food list.

The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

How to design a new plane, bird flu, dog domestication and mackerel.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Winter vomiting bug is with us once again but what can science tell us about this recurrent illness? Quentin Cooper talks to experts in Britain and the US who are looking at the current outbreaks.

James Kakalios, Professor of Physics at Minnesota University, explains how he uses fictional superheroes to further his students' understanding of physics.

Following last week's programme about unsung scientific heroes, Quentin showcases some of the listeners' suggestions.

And he finds out why the British military is employing scientists to design underpants for soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Winter vomiting, superhero physics and why military scientists design underpants.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Winter vomiting bug is with us once again but what can science tell us about this recurrent illness? Quentin Cooper talks to experts in Britain and the US who are looking at the current outbreaks.

James Kakalios, Professor of Physics at Minnesota University, explains how he uses fictional superheroes to further his students' understanding of physics.

Following last week's programme about unsung scientific heroes, Quentin showcases some of the listeners' suggestions.

And he finds out why the British military is employing scientists to design underpants for soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Winter vomiting, superhero physics and why military scientists design underpants.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Parasite Adaptation
Everything has parasites - even parasites have parasites. So what has made living at the expense of others such a successful way of life? In this week's Material World, Quentin Cooper examines the complex behavioural adaptations that have made parasitic infections like Malaria, which kills 2.5 million people each year, so difficult to combat. Understanding parasite behaviour may lead to new ways to reduce their activity. He's joined by Dr. Sarah Reece, School of Biosciences, University of Edinburgh and Professor Mike Boots, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield.

Fire Safety Engineering
Some key events in the last 10 years, including the World Trade Center collapse in 2001, have changed our scientific understanding of how materials like steel behave when heated by fire. Quentin Cooper looks at the new world of fire structural engineering. It's a revolutionary new approach to fire safety. It investigates how buildings frames act as a whole during fires, and treats fire just like any load the building might have to bear at the architectural stage. Quentin is joined by Dr. Barabara Lane, Associate Director, Arup Design and winner of the 2008 Royal Academy of Engineering's Silver Medal for her research on fire safety engineering, and Dr. Luke Bisby, The BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, University of Edinburgh.

Quentin Cooper explores the latest research into the sexual habits of the malaria parasite

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Pheromones at Fifty
Quentin Cooper finds out if humans can sense pheromones, the subliminal chemical language of scents that is a key means of communication between animals.

It is 50 years since the term was first used, and scientists now know how powerful such signals can be, or rather, how sensitive some creatures' noses are to the chemicals. Even before the word pheromone was invented, Charles Darwin showed how the smelliest crocodiles, ducks, goats and elephants were better at attracting mates. Pheromones even work under water, between lobsters for example.

Do humans make and use their own pheromones? We use a host of expensive scents and deodorants to conceal, augment or replace our bodily odour, but, suprisingly, no definite human pheromone has been isolated and identified. But it seems clear they must exist, otherwise, for example, how else would groups of women living in close proximity synchronise their menstruation?

Ponds for Life
There are almost 500,000 ponds in the UK countryside (not to mention another 2 million in our gardens), but the vast majority of them are in a deplorable condition.

Pond Conservation proposes to dig another 500,000 away from sources of pollution, because ponds, much neglected by ecologists, are the refuge for huge ranges of biodiversity.

They may even be the cradle of life itself. Quentin hears reasons to be cheerful about ponds.

Quentin Cooper finds out if humans can sense pheromones.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The underground world of Kazakhstan's great gerbils harbours a deadly secret: the bubonic plague. Instead of dying out with the Great Fire, the Black Death continues to thrive in groups of wild animals across Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Clues to how it spreads come from the coffee percolator! The mathematical 'percolation' theory describes how substances move through the gaps between something like coffee grounds, and can be applied to the spread of plague through a population. With the risk of cross-transmission and the apparent rise in human deaths from the plague, scientists need to find ways of controlling it.

Infectious disease expert Mike Begon from the University of Liverpool joins Quentin Cooper to discuss the unique transmission of the disease through gerbil populations, and how work on an early warning system could help prevent future outbreaks in both wildlife and humans.

To look at the wider implications of wildlife disease, animal epidemiologist Andrew Cunningham from the Zoological Society of London explains how plague and other illnesses can drive species to extinction. He also discusses how controlling global trade and crates of bananas could help stop wildlife diseases in their tracks.

Eternity and the Earth After Us

When it comes to global change and the future of the Human species, we're getting used to tales of gloom and doom. Time to cheer up, says science writer Michael Hanlon. In his new book ‘Eternity our next billion years' he argues that, though the road ahead may be rocky, our descendents will survive and even flourish for many millennia. He's not suggesting that everything will go smoothly.

There may be famines and epidemics, earthquakes and volcanoes, floods and wars. But, he argues, though millions may die, our species will come through. He certainly doesn't agree that this could be our final century.

We may even learn to deflect asteroids of the sort that may have killed the dinosaurs. Other cosmological cataclysms such as a nearby exploding star or a passing black hole have not affected Earth in its 4.5 billion year history so are unlikely now, he suggests.

As a geologist at Leicester University, Jan Zalasiewicz also takes a long perspective. But he has seen many species come and go in the fossil record and imagines a similar fate for humans. In his own book, ‘The Earth After Us' he describes the legacy that will be left in the rocks by human civilisation, as it might be revealed by alien geologists after a hundred million years.

Both guests speculate on the even longer term: if our descendants still survive, what will they have evolved into? Will they be masters of the Galaxy? What will happen to Earth when the sun finally runs out of fuel and swells into a red giant? What will be our physical legacy in trillions of years time when even the protons of normal atoms have decayed?

Quentin Cooper discusses the transmission of plague through gerbil populations.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Adam Rutherford discusses new science results from the Planck space telescope; a spectacular new map of the "oldest light" in the sky has just been released by the European Space Agency. Its mottled pattern confirms much of the standard model of cosmology, but some of the new data challenges current thinking and may imply a need for some completely new physical theories. In particular, a large asymmetry in the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation may even be a shadow of something that happened before the Big Bang. Professor George Efstathiou and Dr. Joanna Dunkley, both of the Planck science collaboration, discuss the findings.

Could the elusive giant squid be just one single species? Professor Tom Gilbert from the Museum of Natural History of Denmark in Copenhagen explains how his team have analysed giant squid mitochondrial DNA and found it to be almost the same in samples taken from across the globe. The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society Biology.

Adam Rutherford discusses new science results from the Planck space telescope.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Adam Rutherford discusses new science results from the Planck space telescope; a spectacular new map of the "oldest light" in the sky has just been released by the European Space Agency. Its mottled pattern confirms much of the standard model of cosmology, but some of the new data challenges current thinking and may imply a need for some completely new physical theories. In particular, a large asymmetry in the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation may even be a shadow of something that happened before the Big Bang. Professor George Efstathiou and Dr. Joanna Dunkley, both of the Planck science collaboration, discuss the findings.

Could the elusive giant squid be just one single species? Professor Tom Gilbert from the Museum of Natural History of Denmark in Copenhagen explains how his team have analysed giant squid mitochondrial DNA and found it to be almost the same in samples taken from across the globe. The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society Biology.

Adam Rutherford discusses new science results from the Planck space telescope.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Polymers in Dentistry
X-rays are a routine tool in your dentist's armoury, but what if there were a cheap alternative that could find tooth decay even earlier, and without the need to take a dose of radiation?

A collaboration between Heriot-Watt Biomedical Textiles Research Centre and the Dundee University Dental Health Services Research Unit has come up with a device that could potentially revolutionise the search for dental caries in your teeth. A dental cavity has a lower electrical impedance than surrounding healthy tooth, and a special probe, thin and flexible enough to be placed on the surface enamel, can map the areas of decay with greater accuracy than an x-ray.

Dr Alex Fotheringham of Heriot-Watt University tells Quentin how his team came up with just the right material, and Chris Longbottom of Dundee describes how it works and the potential benefits.

Einstein Tests
As Radio 4 prepares for its short season of science plays on Saturdays, starting with Terry Johnson's Insignificance, recounting a fictional encounter between Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe, Quentin talks to two scientists who are looking to stars of another sort to test Einstein's theories.

For three years, a three-quarter billion dollar satellite, Gravity Probe B, has been trying to measure the effect of the spinning Earth on the surrounding space-time. And even as those results are awaited, its principal scientist, Stanford University's Francis Everitt, is planning another satellite that will repeat Galileo's experiment of dropping weights from the Tower of Pisa, high up in orbit.

Quentin hears the details from Francis Everitt and his UK collaborator Tim Sumner.

Quentin Cooper explores new materials which can map potential decay in children's teeth.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Potato Science
The humble potato is a staple on many a dinner plate and snack bar. From mashed potato to crisps it can take a multitude of forms, and with it comes complex chemistry and even psychology.

Peter Styring from Sheffield University has studied just what happens when you mash a potato. Cook it too much or mash it with a blender and you break down the cells and end up with something like wallpaper paste. Cook or mash too little and it's lumpy.

So why not follow Delia's advice and use frozen mash? Not such a good idea, says Styring: it results in 700% more carbon emissions, contains too much salt and takes just as long to prepare. So we continue the quest for the perfect mashed potato.

There's nothing worse than a stale, soggy crisp, but Charles Spence of Oxford University has just won an Ig Nobel prize for improbable research for showing that the sound you hear when you crunch a crisp influences your enjoyment of its freshness. So there's a psychological side to spuds too.

Fermi Problems
How much tea is in China? How much energy is given off by an atomic bomb? They sound like the maths problems from hell, but early 20th century physicist Enrico Fermi tackled them head on - and without the help of a calculator.

He believed that with a few simple sums and a scrap of paper he could work out a rough answer. And with that the back-of-the-envelope calculation was born.

To discuss the relevance of pen and paper in science today, Quentin Cooper is joined by John Barrow from Cambridge University and Jocelyn Bell-Burnell, the President of the Institute of Physics.

They show how sensible estimations are helping us unravel the magnificent and the mundane - be it the amount of matter in the universe to the probability of having the same bank PIN code as your next door neighbour.

