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Podcast title Naked Scientists Special Editions
Website URL http://www.thenakedscientists....
Description Special feature podcasts produced by the Naked Scientists team
Updated Mon, 6 Feb 2012 23:18:29 +0000
Image Naked Scientists Special Editions
Category Science
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Episodes

1. 12.04.28 - The Hoff Crab, North Sea fisheries, flood prediction
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.87Mb)

Description: It's not often that science news goes viral, but when researchers dubbed a new species the 'Hoff Crab' more people than usual seemed to take notice!

2. 12.04.20 - Parkour and orang-utans, risks from solar storms
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 8.81Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Sue Nelson goes to Birmingham to find out how the James Bond film Casino Royale and orang-utan conservation are linked; later she meets a scientist from the British Geological Survey to learn which parts of the UK power grid are most at risk during solar storms.

3. 12.01.31 - Revitalising urban rivers, hot conservation topics
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.34Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Richard Hollingham goes to the River Wandle in south-west London to find out how scientific research is helping to revitalise this heavily-used river; later he goes to Cambridge to hear about some of the hottest conservation topics for 2012.

4. 12.01.23 - Day to Day Diamond
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 13.46Mb)

Description: This month, we step inside to explore what, and who, it takes to run the synchrotron. We meet the people that keep the electrons accelerating to produce light beams 100 billion times brighter than the Sun, every day! We explore the health and safety needed when working with high levels of radiation, the equipment used to ensure every inch of the machine runs smoothly and the industries using Diamond to produce our everyday products. Plus we hear how the facility if run from the top down as well as bring you the latest news and events from Diamond.

5. 12.01.13 - Discovering the world's deepest deep sea vents
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Description: Deep sea researchers Doug Connelly and Jon Copley led the team that discovered the deepest and possibly hottest undersea volcanoes on the planet. In a special edition of the Naked Scientists they talk to Helen Scales about their findings, including the extraordinary chemistry and biology they uncovered 5 kilometers beneath the waves in the Caribbean Sea.

6. 12.01.10 - Brain Control of Appetite and Body Weight
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 10.43Mb)

Description: This month, Dr Lora Heisler discusses the brain mechanisms controlling our appetite and subsequent body weight. She explores the many drivers behind hunger and appetite control and how these differ from person to person as well as how obesity can be avoided by increasing our energy expenditure...

7. 12.01.09 - Brain Control of Appetite and Body Weight
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (video/mp4, 23.02Mb)

Description: Dr Lora Heisler takes us through the mechanisms controlling our hunger and appetite in the brain and how this could be manipulated to treat obesity...

8. 11.12.12 - The Thames Barrier, the colour of prehistoric birds
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Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Sue Nelson goes to the Thames Barrier to find out how engineers use science to decide whether or not to raise or lower it, helping to stop storm surges from flooding London; while Richard Hollingham meets a scientist who developed a technique that reveals the colour of truly ancient fossilised birds.

9. 11.12.05 - How Nicotine Switches the Brain onto Cocaine
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Description: How does nicotine open a gateway to cocaine addiction? A new study indicates that nicotine primes the brain for cocaine - by altering the structure of a gene linked to learning, memory and addiction.

10. 11.12.05 - Chemistry at the Synchrotron
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Description: This month, we celebrate the international year of chemistry by exploring the wide range of chemical discoveries and research taking place at Diamond. We investigate the role of chemistry in pitting erosion, photovoltaics and nanowires as well as reveal how Diamond has been used to unearth a new source of mercury poisoning...plus all the latest news and event from diamond including a wake up call revealing the benefits of caffeine!

11. 11.11.22 - The Ozone Hole, Starlings in Fair Isle, Forest Fires
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.22Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Richard Hollingham talks to one of the scientists behind the discovery of the ozone hole to find why it's still there; how research on starlings on an island famous for its sweaters could help bird conservationists; and why forest fires in North America affect people thousands of miles away in Europe.

12. 11.11.22 - The Biology of Behaviour
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Description: Professor Tony Holland provides a window into the biology of behaviour and how genetic syndromes are helping open this window to provide greater levels of insight into violent behaviour, appetite control and Alzheimers disease...

13. 11.11.22 - The Biology of Behavour
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Description: Professor Tony Holland explores the genetic basis of Prada-Willi syndrome and how further insight into this disorder could provide a window into the biology of our behaviour...

14. 11.11.11 - Contagion Special
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Description: In this infectious special podcast, we explore the science behind Stephen Soderburgh's latest film, Contagion, which depicts the series of events that unfold with the outbreak of a new strain of flu. The film has quite serious scientific credentials - Ian Lipkin, Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia univeristy was on hand every step of the way to ensure the film's scenarios were realistic. We find out more about the role of a scientific advisor, and what kind of public health measures we have in place should an outbreak like this really happen any time soon...

15. 11.11.08 - Treating snakebites, and European shags
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Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - Sue Nelson visits the largest collection of venomous snakes in the UK to find out how researchers are developing antivenoms to help African snakebite victims; and what scientists are doing to understand why populations of the European shag are declining.

16. 11.11.02 - Neanderthal mammoth hunters in Jersey
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Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: Richard Hollingham meets scientists and archaeologists who are working to preserve one of the most important Neanderthal settlements in north-west Europe to find out how they lived; later on, he visits the local primary school to find out what schoolchildren make of the Neanderthals.

17. 11.10.30 - HIV, Haemophilia and Muscular Dystophies
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Description: In this final podcast from the BSGT Conference we hear how genes could be targeted to develop a new drug for HIV as well as long awaited treatments for Muscular dystrophies and Haemophilia. We also discover how a good insight into the workings of a virus can help you exploit them to deliver genes more effectively and discuss the research highlights that have taken place over the past few days...

18. 11.10.29 - Cancer and Ocular Gene Therapies
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Description: Today we hear how cancers, retinal degeneration, spinal chord injury and liver disease can all be targeted using gene and stem cell therapy techniques. We also explore a variety of methods to deliver genes to a desired location within our bodies...

19. 11.10.28 - Respiratory Disorders and Muscular Dystrophies
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Description: In today's podcast we hear how gene therapy can be used to target a variety of respiratory disorders such as Cystic Fibrosis and how scientists are trying to grow organs such as lungs in the lab. We also discover how alternative methods of therapy could be used to treat muscular dystophy and how pancreatic cells are being created, by the re-programming of other cells, in a bid to treat diabetes...

20. 11.10.27 - Public Engagement in Gene therapy
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Description: In this first podcast from the 2011 BSGT/ESGCT Conference in Brighton we bring you the highlights from the Public Engagment day including an introduction to gene therapy and stem cell therapy, life from the perspective of a haemophiliac, public opinions on gene therapy and how a DNA race can help teenagers get to grips with DNA fingerprinting...

21. 11.10.11 - NHS Rationing
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Description: Linda Sharples takes us through the process of NHS budgeting and how new drugs and treatments are decided upon...

22. 11.10.11 - The deep sea, ancient proteins, Arctic research
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.39Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - how scientists find out about life in the oceans' deepest trenches; how identifying proteins from 50 milion year old reptile skin could help us store radioactive waste; and studying the effects of climate change in the Arctic.

23. 11.10.11 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - NHS Rationing
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Description: Dr. Linda Sharples gives an insight into the workings of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and how new medical treatments, drugs and procedures are analysed and assessed for use within the UK National Health Service...

24. 11.09.30 - Leaf Miners
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Description: Why are the Horse Chestnut trees looking under the weather? Why are they turning brown before the start of autumn?... It is all down to the larvae of a leaf miner moth which make their home inside the leaves of the horse chestnut.

25. 11.09.28 - Spreading aliens, Arctic experience, and Antarctica
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Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, how hikers and walkers could be unwittingly changing the landscape by spreading alien species; what it's like to work as a marine biologist in the Arctic in temperatures of minus 40C; and exactly how stable is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet?

