• Science on TV and radio this week

      Monday, 09 Nov 2009

      Space fans: check out Sunday’s line-up. A whole evening of Mars-related shows following on from the Dr Who special.

      Monday
      Life (BBC1, 21.00-22.00) Attenborough’s attention turns to birds, including the volcano climbing penguins of Antarctica.
      The Time Machine (ITV1, 22.35-00.20) So-so film adaptation of the HG Wells classic, starring Guy Pearce.
      Aping Evolution (Radio 4, 21.00-21.30) Steve Jones asks how much faith we can put in evolutionary psychology.

      Tuesday
      Albert’s Boy (Radio 4, 14.15-15.00) Play centered around the final years of Albert Einstein’s life.
      Horizon (BBC2, 21.00-22.00) The Beeb’s flagship science show examines why humans alone seem to use language.
      It’s Only A Theory (BBC4, 22.00-22.30) Marcus Chown talks parallel universes, attempting to win over Andy Hamilton, Reg Hunter and Vince Cable.

      Wednesday
      All In The Mind (Radio 4, 16.30-17.00) Weekly show about brain research.
      Nick Mohammed: Apollo 21 (Radio 4, 18.30-19.00) Interviewing the surviving Apollo astronauts for, maybe, the 8 millionth time.
      Natural World (BBC2, 20.00-21.00) A marine biologist’s look at manta rays.

      Thursday
      Material World (Radio 4, 16.30-17.00) Quentin Cooper updates us on science in Wales.
      Leading Edge (Radio 4, 21.00-21.30) How the invention of cooking may have influenced human evolution.
      In Our Time (Radio 4, 21.30-22.00) Lord Melvyn of Bragg shines a light on the discovery of radiation.

      Saturday
      Contact (Five, 17.00-19.40) One of the more thoughtful sci-fi films of the 90’s sees Jodie Foster dealing with an alien communication.

      Sunday
      Dr Who (BBC1, 19.00-20.00) David Tennant approaches the end of his tenure as the good doctor in this yarn set on Mars (at Bowie Station, no less), 50 years hence. In tribute, BBC4 follows up with a whole night of Mars-based programming.
      Mars: A Horizon Guide (BBC4, 21.00-22.00) Another documentary about the red planet, drawing on 45 years’ worth of footage from the Horizon store cupboard.
      To Mars By A-Bomb (BBC4, 22.00-23.00) Discussing almost-forgotten plans to tour the solar system using a craft powered by nuclear bombs.
      The Sky At Night Special: Exploring Mars (BBC4, 23.00-23.30) Patrick Moore’s turn to plant the scheduling flag on Mars.

    • Nature Debate: Science and the Cinema

      Wednesday, 04 Nov 2009

      Don’t miss a chance to see Henry Gee in the flesh ( cavities caveats apply) at Kings Place next Monday as he and co-panellists Gia Milinovich and Mark Henderson thrash it out over the relationship between sci-fi and science. Henry’s already blogged at length about his stance, so this is just a reminder to book your ticket if you haven’t already.

      And remember that you can get discounted tickets (£7.50 instead of £9.50) to this Nature debate, by following the advice of Paul Sng:

      A special offer is available that discounts tickets to £7.50. The offer is available over the phone, in person by quoting Nature Staff Offer, and via the internet by inputting the promotional code 95 in the promo code field when logging in or registering. Customers must log on/register and input the code before selecting seats otherwise the discount will not be activated.

    • Science on TV and radio this week

      Sunday, 01 Nov 2009

      Monday
      How Do They Do It? (FIVE, 19.30-20.00) This week, the engineering of the Thames Barrier, and methods of recycling paper.
      The Sky At Night (BBC4, 19.30-20.00) The unpredictably scheduled astronomy show returns with a look at the LCross lunar impactor.
      Life (BBC1, 21.00-22.00) Attenborough’s attention turns to fishes, apparently the most diverse bunch of backboned animals on the planet.
      JLB: The Man Who Saw The Future (BBC4, 22.45-00.00) Documentary about John Logie Baird, inventor of the television.
      Aping Evolution (Radio 4, 21.00-21.30) Steve Jones knocks down evolutionary psychology.

      Tuesday
      Horizon (BBC2, 21.00-22.00) Following scientists who are studying black holes.

      Thursday
      Material World (Radio 4, 16.30-17.00) Quentin Cooper looks at ‘DNA nano-machines’.
      Leading Edge (Radio 4, 21.00-21.30) Geoff Watts talks to meteorite hunters.
      Defying Gravity (BBC2, 21.00-21.45) Part four of the new sci-fi drama. Anyone seen it? Any good?

    • Walking through the cloisters of Westminster Abbey recently, I chanced across this splendid plaque commemorating Edmond Halley. The former Astronomer Royal is today best known for discovering the comet that bears his name, but the memorial lists other notable achievements. Here’s his full tale/tail:

      First to predict the return of the comet named after him.
      Second Astronomer Royal.
      Fellow and Secretary of the Royal Society.
      Sponsor of Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia.
      Editor of Philosophical Transactions.
      Savilian Professor of Astronomy Oxford.
      Oceanographer Meteorologist Geophysicist.
      Inventor Navigator and famed for
      His researches in determining longitude
      He laid the actuarial foundation of life assurance.

      What a man. Comets, clocks and compensations.

      As well as a tail full of achievements, the plaque also carries an image of the Giotto space probe, which shot past Halley’s Comet in March 1986 – one of the first great achievements of the European Space Agency.