Quentin Cooper discovers the value of sensible mathematical and scientific estimations.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Predicting Natural Disasters
On Sunday 11th May an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale devastated much of Sichuan province in China. A week before a fierce tropical cyclone hit Burma (Myanmar). Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost and many more are in peril from the after effects. Can science tell us if natural disasters like these are on the increase? Do they come in clusters? Quentin Cooper is joined by Julian Heming, UK Metrological Office, Exeter, Professor Bill McGuire, Hazard Research Centre, University College London, and Dr. Paul Burton, Geophysical Sciences, University of East Anglia.

Forensic Engineering
Quentin finds out how a unique collaboration between scientists at Leicester University and Northamptonshire Police has come up with ingenious new techniques in the fight against crime. These include the detecting of previously undetectable fingerprints, and the creation of a lead chemical database of lead samples from churches across the country. It could help tackle the increase in theft of lead from church roofs which costs millions of pounds year to ecclesial insurers. Quentin is joined by Dr. John Bond, Scientific Support Manager, Northamptonshire Police and Dr. Sarah Hainsworth, Materials Mechanics, University of Leicester.

Quentin Cooper reports on ingenious new techniques in the fight against crime.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

What's it like being a research academic these days? Not so many piles of dusty books and journal articles lying around, many more hundreds or even thousands of files sitting on your computer. But how to connect them, sort them and cross reference them? This was a problem felt by Victor Henning, co-founder of a London tech startup called Mendeley, who aimed to build a tool for researchers around the world to use to smooth their work flow and to increase collaboration by revealing the people who are reading the same articles. Mendeley were bought outright this week by Reed Elsevier, the Dutch publishing house who publish more than 2000 scientific journals, including the Lancet. Victor Henning is joined by Jason Priem of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author of a recent horizon scanning feature in Nature, to discuss the future of science publication and how this wealth of research will be managed in the future.

Flights across the North Atlantic could get a lot bumpier in the future because of climate change. New research, published in Nature Climate Change, suggests that turbulence could double by 2050. Dr. Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientists from the University of Reading, explains to Gareth Mitchell the implications of his findings.

Changes to our environment are effecting evolution much quicker than we thought. A new study shows that even if we were to return a habitat to its former state, the population may not recover to its former state as it could have already evolved significantly away from that. This has big implications for fisheries management, crop pest resistance and even for emerging diseases like bird flu. Professor Tim Benton of Leeds University explains why this new work should challenge current conservation methods.

The future of open science? Fewer dusty journals, more research in the cloud.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

What's it like being a research academic these days? Not so many piles of dusty books and journal articles lying around, many more hundreds or even thousands of files sitting on your computer. But how to connect them, sort them and cross reference them? This was a problem felt by Victor Henning, co-founder of a London tech startup called Mendeley, who aimed to build a tool for researchers around the world to use to smooth their work flow and to increase collaboration by revealing the people who are reading the same articles. Mendeley were bought outright this week by Reed Elsevier, the Dutch publishing house who publish more than 2000 scientific journals, including the Lancet. Victor Henning is joined by Jason Priem of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author of a recent horizon scanning feature in Nature, to discuss the future of science publication and how this wealth of research will be managed in the future.

Flights across the North Atlantic could get a lot bumpier in the future because of climate change. New research, published in Nature Climate Change, suggests that turbulence could double by 2050. Dr. Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientists from the University of Reading, explains to Gareth Mitchell the implications of his findings.

Changes to our environment are effecting evolution much quicker than we thought. A new study shows that even if we were to return a habitat to its former state, the population may not recover to its former state as it could have already evolved significantly away from that. This has big implications for fisheries management, crop pest resistance and even for emerging diseases like bird flu. Professor Tim Benton of Leeds University explains why this new work should challenge current conservation methods.

The future of open science? Fewer dusty journals, more research in the cloud.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

One of the world's most powerful, commercially available, "quantum" computers is to be installed at NASA's Ames research centre. It will be shared between Google, NASA, and researchers via the Universities Space Research Agency, providing access to a machine which is up to 3600 times faster than a conventional computer. Dr Geordie Rose, Chief Technical officer at D-Wave Systems, the comparny who developed this computer, and Professor Alan Woodward, from the Department of Computing at Surrey University are on the show.

Scientists have discovered the oldest fluid water system in the world, buried deep beneath Ontario, Canada. The waters have been isolated for at least 1.5 billion years and if microbial life is found, it could suggest that buried biomes might exist deep beneath the surface of Mars. Professor Chris Ballentine from the University of Manchester, head of the research project, tells us more.

Embryonic Stem Cells are cells with the unique capability of being able to develop into any kind of cell in the human body. Now a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, which involves transferring the nucleus of a donor cell into that of a female egg cell, has been successfully applied to humans cells. Dr Paul De Sousa, a stem cell researcher from the University of Edinburgh, explains why these findings are important both to the scientific world and the world of healthcare.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters mission, Material World is taking a look at some of the spectacular, yet largely unknown engineering achievements of World War II. Beyond bouncing bombs were the lesser known military operations like PLUTO, Mulberry Harbour and Tern Island. Dr Colin Brown, Engineering Director at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers tells us more.

Scientists to have access to one of the world's most powerful quantum computers.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

One of the world's most powerful, commercially available, "quantum" computers is to be installed at NASA's Ames research centre. It will be shared between Google, NASA, and researchers via the Universities Space Research Agency, providing access to a machine which is up to 3600 times faster than a conventional computer. Dr Geordie Rose, Chief Technical officer at D-Wave Systems, the comparny who developed this computer, and Professor Alan Woodward, from the Department of Computing at Surrey University are on the show.

Scientists have discovered the oldest fluid water system in the world, buried deep beneath Ontario, Canada. The waters have been isolated for at least 1.5 billion years and if microbial life is found, it could suggest that buried biomes might exist deep beneath the surface of Mars. Professor Chris Ballentine from the University of Manchester, head of the research project, tells us more.

Embryonic Stem Cells are cells with the unique capability of being able to develop into any kind of cell in the human body. Now a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, which involves transferring the nucleus of a donor cell into that of a female egg cell, has been successfully applied to humans cells. Dr Paul De Sousa, a stem cell researcher from the University of Edinburgh, explains why these findings are important both to the scientific world and the world of healthcare.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters mission, Material World is taking a look at some of the spectacular, yet largely unknown engineering achievements of World War II. Beyond bouncing bombs were the lesser known military operations like PLUTO, Mulberry Harbour and Tern Island. Dr Colin Brown, Engineering Director at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers tells us more.

Scientists to have access to one of the world's most powerful quantum computers.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Question & Answer Christmas Special

Ever wondered

Redefining the Kilogram
On the outskirts of Paris, locked away in an underground vault lies a heavily guarded cylinder of platinum and iridium which has lain there for over 120 years. What's so special about this particular lump of metal? It is the kilogram by which all other kilograms are measured. Quentin Cooper finds out why ‘Le Grand K', the international prototype for the kilogram might soon be out of a job. He talks to Dr. Ian Robinson from the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington and science historian William Ashworth.

Mapping Membrane Proteins
Membrane proteins are key to every cell process in the human body and to the activity of bacteria. They control what goes into and out of cells and how nerve impulses are generated. But why do we know so little about them? A new 15 million Euro EU Science programme is going to find out. Quentin is joined by project leader Professor Peter Henderson from the University of Leeds, and leading membrane protein researcher Dr. Chris Tate from the University of Cambridge to find out how the results could lead to a drug revolution.

Quentin Cooper investigates plans to redefine the standard measure of a kilogram.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

SCAPA FLOW
On 14th October 1939, a British battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk after she was hit by German U-boat U47 in Scapa Flow just off the Orkney Isles in Scotland. 833 lives were lost when the ship sank in just over ten minutes. The wreck is now designated an official war grave.

Almost 70 years on, the HMS Royal Oak is still leaking oil which could pose a threat to the coastline of Orkney and Shetland. The MOD have already launched salvage operations to remove some of the oil but they require high resolution images of the wreck in order to make sure thay have made the site secure.

Dr Martin Dean, marine archaeologist at the University of St. Andrews has been called in to do this and with the aid of Dr Chris Rowland, an expert in animation and 3D visualisation from the University of Dundee together with Dr Mark Laurence make up the ADUS (Archaeological Diving Unit Survey) Team. They have come up with some new technology that has allowed them to get some of the clearest pictures of a wreck underwater ever seen.

Using multi-beam sonar from their research vessel, recording the image over several passes and getting as close to the hull of the ship as they can - they have come up with images that can be electronically tweaked and enhanced to allow them to see the wreck in full 3D and even create ‘fly bys' where they can virtually circle the ship and view it from any angle.

DARK MATTER
In 1933 the astronomer Fritz Zwicky tried to find the total mass of a cluster of galaxies using two methods.

Firstly he measured how bright the galaxies were that he could see, and then estimated the amount of mass necessary to burn that brightly.

Then he measured how fast the galaxies were orbiting each other, calculated how strong their mutual gravitational attraction must be to hold them together without flying off, and thus worked out how much the total mass must be to exert such a pull.

It was very clear that he could not observe nearly enough mass to account for the second figure. Either Einstein's laws of gravity were wrong at such large distances, or something else was holding the cluster together that he could not see.

He called it "Dark Matter". But only in the early 80's did it become reasonable to suggest that this was not just ordinary matter dimly lit or maybe obscured, but perhaps something much more exotic - something that doesn't interact with light at all.

Sue is joined by Dr Andy Taylor of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and Prof Gerry Gilmore of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge to discuss some of the recent developments in physics' grand quest to find and identify a type - or several types - of matter that we cannot see or touch, and yet which accounts for five times more of the universe than we will ever see with our eyes.

Science programme exploring the uses of underwater sonar imaging technology.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The annual British Association Festival of Science is in York this week, and so is the Material World.

Quentin takes a whistle-stop tour around some of the many events and activities taking place in the city and around the university campus.

Karen Spencer from the University of Glasgow tells us what a babbling child has in common with an adolescent sparrow; York's David Howard shows us about the future of synthetic speech; Tim Wess from Cardiff describes how synchrotron radiation - very high quality electromagnetic rays - can be used in dating and preserving ancient parchment.

Quentin also meets ColourDome creator Peter Jones and Saxophonist Evan Parker.

Quentin Cooper visits the annual Science Festival in York.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper puts listeners' science questions to a panel of experts: taxonomist Dr Sandy Knapp from the Natural History Museum, Michael Brooks, consultant to New Scientist magazine and author of 13 Things That Don't Make Sense, and Dr Andrea Sella, chemist at University College London and EPSRC senior media fellow.

