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Leading Edge brings you the latest news from the world of science. Geoff Watts celebrates discoveries as soon as they're being talked about - on the internet, in coffee rooms and bars; often before they're published in journals. And he gets to grips with not just the science, but with the controversies and conversation that surround it.
radioscience@bbc.co.uk |
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LISTEN AGAIN 30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"If what interests you are new and exciting ideas, it's science you should be turning to. And whether it's the Human Genome Project or the origins of the Universe, Leading Edge is the place to hear about them."
Geoff Watts |
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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Robot Wars
Research is revealing that simulated evolution is as red in software and chip as its natural equivalent seems in tooth and claw! Professor Noel Sharkey has built little robots with solar cells that learn to come out in light and recharge their batteries. But he's also made predatory robots that seek their prey out in the dark and tap their energy. So who will win in this evolutionary robot war?
Bubble Fusion
Could a nuclear fusion reactor on a table top solve the world's energy needs? Ten years ago with cold fusion the answer turned out to be no. But now there's bubble fusion. Scientists at a US National Laboratory claim that they can make tiny bubbles collapse so rapidly that they momentarily create temperatures similar to those in the Sun, triggering nuclear fusion. The results have appeared in the respected journal, Science. But others in the same lab dispute the findings and say they should never have been published. Is this just cold fusion warmed up?
Also in the programme:
Every year, influenza kills more than 500 000 people worldwide. In In 1918, it killed as many as 40 million; more than died in the trenches during the First World War. Today, 250 million doses of 'flu vaccine are given each year. But they are useless if doctors don't know which of the many strains of the virus will strike next. One day it could be the deadly 1918 strain again. Now there are plans to set up a new high-tech monitoring lab to screen 100 000 samples a year and spot potential pandemics before it's too late.
And an Easter mystery explained: Why does a hard-boiled egg spun on its side, turn to point upwards?
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