26. 11.09.19 - Looking into the Light!
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 15.28Mb)

Description: This month we look into the light to discover how Diamond's new Imaging and Coherance beamline is helping scientists see with greater clarity than ever before! We hear how the beamline works to provide greater resolution imaging, how rocks deep beneath the earths surface can be analysed for potential storage of carbon dioxide in the future, and how imaging the internal structure of metal alloys could help recycle them on a greater scale. Plus, the latest news and events from Diamond including new eye-opening research on the cornea and the family history of the virus!

27. 11.09.14 - Engineering the climate to tackle climate change
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.75Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: in a geoengineering special edition, we take a closer look at some of the technologies we may have to resort to using to avert dangerous climate change.

28. 11.09.08 - Australopithecus Sediba Special
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 17.01Mb)

Description: Reader in evolution at Wits University, Lee Berger, made a life-changing discovery when he uncovered the remains of a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba, in South Africa. Here, Chris Smith gets to meet the newest addition to the human family tree...

29. 11.08.23 - Stonehenge, microscopic plants, and baboons
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.01Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, why scientists are working with the National Trust to restore the chalk grasslands around Stonehenge; how researchers are using satellites to study microscopic plants; and the etiquette of dining and bullying in baboons.

30. 11.08.17 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Zero Degrees of Empathy
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (video/mp4, 44.66Mb)

Description: This month, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen explores human empathy and explains what empathy is, how it differs amongst the population and the neurological and environmental causes of these differences...

31. 11.08.12 - Where do all the salmon go, and making CO2 bricks
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 8.03Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, how scientists are using fish scales to figure out why the UK salmon population is falling; and how carbon dioxide emissions from power stations could be used to make household bricks.

32. 11.07.29 - How Plants Attract Bats
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Description: A species of tropical vine attracts its bat pollinators using acoustic signals, rather than bright colours or smells, according to a study published in the journal Science this week. In this special podcast, Dr Marc Holderied discusses this unique discovery.

33. 11.07.26 - Searching for life in Lake Ellsworth
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 8.98Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: why scientists are planning on drilling three kilometres beneath the Antarctic ice sheet in one of the most ambitious exploration projects ever undertaken; and how worms that feed on dead whale bones at the bottom of the ocean may be distorting the whale fossil record.

34. 11.07.12 - Rip Currents and Carbon Capture
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 8.35Mb)

Description: This week, why understanding rip currents at Perranporth in north Cornwall could help save lives; how exactly does carbon capture and storage (CCS) work and how can scientists be sure that carbon will be stored forever?

35. 11.07.07 - WWII bunkers, thugs and aliens, and calving glaciers
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.12Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, why weathermen are using a converted World War II bunker to monitor clouds; how thug species such as bramble, nettle and bracken can be just as damaging to woodlands as alien plants; and why scientists are going to Greenland to deploy a network of sensors in some of the country's glaciers.

36. 11.07.07 - Inside Diamond
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 13.98Mb)

Description: This month, we venture into the synchrotron along with members of the public to bring you a glimpse of the Inside Diamond open days. We meet the engineers and technicians that design the components of the synchrotron to keep it running smoothly, hear from Diamond CEO Gert Materlik about the main highlights of these open days. Plus, we talk to a scientist working on one of Diamonds latest Beamlines, I-24, that's enabling research that wasn't possible before including new insight in the fight against allergies!

37. 11.06.17 - Bumblebee declines, microbes, and amazing birds
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.31Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - what UK farmers are doing to protect the country's vanishing bumblebees, butterflies and other pollinating insects; how scientists are trying to figure out how many types of microbes there are on our planet and why they all matter; and why birds are more amazing than we ever imagined.

38. 11.06.14 - Learning about Sheep Learning
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Description: Professor Jenny Morton provides new insight into the cognitive abilities of the supposedly dim-witted sheep and explains how these quick learning animals can be used to model Huntington's Disease...

39. 11.06.14 - Learning about Sheep Learning
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (video/mp4, 25.18Mb)

Description: This month we hear investigating the cognitive abilities of sheep can enable a better insight into the development and onset of Hunitington's Disease...

40. 11.06.10 - The Pressures of the Deep Sea
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Description: Anything in the deep sea, whether that's the microbes that live down there, or the research vehicles sent down to take samples of them face the same challenges from being way down deep. So why study the deep ocean depths? And how do we do it? For this naked scientists special, Sarah Castor-Perry went to Scripps Institution of Oceanography to find out, from Professor of Marine Microbial Genetics, Professor Douglas Bartlett, and engineer extraordinaire Kevin Hardy.

41. 11.06.03 - Cuckoos at Wicken Fen, snow, and radiocarbon dating
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.61Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - the cunning tricks the cuckoo uses to get another bird to do the parenting, why researchers are studying snow in Sweden, and how an improved radiocarbon dating technique may put a few scientists' noses out of joint.

42. 11.06.02 - Picturing the underwater world
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Description: One of the biggest problems when it comes to caring for the ocean realm is that it is out of sight and out of mind. It's hard to care about something you don't know about, and most people, most of the time, don't have a chance to see ocean life for themselves. Underwater photography is helping to bridge that gap between people and the oceans. In this special podcast, Helen Scales chats to National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry to find out about the challenges of taking pictures underwater, from the technical constraints of taking electrical equipment into salty water to finding ways of portraying both the beauty of ocean wildlife and also the problems it faces today.

43. 11.06.01 - Taking a lobster's view on the oceans
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Description: How do marine animals hear, see, touch, and smell the world around them? Life underwater is obviously very different to life on land and it can be difficult for us air-breathing humans to imagine what goes on down there beneath the waves. But understanding how animals find their way around the ocean plays a vital role in our efforts to conserve marine life. In this special edition of the Naked scientists, Helen Scales meets sensory biologist Jelle Atema from Boston University to find out what we know about the ways marine animals build a picture of the world around them.

44. 11.05.31 - Exploring the wonders of the deep
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Description: The saying goes that we known more about the surface of the moon than we do about the deep sea - and that's probably true. But modern technologies are opening up the mysterious depths allowing scientists to venture further than ever before into this alien realm. In this special podcast, Helen Scales explores the wonders of the deep with biologist Tim Shank from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US. He recently led a pioneering expedition into the deep sea around Indonesia where his team discovered dozens of new species and shed light on extraordinary ecosystems in the dark depths that rival the vibrant coral reefs in sunlit shallows.

45. 11.05.24 - Flood defences, the Southern Ocean, and whiter clouds
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 8.64Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, why removing some man-made coastal flood defences might not be such a harebrained idea, what it's like studying gas exchange in the wilds of the Southern Ocean, and, in what could be the first case of 'natural' geoengineering, how forests could be whitening the clouds right above them.

46. 11.05.17 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Zero Degrees of Empathy
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.65Mb)

Description: This month, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen explores human empathy and explains what empathy is, how it differs amongst the population and the neurological and environmental causes of these differences...

47. 11.05.06 - Science from a plane, and forecasting space storms
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.80Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how a specially-designed twin turboprop research plane is helping scientists in a huge range of subjects from archaeology to ecology, and why a violent space storm could spell trouble for communications systems across the world.

48. 11.04.27 - Volcanic ash and sediment time machines
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Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast, how last year's eruption of the Eyjafjallajkull volcano in Iceland gave scientists an unparalleled opportunity for research, and why sediment from rivers like the Thames can act like time machines to bygone eras.

49. 11.04.18 - The Power of Magnetism
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Description: This month we attract your attention to the power of magnetism as we explore just what magnetism is and how it can be induced. We also explore the role of magnetism in superconductors, as well as a class of materials known as multiferroics! Plus, we bring you the latest news and events from the light source.