Among the topics: why we can feel chilly even as spring days grow warmer and why cold weather makes our nose run; why some organisms seem to evolve faster than others and which have changed the least; what caused the Big Bang; how the wind blows sounds and smells and the contribution of fizzy drinks to global warming.

The panel also explore the diet of the hummingbird, the sting of the bee and the age of the human body. Plus, why you can't tickle yourself and why the Material World studio might not contain the most complex structure in the universe.

Quentin Cooper puts listeners' science questions to a panel of experts.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science Vs the Rest of the World
In a special programme recorded at this year's Hay festival, Quentin Cooper asks three leading scientific thinkers what happens when the frontiers of science come up against the realms of politics, religion and public opinion. Science is always pushing into disputed territory, such as the recent Parliamentary debates over human-animal embryos or the ongoing arguments over climate change. But when the different states of mind meet, where does the line get drawn? Is it the case that, when scientists propose unexpected or unwanted theories, they're dismissed as being unable to see the broader picture? Or, after disagreements and delays, does science eventually just march on restricted only by what is possible? To discuss these issues are Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London, science writer Philip Ball and the Government's former Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Sir David King.

Quentin Cooper talks to scientists at the Hay Literary Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

SCUBA 2
The formation of planets, solar systems and galaxies is still something of a mystery to astronomers. Whilst hunches and theories abound, it's always nice to have a look at these things in more detail. Of all the stuff out there that astronomers can see it's the cooler gas and dust - with a temperature around 10K - that is most often associated with things in formation. But being cool, with relatively little energy, it's not that easy to spot.

The light from objects at those temperatures is quite invisible to the human eye, having a wavelength in the region of 0.2 - 1.0 millimetres, and is classed as `sub-millimetre` radiation. For the last decade a camera called SCUBA (Sub-millimetre Common-User Bolometer Array) has been at the forefront of this field of investigation, and made many striking discoveries, including discs of cool gas and dust surrounding many stars in our galaxy: an observation that suggests planet formation is surprisingly common.

Now SCUBA's complicated £14 million replacement - SCUBA 2 - is about to be installed on a telescope in Hawaii, and Quentin is joined by sub-millimetre astronomers Professor Rob Ivison of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and Dr Wayne Holland of the Astronomy Technology Centre, to discuss its prospects.

Kids' Science Festivals
If you're still reading this page, the chances are you have some interest in science. How old were you when that started?

The Edinburgh International Science Festival, running since 1988, has long recognized the importance of engaging young children with scientific ideas. But does this carry across to the classroom? Does using an exploding chemical reaction to elicit whoops of delight from a roomful of 10 year olds really stimulate the next generation of Nobel Laureates?

Quentin is joined by two of the world's foremost science communicators: Tom Pringle - aka TV's `Dr Bunhead", who is appearing at the Festival this week, and Wendy Sadler, of Cardiff University and the `Science Made Simple` programme.

Quentin Cooper on a new instrument designed to look for evidence of how galaxies form.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Seaside Bouquet
If the return of summer weather inclines you to head for the seaside, you may soon be struck by the distinctive, coastal smell as you arrive. It's caused by the gas dimethyl sulphide, DMS, emitted by invisible marine microorganisms.

Peter Liss, professor of environmental sciences at the University of East Anglia suggests we should be grateful for it - sulphur washed out to sea gets returned to the fields by it; if it wasn't we should go hungry.

And Michael Steinke, lecturer in biology at Essex University, believes the gas may be a way the microorganisms protect themselves from predation. Both join Quentin in the studio to talk about the many facets of DMS.

Thomas Telford turns 250
August the 9th this year marks the 250th birthday of Thomas Telford - perhaps the greatest civil engineer the UK has ever produced.

Known for his 1000 or so bridges and miles and miles of roads, his achievements with canals are sometimes obscured in history by the success of the railways that came so soon after him.

But prodigious as his output was, perhaps his greatest achievement was the professionalisation of civil engineering through his work as founding president of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Mike Chrimes, in charge of the Institution's archive, talks Quentin through Telford's story and legacy. And Ian Hunt, director in the UK of Gifford Ltd, a leading bridge building consultancy, talks of the continuing influence of the `Colossus of Roads`.

Quentin Cooper celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Seaweed and Iodine
Seaweed has been used as a medicine as far back as 3,000 B.C but it was only in 1811 it was known seaweed contains large amounts of the halogen iodine. Quentin looks at why the iodine in seaweed may be intimately related to local weather and ultimately climate. A recent study has found that large brown seaweed release a form of iodine to protect itself from intense sunlight or low-lying atmospheric ozone, causing clouds to form. Quentin finds out more about this potentially `Gaia`-like feedback mechanism going on between the seaweed on the seashore and the local climate. Joining him in the studio are Dr Frithjof Küpper of the Scottish Association for Marine Science and Dr Gordon McFiggans from the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at Manchester University.

Kamchatka Forest
Also in the programme, Quentin finds out about an expedition to the Kamchatka forest in Far East Russia, one of the last wildernesses in the world, to understand its flora and fauna. Over the last ten years, land surface temperatures across Europe have changed relatively little. In contrast, temperatures in Kamchatka have risen by 1-2 degrees. Quentin meets Markus Eichhorn, lecturer in ecology at the University of Nottingham, who is leading the expedition to the Bystrinsky Nature Park in Kamchatka. As well as mapping and understanding one of the few existing terrains on Earth not affected by man, Markus will recording temperatures to see how climate change might affect the region in the future.

Quentin Cooper looks at the iodine content of seaweed and its connection to local weather.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Severn Barrage
If it were built, the Severn Barrage would stretch from Cardiff to Western-Super-Mare ...It would be one of the biggest engineering projects ever in the UK and would be the keystone of a tidal power revolution in Britain. It could provide 5% of the UK's electricity needs alone, but there will be significant loss of wildlife habitats. Can science push the boundaries of tidal power overcoming the problems to make it a viable energy source in the future? Quentin is joined by Professor Roger Falconer, School of Engineering, University of Cardiff and Neil Kermode, European Marine Energy Centre.

Skeletons and TB
Our skeletons can tell a story. Quentin Cooper looks into the world of paleaopathology. Archaeologists and geneticists are joining forces to try and discover how diseases evolve. By extracting ancient human DNA they are looking to see how Tuberculosis bacterium developed over the centuries and reveal its ultimate origins. Quentin is joined by Professor Charlotte Roberts, Department of Archaeology, University of Durham and Professor Terry Brown, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester.

Quentin Cooper follows research into how the TB bacterium has evolved over the centuries.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

SILVERPIT DEBATE
About 65 million years ago, an object 120 metres wide and weighing 7 million tonnes fell from space. It plunged into the shallow sea off the coast of what is now Yorkshire. It left a 3km crater, and showered havoc and destruction on the surrounding area.

Or so many geologists think.

In 2002, Phil Allen published the discovery of what was hailed in many quarters as the UK's first and so far only impact crater. Since then, some have cast doubt over its origins.

Could the strange, ring-shaped fault lines surrounding the Silverpit Crater, as it came to be known, point to a more earthly genesis?

The debate has rumbled on ever since, and recently the Geologist leading the case for the opposition has presented what he believes to be further evidence supporting his subterranean theory.

Professor John Underhill of Edinburgh University is joined by the Silverpit's discoverer, Phil Allen of Production Geoscience Ltd to thrash it out with Quentin.

MANAGING UNCERTAINTY IN COMPLEX MODELS
In many branches of science, more and more predictions are made by running computer models.

But as these models get increasingly complex, a better understanding of the mathematics of uncertainty is becoming essential, especially when important policy decisions hinge on the scientists' predictions.

From flu outbreaks to climate change, from bridges and plumbing, scientists have to assess the degree of uncertainty by comparing different predictive models.

The MUCM (Managing Uncertainty in Complex Models) project has been set up to draw together a set of statistical rules and technologies that could impact on all areas of science for the better.

Leader of the £2 million project, Professor Tony O'Hagan of Sheffield University's Department of Probability and Statistics and Dr Peter Challenor, Head of Ocean Observations and Climate Research Group at the University of Southampton discuss the odds of success.

Quentin Cooper explores scientific developments.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Sites of Special Scientific Interest - SSSI

Billionaire property tycoon Donald Trump's recent attempt to develop a golf course on the Aberdeenshire coast was planned to be built on a ‘dune ecosystem' SSSI. SSSI stands for a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest'. But how does land become an SSSI and what scientific benefit do we get from over 10% of UK land being designated as being of special scientific interest? Quentin Cooper talks to Tom Tew, Natural England's chief scientific officer & John Everitt, who is responsible for The Wildlife Trusts SSSI's.

Light Emitting Diodes -LED

They humbly wink at us from computer screens, stereos and light up our mobile phones, but light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are about to move up in the world. Quentin Cooper will be finding out why a new generation of LEDs will purify water, mimic sunshine, and be used in the fight to keep private data immune from hackers. Quentin talks to Jan Evans-Freeman and Rachel Oliver who are leading LED technology towards a brighter future.

Quentin Cooper looks at a brighter future for Light Emitting Diode technology.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Smart Holograms
Imagine a contact lens that could colour depending on the health of the wearer. If you're dehydrated or even as an early warning signal for diabetes. In this week's Material World, Sue Nelson investigates a new generation of smart holograms which could do just that. Sue is joined by Professor Chris Lowe, Director Institute of Biotechnology, University of Cambridge and John Pritchard, Chief technical officer, Smart Holograms.

Batteries of the Future
Also in the programme - the future of energy storage. The world of mobile technologies and hybrid cars are dependent on battery power - but the technology has yet to catch up with the high power demands of the future. How can scientists develop batteries that can power cars and microchips while being environmentally sustainable? Sue finds out about batteries that breathe oxygen like you and me, so they can be lighter, cleaner and more powerful than ever before. Sue is joined by Professor Peter Bruce, School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews and Mike Kellaway, Provector Limited.

Sue Nelson investigates research into a new generation of lighter and cleaner batteries.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Smog and Buildings
An icon of Britain's capital, the Tower of London encapsulates nearly a thousand years of history - and has trapped a record of a thousand years of London pollution. Atmospheric chemist Peter Brimblecombe has been scraping grime from the Tower's stone walls to see how that pollution has changed, from wood smoke, to coal to diesel, and its changing effects on the faces of London's buildings.

