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The mammoth ivory problem

Customs officers looking for illegally traded elephant ivory face a challenge, because ivory taken from the remains of mammoths is legal. Telling the two apart isn't easy.

Customs officers looking for illegally traded elephant ivory face a challenge, because ivory taken from the remains of mammoths is legal. Telling the two apart isn't easy. Now researchers have come up with a new technique using lasers that promises to make ivory identification easier. We speak to two experts involved in the project. Also on Tech Life this week, "The chatbot will see you now". People are more willing to discuss personal health matters with artificial intelligence than real medics. Hear about a community-based solution to the problem of e-waste. And how do you detect crumbling concrete in buildings ? Shiona McCallum reports on a tech solution.

Presenter: Chris Vallance
Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: An illustration of a woolly mammoth. Credit: Leonello Calvetti/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

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26 minutes

Last on

Sun 12 May 2024 11:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 7 May 2024 19:32GMT
  • Wed 8 May 2024 04:32GMT
  • Wed 8 May 2024 12:32GMT
  • Fri 10 May 2024 01:32GMT
  • Sun 12 May 2024 11:32GMT

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