50. 11.04.15 - Um, How Toddlers Learn Language
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Description: Traditionally viewed as a poor verbal practise, the ums and ers uttered by parents may in fact play a critical role in helping toddlers to learn new words, as Rochester University researcher Richard Aslin, publishing in the journal Developmental Science, discovered recently...

51. 11.04.11 - Picturing the oceans
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Description: When it comes to protecting the oceans, one of the greatest challenges is that they are out of sight and out of mind. The art of underwater photography is helping to bridge the gap between people and the oceans, giving us a reason to care. Helen Scales speaks with award-winning photojournalist Brian Skerry about his work in capturing the beauty of ocean life while at the same time revealing the problems the marine realm faces today. After thirty years photographing the oceans, he has seen a thing or two, and shares his experiences of the advancing technology of underwater photography.

52. 11.04.08 - The Earth's magnetic field, snow, and Chernobyl
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.50Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how scientists plan to measure the Earth's magnetic field from space, why one researcher is in the frozen town of Churchill in northern Canada, and how the Chernobyl disaster still affects Northern Ireland 25 years on.

53. 11.03.23 - Fish poo, dead whales, and the Japan earthquake
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.20Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how the famous White Cliffs of Dover could be made of fish poo (at least partially), why one researcher is so interested in dead whales, and why the Japan earthquake was so powerful and devastating. Join Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson to find out more...

54. 11.03.10 - Reefs at Risk Revisited
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Description: Coral reefs are vibrant ecosystems packed with spectacular underwater life that protect coastlines and provide food and income for millions of people. But coral reefs are at risk. How threatened are reefs today? Why are they in trouble? And what hope is there for the future of reefs? In this special podcast, Helen Scales meets the people behind Reefs at Risk Revisited, a groundbreaking new study that draws a global map of reefs and the problems they face today.

55. 11.03.09 - Carbon capture and storage, floods, CryoSat-2
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 9.18Mb)

Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how carbon capture and storage works and why it's here to stay, the effect of floodplains on water pollution, and how exactly do you measure the thickness of polar ice from space? A pub isn't an obvious place for a discussion about taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and storing it in rocks deep underground, but the venue for this week's Planet Earth Podcast isn't any old pub. This pub is set into the sandstone rock in the centre of Nottingham and is the perfect place to demonstrate exactly how the technology works. Richard Hollingham visits Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem to see for himself...

56. 11.03.01 - Tracking insects with a Big Dish, Australian floods
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Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: how tracking insects can help scientists forecast summer storms and floods, and the role one of Europe's key satellite missions played in the recent floods in Queensland, Australia.

57. 11.02.24 - Our Place in the Cosmos!
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Description: Carolin Crawford explores our place in the Cosmos...

58. 11.02.17 - Alzheimers on the Mind
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Description: For this month's Cafe, Graham Fraser, from the Medical Research Council, discusses the prevalence and causes of Alzheimers disease as well is his research on the disease and the possible methods of treatment or prevention in the future.

59. 11.02.17 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Alzheimers and the Brain
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Description: Graham Fraser from the Medical Research Council explains the potential causes of alzheimers disease and how his team are trying to find out more in order to handle the disease better in the future...

60. 11.02.11 - Smart Way to Rehab
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Description: Fewer than one third of patients who suffer a heart attack attend rehabilitation sessions, despite evidence that this follow-up support can be vital in reducing the risk of further heart attacks and improving a patient's quality of life. Now Brisbane-based researcher Dr Charles Worringham has pioneered a way to solve the problem, with a preprogrammed smart phone...

61. 11.02.10 - Romans recycling, dinosaur colour, gravity mission
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Description: This week in the Planet Earth Podcast - how the Romans recycled glass, dinosaur colour, and what Europe's gravity mission tells us about ocean currents. Did you know that the height of the world's oceans can vary by as much as 200 metres? These huge differences depend almost entirely on very slight changes in gravity across the world. Sue Nelson goes to the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton to find out more. We also hear that even the Romans recycled glass. But were they being green, or did they have other reasons? Richard Hollingham goes to Norwich to meet the archaeologists with the answer. Finally, what colour do you think dinosaurs were? Until now artists have been free to paint them whatever colour they felt like. But not anymore - scientists now have a way of figuring out what colour they were. Richard goes to Bristol University to get the low-down from one of the scientists at the forefront of this research.

62. 11.02.10 - Spectacular Synchronous Coral Spawning
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Description: How do you go about finding a mate if you can't go and look for one? This is the problem corals, which are rooted to the seabed, have found a spectacular way to solve - mass spawning. But how do they make sure they all do it at the same time? And what happens after all the eggs and sperm are released into the water? In this Special podcast, Sarah Castor-Perry finds the answers to these questions and more from James Guest of the National University of Singapore.

63. 11.02.07 - An Optimist's Tour of the Future
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Description: What does the future hold for us? Is the future bright, shining and brimming with opportunity, or a dark, dystopian drudgery? Recent scientific advances suggest there may be much to look forward to. In this special postcast, Kat Arney speaks to Mark Stevenson, author of An Optimist's Tour of the Future.

64. 11.01.31 - Eroding Coastlines and Holy Grails - A look back at 2010
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Description: This month we look back at Diamond's scientific highlights of 2010 to reveal how microbes are eroding away our coastline and how metal organic frameworks could help find the holy grail of chemistry! We also hear how the synchrotron was improved to provide more beamlines as well as bring you the latest research from these beamlines including stresses on jet engines and the never-ending fight against antibiotic resistance.

65. 11.01.28 - Noisy coral reefs, melting ice sheets and whale speak
http://www.thenakedscientists.... download (audio/mpeg, 8.57Mb)

Description: In this latest watery-themed Planet Earth Podcast, Richard Hollingham hears how the underwater world isn't the soundless place you might imagine. From chirping, gurgling and snapping sounds from busy coral reefs to clicking sperm whales, scientists are finding that all sorts of marine life use sounds to find a suitable home, to find a mate, to avoid being eaten or to communicate. First up, we hear from a marine biologist from the University of Bristol who explains how manmade noise might not affect just whales and dolphins, but also much smaller creatures that live in and around coral reefs. Later, Richard meets a British Antarctic Survey scientist to find out how fossils of tiny marine creatures called bryozoans give us clues about when the West Antarctic Ice Sheet last collapsed. We also hear the strange clicking sounds sperm whales use to communicate with each other, and find out how very far leatherback turtles can swim.

66. 11.01.12 - Essex coral reefs, malaria in the UK, and Antarctica
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Description: As the UK winter continues to bite, Sue Nelson tries to escape it all by going to visit a coral reef. Unfortunately for Sue, the coral reef is not in some sunny clime. Instead, it's an indoor coral reef at the brand new Coral Reef Research Unit at the University of Essex. Researchers are using the reef to look at the effects of ocean acidification on coral in a unique experiment. Sue meets David Smith and David Suggett from the Unit to find out exactly what they're up to. Later, Sue talks to Andy Morse from the University of Liverpool. Andy's an expert on the effects of climate change on the spread of infectious diseases. Sue finds out that as the climate changes and brings warmer and wetter weather, we might get more than we bargained for. Finally our correspondent in Antarctica - the British Antarctic Survey's medical doctor, Claire Lehman - meets a researcher who tells us how she finds out how the sea around the continent changes with the seasons.

67. 11.01.05 - An audio diary special edition
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Description: This is a special edition of the Planet Earth podcast, featuring some of our favourite audio diaries from the past year. We've got scientists using cannons to study geese in Ireland, researchers collecting mongoose poo in Uganda, Darth Vader impressions from beneath Antarctic ice and tiger leeches in a researcher's pants. In the first feature, Tim Cockerill from the University of Cambridge gives us an insight into studying insects in pristine rainforests of northern Borneo, describing some of the downsides. Next, Michael Cant, also from the University of Exeter tells us how cooperative - or not, as the case may be - Ugandan mongooses are. We then head down to the freezing cold waters of Antarctica to hear how British Antarctic Survey doctor Claire Lehman gets on when she joins the dive team.