Heather Viles has been doing the same to the colleges in her home city of Oxford, whose castle is also almost a thousand years old. And both say that climate changing will bring new assaults to our landmarks.

Ladybird, Ladybird
In 2004 the Harlequin Ladybird was first spotted in the UK, in the garden of a pub in Essex. First introduced into Asia and the US to control aphids, the voracious predatory species has taken hold and spread throughout those continents and now seems to be doing the same in the UK.

Already in Wales, SW England and as far north as Durham, it is expected to have reached Scotland by 2008. It is capable of out-eating its competitors, turning cannibal on native species of ladybird, and infesting your home in swarms in the winter.

And Mike Majerus of Cambridge University - who helped set up the monitoring programme linked below, thinks it will lead to the loss of some 1000 other interdependent species from our shores altogether.

Why is it so voracious? How has it spread so quickly? And can anything be done to halt it? Mike and his PhD student Remy Ware from the evolutionary genetics group at the University of Cambridge seek to answer those questions and also describe how you might be able to help track the spread.

Quentin Cooper peers into the smog of London's past.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Why is the smog in Beijing and northern China so bad at the moment and how does it compare to the UK? Dr Gary Fuller, Senior Lecturer in Air Quality Measurement at King's College London and Peter Brimblecombe, Professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of East Anglia discuss the current situation. Are the alternatives to researching on animals currently realistic? A new post is being created at Queen Mary, University of London to try and find other options to animal testing. Dr. Alpesh Patel, from the Dr. Hadwen Trust and Professor Dominic Wells from the Royal Veterinary College are in the studio. Also how scientists have managed to study exploding stars much more closely. Dr Alison Laird, joins Quentin Cooper from the University of York's Department of Physics.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper looks at the smog in China, alternatives to research on animals, and novae.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Why is the smog in Beijing and northern China so bad at the moment and how does it compare to the UK? Dr Gary Fuller, Senior Lecturer in Air Quality Measurement at King's College London and Peter Brimblecombe, Professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of East Anglia discuss the current situation. Are the alternatives to researching on animals currently realistic? A new post is being created at Queen Mary, University of London to try and find other options to animal testing. Dr. Alpesh Patel, from the Dr. Hadwen Trust and Professor Dominic Wells from the Royal Veterinary College are in the studio. Also how scientists have managed to study exploding stars much more closely. Dr Alison Laird, joins Quentin Cooper from the University of York's Department of Physics.
The producer is Ania Lichtarowicz.

Quentin Cooper looks at the smog in China, alternatives to research on animals, and novae.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Four amateur scientists have turned their ideas into experiments this year. They were selected from 1,300 ideas sent in from around the UK, and this week they present their results in front of a live audience at the British Science Festival in Birmingham.

But who will be selected as the BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year? The finalists are:

Ruth Brooks, 69, retired tutor from Devon
"What is the homing distance of the Garden Snail that decimates my plants? How far away do I have to dump them before they find their way back to my garden?"

Sam O'kell, 35, croupier from Manchester
"I believe the greatest crowd density at a music gig is not at the front, next to the barriers, but three rows back from the front. I would test this by wearing a pressure sensing vest beneath normal clothes, and take readings at different locations in the crowd."

Nina Jones, 17, A-level student from Milton Keynes
"What makes up a typical Facebook profile picture? Adults seem to choose pictures showing an event in their lives - their wedding, or their children - whereas teenagers seem to show themselves having a good time. Through investigation, I will test these predictions."

John Rowlands, 41, aerial photographer from Anglesey
"To investigate the frequency and brightness of noctilucent clouds. They are believed to be linked to climate change, as there are no records of sighting pre-1850s. I will look at planetary waves, huge oscillations in the earth's upper atmosphere, and find out if they influence when noctilucent clouds occur."

On the judging panel:
- Prof Tanya Byron, Clinical Psychologist and broadcaster
- Mark Henderson, Science Editor of The Times
- Prof Trevor Cox, Acoustic Engineer, EPSRC Media Fellow

Presenter: Quentin Cooper
Producer: Michelle Martin.

The BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year is revealed at the 2010 British Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Four amateur scientists have turned their ideas into experiments this year. They were selected from 1,300 ideas sent in from around the UK, and this week they present their results in front of a live audience at the British Science Festival in Birmingham.

But who will be selected as the BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year? The finalists are:

Ruth Brooks, 69, retired tutor from Devon
"What is the homing distance of the Garden Snail that decimates my plants? How far away do I have to dump them before they find their way back to my garden?"

Sam O'kell, 35, croupier from Manchester
"I believe the greatest crowd density at a music gig is not at the front, next to the barriers, but three rows back from the front. I would test this by wearing a pressure sensing vest beneath normal clothes, and take readings at different locations in the crowd."

Nina Jones, 17, A-level student from Milton Keynes
"What makes up a typical Facebook profile picture? Adults seem to choose pictures showing an event in their lives - their wedding, or their children - whereas teenagers seem to show themselves having a good time. Through investigation, I will test these predictions."

John Rowlands, 41, aerial photographer from Anglesey
"To investigate the frequency and brightness of noctilucent clouds. They are believed to be linked to climate change, as there are no records of sighting pre-1850s. I will look at planetary waves, huge oscillations in the earth's upper atmosphere, and find out if they influence when noctilucent clouds occur."

On the judging panel:
- Prof Tanya Byron, Clinical Psychologist and broadcaster
- Mark Henderson, Science Editor of The Times
- Prof Trevor Cox, Acoustic Engineer, EPSRC Media Fellow

Presenter: Quentin Cooper
Producer: Michelle Martin.

The BBC's Amateur Scientist of the Year is revealed at the 2010 British Science Festival.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Long Desc

Last year 69 year old gardener Ruth Brooks from Devon was crowned the winner for her research into the homing distance of snails. With the help of ecologist Dr Dave Hodgson from the University of Exeter, she created an experiment in her back garden to measure how far she should move her snails away to stop them coming back to eat her petunias.

'The whole year was filled with fun,' said Ms Brooks. 'For a non-scientist like me, it was great to have my research idea taken seriously. If I can do it, anyone can - just have a go!'

Now you can put your ideas, hunches and theories to the test. If you're chosen as one of Material World's four finalists, your entry will be turned into a real experiment which you'll carry out with the help of a professional scientist.

A panel of judges, chaired by Nobel prize winning scientist Sir Paul Nurse, will select four finalists in December. The amateur scientists start their research in January and will present their results at the Cheltenham Science Festival in June 2012, where the judges will choose a winner.

Entries are open online from 26 Sept until 31 Oct: www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/scientist.

The return of So You Want to Be a Scientist?, Radio 4's amateur science award.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This year's finalists are:

- Izzy Thomlinson, an 18 year old student from Shropshire, is trying to find out why sounds like nails scratching a blackboard make some people squirm

- Dara Djavan Khoshdel, a 25 year old mature student from Bournemouth, has been measuring whether our emotional reaction to art is correlated to its financial value

- Val Watham, a 53 year old management consultant from Berkshire, has designed a study to investigate whether horizontal or vertical stripes are more flattering to wear

- William Rudling, a 69 year old caricaturist from Leeds, wants to know whether people who look the same also sound the same

The four finalists present their results to a panel of judges - solar scientist Dr Lucie Green from UCL, evolutionary biologist Dr Yan Wong from Bang Goes the Theory and science journalist Mark Henderson.

After deliberating the merits of each experiment in terms of design, methodology and conclusion, the judges will choose the person they think deserves to become the next BBC Amateur Scientist of the Year.

Producer: Michelle Martin.

Adam Rutherford presents the finals of So You Want to Be a Scientist?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

In just 40 minutes on a sunny day in the UK, we receive enough energy from the Sun to provide the country's entire energy requirements for a whole year. Quentin Cooper finds out how we can make more use of the Sun. Why are solar panels currently so inefficient and how can the blackness of a moth's eye could help improve our ray catching abilities? Quentin is joined by Professor Ken Durose, Director of the Durham centre for Renewable Energy, University of Durham and Dr Darren Bagnall from the School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton.

Gravitational Lenses

Why do stars act like a magnifying glass in the heavens? Astronomers have just discovered two giant gas planets orbiting a star which bear a striking resemblance to Jupiter and Saturn. Quentin finds out about how are these discoveries are being made - by using predictions made by Einstein in his theory of Relativity and searching the sky for one in a million events. Quentin is joined by Professor Keith Horne, Head of Astronomy, School of Astronomy at the University of St. Andrews and Dr Nicholas Rattenbury from the Jodrell Bank Centre of Astrophysics, University of Manchester.

Quentin Cooper investigates solar power and how it can most effectively be utilised.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

SPACE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
50 years ago, Sputnik 1 the first man made object to orbit the Earth was launched by the Soviet Union. In the five decades since, 100s of satellites have followed in its path. Today, 863 satellites orbit Earth.

They are operated by 41 countries but no individual agency knows exactly where they all are at any one time - so the chances of big and expensive collisions are on the increase. Quentin talks to Ben Baseley Walker and Theresa Hitchens about bold new proposals for Space Traffic Management, why space debris is on the rise and whether catastrophic orbital pile-ups are imminent.

MEMORIES FOR LIFE
Also in the programme why your whole lifetime of experience could be put into gigabytes of storage space.
Quentin meets Nigel Shadbolt, chairman of the Memories for Life grand challenge and Yorick Wilks from the Oxford Internet Institute to find out about a project to merge digital and physical worlds and how in the near future we could be storing all our memories for ever.

Who will keep them, could they be kept private and how would it change our own concept of who we are?

Quentin Cooper will also be celebrating National Poetry day with poems from Ashley Harrold.

Quentin Cooper talks to a group who are attempting to understand the nature of memory.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Stardust results
In January 2006, NASA's Stardust mission to collect samples of dust from a comet over 400 million kilometres away, returned to Earth with its precious cargo.

Over the last year scientists from all over the world have been analysing the tiny grains of dust which have been untouched since the solar system formed billions of years ago.

Quentin Cooper talks to two of those scientists: Professor Monica Grady from the Open University and Dr. Phil Bland from Imperial College, London.

They reveal what the dust can explain about the formation of the Solar System and the chemicals necessary for the origin of life.

Laser Fusion
Also in the programme - the dream of a safe, clean, cheap and almost limitless supply of energy might be one step closer.

By recreating on Earth the process that occurs at the centre of the Sun - a nuclear fusion reactor could be the answer to the world's energy problems.

