Science Interviews

Planet Earth Online - Roman Recycling

Planet Earth podcast presenter Richard Hollingham has been asking what have the Romans ever done for us? Well, apart from building baths, sewers in cities and education, it turns out they were also into recycling...Caroline Jackson, Sheffield University; Harriet Foster, Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service

Fact Impact - The Milky Way

Fact Impact: All you need to know about the Milky Way...Carolin Crawford, Cambridge University

The James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope, planned for launch in 2014, will be NASA's scientific successor to Hubble. With a larger mirror and infrared observing capabilities, it is hoped that the James Webb will be able to image and study the objects that Hubble wasn't able to. Louise Ogden spoke to Nobel Laureate John C. Mather, the project scientist for the James Webb Telescope about its projected capabilities...John C. Mather, NASA

The Unique System of Kepler 11

NASA describes Kepler as their first mission capable of finding Earth-size planets around other stars – and it’s doing a very good job. In the journal Nature earlier this month, NASA scientists announced the discovery of a unique system of 6 stars orbiting very close to their parent star, Kepler 11. I spoke to Dr Jack Lissauer...Dr Jack Lissauer, NASA Ames Research Center

Geoengineering - How We Could Change the Climate

Another reason to try and understand atmospheric chemistry is in case there comes a time when we have to try and do some geo-engineering. Dr Peter Braesicke joins us to explain our options...Dr Peter Braesicke, Cambridge University

Naked Engineering - The SPICE Project

If a time came that we needed to alter our atmospheric chemistry, how physically could we do it? Meera and Dave explore the engineering behind one option - pumping particles up an absolutely enormous pipe...Dr Hugh Hunt, University of Cambridge

Sampling the Atmosphere and Tracking Pollution - the RONOCO Campaign

How do we study the atmosphere? We have a vast array of tools and chemical tricks that we can rely on, but the atmosphere is a very dynamic thing. So sampling the air in just one place can only tell us so much. Now, an international consortium of scientists and organisations including the MET office, the Natural Environment Research Council, have taken to the skies in a modified BAe-146 airliner to explore what happens to atmospheric chemistry once the Sun goes down...Professor Rod Jones and other researchers involved in RONOCO

Planet Earth Online - Bryozoans and Antarctic History

Scientists are keeping a close eye on the West Antarctic ice sheet because if it’s melts, we’re in big trouble from the resulting rise in sea level. But how vulnerable is it? Dr. David Barnes from the British Antarctic Survey has been trying to find out by studying small marine creatures called bryozoans...Dr. David Barnes, British Antarctic Survey

Targeted Muscle Re-Innervation Pushes Prosthetic Performance

When someone loses a limb, although it's possible to replace the missing part with a prosthesis, making it move is another matter entirely. But a technique being pioneered at the University of Chicago could change that...Dr Todd Kuiken & Martin Baechler, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago; Sgt. Glen Lehman

Planet Earth Online - Dinosaurs Show their True Colours

Now here’s a question... What colour are dinosaurs? It’s an issue that puzzled palaeontologists since fossils of the creatures were first discovered. But now, thanks to modern science, dinosaurs are beginning to show their true colours...Professor Mike Benton, University of Bristol

Celebrating William Ramsay

In London, Blue Plaques have been placed on buildings across the city for over 140 years to highlight where notable people in history have lived. This week, Meera Senthilingam went along to the unveiling of just such a plaque for a scientist whose work actually changed the field of chemistry...Professor Alwyn Davies and Dr. Andrea Sella, University College London, and Dr. Susan Skedd, English Heritage

Omega-3 Prevents Common Forms of Blindness

If you're a big fan of eating oily fish then you're probably doing your eye sight a big long term favour, because scientists at Harvard Medical School have discovered that the omega-3 fatty acids that are found in the fish can block the damage that's done to the retina by diseases like macular degeneration...Dr Lois Smith, Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital

Critter of the Month - Clown Anemone Fish

A gender-bending critter reveals what life is like as a male and then female.Peter Buston, Boston University

Secret sex lives of Jellyfish

How do jellyfish find each other to have sex and make more jellyfish? And are these prolific beasties really on the rise around the oceans today?Cathy Lucas, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, University of Southampton

Coral reef mass spawning

Coral reefs have evolved a spectacular solution to the problem of having sex while being rooted firmly to the seabed.James guest, National University of Singapore

Energy Efficient Microchips

ARM Holdings are a world leader in developing digital solutions and two of the projects they're working on at the moment are ways to make computer chips smaller and much more energy efficient....Mike Muller, ARM Cheif Technology Officer

Naked Engeering - Designing Computer Chips

What is a computer chip and how does it really work? Meera and Dave investigate...Dr Robert Mullins, University of Cambridge

Plant Earth Online - Sounds under the Sea

Documentaries filmed underwater tend to give the impression that it’s a quiet, even, serene environment beneath the waves, but stick a microphone in the sea and you'd be amazed what you can hear...Richard Hollingham, Steve Simpson

Electrical Stimulation to Think Outside of the Box

Scientists at the University of Sydney have used a safe electrical technique to boost our problem-solving abilities...Allan Snyder, University of Sydney

Computing With Waste Energy

As the internet and our reliance on computers grows, so does the amount of energy that this industry consumes, which means significant CO2 emissions. But is there a way to make the process more environmentally friendly? Computer Scientist Professor Andy Hopper from Cambridge University has been working on a way to turn waste energy into useful computer processing around the planet...Professor Andy Hopper, Cambridge University