68. 10.12.26 - Back in the Saddle: Getting Paralysed People Riding and Rowing
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Description: In this special episode of the Naked Scientists podcast, we explore the world of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), a technology allowing people paralysed from the waist down to row and cycle by using external electrodes to stimulate leg muscles. Michele Vanoncini investigates how it works, what benefits it can bring and meets some of the people who have used it to go for gold...

69. 10.12.21 - Light Shed on Dark GRBs
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Description: Dark gamma ray bursts have puzzled astronomers for over a decade. The energetic gamma ray events, known as Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs), all have an afterglow visible in the X-ray part of the spectrum, yet only half were visible at optical wavelengths. The half that were not visible in optical light, known as dark gamma ray bursts seemed to indicate that there may be a new class of GRBs not previously understood. Louise Ogden spoke to Dr Patricia Schady of the Max Planck Institute in Munich, whose team has found that dark gamma ray bursts are not in fact all that exotic...

70. 10.12.09 - Red squirrels and a tropical Antarctica
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Description: Red squirrels used to be the most common squirrel in Britain. But since the grey squirrel was introduced from the USA as an illegal immigrant in the late 1800s, their numbers have nose-dived. This is partly because the greys out-compete red squirrels for food: they feed on the ground and can digest unripe acorns, which red squirrels can't. But it's not just food; grey squirrels brought a deadly virus with them, which has hit red squirrel populations hard. Sue Nelson goes to a National Trust wood near Liverpool, one of the last red squirrel strongholds in the country, to find out how they have coped with the virus. Later Richard Hollingham goes to Glasgow to find out how scientists know what Antarctica's climate was like 50 million years ago. Even though it was in the same place as it is now, temperatures on the continent were surprisingly different from what they are today.

71. 10.12.09 - Animal Pathology - National Pathology Week 2010
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Description: In this podcast from National Pathology Week 2010, we join Dr Alun Williams at the Natural History Museum to discover the importance of veterinary pathology. With some incredible examples from the animal kingdom, we'll explore the some of the conditions that animal pathologists help to diagnose, and find out how understanding animal disease can help make humans healthier.

72. 10.12.08 - Pathologists in Pregnancy - National Pathology Week 2010
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Description: We explore the role of pathologists in pregnancy and childbirth in this podcast from National Pathology Week 2010. We discover what we can learn from an ultrasound as well as other tests that can be run on an expectant mother. Plus, we discover the importance of newborn screening programmes and the prevention or diagnosis of conditions that can alter the course of a pregnancy.

73. 10.12.08 - Arctic Expedition Special
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Description: In this podcast Richard Hollingham reports from an unusual and somewhat cold location - onboard the British Antarctic Survey's RRS James Clark Ross which was stuck in the ice for two weeks 1000 kilometres from the North Pole. He talks to researchers on the ship about their work, finds out exactly how dangerous polar bears can be and hears what it's like to dive in freezing cold waters. He also learns that the Arctic isn't the desolate, barren place you might at first imagine. No, it's full of life. Not just big stuff like bears, seals and gulls, but algae and microorganisms that literally keep our planet alive.

74. 10.12.07 - Behind the Scenes at Great Ormond Street - National Pathology Week 2010
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Description: We go behind closed doors in this special podcast from National Pathology Week 2010, visiting the pathology labs at the world famous Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. We'll discover the role that pathologists play in diagnosis and treatment of childhood diseases, including how metabolic diseases are identified and the role of newborn screening. Plus, we explore the labs themselves to see pathologists in action.

75. 10.11.23 - Palm oil plantations, charcoal, and a flea circus
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Description: Does your shopping basket contain chocolate, biscuits and shampoo? If it does, you may be unwittingly contributing to the destruction of the some of the world's pristine rainforests. Manufacturers now use palm oil in a huge range of products, because it's so cheap. But virgin rainforest in some of the planet's last wildernesses is being destroyed at a dizzying pace to make way for palm oil plantations to keep up with our voracious appetites for the products the stuff is in. Richard Hollingham meets Tim Cockerill, who's just come back from Borneo, to find out how the plantations affect the animals and plants that live in the rainforests there. We also hear why charcoal is such an incredible material. Not only can it tell us there was a fire, but it can also provide a previously unseen glimpse into our past. Sue Nelson goes to Frensham Common in Surrey to find out more. Finally, Tim Cockerill shows Richard Hollingham his very own working flea circus.

76. 10.11.17 - Science through Structure!
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Description: This month we probe down into the world of structural biology to find out just what this field is and the molecules it can enable us to see. We discover how visualising molecules such as DNA and proteins can help us understand the development of our nervous system, the repair of our DNA and find better treatments for conditions like hypertension and pre-eclampsia, as well as bring you the latest news and developments from Diamond.

77. 10.11.16 - Leeches, earthquakes and weird sea-life
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Description: It seems that hardly a week goes by without a major earthquake striking somewhere in the world, which may be why many people have been asking scientists at the British Geological Survey if earthquakes are getting more frequent. Richard Hollingham talks to expert seismologist Brian Baptie from BGS, who uses clever musical software to give us the answer. We also hear from Plymouth Marine Laboratory scientists on a boat off the coast of Cornwall in the UK. They're sampling seawater and sediment from the seafloor to try to understand how marine ecosystems change from one month to the next, coming across many weird and wonderful creatures in the process. Finally we get an action-packed update from Cambridge scientist Tim Cockerill, who's in northern Borneo investigating the effects of palm plantations on the biodiversity of rainforest insects. Sounds like fun? Not until you hear about the leeches.

78. 10.11.10 - Kew Gardens, Antarctica and ancient trees
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Description: In this Planet Earth podcast, Sue Nelson reports from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew where she finds out that some plants like the Snake's Head Fritillary have enormous amounts of DNA in their genomes. These plants struggle in extreme environments, so how will they cope under climate change? We also hear from the British Antarctic Survey's medical doctor Claire Lehman in one of our unique audio diaries. Claire joins the diving team for a refreshing dive under the Antarctic ice. Later, Sue meets a fossil-tree expert at Cardiff University. Chris Berry describes how he went about identifying the 385 million-year-old fossilised remains of trees in New York State.

79. 10.11.09 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - DNA and Cancer
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Description: In this month's podcast Professor Ron Laskey discusses the links between our DNA and cancer to reveal how changes to our DNA can cause cells to become cancerous, how DNA can be targeted as a method of treatment and also how we can analyse markers in our DNA for earlier diagnosis. Plus we answer audience questions including the effectiveness of vaccines against cancer and the difference between cancerous and pre-cancerous cells.

80. 10.11.09 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - DNA and Cancer
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Description: Professor Ron Laskey discusses the links between our DNA and Cancer to reveal how cells become cancerous as well as how our DNA can be targeted to treat cancers...

81. 10.11.08 - Splitting Earth, space weather and robotic dolphins
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Description: In this Planet Earth podcast, Sue Nelson hears about the birth of an ocean in the Afar depression in the Horn of Africa. The continental crust is being ripped apart at a phenomenal rate - one metre every year over the last five years. In the not too distant future - well, not too distant in geological terms - we may see a new ocean in that region of Africa. That's if we're still around in ten million years' time. Plus Richard Hollingham goes to Edinburgh to find out about the damage our nearest star wreaks on our planet during its unruly phases. Later Sue hears about 'mechanical dolphins' in Antarctica, while Richard gives us a preview of the gruelling training he had to endure recently in preparation for a scientific expedition to the Arctic.