Quentin Cooper talks with Mike Dunne, director of the Central Laser Research facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory about why lasers might be the future for fusion and to Bob Bingham from Rutherford Appleton on when we will have a working model of nuclear fusion in practice.

Quentin Cooper and scientists from Imperial College investigate dust taken from a comet.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Stonehenge & Durrington Walls
Stonehenge's massive stone pillars have long been a tourist magnet, attracting nearly a million people a year.

Now new archaeological evidence shows that the iconic monument was a place of pilgrimage even in prehistoric times.

Cattle teeth found at Durrington Walls, a massive circular earthwork near to Stonehenge, suggest that the animals were herded from distant parts of Britain.

The results add to increasing evidence that people may have visited Stonehenge periodically.

But what drew them to the site? It is a controversial subject - did they congregate during episodes of feasting at the summer and winter solstices or permanently live at the sites?

Quentin Cooper is joined by Jane Evans of the Natural Environment Research Council's Isotope Geosciences Laboratory in Nottingham and Michael Parker Pearson, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield. Are the iconic monuments at Durrington Walls and Stonehenge related? And could the two sites be part of a single ‘ritual landscape'?

Worms, Bonemeal & Green Rust
What do earthworms, green rust and bonemeal have in common? The answer is that they are all pointing the way to new techniques for cleaning up contaminated land. And the scientists concerned are finding out how they might do so using x-rays from the brightest light in Britain, the new Diamond Light Source at the Rutherford Appleton Lab near Oxford.

Quentin Cooper hears from Dr Mark Hodson of the University of Reading how some earthworms are developing resistance to the metals that contaminate soil and might help to release them so that plants can absorb them and be removed - or even used to recover the metals.

Dr Paul Schofield of London's Natural History Museum is using bonemeal to try to lock pollutants up in safe, insoluble phosphates.

And Dr Sam Shaw of the University of Leeds is looking at the potential of what he calls green rust to form a sort of filter around waste sites that will absorb metals if they try to cross it.

Quentin Cooper finds out about the latest clues to unlocking the mystery of Stonehenge.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

STUDENT SPACE PROJECTS
Quentin Cooper learns about student contributions to front-line space projects. He meets undergraduates from the University of Leicester who are building their own satellite to study space dust, detecting nano-meteoroids in orbit around the Earth.

At the Open University at Milton Keynes, PhD students are building an experiment that will orbit the Moon as part of the European Student Moon Orbiter (ESMO), which is being designed and built by students from 29 universities in 12 countries.

DID THE EARTH FREEZE OVER?
Something strange was happening to the Earth around 700 million years ago. There's evidence of deposits left by ice on every continent, including regions that were then near the equator. The implication that has become widely accepted over the last decade, is that the Earth froze over.

Such a ‘snowball earth' scenario would have almost wiped out the primitive marine life of the time. There would have been no marine algae to remove volcanic carbon dioxide from the air. When the greenhouse gas had built up, about 635 million years ago, it caused rapid warming and a sudden thaw that plunged our planet into a hothouse.

The climate change is marked by a global layer of limestone as marine algae took advantage of the CO2 and warm seas. Soon afterwards the first assemblage of diverse, multicellular life forms evolved. But now, in a review article, Professor Phillip Allen of Imperial College London has called the global glaciation into doubt.

He discusses the evidence with Gabrielle Walker, author of ‘Snowball Earth'.

Quentin Cooper learns about student contributions to front-line space projects.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Subglacial Lakes
Radar surveys in the 1970s identified a number of liquid water lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. In recent years the number of ‘sub-glacial lakes' we know about has risen to over 160.

Now the British Antarctic Survey has carried out the first geophysical survey on Lake Ellsworth - more than 2km below the ice sheet. The lakes exist in complete darkness, with ecosystems that have been isolated from the rest of the world for hundreds of thousands of years. The question is how do you explore them without contaminating them?

A UK university consortium is planning to explore Lake Ellsworth. Quentin Cooper talks to Dr. Martin Seigert from the University of Edinburgh who is leading the consortium and Dr. Andy Smith from the British Antarctic survey who led the geophysical team studying Lake Ellsworth. What can subglacial lakes on Earth tell us about life in extreme conditions on other planets?

ALIFE XI
For the first time the UK is hosting the eleventh world Artificial Life conference: ALIFE XI. Artificial life ‘attempts to understand the general properties of living systems by synthesizing life-like phenomena in software, hardware, and wetware'. The conference is being hosted by Southampton University in Winchester and has contributions from scientists around the world.

Quentin is joined by conference chair Dr. Seth Bullock, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton and Professor Mark A. Bedau, Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Reed College, USA. What kind of new scientific advances can we expect from ‘artificial life'?

Quentin Cooper reports on attempts to explore lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Superbugs

If you go into hospital without one, there's a one-in-ten chance of picking one up while you're there: a hospital acquired infection. It could be minor or it could be an antibiotic-resistant superbug like MSRA or C. difficile.

Science though is fighting back in some surprising ways - including replica hospital rooms and biological testing chambers - to try and understand how infections spread and how they might be stopped.

Quentin meets research scientist Clive Beggs, of Bradford University's Infection Research Group (BIG) and Kevin Kerr, Consultant Microbiologist and Director of Infection Prevention and Control for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

BepiColumbo Mission: Returning to Mercury

You wait 30 years and then two space trips to the planet Mercury come along at once. Why are NASA and a joint European-Japanese consortium sending missions back to the closest planet to the Sun? What do they hope to discover about the hostile environment that Mercury endures?

And just how do you get around the difficulties of trying to put a probe in orbit around Mercury when it's being accelerated by the massive gravitational pull of the Sun? The answer is in name of the European-Japanese mission: BepiColumbo. Quentin is joined by the UK's two leading scientists working on the BepiColumbo Mission, Dr David Rothery of the Open University and Professor George Fraser of Leicester University's Space Research Centre.

Quentin Cooper talks to Clive Beggs and Kevin Kerr from the University of Bradford.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Systems Biology
Advances in computing power have heralded a new frontier in science - where computing meets biology. UK funding for the new science of Systems Biology has topped £100 million in the last 3 years. Supercomputers are making very sophisticated replicas of biological process and even virtual organs - like the heart - to test new drugs and medicines. We meet one of the pioneers of this new science Denis Noble, and ask how this research will revolutionise medicin

Talking Bacteria
Bacteria can do the seemingly extraordinary and talk to each other. How they communicate to regulate numbers, decide when is the best time to attack a host's immune system or even see off rivals. Quentin finds out why listening in on their chemical chatter could provide new ways of tackling superbugs like MRSA. Quentin is joined by David Spring from the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge and Steve Diggle from The University of Nottingham Quorum Sensing Research Group.

Self Healing Materials
Quentin Cooper enters the world of the minuscule to find out how materials that can sense damage from everyday wear and tear and heal themselves. Taking inspiration from the way blood flows around the body and how plants get water researchers are finding ways to look into the nano voids in materials to engineer planes and cars that can heal themselves. Quentin is joined by Ian Bond from the Department Aerospace Engineering at Bristol University and Frank Jones from the Department of Engineering Materials at Sheffield University.

Quentin Cooper investigates the complex chemical language used by bacteria.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Failures in science and lessons learnt: Professor Helen McShane, the head of the TB Vaccinations Programme at Oxford University, explains what can be learnt from the only TB vaccine trial in more than 40 years. Professor Martin Siegert, Professor of Geosciences at Bristol University and Chief Scientist on the Lake Ellsworth Project drilling into a pristine lake in Antarctica, explains why the mission had to be abandoned. The latest British satellite will be controlled by a mobile phone. Dr. Chris Bridges, from the Surrey Space Centre and Surrey University, and Stuart Martin, CEO of Satellite Applications Catapult, tell Quentin Cooper how it will all work.

And Dr Anna Jones, Senior Tropospheric Chemist at the British Antarctic Survey, talks about the new moveable Halley research base.

Quentin Cooper looks at failures in science and lessons learnt in new TB vaccine trials.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Failures in science and lessons learnt: Professor Helen McShane, the head of the TB Vaccinations Programme at Oxford University, explains what can be learnt from the only TB vaccine trial in more than 40 years. Professor Martin Siegert, Professor of Geosciences at Bristol University and Chief Scientist on the Lake Ellsworth Project drilling into a pristine lake in Antarctica, explains why the mission had to be abandoned. The latest British satellite will be controlled by a mobile phone. Dr. Chris Bridges, from the Surrey Space Centre and Surrey University, and Stuart Martin, CEO of Satellite Applications Catapult, tell Quentin Cooper how it will all work.

And Dr Anna Jones, Senior Tropospheric Chemist at the British Antarctic Survey, talks about the new moveable Halley research base.

Quentin Cooper looks at failures in science and lessons learnt in new TB vaccine trials.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, Quentin goes to the University of Bath to meet science students who've signed up for the Open University's `Technology in Action` course.

`Technology in Action` is a week-long residential course. During the week, the students get hands-on experience of five areas where technology is playing a leading role in our lives: monitoring water quality, energy conversion, bridge building, waste management and robotics.

Quentin joins students on the robotics course. The course tutor is Jon Rosewell. Jon is a Lecturer in Information and Communication Technologies in the Faculty of Technology at the Open University.

Jon sets the students a challenging task. They have to design a rescue robot that can work in a hazardous environment.

Using Lego Mindstorm, the students first have to equip their robot with light and touch sensors. They then have to programme their robot to find `Ted the Led`, a small teddy bear hidden in a side alley in a large, covered box.

Quentin also talks to Professor Chris Melhuish, Director of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL). BRL is one of the UK's leading robotics research centres. Chris tells Quentin about some of BRL's current research projects. These include robotic autonomy and the interface between robots and humans. Chris is also developing a robot called `Whiskerbot`. `Whiskerbot` uses artificial whiskers to mimic the way rats assess their environment.

Quentin Cooper visits Bath to meet students on the Technology in Action course.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

E-ELT: The European Extremely Large Telescope
It could be the size of the Royal Albert Hall's dome, but twice as high. It will have a mirror 42 metres in diameter and cost up to 1 billion Euros to build. But just what will the Europe's Extremely Large Telescope allow scientists to do? Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Michael Merrifield, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham and Dr. Mark Swinbank, Institute for Computational Cosmology, University of Durham to find out.

