This week on the Naked Scientists we will be venturing into space on an inter galactic mission to learn more about the biggest galaxies in space and the search for life on other planets. Running the mission we will have Professor Carolin Crawford (University of Cambridge) who works with gases in galaxies and Dr Maggie Turnbull who looks for Earth-like planets and signs of life in the 'Goldilocks' zones among nearby stars (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute SETI).
Listen Now
Download as mp3
m4a or Subscribe Free
-
Terry Hurford tells us about a geyser on one of Saturns moons so powerful it puts water into one of Saturn's rings.
TV crime programmes often show DNA samples taken from suspects by swabbing the inside of their mouth. Human mouths are filled with bacteria, so the swab must collect non-human DNA as well as DNA from our food. How can human DNA be separated out from this?
This week, Chelsea and Bob look at diseases of the brain. Chelsea sniffs out a new way of screening for Alzheimers using nasty smells, while Bob tracks down the genetic basis of schizophrenia...
Dr Carolin Crawford tell us about how galaxies form, the early days of the universe and the heart of the Milky Way
I understand that there are two types of galaxies. Some have spiral arms and others an elliptical shape. What processes would form those two different types?
What determines the orbital distance from a star at which planetary material will coalesce? Is it just gravity?
If outer space is really cold, and the Sun is really hot, how close would you have to get to the Sun in order to be about room temperature?
Measure the highest speed possible in this universe, just using objects you could find in your kitchen.
Maggie Turnbull tells us about her shortlist of potentially habitable planets - prime targets for the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence.
We've been sending out radio waves for about 80 years, and given that they travel at the speed of light, the nearest star that could hear them would be about 80 light years away. How many planets fall within that range?
Do all stars belong to a galaxy, or are there some stars which are orphans?
If what we term our universe was created by the big bang, does this mean that the whole universe was once a massive star that exploded, and if so could our universe be a small part of a bigger universe?
Related Content