82. 10.11.04 - Bowerbirds, a yellow sub and measuring CO2
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Description: This week, Richard Hollingham finds out that bowerbirds are not just brilliant at making elaborate bowers, they're also good at mimicking other birds and pretty much most sounds they hear - including human voices. He also goes to a Scottish forest to meet researchers from the University of Edinburgh who are using a 220-metre high TV tower to measure greenhouse gas concentrations from across Scotland and all the way to Ireland and even as far as Canada. Lastly, during Richard's recent trip to the Arctic onboard the RRS James Clark Ross, he spoke to a scientist who explained how a small yellow submarine is helping scientists understand much more about Arctic ocean currents.

83. 10.10.28 - Barrel jellyfish and supercooled water
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Description: Unless you've never seen the sea, you've probably seen a jellyfish. And even if you haven't seen one, you will almost certainly know what they look like. Despite this, scientists know surprisingly little about them. Which is why British and Irish researchers are in the middle of a project to tag them to find out things like where they go during the winter, how long they live and why they congregate around our coasts during the summer months. Sue Nelson goes to Swansea to find out more. Later, we learn something about water most of us had no idea about. Richard Hollingham goes to Leeds to talk to a researcher about supercooled water and discovers why you wouldn't want it in your aeroplane's fuel system.

84. 10.10.21 - The risks of following the herd and banded mongooses
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Description: Have you ever noticed that when you cross a busy road, as well as clocking the traffic, you subconsciously follow what your neighbours do? Scientists have recently put a figure on this and worked out that we're 2.5 times more likely to cross if our immediate neighbour makes a move to cross. Richard Hollingham goes to Leeds to meet the researcher behind the study to find out why we have such kamikaze tendencies, and how the research helps us understand shoaling, herding and flocking behaviour. Later on, we get up close and personal with banded mongooses in Uganda. Hear what the researchers studying them have to say about why all females give birth at the same time, in the next instalment of our unique audio diaries.

85. 10.10.19 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Dementia and an Ageing Population
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Description: This month, Professor Carol Brayne discusses the consequences of our ageing population and looks into the symptoms, diagnosis and prevention of dementia and other diseases related to ageing. We also hear how ageing can be studies using populations and find out audience opinions on the event including any information that surprised them from the talk.

86. 10.10.19 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique Vodcast - Dementia and an Ageing Population
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Description: Professor Carol Brayne discusses the consequences of our ageing population and looks into the symptoms, diagnosis and prevention of dementia and other diseases related to ageing.

87. 10.10.18 - Butterflies, buoys and the English Channel
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Description: In this Planet Earth podcast, Sue Nelson goes to the Eden Project in Cornwall, southwest England and to the South Downs in southeast England to find out what butterfly research is telling us about climate change. As you might expect, there's some bad news to report, but surprisingly there's also hopeful news - at least for the silver spotted skipper. Meanwhile Richard Hollingham goes to Plymouth - also in southwest England - to hear how long-term monitoring buoys in the English Channel have helped reveal, among other things, that the water has gradually been getting warmer.

88. 10.10.15 - Ice clouds and viper venom
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Description: Scientists know that fluffy stratocumulus clouds act like a blanket on the Earth - they stop warm air escaping, but also reflect the Sun's energy back out to space. But they have no idea if cirrus clouds, which are high up in the atmosphere and made of ice, do the same. So Dr Paul Connolly makes ice clouds inside the 10-metre-high, three-storey ice cloud chamber - which looks a bit like a giant fridge freezer - to find out. To hear how the chamber works, Sue Nelson goes to Manchester to meet him. Also in the programme, find out how a tiny wasp, just 1.5 millimetres long, can pollinate fig trees 160 kilometres apart. And after the successful launch of the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite earlier this month, Professor Meric Srokosz from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, tells us why he's pinning his hopes on the data. Finally, Richard Hollingham gets more than he bargained for when he visits the venomous snake facility at Bangor University.

89. 10.10.12 - HIV Treatment in Rural Africa
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Description: Sixty percent of all HIV sufferers in the world live in rural Africa, but practical and economic obstacles can prevent many of these people from accessing the anti-retroviral drugs that they desperately need. A recent clinical trial investigated this problem to try and improve HIV treatment in rural Africa. Julia Graham speaks to Diana Gibb from the MRC's Clinical Trials Unit in London to find out more...

90. 10.10.11 - Orangutans, green buildings and an Antarctic GP
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Description: With efforts to improve energy efficiency focussed on green transport to sustainable power generation, growing your own food to reducing waste, it's often easy to forget that the very buildings we live and work in could also be made energy efficient. But how do you retrofit old buildings without ruining their architectural character? One researcher from the UK Energy Research Centre explains where you might start. Scientists at the University of Birmingham tell Sue Nelson how they're trying to understand when and why humans developed the ability to walk on two legs; with the help of some human subjects, a manmade rainforest canopy and some orangutans. We also hear from the British Antarctic Survey's GP at Rothera Research Station in the West Antarctica Peninsula who explains what life's like on the base.

91. 10.10.08 - Plastics in the oceans and tracking satellites
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Description: Scientists recently found plastics floating in some of the most remote and inaccessible seas in the world - just off the coast of Antarctica. Although it clearly looks ugly in such a pristine environment, scientists are more concerned about the major role plastics play in moving alien species around the world. Richard Hollingham goes to the north Norfolk coast to speak to an expert on ocean plastics from the British Antarctic Survey to find out more. Later, Sue Nelson goes to the Natural Environment Research Council's Space Geodesy Facility at Herstmonceux in Sussex to find out how it uses lasers to pinpoint satellites.

92. 10.10.08 - The Psychology of Shopping
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Description: How do supermarkets convince you to part with your money? In this special edition of the Naked Scientists, Smitha Mundasad goes shopping with author on consumer psychology, Philip Graves, to discover the tricks of the trade. We'll find out how special offers, colours, odours and music can all affect your spending behaviour...

93. 10.10.07 - Breaking the GM Taboo
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Description: This is a podcast by the Society for General Microbiology, recorded at a session they sponsored, at the 2010 Times Cheltenham Science Festival. Through genetic manipulation, scientists have created microbes that provide us with medicines, foods and vaccines as well as animals that can be used as model organisms for the study of human disease. The genetic manipulation of organisms and their use is one of the most controversial scientific developments of recent times. We hear about the practical applications of GM microorganisms, then the audience is asked to decide - When is GM acceptable?

94. 10.10.05 - Lake Windermere and walking with dinosaurs
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Description: British Geological Survey scientists have completed the first full geological survey of Lake Windermere in the English Lake District since the Royal Navy made a survey in the 1930s. Among other things, the survey will help researchers understand how quickly the ice retreated after the last Ice Age, how the lake evolved and which parts the Arctic Charr prefers to live in. Richard Hollingham went to visit scientists on the BGS's research boat the White Ribbon on the lake to talk to the scientists involved. Next up, Richard speaks to a dinosaur expert at London's Natural History Museum who is studying how and why some dinosaurs went from walking on two legs to four. It turns out that despite the popular 3D animations on the telly, we know very little indeed about how they walked.

95. 10.10.01 - Earthquakes: Past, Present and Future
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Description: The recent devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile were reminders of the power of the Earth and what terrible damage can be caused by such tremors. But what do we know about earthquakes? And can we predict when they might occur? A special event was held to discuss these questions at the 2010 British Science Festival in Birmingham, bringing together scientists from across the UK. Julia Graham speaks to quake experts, Professors Roger Musson, Barry Parsons and Ian Main to find out more...