Randomness
Quentin finds out that although science likes to achieve predictable, reliable results, underneath everything we see is actually a world of randomness - where events cannot be predicted only observed and understood after they occur. We underestimate the importance of randomness in our daily lives at our peril. He is joined by Dr. Leonard Mlodinow, Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), whose new book is The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (Allen Lane). Dr. Mlodinow is co-author of A Briefer History of Time with Stephen Hawking and has also been a Hollywood script writer on science fiction series like Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Quentin Cooper looks at materials that can map decay in a child's teeth.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Art and Science of Science Fiction Writing

Quentin talks to science fiction writer Stephen Baxter about his new book `Flood` - a disaster story with a plot driven by relentless sea level rise. How much does science fact dictate the science fiction? Is science fiction a good way to explore possible scenarios that might befall us and our planet? And is the process of writing a sf thriller rather like testing a scientific model to destruction? Flood by Stephen Baxter is published by Gollancz on 17th July 2008

Medieval Mosaic Preservation
Repeated flooding in Venice's Basilica di San Marco is slowly destroying the cathedral's priceless mosaics. The intricate tiling covers over 8000 square metres of walls and vaults, but salt water seeping in from the basement is damaging the lime mortar holding it in place. Diana Edwards from the University of Bristol's Interface Analysis Centre and Dr. Will Wootton from Kings College London, join Quentin Cooper to discuss the latest restoration efforts and how materials science is helping piece together this medieval masterpiece.

Diana Edwards and Quentin Cooper discuss restoration in Venice's Basilica di San Marco.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Baby
Sixty years ago the chair of IBM thought there would one day be a world market for about 5 computers. In this week's Material World, Quentin Cooper celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first ever task performed by a computer. On the 21st June 1948 Manchester University's Small-Scale Experimental Machine, or Baby, the world's first stored programme electronic digital computer ran its first ever program. With a mere 128 bytes of memory and only seven possible instructions, Baby's capabilities may sound primitive by today's standards, but the principles behind it survive to this day in all computers. Sixty years on Quentin explores the incredible legacy of Baby and its progeny in the decades since with Steve Furber from Manchester University and Simon Moore from Cambridge University.

Wonderland
Also in the programme why a collaboration between artist Helen Storey and chemist Tony Ryan from Sheffield University are making bottles that could recycle themselves and why their work could revolutionize packaging.

Quentin Cooper celebrates the 60th anniversary of the modern computer.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Bombardier Beetle
The Bombardier Beetle has the amazing ability to spray its predators with a toxic blast of steam. Its extraordinary powers of defence have now inspired a new generation of technology. Quentin Cooper talks to Andy McIntosh, Professor of Thermodynamics and Combustion at the University of Leeds and Richard Walker from Quintiles about how its rear end has helped develop new fuel injection systems, fire extinguishers, new types of nebuliser and even needle free injections.

Ionic Liquids
When is a liquid not a liquid? When it's a salt. Why a new generation of solvents could revolutionize chemistry. Ionic liquids are being used to purify drugs, clean up industrial waste, extract metals and make bio diesel more engine friendly. Are ionic liquids heralding a new era of green chemistry? Quentin is joined by Tom Welton from Imperial College London and Andy Abbott from Leicester University to find out.

Quentin Cooper talks to Prof Andy McIntosh about his research into the Bombardier beetle.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Cannabinoid System
The legal status of Cannabis is regularly debated but scientists are becoming ever more interested in the hidden nerve receptor system that it works on in the body. The Cannabinoid System is a series of chemical receptors built in to respond to the presence of cannabinoid chemicals, of which cannabis is just one. But why do we have this system?

It was only in the early 1990s that scientists discovered it was not an accident - that the body itself creates its own form of cannabis for short periods during times of injury - it acts as a pain reliever.

Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Roger Pertwee (Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen and the Director of Pharmacology, GW Pharmaceuticals) and by Dr Steve Alexander (Molecular Neuroscience & Neuropharmacology at Nottingham University). Can the system can be manipulated to treat chronic pain conditions like multiple sclerosis and conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. Can it be done without the hazardous side effects associated with cannabis use? Could the body's own cannabinoids be the key?

Oil From Sand
A region of Canada in Northern Alberta contains oil reserves to rival Saudi Arabia! But these are not underground reservoirs of sweet, light, crude oil that just need to be pumped out. These are the Athabasca oil sands - an unpleasant mixture of sand, water, oil and sulphurous tar. They cover more than a thousand square miles of remote terrain and are difficult, expensive and environmentally damaging to extract and process.

With the rise in oil prices, extracting oil from the tar sands has become big business. Oil companies have invested billions and expect production to rise to 5 million barrels of heavy crude a day over the next couple of decades, making Canada a major oil exporter.

To talk him through some of the slick ways to get thick oil out of the sand Quentin is joined by Dr Joe Wood, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Birmingham University - who is working on CAPRI, a method for refining the oil while it's still in the ground - and by Professor Malcolm Greaves of the Improved Oil Recovery Research Group at Bath University, who has developed something called THAI - Toe to Heel Air Injection.

Quentin Cooper investigates new methods of utilising heavy oil.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Deep Carbon Cycle
We all know about carbon dioxide these days - the way plants take it up from the air, the way animals and especially human animals release it again. And the way it gets stored for a few years in forest timber and soils, and perhaps for a few million years in oil and coal. But the carbon cycle goes much deeper.

Quentin Cooper hears that the deep carbon cycle could have a critical role in the evolution and maintenance of terrestrial systems. Volcanologist Professor Stephen Sparks from Bristol University studies the role of carbon from volcanoes in the Earth's atmosphere and Dr Graham Pearson of Durham University is researching the ancient carbon cycle.

Like its shallow counterpart, the deep cycle begins in the atmosphere with carbon dioxide. That gets absorbed into the skeletons of tiny marine plants, which sink to the ocean floor.

Eventually, the ocean rocks themselves sink down into the Earth's mantle where some of the carbon returns as carbon dioxide in volcanic gasses - far more than previously thought. Some deep carbon even goes on a billion year journey through the Earth's mantle before the incredible pressures turn it into diamond.

Surname Genetics
Just what's in a surname? We share them with our close relatives and pass them down the family line. But what about the man up the road who shares your name? Could he be a long-lost cousin? New research looking at 500 British surnames suggests that he might - and the key is in our genes. It's not just names that are passed from father to son, because for a male to be male, he has to inherit 'male genes'.

These genes are all stored on the Y chromosome, meaning that all related men will have the same Y chromosome. This information led Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes to start investigating his own surname. After writing to every Sykes in the phone book and looking at their genes, he found that 70% had the same distant ancestor. Since this discovery, Turi King from the University of Leicester has expanded the study to include 500 British surnames.

This is not only revealing the history of individual families, but that the UK population has wider genetic links from John O'Groats and Land's End to the rest of the world.

Quentin Cooper explores important new research into the Deep Carbon Cycle.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Evolution of Language
Quentin Cooper investigates the cultural and genetic evolution of language.

Professor Nick Chater of University College, London, believes that the evolution of language is cultural, rather than genetic. He argues because language is so unstable and quick to change, it is a creation of culture, and is bolted onto humans' biological abilities to adapt and process changing information.

While Professor Mark Pagel of Reading University builds family trees for the words in a language, linking them to their cousins and ancestors. He has identified some meanings whose words evolve slowly enough to have time depths of at least 20,000 years, making them candidates for deep reconstruction of prehistoric, Neolithic languages. Professor Pagel has also shown how up to a third of the words in a language can change quite rapidly if a group of people split off and form a culturally or geographically new society.

The Great Frost of 1709
As the snow drifts and closed schools of recent weeks fade from memory, Quentin conjures up the Great Frost of 1709 - the coldest winter in Europe on record.

The cold was so intense (Italian ports froze over) that the Royal Society commissioned one its fellows, Rev. William Derham, to compile a report on its effects across the continent.

Climatologists are trying to construct a detailed history of the whole Little Ice Age in order to test modern climate computer simulations to improve predictions of future climate change.

Quentin hears how the captains' logs of 1709, and market reports from the 17th Century are helping in that effort.

Quentin Cooper investigates the cultural and genetic evolution of language.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

This week, in the second Material World-Open University co-production, Quentin Cooper joins a group of Open University geology students on a field trip to Staithes in North Yorkshire.

The field trip is one of the activities in a week-long residential course run by the Open University. The course is called The geological history of the British Isles.

The students will be analysing the cliff face, and a wave-cut platform. They'll be looking for clues about climate and wildlife during the Jurassic period, more than 150 million years ago.

Quentin talks to the students as they interpret and analyse the coastal landscape. Guided by course tutor, palaeontologist Peter Skelton, the students log the rock layers. They then interpret their observations, and try to understand the geological and climatic conditions that caused the rock formations to develop.

Quentin is also joined by Glynda Easterbrook, a geologist at the Open University who supervises the residential course, and Professor Richard Davies from the University of Durham. Richard is Director of the Centre for Research into Earth Energy Systems.

Much of Richard's research work is lab-based. He relies heavily on hi-tec equipment, especially 3D seismic reflection data. When he joins the students on the rocks at Staithes, Richard is reminded of the pleasure and importance of first-hand observation.

Quentin Cooper joins a group of Open University geology students on a field trip.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The heart is no ordinary bodily organ. Ever since man first noticed its vital role, centuries before understanding the circulation of the blood, the heart has fulfilled a very special role in the human condition - spiritually and anatomically.

This week a new exhibition area opens at the home of the Wellcome Trust, just opposite Euston Station in Central London. The £31million makeover presents two permanent exhibitions and one temporary space which will house an exhibition about The Heart.

Dr Ken Arnold, the head of public programmes at the Wellcome Trust, and Mr Francis Wells, cardio-thoracic surgeon at Cambridge's Papworth Hospital join Sue in the studio to talk about the collection, the collector, and a live open heart surgery that Francis will be performing as part of the exhibition.

String Theory - knot good enough?

Radio 4 Drama's science season continues on Saturday with Charlotte Jones' play Humble Boy. In it, a young physicist turns to String Theory in an attempt to unite the irreconcilable in his life. But is he doomed to failure?

A skirmish in science has erupted recently and string theory - the idea that all particles are actually minute strings vibrating in 11 dimensional reality - has suffered a backlash.

Some are suggesting that 20 years with nothing to show for it is just not good enough. And that it's now time to abandon string theory and find a different way to unite gravity with quantum mechanics.

