Science Interviews

How do you throw spears?

‘Spear throwers’ are long sticks with hooked ends that are used to hurl spears accurately over long distances. They are used by Native Americans, inuits and indigenous Australians. But how do they work? Tom Birch finds out...Mike Bumstead, University of Aberdeen

When did humans first use fire?

New evidence suggests humans used fire as early as 400,000 years ago. This coincides with the date Neanderthals are first seen in Europe.

Were humans in California 12,000 years ago?

Stone tools and animal remains from 12,000 years ago have been found in the Californian channel islands.

Where did we come from?

A new study sheds doubt on the long held idea that Homo sapiens evolved from East Africa...

Warrior art

Dr Papadopoulos takes us through depictions of warriors in ancient Aegean art.Angelos Papadopoulos

Planet Earth Online - Water Repelling Soils

If you've ever neglected a houseplant, you'll know this problem - when you finally come to water it, the water doesn’t soak into the soil, but it forms beads all over the surface. On a larger scale, these hydrophobic soils can cause major problems. To discover how, Planet Earth podcast presenter Richard Hollingam has been to meet a scientist who loves the rain...Stefan Doerr, Swansea University

The DNA that makes us Human

Scientists at Stanford University in California have discovered how certain changes in our DNA have sculpted the evolution of human specific traits and those in particular that set us apart from our closest relatives...Dr David Kingsley, Stanford University

Top ocean price-tags

We offer a rundown of some of the top price-tags on marine species we like to eat and wearHelen Scales and Sarah Castor-Perry

Critter of the month - North Atlantic Right Whale

Mark Baumgartner from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution chooses a very rare critter with a huge appetite.Mark Baumgartner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Supplying the seahorse trade

Breeding seahorses in captivity to supply aquariums aims to help reduce pressure on wild populations.Shawn Garner, Mote Marine Laboratory

Is Blue Carbon the new Green?

Will converting marine life into carbon credits help fend off climate change? Is Blue Carbon the new green?John Bruno, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Naked Engineering - Making Drugs

We’ve heard how drugs like aspirin can be used, but how are they actually made? For this week’s Naked Engineering, Meera and Dave have been to take a look at GlaxoSmithKline’s tablet manufacturing site in Ware, Hertfordshire...Andrew Robertson, GlaxoSmithKline

Aspirin as Preventative Medicine

Aspirin was touted originally as treatment for pain; but, 100 years on, we now know it’s much more powerful than that. Peter Rothwell is Oxford University’s Professor of Clinical Neurology and he’s with us to discuss what else aspirin can do...Peter Rothwell, University of Oxford

Planet Earth Online - Eyeing Up Earthquakes

Every week, an earthquake occurs that's big enough to cause serious damage. Seismologists monitor this activity to try to learn more about the underlying processes. Richard Hollingham went to visit one part of the network of UK earthquake monitoring stations to find out more… Brian Baptie, British Geological Survey

Graphene Lithography - Atomic Precision Etching

Researchers at Rice university have developed a new way to etch structures into stacked piles of graphene, the marvellous material consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms. This could allow manufacturers to make computer chips from graphene in much the same way they currently do for silicon...Professor James Tour, Rice University

The History of Aspirin

On the 6th March 1899, the Beyer pharmaceutical company officially registered Aspirin as a trademark, following their chemist Felix Hoffman’s successful synthesis of a stable form of acetylsalicylic acid – the chemical name for aspirin - in 1897...Sarah Castor-Perry

Old Bones Help Treat Back Pain

It’s estimated that 80% of us will suffer from a bad back at some time in our lives, but the condition is hard to treat because the causes of it are so varied. Now, researchers have come up with a new way of testing out new treatments with a little help from our ancestors...Jane Reck, EPSRC; Dr. Ruth Wilcox, Leeds University; Dr. Kate Robson Brown, Bristol University

Naked Engineering - Measuring Physiotherapy Success

When muscles are injured or weakened, patients are usually referred to a physiotherapist for help, regaining their strength or improving their range of movement. But it can be difficult for the physio to accurately gauge the work load the patient can safely tolerate and the level of improvement that they've made. So now, physiotherapist Don Gatherer, who’s previously worked with the England Rugby Team and the British Olympic Squad, has come up with an elegantly simple solution...Don Gatherer, The Gatherer Partnership; Thea Maxfield

Scanning for Osteoporosis

Every year, about 75,000 people suffer a hip fracture in the UK and a majority of those will be down to the condition osteoporosis. Dr. Ken Poole is a rheumatologist at the University of Cambridge where he’s studying how bones weaken and change with age...Dr Ken Poole, Cambridge University

Strengthening your Skeleton

There are 206 bones in the average adult human, but how do our bones grow and develop and what controls how strong they become? We’re joined by Professor Tim Skerry from the Mellanby Centre for Bone Research at the University of Sheffield where he’s looking at the impacts of exercise on bone density and how bones respond to stress...Professor Tim Skerry, Sheffield University