96. 10.09.27 - Protecting our Environment
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Description: In this edition we find out how the synchrotron can be used to understand and clean up our environment. We investigate a new form of solar cell, using plastics, which could make solar power more accessible as well as find out the use of microbes to clean up arsenic contaminated groundwater. We also discover an alternative form of rust which could prove useful in the fight against nuclear contamination and reveal a biological side to weathering! All that plus the latest news and events from Diamond including the unveiling of the world's largest diffraction pattern!

97. 10.09.24 - Malaria - The Gorilla's Gift
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Description: Where did malaria come from? Analysing over three thousand samples of faeces from gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees, scientists have found an answer to the origins of a disease that plagues millions of lives each year. But this answer stirs up new questions - why did it jump from the gorilla into us? And will it continue to do so? Smitha Mundasad talks to Professor Paul Sharp to find out more...

98. 10.09.23 - Rockpools and ocean acidification
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Description: Everyone loves a rockpool, and Sue Nelson nearly takes a dive into one in this week's podcast while finding out about the riches they contain. She visits the Anglesey coast of north Wales to learn what these mini marine laboratories can tell us about the value of biodiversity. The effects of climate change range from rising temperatures and higher sea levels to extreme weather and mass extinctions. Richard Hollingham reports from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory where scientists are investigating another, hidden process - increasing ocean acidification. And finally we learn how scientists are using pan scourers to find out how communities of marine creatures might respond to chemical changes in our oceans.

99. 10.09.16 - Computing with a Quantum Walk
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Description: New research into the incredible properties of objects at the quantum scale has brought the aim of quantum computing far closer to reality. Ben Valsler speaks to researchers from Bristol University to find out how "quantum walk" will enable us to understand systems that even the fastest modern supercomputers would find impossible...

100. 10.09.12 - Antarctica, wild geese and ash plumes
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Description: You could be forgiven for thinking the freezing seas around Antarctica are pretty barren and lifeless. But, as Richard Hollingham soon finds out, this couldn't be further from the truth.The Census of Marine Life is building up a picture of the richness and diversity of life in the world's oceans and has so far found thousands of species on shelves around the frozen continent. Incredibly, scientists are still finding new species.At this rate, researchers will soon have documented 17,000 species living on coastal shelves in the region. Richard meets British Antarctic Survey researcher Huw Griffiths to find out more.Later, hear why the recent Icelandic volcano presented scientists with a unique opportunity to study the ash cloud. Also, find out how a ground-breaking study has revealed where giant sauropod dinosaurs preferred to live.Finally, in the first of our audio diaries, we hear from a bird ecologist in Ireland who talks us through exactly how you go about tagging geese migrating to the Arctic.

101. 10.09.11 - Hi-tech physics, toxic soils and mussel shells
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Description: In this week's Planet Earth podcast from the impressively-named Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, England, hear how two researchers are using hi-tech physics to study different aspects of the environment.The Diamond synchrotron is like a giant, silver doughnut, is more than half a kilometre around and - according to the blurb - you could fit eight St Paul's cathedrals inside.You might imagine a huge machine like this is used only for physics experiments. But it turns out it's used to study everything from the nature of matter to food and new medicines.One researcher explains how his studies of earthworms at Diamond could help clean up contaminated soils. Another scientist tells us how his mussel shell research at the synchrotron may ultimately help make stronger materials for aeroplanes and hip replacements.Finally, find out how irrigation techniques used by ancient indigenous cultures could help Peru cope with water shortages caused by its disappearing glaciers. And hear how high speed winds off the coast of Greenland affect how heat moves around the world's oceans.

102. 10.09.10 - Climate science, Vikings and other invasive species
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Description: Look around the English countryside and you'll find animals and plants that shouldn't be there - from Muntjac deer to Mitten crabs, Harlequin ladybirds to Tree of Heaven.So-called invasive species are reckoned to be one of the world's greatest threats to native wildlife. And when you factor in a changing climate, the situation gets even more complicated.Richard Hollingham meets an invasive species expert from the Centre for Ecology Hydrology who tells us not only what we can expect, but also what you can do to help.We also hear from a climate expert at the UK Met Office to find out why he believes climate scientists should take responsibility for communicating their science to the world.Finally, we hear how researchers figured out that a pit full of decapitated bodies in Dorset were Vikings and why small honeybees don't do as well as their normal-sized peers when it comes to mating.

103. 10.09.09 - Oil palm plantations and coral reefs
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Description: Coral reefs are among the most beautiful habitats in the world. As well as being rich in biodiversity, they're vital for the local economies that depend on them for fishing, tourism or protection from storms.While most of us are aware that ocean acidification is bad for coral reefs, scientists are now finding that coral communities are facing other threats from climate change.Richard Hollingham meets three coral reef experts to find out more - not in some tropical paradise but in the basement of a 1960s towerblock at the University of Essex.Later in the programme we hear from two insect experts at the University of Cambridge, who explain why it might be wise for oil palm producers to nurture patches of rainforest close to and among their plantations.We also find out why scientists think an asteroid caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, rather than huge volcanoes, why global warming could lead to more male turtles than female turtles and how household waste is being linked with pollution in rivers.

104. 10.09.08 - Energy crops, CryoSat-2 and bird bling
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Description: Willow, palm, miscanthus and other energy crops are being touted as a possible solution to our growing energy security problems. Some people are suggesting that they could help replace fossil fuels, plugging Britain's energy gap and cutting our carbon footprint.But before we go down that route, wouldn't it be sensible to find out how these crops affect the environment?That's the very question David Bohan from Rothamsted Research is trying to answer. He's researching how miscanthus and willow affect native biodiversity while looking at where these crops should be sited to have minimal environmental impact.Also in this week's podcast, we find out why 25 February will be a nail-biter for many scientists, not least for those from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at University College London.Later we'll hear how British winters are ending an average of 11 days earlier compared with the 1970s, why red leg bands put male zebra finches in front of their rivals and what next for a group of scientists that has just returned from exploring volcanic vents in the Southern Ocean.

105. 10.09.07 - Geoengineering, wind and sea squirts
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Description: This week we talk to two researchers about the technological solutions some scientists say we might have to use to tackle climate change. With average temperatures expected to rise by 2C this century, and efforts to cut greenhouse emissions proving painfully slow so far, scientists are saying it might be prudent to have a plan B. Professor Tim Lenton and Dr Nem Vaughan from the University of East Anglia explain the differences between the two approaches to geoengineering - removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reflecting sunlight to keep temperatures down. Later on we find out how scientists use a field full of radars in Wales to help forecast extreme weather. We also hear what the UK Government's chief scientific advisor thinks about the latest climate change controversies in the news, how researchers have figured out what colour dinosaurs were and why carpet sea squirts have been spotted in Scotland.

106. 10.09.06 - Teeth, spiders and epic migrations
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Description: Mention the word archaeology and you might conjure up an image of Tony Robinson from Channel 4's Time Team getting down to a dig in an ancient burial site in an attempt to find some telling artefacts. But these days, people researching the ancient past have some additional, very sophisticated tools up their sleeves. Richard Hollingham visits the Natural Environment Research Council's Isotope Geosciences Laboratory near Nottingham to find out what isotope geosciences are and why they're such an important tool for archaeologists. Later on we hear why fossil hunting is just kid's stuff for one scientist: Russell Garwood from Imperial College London shows Sue Nelson how he uses medical technology to see ancient spiders in 3D. Also, how scientists know that sticklebacks understand all about virtues like patience, how Arctic terns fly an epic 80,000 kilometres every year on their way from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again, and why corals may be better able to recover from fishing damage than scientists thought.

107. 10.09.06 - A New Look for Corneal Transplants
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Description: This week we take a closer look at corneal blindness. With corneal transplants in short supply, the recent development of synthetic corneas offers hope in the fight against this leading cause of vision-loss worldwide. Smitha Mundasad speaks to Dr May Griffith about her team's work - creating corneas in a lab.