Two researchers who have been blogging on the subject - albeit from different sides of the fence, and different sides of the USA, are Drs Peter Woit and Sean Carroll, who join Sue for our continued science/drama tie-in.

Sue Nelson talks to Ken Arnold, director of the new Wellcome Collection in London.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Science Play
As a season of Radio 4 science-themed plays draws to a close on Saturday with Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, Quentin and guests attempt to trace the links between science and drama. Which aspects of science make the best plays? From Dr Faustus to Dr Dolittle, Frankenstein to Einstein, is there anything science can bring to drama, and if so, does it have to be accurate?

Birmingham University's Kirsten Shepherd-Barr is the author of `Science on Stage` - perhaps the first systematic look at the phenomenon of the science play. Prof Stuart Firestein is a Broadway producer turned neuroscientist at New York's Columbia University.

Phil Ball is an award winning science writer and runs his own theatre company, `Homunculus`. Ex-biology teacher Stephen Webster is a philosopher of science at London's Imperial College and has written science plays for radio.

And Simon Parry is a project manager at the Wellcome Trust's education programme that supports theatre and other young people's arts projects that deal with biomedical science.

Quentin Cooper explores the links between science and drama.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Secret Seeds of Clouds
Rain clouds and bad weather are the scourge of many a British summer. But where do the grey skies come from and is pollution making them worse? Describing the latest breakthroughs in weather research, Professor Roy Harrison from the University of Birmingham tells Quentin Cooper about witnessing unknown stages of cloud birth for the first time, and how minute particles of pollution can increase cloud cover.

Dr Stephen Dorling from the University of East Anglia takes a wider view and discusses how knowing about air pollution could improve our weather forecasts. But weather can affect pollution too. Could the clouds hold the answer to predicting chemical smog and perfect summer days?

150 Years of Fingerprints
This July sees the 150th anniversary of the first use of fingerprints as a way to uniquely identify a person.

Sir William Herschel (1833 - 1918) was working as Magistrate in India, and he used fingerprints to validate contracts with local people. This began science's quest to be able to uniquely identify anyone using biological markers.

Quentin Cooper is joined by Dr. Simon Bramble, one of the UK's leading fingerprint science experts - he is Head of Police Science and Forensics at National Policing Improvement Agency; and by Dr. Peter Gill, co-creator of DNA ‘fingerprinting' and Senior Lecturer in Forensics at the Centre for Forensic Science, University of Strathclyde. Are fingerprints still up to the mark for solving crimes?

Quentin Cooper explores the origins of clouds and asks if pollution is making them worse.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Theories of Evolution
About 30 miles north of Hay is the spa town of Llandrindod Wells, built after the enclosure act in the early 1840s. One young surveyor working in the area was Alfred Russel Wallace. 10 years later he travelled through the Malay Archipelago working as a naturalist collecting specimens for sale and study. He came up with a theory for how such diverse life forms might have evolved and sent his ideas in a letter to Charles Darwin.

Darwin himself had studied geology in the Welsh hills just before his voyage on the Beagle. Realising that Wallace had a very similar theory to his own, Darwin rushed ahead to publish his famous book On the Origin of Species.

Wallace never seems to have resented Darwin's fame and he himself became more and more interested in spiritualism. Geneticist Steve Jones and science communicator Stephen Webster take a walk in the country that Wallace once knew and discuss his contribution.

Universe or Multiverse?
Evolution may explain how we got here but an altogether bigger question is why are we here at all? Quentin Cooper is joined by Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Society, and by cosmologist Bernard Carr to discuss what our own presence tells us about the nature of the universe.

It turns out that, if any one of about 19 different fundamental constants of physics was even slightly different from its measured value, we would not be here. Stars might not form; They might not cook elements such as carbon and oxygen and spew them out to form planets; They might not live long enough nor shine sufficiently constantly to give life a chance to develop on those planets.

In fact, it seems remarkable that we are here at all. There would only seem to be two possible explanations. The first is a theological argument - perhaps the constants of nature are determined by some deeper level of physics, perhaps even by God. The second appeals to atheists but seems even more incredible - our universe is just one bubble in a vast multiverse of possible worlds and of course the one we are in seems tuned for life because that is the only sort that would produce observers to wonder at it.

Quentin Cooper visits the Hay Festival. Professor Steve Jones shows him the countryside.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Tissue Engineering
Scientists are turning to chemistry and engineering to develop a range of artificial skin and bone which can be used to improve the treatment of burns and bone diseases. Tissues are being grown by using complex man made 'scaffolds' to support them - not unlike scaffolding on a house - these scaffolds are not made from steel but of bio-ceramics and plastic polymers. Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Shelia MacNeil, University of Sheffield and Dr. Molly Stevens, Imperial College, University of London.

Swarm Intelligence
Scientists are still trying to find out how such highly complex insect societies like termite mounds and bee hives are organised. This is the emerging science or Swarm Intelligence. Insect cities are coordinated when there is no 'insect mayor', no ‘brain insect', controlling behaviour. How does this happen? Quentin Cooper is joined by Professor Nigel Franks, University of Bristol and Professor Alan Winfield, University of the West of England to find out.

Quentin Cooper explores how human tissues are being grown by using man made 'scaffolds'.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper joins scientists from the Open University as they drop space instruments onto Chesil Beach in Dorset in search of clues about one of Saturn's moons, Titan.

They have been working on a tiny amount of data obtained by the US/European Cassini mission's Huygens probe, which landed on Titan in January 2005. To get the most out of this data, they have since performed controlled drops of similar instruments on a wide variety of different surfaces on Earth, the latest of which is this experiment on Chesil Beach.

Quentin Cooper joins scientists on a beach in search of clues about one of Saturn's moons.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Tracking Traffic
In a bank holiday week, traffic can be the main topic of conversation. This week Quentin Cooper investigates how artificial intelligence is being applied to traffic navigation systems for the first time.

The Institute of Industrial Research at Portsmouth University has teamed up with the Traffic Research Laboratory to develop the ‘Congestion Avoidance Dynamic Routing Engine' (CADRE).

Instead of a regular sat nav system that gets information about the car's location from a satellite and tells you where you are on a map, the CADRE uses ‘fuzzy logic' to imitate how humans think and make decisions, and constantly takes on new information from fellow users to keep up to date with how traffic is moving.

He's joined by Dr Alan Stevens, Chief Research Scientist at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire and Dr David Brown, Head of the Institute of Industrial Research at Portsmouth University who has come up with this new system known as CADRE.

Periodic Table of Videos
There are 118 new videos available on the internet. That number (among many other videos) is significant because it's the number of elements in the periodic table - 16 more than when Tom Lehrer sang his famous song listing the elements.

The new video collection comes from Professor Martyn Poliakoff who, along with colleagues in the chemistry department at the University of Nottingham have created the latest internet video hit by making short films about each element in the periodic table.

Quentin is joined by Professor Poliakoff and his fellow periodic table video star, Dr Debbie Kays.

Quentin Cooper explores new ideas to reduce traffic chaos.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Traffic Tribulations
As traffic on the internet soars and congestion clogs up the roads ever more, mathematicians are meeting at the Royal Society to uncover the mathematical rules of traffic flow, and to discuss what's needed to keep our networks from collapsing. Quentin is joined by Professor Frank Kelly of Cambridge University, who helped devise BTs Dynamic Alternative Routing system, which keeps our phones connected, and Professor Andrew Odlyzko of Minnesota University, an expert on internet pricing and congestion charges.

Sumatran Earthquakes
Last week the Indonesian island of Sumatra was battered by its third great earthquake in as many years. Fortunately, far fewer suffered this time than in the quake and tsunami of 2004, but experts fear that great danger still lurks there. Professor John McCloskey of Ulster University has been modelling and forecasting the earthquake and tsunami hazard on Sumatra, and seismologist Professor Shamita Das is part of a collaboration planning a deep-sea survey off the shore of Sumatra to try and work out what's happening deep in the Earth there.

Quentin Cooper investigates the arithmetic of road pricing and broadband charges.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Borneo Burning

The peat forests of Central Kalimantan in Borneo are home to nearly half of the world's orangutans, but a disastrous policy of clearing the trees to make way for rice paddies led to a collapse in their numbers. Now rice has made way for oil palms and illegal logging. Professor Jack Rieley of Nottingham University started studying the peat forests 25 years ago, and now is a leading activist in trying to preserve what's left. And Simon Husson of Cambridge University has spent many of the last twelve years deep within the remaining forest, studying the ecology of the orangutans.

Amazon flooding

Deep in the heart of Amazonia, rivers flood the surrounding forests with up to 15 metres of stagnant water, so that some trees only just peak their tips above the surface. These drowned forests, or Igapo, are so impenetrable they've barely been studied. Primatologists Adrian Barnett and Bruna Bezerra are half way through a two year exploration of the region, focusing on the incredibly shy golden-backed uacari monkeys, with vice-like jaws that can break the hardest nuts.

Quentin Cooper, Adrian Barnett and Bruna Bezerra talk about the shy uacari monkeys.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Quentin Cooper and guests discuss unsung heroes of science.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Up, Up and Away!
Quentin Cooper hears from two brothers about ambitious balloon flights carrying a special telescope above the Arctic and Antarctic, and attempts to film the flights.

Mark Devlin, an astronomer at the University of Pennsylvania, aims to study new stars in distant galaxies. He needs to look at them in wavelengths of light that do not penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, so he attempts to fly his fragile telescope beneath a high-altitude balloon which takes it to the top of the atmosphere. To keep it in the sky requires constant daylight, so he has to take it above the Arctic or Antarctic circle in mid-summer.

Mark's brother, Paul, is an Emmy award-winning film-maker and has been making a documentary that follows Paul's team. He captures the trials and tribulations, delays and panics, disappointments and triumphs of attempted launches from Sweden and Antarctica.

Iron in the Sea
Almost half the carbon dioxide that's emitted into the air ends up being absorbed by plankton in the sea.

Plankton are as important at fixing carbon dioxide as are plants on land.

But the vast belt of ocean surrounding Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, is not pulling its weight.

As a controversial Indian-German experiment, LOHAFEX, heads for the Antarctic waters to see if additional plankton can be encouraged, Quentin hears what's known about ocean fertilization using iron, what the lessons from previous experiments have been, and what it all has to do with the Ice Ages.

Raymond Pollard, from the National Ocean Centre, Southampton, and ecologist Geraint Tarling from the British Antarctic Survey.

