Main content

Oxygen

The 'element of life' also makes the air that we breathe very dangerous and costly to operate in 鈥 enabling everything from rust to rot to fire.

The 'element of life' also makes the air that we breathe a perilous and costly atmosphere in which to operate. Prof Andrea Sella of University College London provides presenter Justin Rowlatt with a characteristically striking argument for why oxygen is so 鈥渋ncredibly dangerous鈥 - and how its advent turned Planet Earth into a snowball. Pawanexh Kohli, in charge of India鈥檚 national cold chain strategy, explains over a cup of chai why the oxygen needs of fresh vegetables and fresh meat are very different. Physics polymath Baldev Raj unpicks the mystery of Delhi鈥檚 1,600-year-old iron pillar, and explains just how damaging rust and corrosion can be. And former 鈥渟moke-jumper鈥 Frankie Romero explains the mesmerising attraction of wildfires, and why stamping them out is not always a good idea.

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Mon 2 Nov 2015 01:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 31 Oct 2015 22:32GMT
  • Sun 1 Nov 2015 05:06GMT
  • Sun 1 Nov 2015 11:06GMT
  • Sun 1 Nov 2015 14:06GMT
  • Mon 2 Nov 2015 01:32GMT

Podcast