108. 10.09.03 - Gold, storms and dinosaurs
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Description: In this week's podcast, Richard Hollingham strikes gold - literally - while Sue Nelson finds out why weather forecasters still struggle to predict sudden, violent summer storms. We'll also be hearing why scientists may be a step closer to getting rid of the American mink from the Outer Hebrides and how to run away from a Tyrannosaurus rex. Banks may have collapsed, shares plummeted and currencies faltered over the last couple of years, but if you put your money in gold, you could have made a tidy profit - the metal recently reached its highest value ever. Great news if there's a gold mine nearby, which funnily enough isn't as unlikely as you might think. As well as going gold-panning, Richard visits Northern Ireland's only gold mine and finds out why there's such a market for Northern Irish gold. Also, Sue Nelson meets cloud expert Dr Andrew Russell from the University of Manchester. Andy talks about the work he's doing to make forecasting storms easier. Finally, find out what scientists are doing to understand why some Antarctic penguin colonies are growing, while others are declining.

109. 10.07.22 - The Royal Society Summer Exhibition
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Description: This month we bring you the highlights of Diamonds events at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition including hydrogen cars, stressed-out bacteria and science in extreme conditions. We also explore how understanding our gut bacteria could lead to personalised diets in the future as well as hear what the rest of the exhibition is all about!

110. 10.07.14 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Synthetic Biology
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Description: Synthetic biology goes under the microscope in this month's Cafe Scientifique, as Gos Micklem describes how to build "sick" viruses to act as vaccines, and discusses recent advances in artificial life. We'll explore concerns about releasing modified organisms into the wild, and if synthetic biology is likely to be used for evil.

111. 10.06.18 - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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Description: Henrietta Lacks died in 1951, but her cells have gone on to become one of the most important tools in medicine. Rebecca Skloot explains how the story of these cells inspired her to write her bestselling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks...

112. 10.06.16 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Gambling and the Brain!
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Description: In this month's Cafe Scientifique, Dr Luke Clarke from the University of Cambridge explores the effect gambling has on our brain. He reveals why gambling is so addictive, how 'near-misses' make us gamble more and how gambling stimulates the same pleasure centres in our brains as chocolate and sex! We also answer audience questions including why gambling on the lottery seems less risky, whether there are differences between regular and internet gambling, and whether there are differences in addiction between men and women.

113. 10.06.04 - Diamond Light Source - Entering the Clinic
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Description: This month we enter the clinic to discover how clinicians at hospitals across the UK are using Diamond to investigate a variety of medical concerns. We discover why some women may be prone to pre-term labour, and why metal-on-metal hip replacements cause inflammation in some patients and not others. Plus, we've got the the latest news and events from Diamond!

114. 10.05.19 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Do Our Genes Cause Obesity?
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Description: In this months Cafe Scientifique Dr Giles Yo from the Institute of Metabolic Research at the University of Cambridge askes the question: Are my genes to blame when my Jeans don't fit?. He explores the behind our metabolism and fat storage and asks if these play a more crucial role than our environment in determining our weight. We also answer audience questions that reveal how our weight may also be affected by what happens when we're in the womb and how twin studies are crucial in understanding the role of our genes. Plus, we give you a heads up on what to expect at next months event!

115. 10.04.28 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Ape Research in Indonesia
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Description: This month we investigate the conservation of apes and the threats they face in the tropical peatland forests of Kalimantan in Indonesia. We look into the issues facing the Indonesian peatlands and how conservation efforts can address these problems.

116. 10.03.24 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Jumping to Delusions!
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Description: In this podcast from the March Cafe Scientifique in Cambridge, we investigate how our brain takes shortcuts to understand the world around us and how it jumps to delusions! We meet event speaker Dr Paul Fletcher to find out how our brains process the masses of information coming in from the world around us by using shortcuts and how changes in these shortcuts can lead to delusions . We also answer your questions such as what the scale of these delusions are and whether knowing this about our brains means eye witness accounts are less reliable. All that plus a heads up on what to look forward to at the April event.

117. 10.03.23 - Jumping to Delusions!
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Description: Dr Paul Fletcher explains the science behind delusions...

118. 10.03.03 - Diamond Light Source - Revolutionising Industry
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Description: This month we investigate the role Diamond can play in industrial research to reveal how synchrotron radiation can help the pharmaceutical industry to enhance the activity of certain drugs, and also how these X-rays can help develop more efficient catalysts to clean up our car exhausts. All that plus the latest news and events from the Diamond Light Source.

119. 10.02.24 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Our Place in the Cosmos!
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Description: In this podcast from the February Cafe Scientifique in Cambridge, we look out deep into our universe to investigate our place in the cosmos. We meet event speaker Dr Carolin Crawford to find out how astronomers look out into our universe and what they understand about our stars and galaxies so far. We also answer your questions such as how we much of our universe we can see, what dark matter and dark energy are, and we also investigate the likeliness of other life out in space! All that plus a heads up on what to look forward to at the March event.

120. 10.02.07 - Communicating with Patients in Persistent Vegetative States
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Description: Can brain scanners enable us to open a new channel of communication with patients apparently in persistent vegetative states? Brain researcher Adrian Owen, from the Cambridge MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, explains how an experiment with fMRI revealed that a head injured, vegetative state patient could communicate: by changing his thoughts...

121. 10.01.27 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Pandemics: Where Do New Infections Come From?
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Description: In this podcast from the January Cafe Scientifique in Cambridge, we look into the threat of emerging infections to find out where they come from, how they spread and how they become a pandemic. We bring you the main presentation by virologist Dr. Chris Smith as well as your questions on the threat of pandemics such as SARS returning, concerns about HIV and Tuberculosis, and whether swine flu is something to worry about. All that plus a heads up on what to look forward to at the February event!

122. 10.01.22 - Diamond Light Source - The Machine
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Description: This month, we step away form the research and bring you the science behind the synchrotron! We investigate how a machine like Diamond is designed to create X-ray beams that are stable down at the micron level, as well as reveal how the high speed electrons are controlled and manipulated to produce intense beams of light. Plus we bring you the latest news and events, including how scientists are using Diamond for earlier diagnosis of lung cancer!

123. 09.12.17 - Heart Transplant - National Pathology Week 2009
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Description: In this 2009 Royal College of Pathologists National Pathology Week podcast we explore the process of getting a new heart. We find out why you may need a transplant, who is involved and why this relatively simple operation needs a team of pathologists, coordinators and surgeons.

124. 09.12.16 - Anatomy of a Heart Attack - Pathology Week 2009
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Description: In this 2009 Royal College of Pathologists National Pathology Week podcast, we get a behind-the-scenes view of a heart attack. Through a virtual autopsy, and dissection of a pig's heart, we learn more about this incredible organ and how it can go wrong. With the help of pathologists and cardiologists we get to the heart of the genetics, biochemistry and anatomy of cardiac disease.

125. 09.12.15 - Think Heart - Pathology Week 2009
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Description: In this 2009 Royal College of Pathologists National Pathology Week podcast we find out why thinking "heart" could save a baby's life. We'll examine three heart conditions - duct-dependent lesions, viral myocarditis and arrhythmias - and find out why these go unidentified in many babies, often with tragic consequences. Parents, nurses and pediatricans join the Royal College of Pathologists to raise awareness and encourage us all to "Think Heart".

126. 09.12.14 - The Art of the Heart - Pathology Week 2009
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Description: In this 2009 Royal College of Pathologists National Pathology Week podcast, we look at the art and ethics of modern healthcare. We hear how the structure of the heart has inspired works of art and we take a dip in the murky waters of medical ethics: who has the right to decide if a teenage boy should be given a new heart?