Quentin Cooper hears about ambitious balloon flights carrying a special telescope.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Urban Ecology
Naturalists have typically headed off into the blue yonder to learn about nature, but for most of us - and most creatures - natural worlds have been displaced by built environments. Quentin Cooper talks to Mark Dion, conceptual artist and creative force behind a new exhibition at the Natural History Museum, Systema Metropolis, and Richard Fuller, urban ecologist from Sheffield University, about the ecological delights to be found on our city doorsteps.

Totalitarian Science
As Radio 4's season of science dramas continues with Stephen Poliakoff's Breaking the Silence - the story of an engineer struggling to complete his invention in Lenin's Russia - Quentin hears how science fares under dictatorships from historian Paul Josephson, and Russian 退migr退 Eugene Chudnovsky; also where authoritarian attitudes distort science today.

Quentin Cooper explores the ecology of urban landscapes.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

The Vindolanda texts were discovered in the 1970s at an archaeological dig near Hadrian's Wall. They are like our emails today - quick, frivolous messages to friends and relatives: from laundry lists to letters asking for warmer underwear.

The problem is not content but being able to physically read them - they were written on wooden tablets that have been warped, discoloured and reused. Quentin Cooper talks to Melissa Terras and Alan Bowman who are developing new imaging techniques to try and make the inscriptions clearer so that they can be more easily translated for all of us to read.

Deep Tropical Ocean Kelvin Waves

Quentin finds out about the discovery of a new wave, deep in the tropical Pacific Ocean. With a diameter the width of the ocean itself, they are created by weather systems and the earth rotation. We thought they were only on the surface, but a chance coffee break conversation between an oceanographer and a meteorologist, led to an investigation which shows that they are many hundreds of meters deep. Quentin talks to Adrian Matthews and Karen Heywood about whether their new discovery will change the way we model the climate and oceans.

Quentin Cooper reports on a new technique which is shedding light on life in Roman times.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Why does a virus manage to infect us and make us ill so quickly? This week on Material World, Quentin Cooper speaks with structural biologist from the University of Oxford David Stuart who uses special X-rays, created by the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, to expose those dirty tricks.

And how on earth do we see the invisible dark energy that makes up most of our universe? Astrophysicist Sarah Bridle from Manchester University joins Quentin in the studio to talk about her involvement in the Dark Energy Survey at an observatory in Chile and whether the Hubble Space Telescope can help in the search for this mysterious phenomenon.

And with the recent case of the French identical twins who have been implicated in serial rape, Quentin asks forensic geneticist Gill Tully from the Principal Forensics Services how DNA helps the police to find perpetrators. On the same topic, Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist from King's College London, suggests that identical twins might not actually be as similar in their genes as we previously thought.

Why does a virus manage to infect us and make us ill so quickly?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Why does a virus manage to infect us and make us ill so quickly? This week on Material World, Quentin Cooper speaks with structural biologist from the University of Oxford David Stuart who uses special X-rays, created by the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, to expose those dirty tricks.

And how on earth do we see the invisible dark energy that makes up most of our universe? Astrophysicist Sarah Bridle from Manchester University joins Quentin in the studio to talk about her involvement in the Dark Energy Survey at an observatory in Chile and whether the Hubble Space Telescope can help in the search for this mysterious phenomenon.

And with the recent case of the French identical twins who have been implicated in serial rape, Quentin asks forensic geneticist Gill Tully from the Principal Forensics Services how DNA helps the police to find perpetrators. On the same topic, Tim Spector, a genetic epidemiologist from King's College London, suggests that identical twins might not actually be as similar in their genes as we previously thought.

Why does a virus manage to infect us and make us ill so quickly?

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Volcanic Nanoparticles
How do volatile metals from volcanoes end up in polar ice cores? It has always been a mystery how trace metals, like mercury, with a volcanic signature find their way into polar ice in regions without nearby evidence of volcanic activity.

Now scientists think they have discovered the answer - volcanoes are a source of tiny nanoparticles. Until now no one knew that volcanoes did this.

Quentin is joined by Dr Tamsin Mather & Dr David Pyle, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, who have been leading the new research. These nanoparticles are small enough to be carried around the world by the wind and could be involved in the formation of clouds and have a role in reflecting solar radiation back into space. They may also 'seed' distant patches of barren ocean with nutrients. Volcanoes may be large and explosive but their effects are now seen to pervasive and at happening at the very smallest of levels.

Seawater Greenhouses
The world is running short of accessible fresh water. With agriculture accounting for some 70% of all water used, the shortage is closely linked to food production. Fortunately, the world is not short of water itself, it's just in the wrong place.

Converting seawater to fresh water in the right quantities and in the right places offers the potential to solve water shortage problems, particularly in arid areas.

A team comprising an inventor, an architect and an engineer have proposed a new technology that could produce food, fresh water and clean energy in arid regions as well as re-vegetating large areas of desert.

The Seawater Greenhouse is an ingenious technology that creates a cool growing environment in hot parts of the world and is a net producer of distilled water from seawater.

Quentin is joined seawater greenhouse designer Charlie Paton, Seawater Greenhouse Limited, and by Michael Pawlyn, Exploration, an architect who specialises in ‘biomimicry' - designs that follow natural systems to solve problems.

Quentin Cooper investigates the effects of volcanoes in the most unlikely areas.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Warm Flowers Make For Happy Bees

Flowers use colour, shape and even a special way of harnessing heat from the Sun to make the perfect environment to compete for the pollinating power of bees. Quentin Cooper talks to Heather Whitney and Lars Chittka to find out more about how flowers advertise themselves to bees. Also why bees are cognitive giants who can navigate an area the size of the congestion charge and memorise landmarks on the way with a brain the size of a pin head.

Interdependence
If everyone on Earth lived like the average person in Britain, we would need three planets. Geographer, Joe Smith and Earth scientist, Bob Spicer from the Open University join Quentin to discuss their concept of Interdependence - how our lives and lifestyles are linked to climate change and their ideas on developing workable ways to curb consumption and emissions around the world.

Quentin Cooper explores the relationships between flowers and insects.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Wetlands and the Carbon Cycle
Quentin Cooper joins scientists from the Open University who are measuring the exchange of methane between plants, soil microogranisms and the atmosphere.

Wetlands such as bogs and swamps are home to some special microorganisms which are important producers of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Biogeochemists are trying to better understand the impact of human activities and industrial processes on biological, chemical and geographic systems in the hope that they can find ways to reduce the production of greenhouse gases.

Hot Rocks
When oil prices rise, there are queues at the petrol station and the whole world goes into panic. But could the cheap energy we're looking for be right beneath our feet? 99.9% of the Earth is hotter than 100 degrees Centigrade, meaning that tapping into geothermal sources could be the ideal solution.

And we won't even have to move to Iceland. Geologists working in the wake of the 1979 oil crisis found that 3km-deep boreholes in Cornwall could provide both electricity and heat energy for towns nearby. Unfortunately, the availability of cheap North Sea gas in the 80s meant that the idea never really took off. It's only with climate change, rising fuel prices and better drilling technology that ‘hot dry rocks' are back.

Geophysicist Ryan Law from Ove Arup and Partners joins Quentin Cooper to discuss how pumping water deep into the Earth's surface to heat it and then turn it into energy is an idea worth investing in. Jon Busby from the British Geological Survey explains how we can tell what's under the ground and which areas of the UK can benefit most from geothermal power.

Quentin and scientists measure the exchange of methane between plans and the atmosphere.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

Squirrel Bridges and Wildlife Corridors

How did the squirrel cross the road? Not a joke question but one a group of conservationists wanted to answer. Quite apart from the risks of getting run over, red squirrels don't much like coming down to the ground, meaning that a refuge for them such as the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park might become a fragmented habitat as far as the squirrels were concerned.

So local groups have been constructing rope bridges, linking the forest across roads and tracks at branch level. But how effective are the bridges? Do the squirrels use them? Quentin Cooper finds out from National Park ecologist Alan Bell.

Across the rest of the country, wildlife corridors are also becoming an important tool for supporting endangered species, says Jim Jones of the People's Trust for Endangered Species. From bats to dormice, butterflies to beetles, hedgerows provide important habitats in themselves as well as ways for threatened species to expand into new areas or re-populate old habitats.

Perception, Sound and Light
What we see can sometimes depend as much on our ears as on our eyes. Think how, when watching a film, speech seems to come from the actors' lips rather than the loudspeakers. It's an illusion ventriloquists use to good effect. Now, psychologists are investigating it in detail.

In one experiment, Dr Elliot Freeman of Brunel University shows that the perceived direction of motion of an object - in this case, red bars across a screen - depends on minute variations in the timing of an accompanying sound - a sequence of beeps. It is the rhythm of the sounds, not their stereo position, that is changed. This provides evidence that the brain's integration of visual and audio cues occurs at a very early stage of processing. It's a phenomenon that has not been demonstrated before.

The research shows how our brains track moving objects, and how different sensory information gets processed in the brain. Freeman's aim is to create a model of how the brain computes sensory information. It could explain why we see patterns where there are none - the man in the Moon, a giant animal in a rocky cliff. And there may be practical applications for display screens.

Elliot is joined in the studio by Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University who works on how we process the timing and synchronization of sensory signals. He has studied, among other things, how to design the way food is packaged or served for maximum sensory stimulation and how talking on a mobile phone affects our ability to drive a car.

Quentin Cooper explores research into the brain's integration of visual and audio cues.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines

XEUS - A New Space X-Ray Telescope
Quentin Cooper finds out about one of the European Space Agency's cosmic visions - XEUS - a new x-ray telescope that will explore the super-hot million degree universe. Will it be the first instrument to sheds light on the dark ages of the universe when the first galaxies and stars were formed? Quentin is joined by Martin Turner from the University of Leicester and Paul Nandra from Imperial College, University of London.

Plant Disease Immunisation
We discover how plants defend themselves from attack by predators and disease - like having furry leaves to put off hungry grazers. Researchers are taking the idea of immunisation technology in humans and using it to pre-arm these formidable arsenal of defences. Could it lead to the protection of our crops in the future? Quentin is joined by Gary Lyon from the Scottish Crop Research Institute and John Lucas of Rothamsted Research.

Quentin Cooper, Gary Lyon and John Lucas discuss how to protect plants from viruses.

Science programme reporting on developments across the disciplines