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Podcast TranscriptThe Naked Scientists: Science Radio & Science Podcasts |
| 11th Nov 2001 | < Previous Show | Next Show > | ||||||||||
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The Effect That Harry Potter Is Having on Young People's Eyesight !
According to a new survey this week, eye-tests among children have increased 50% in the last few weeks, coinciding with the release of the new Harry Potter film. Researchers think that the film has given the bespeckled look a trendy image among kids.
11th Nov 2001
Kitchen Guru Shibley Tells you What's Good for you and Why...
Coriander
The herb Coriander has been used throughout Asia, northern Africa and Europe for over 2000 years. Its beneficial use is for skin infections, sore ears and eye problems, according to Pliny 23-79 AD. Nowadays apparently a coriander infusion is used for treating flatulence, bloating and griping pains, as well as for suppressing the smell of garlic.
11th Nov 2001
Plums
Nearly all fruits are rich in vitamin C, helping to reduce the incidence of colds, infections, heart disease and many more diseases. Cooked plums are gentler on the digestion of acidic citrus fruits. Ripe plums make excellent snacks, and they are high in fibre.
11th Nov 2001
Yoghurts
Yoghurt is very good for you, being low in fat, easily digested and rich in calcium, the nutrient that both builds and maintains strong bones and teeth, and reduces blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Organic yoghurt contains acidophilus, bifidus or lactobacillus bacteria helping to keep the gut's bacterial balance on form.
11th Nov 2001
Olives
People love olives and these maintain a good blood lipid profile, increasing the high density lipoprotein, the good cholestrol. The overwhelming nutritional benefit from olive bread is that there is high fibre, vitamin B, and is useful for people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.
11th Nov 2001
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are packed with lycopene, an antioxidant that is linked to the reduction of cancer of the prostate, as well as potassium. Some people find that the acidity of tomatoes can upset their digestion.
11th Nov 2001
Harvesting Fog to Feed Deserts
Scientists have come up with a novel way to produce water in a desert by copying a beetle that can harvest fog. The key to the beetle's success is a bumpy back. - it's made of microscopic peaks and troughs. When a sea breeze blows, the beetle leans into the wind making tiny water droplets build up on the peaks. These eventually form drops big enough to roll into the beetle's mouth-parts. A Farnborough based company called QinetiQ (pron. Kinetic) has designed a material which works along the same lines as the beetles back. Water forms on it when it is sprayed with a fine mist. Sheets of this material draped over rooftops could be the perfect way to collect water in deserts where rain hardly ever falls. For further details, see news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1628000/1628477.stm
11th Nov 2001
Malaysia the Viagra Capital of the World...and Everyone Thought it Was Cambridge
Recently released figures show that Malaysians use more of the anti-impotence drug Viagra than any other country in the world, although the Malaysian government were at pains to emphasise that this cannot be attributed to impotence, rather questionably using the country's high rates of polygamy to support their argument
11th Nov 2001
Explosion Rips Through Blast Furnace in Wales
Surgeons are working around the clock to save six steelworkers horrifically burnt in the blast at Corus' Port Talbot plant. 2 men were killed as the explosion ripped through blast furnace number 5 on Thursday night. The others were on critical care and general medical wars. The surgeons are battling to save them, being technically skilled in a high-tech unit at Swansea in south Wales. The influx of injured has meant transferring other cases to hospitals nearby.
A NEW DRUG TO TACKLE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
There's a new drug called CX516 which is being tested on patients with Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. CX516 enhances the functioning of brain cell receptors linked to a chemical messenger called glutamate. In the ageing brain, thje production of glutamate is disrupted and reduced. Scientists believe CX516 offets such symptoms making cells more sensitive to glutamate. These drugs are hoped to help patients with A;zheimer's disease. What can really treat Alzheimer's disease?
11th Nov 2001
Lucky Lobster
A Cornish lobster had a lucky escape on Wednesday when the head chef of a Mayfair restaurant declared it was "too beautiful to cook". At 3 feet 1 inch long, the lobster, nicknamed "Barney", is one of the biggest catches ever landed in European waters. Experts say he is around sixty years old. William Cooper of the Caspia restaurant told reporters he couldn't bring himself to cook the majestic creature, which had been around a lot longer than he had. Barney was packed off to the London aquarium where head diver Jamie Oliver (no relation to the chef) escorted him back to the sea at Wembury, near Plymouth. Experts say Barney might live another ten years or more- if he avoids lobster pots.
11th Nov 2001
Biohol - Environmentally Friendly Fuel From Sugar
Although leaded petrol is a thing of the past in Europe and America, its still common in poorer countries. But according to New Scientist last week, lead in petrol could easily be replaced with ethanol obtained from sugarcane. Lead pollution in Africa has reached levels that haven't been seen in Europe for 30 years. Africa is forced to use leaded petrol because it is the cheapest option. Ironically, most of the lead that Africa imports comes from richer countries like Britain. Lead poisoning slows down brain development in children and causes high blood pressure in adults. So replacing lead with ethanol would be a much cleaner and safer option. It would even cut the cost of petrol for poorer countries, because the ethanol could be produced locally from home-grown sugarcane. Lead pollution from petrol fumes is still a major problem in Africa because most African nations can't afford to use unleaded petrol.
11th Nov 2001
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