How do you Weigh a Volcano?
|
We explore the explosive science of volcanoes this week! We find out what you can learn from drilling into a restless volcano, how gravity is used to "weigh" volcanoes and watch them fill with magma, and we explore the theories behind volcano formation. Plus, we hear about the genes that could mean you'll live to be 100, fossil evidence of the earliest multi-cellular organism and the signs that Sabre-toothed tigers packed a mighty punch, as well as a big bite. In Kitchen Science, we get messy with a cola and wallpaper paste eruption!
Listen Now
Download as mp3
m4a or Subscribe Free
In the world of cancer research, there's growing evidence for cancer stem cells – rogue stem cells that fuel the growth of tumours. And now researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US have found them in melanoma – the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
Scientists have identified a series of genetic markers capable of predicting, with 77% certainty, who will live to more than 100.
Far from being cute kitties, sabre-toothed tigers were lethal hunters, roaming North and South American until around 10,000 years ago, searching for bisons, camels and other unfortunate animals. Today we know them for their super-sized teeth – they had exceptionally large canine...
Scientists working in West Africa have uncovered an incredible clutch of fossils that appear to represent the earliest ever remains of complex life.
Researchers in America have used a very powerful x-ray laser to strip away the electrons from an atom of neon. But they also have been able to very carefully strip away only those electrons which are closest to the atom’s centre, creating the atomic equivalent of a cored apple....
Believe it or not - drilling into a volcano can be a great way to understand the processes going on underfoot. The Campi Flegrei caldera has been restless for 40 years, and Dr Chris Kilburn is drilling into it to take a look...
The key to understanding the behaviour of a volcano must lie, partly at least, in understanding the plumbing system that brings magma from deep inside the earth up to the surface so that it can erupt. One way to do this is to observe the changes in the gravity field that occur ...
Gillian Foulger expalins how volcanoes form, and how certain types of volcano may not form in the way most geologists think...
How many volcanoes are there around the world in total that are non-dormant today?
Can volcanic eruption substantially change the climate more so for instance than man-made activities?
What exactly are pyroclastic flows and what makes them so deadly?
Is it true that volcano locations, after they've run their course in one spot, move forward to another hit?
Is the centre of the earth filled entirely of molten material or is there some gas?
What is the largest active volcano in the solar system?
If magma leaks out, is there empty space left where the magma was?
When I brush my teeth with an electric toothbrush my vision remains normal unless I look at a computer screen or digital LED clock in which case the image is shimmering. Why the difference?
Some volcanoes go off bang whilst others just ooze rapidly - this experiment shows why...
Supported by
Related Content
Comments