127. 09.11.12 - Cambridge Cafe Scientifique - Nanofoods Archived
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Description: This is the archive of the Cambridge Cafe Scientifique Nanofood event. Join us to hear the entire presentation about how nanotechnology gets into your food, as well as your questions on the benefits of Nanofoods, whether Nanofoods have a role in a heathy balanced diet and the problems with classification and testing.

128. 09.11.11 - Cafe Scientifique - Nanofoods
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Description: In this special podcast we join the Triple Helix Society for a Cafe Scientifique. We explore how nanotechnology gets into your food, the benefits of Nanofoods and the problems with classification and testing. The Triple Helix Cambridge Cafe Scientifique is sponsored by the Medical Research Council, and this podcast was produced with support from the Learning Revolution.

129. 09.11.06 - Diamond Light Source - Engineering our Industries
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Description: This month, we peer into the world of engineering to see how scientists are exploring and improving materials for industry, including how the structure of metals can be modified for greater resilience and how an understanding of corrosion could be crucial for the storage of nuclear waste. Plus, we investigate how to prevent crack formation in aeronautical materials as well as bring you the latest news and events from Diamond.

130. 09.09.16 - Diamond Light Source - Probing our Cultural Heritage
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Description: This month, we dig deep into the world of archaeology to learn how scientists at Diamond are investigating our cultural heritage. We find out how scanning samples of the Dead Sea Scrolls can help decipher them, how probing timber from the Mary Rose can improve its conservation and how studying pigments in paintings could protect major pieces of art!

131. 09.08.24 - Conversations from the Darwin Festival - Sandra Herbert
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Description: This week historian Sandra Herbert tells how she retraced Darwin's footsteps to the Galapagos in search of rock samples to prove his volcanic theories were right...

132. 09.08.13 - WCSJ 2009 - Development Strand
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Description: What challenges do science journalists face in the developing world? In this special documentary covering the Development strand of the World Conference of Science Journalists, we discuss the challenges of getting the right coverage for your region, and how to find credible sources without neglecting the trailblazers. Plus, the big issue of Climate Change and how to link researchers with journalists...

133. 09.08.12 - Conversations from the Darwin Festival - Sir Terry Pratchett
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Description: This week we're in conversation with Sir Terry Pratchett, author of the multi-million selling Discworld series. We find out what inspired 'The Science of Discworld 3: Darwin's Watch', get Richard Dawkins into holy orders and explore a world without Darwin...

134. 09.08.11 - WCSJ 2009 - New Media Strand
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Description: What is the Internet, new technology and increasing citizen journalism doing to the world of science publishing and reporting? In this special documentary from the 2009 World Conference of Science Journalists, London, Chris Smith talks to the reporters at the leading edge of the new media wave, as well as freelancers who are worried they might get washed away by the tide of content...

135. 09.08.05 - The WCSJ Summary
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Description: See the sights of the World Conference of Science Journalists, meet some of the delegates and discover the key themes discussed throughout the week. From the importance of communicating science well, through to frivolous (but desirable) USB earrings, we get a snapshot of what the World Conference of Science Journalists was like to attend.

136. 09.08.05 - Reporting Biomedical Science
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Description: The Wellcome Trust supported a series of events discussing the reporting of biomedical science at the World Conference of Science Journalists. Kat Arney takes us through the opportunities, responsibilities and controversies of biomedical science in the media...

137. 09.08.04 - Conversations from the Darwin Festival - Brian Rosen
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Description: Darwin's first book was on coral reefs. Brian Rosen, from the Natural History Museum in London,takes up the story...

138. 09.07.28 - Conversations from the Darwin Festival - Sir John Sulston
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Description: This week we're in conversation with Nobel laureate Sir John Sulston, the man behind the human genome project. He tells how he went from chemist to biologist to work on a tiny worm, C. elegans, that laid the foundations for the sequencing of the human genome.

139. 09.07.21 - Conversations from the Darwin Festival - Ruth Padel
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Description: Poet and Darwin-descendent Ruth Padel talks about how the history books led her to write "Darwin, a life in poems", an anthology of fifteen poems charting the major events of Darwin's life.

140. 09.07.16 - The Rap Guide to Evolution - Darwinian Hip Hop
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Description: Award winning Canadian hip hop artist Baba Brinkman brings us his Rap Guide to Evolution, an hour of clever, witty and scientifically accurate rhymes that will have you seeing Darwin from a whole new perspective. Baba explores the history and current understanding of Darwin's theory, combining hilarious remixes of popular rap songs with clever lyrical storytelling that covers Natural Selection, Artificial Selection, Sexual Selection, Group Selection, Unity of Common Descent, and Evolutionary Psychology.

141. 09.07.10 - The Daily Darwin - Friday - From The Naked Scientists
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Description: We tie up the Darwin Festival with predictions on global warming and the future of the human species. Plus, we find out about cultural selection and how tricky it is putting together an exhibition on science and fine art!

142. 09.07.09 - The Daily Darwin - Thursday - From The Naked Scientists
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Description: The fourth day brings together geologists and an exploration of Darwin's early scientific forays. We also find out how we have the power to solve climate change in a generation, why we should make friends with yeast and how the Obama government will promote science research.

143. 09.07.08 - The Daily Darwin - Wednesday - From The Naked Scientists
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Description: Day three of the festival and if you've ever wondered what a Darwin rap sounds like, this show is for you. We also explore Darwin's foibles, nice scientists, first cousin marriages and evolutionary poetry.

144. 09.07.07 - The Daily Darwin - Tuesday - From The Naked Scientists
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Description: We catch up with festival attendees and speakers on the second day of the Darwin Festival at Cambridge. Today we search for the origins of religion, meet the man who got the Human Genome Project going and speak to Terry Pratchett about shaved cats...

145. 09.07.06 - The Daily Darwin - Monday - From the Naked Scientists
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Description: This week sees Cambridge University celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Each day our team will bring you highlights from the events and exhibitions that make up the Darwin Festival. Today Richard Dawkins explains why scientists can't practise religion, we hear how butterflies imitate each other to survive and discover the genes that separate us from chimps!

146. 09.07.03 - Peering into the Nano World - The Diamond Light Source Podcast
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Description: This month we peer into the nanoworld to find out how synchotrons can assist in the development of a new way to store data and revolutionise computer memory. We also hear how the chemical by-products of bacteria can be used to make industry good deal greener and we bring you a round-up of the latest news from the light source, including the launch of 2 new beamlines.

147. 09.07.03 - Embargoes, Pharmaceuticals and Blogs at the World Conference of Science Journalists
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Description: In this final podcast from the WCSJ we discuss the public image of the pharmaceutical industry and the role of the media in shaping public opinion, as well as debate the use of the embargo system in science journalism. Continuing the investigation into the role of new media, we look into the impact of the science blogger.

148. 09.07.02 - Public Relations and Investigative Journalism at the World Conference of Science Journalists
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Description: Today we reveal the winner of the bid to host the next WCSJ conference in 2011 as well as discuss the role of public relations and investigative journalism in the media. Plus we debate if the British Media know their science!

149. 09.07.01 - Predicting the Future of Science Journalism
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Description: In today's podcast we hear about the current state of science journalism in countries like the US and predict the future of the profession given the increasing emergence of new media such as online news and social network sites. Plus we uncover the hurdles faced by science journalists in developing countries and how they cover contentious topics like creationism.

150. 09.06.30 - World Conference of Science Journalists
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Description: The World Conference of Science Journalists is an international gathering of science journalists from across the globe who have come together to debate and discuss the scientific issues affecting the world today and how they should be reported. In this first podcast we bring you the highlights from the pre-conference workshops and meet some of the conference delegates at the media party to find out what they hope to get from the week ahead. Join us each day to find out the best bits the conference had to offer, to ensure you don't miss a thing!