      The plaque was installed on 13 November 1986 after much lobbying from the Halley’s Comet Society (I wonder if they only meet every 75 years). A procession of astronomers (including incumbant Royal, Sir Francis Graham Smith) and afficianados witnessed the unveiling. Their number included Eamonn Andrews, former host of This is your life. No big red book for Mr Halley, but a fitting tribute nontheless. His memorial sits next to great explorers of a more earthly nature, Francis Drake, Francis Chichester and James Cook.

      Halley, though, is not buried within the Abbey or its precincts. His grave is at St Margaret’s church in Lee Green, beside a couple of other Astronomers Royal.

      You can find his Westminster memorial at the southern end of the Abbey cloisters, which are well worth a visit in their own right.

    • More science please Mr Moyles

      Monday, 26 Oct 2009

      Last Thursday morning, a news story on Radio 1 temporarily distracted me from my Coco Pops.

      It’s not often you hear reporting of London-based tissue transplant breakthroughs, on a radio show which usually operates on the level of fart jokes and song parodies, but there it was. Now whilst I was very pleasantly surprised that this kind of story was getting airtime on a show with over 7.5 million listeners, it made me wonder why it was chosen.

      This is not something I have an answer to, and as a science communication student, maybe I should. We had lectures on just what makes a story become ‘news’, whether it is especially novel, has reference to ‘celebrity’ or was just featured due to a lack of other, actual, news. But I just couldn’t work out what boxes this story ticked, and how or why it made it on to Radio 1.

      It’s not the first time the possibility of womb transplants have been covered in the BBC news (there were previous stories in 2002 and 2007), and I’m not aware that Thursday 22nd was a particularly dull day for news (there was a bomb in Belfast, and much debate over the impending BNP appearance on Question Time). And although the Hammersmith-based scientist in question (Dr Richard Smith) may be much admired in the scientific community, I’m not convinced he ticks the celebrity box either.

      So after a year of studying, I’m afraid I still don’t know the answer. How do some science stories break into the mainstream news whilst other (possibly more significant) breakthroughs are glossed over or ignored all together? Whilst many debates over science in the news focus on whether it has been sensationalised, maybe we need to look at the bigger picture and ask exactly what it is that satisfies the news editors, and how we can use this knowledge to get more science (and not just health) on Radio 1.

    • Science on TV and radio this week

      Monday, 26 Oct 2009

      Monday
      How Do They Do It? (FIVE, 19.30-20.00) Ever wondered how pencils are made? How Do They Do It tells you how they do it.
      Life (BBC1, 21.00-22.00) Attenborough’s sinks his teeth into the mammals. Should be plenty of cutes.
      Race and Intelligence: Science’s Last Taboo (C4, 21.00-22.20) Bold programming by channel 4, giving such a delicate, controversial topic such a long time slot.Expect to see a tweet or two on Twitter.
      Costing the Earth (Radio 4, 21.00-21.30) Countdown to the Copenhagen climate change conference.

      Tuesday
      Science Versus The Stradivarius (Radio 4, 11.00-11.30) Can scientific analysis explain the unique sound of the famous violin, or is it all a myth?
      A History Of Private Life: Science And Nature In The Home (Radio 4, 15.45-16.00) How 18th Century ideas about science were reflected in the home.
      Nature Shock (FIVE, 20.00-21.00) The series can append a ‘literally’ suffix to its title tonight, as it investigates the deaths of five elephants said to have been killed by a lightening strike.
      Horizon (BBC2, 21.00-22.00) An update on stem cell therapies for various ailments.
      It’s Only A Theory (BBC4, 22.00-22.30) Popular science writer Marcus Chown tries to persuade the comedian hosts on his ideas of time travel. It’s a promising format for a show, but somehow it just doesn’t seem to work.

      Thursday
      Material World (Radio 4, 16.30-17.00) Quentin Cooper looks at sience fiction.
      Big, Bigger, Biggest (FIVE, 20.00-21.00) The Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona.
      Leading Edge (Radio 4, 21.00-21.30) Geoff Watts looks at the nuclear test ban treaty and how the international community deal with transgressions.
      Defying Gravity (BBC2, 21.00-21.45) Part three of the new sci-fi drama. Anyone seen it? Any good?

      Sunday
      The Human Zoo: Science’s Dirty Secret (C4, 19.00-20.00) The ‘human zoos’, which displayed Africans as ‘missing links’ until as late as 1904.

    • Suicidal Pesticides

      Monday, 26 Oct 2009

      Eco-warriors have long reported the damage that pesticides have caused the environment. Just earlier this year, US biologists reported that pesticides could be threatening the survival of Salmon in the Pacific. But for many of us in the UK, we carry on eating food grown with the help of pesticides and ignore the claims of the green brigade.

      However, researchers from a London University have found that it might not just be the environment that is being harmed by pesticides. These chemicals could be responsible for some human deaths too – suicides in fact, brought on by exposure to a certain type of pesticides.

      Okay, so the pesticides at the centre of the study (organophosphate agricultural pesticides) are banned in Western nations, but these chemicals are sadly still used in lower income countries such as China and the findings are certainly worrying. Results have shown that these pesticides can be absorbed even through low-grade exposure by the skin and lungs.

      Scientists from King’s College London have found the first evidence through an epidemiological study suggesting a link between pesticide exposure and suicidal thoughts. Their work, which was recently published by the World Health Organisation, found that in China people who were exposed to higher level of certain pesticides were more likely to experience suicidal thoughts.


      Preparing to use pesticides on crops. Image courtesy of of Roy Bateman, Wikipedia Commons. Used here under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License

      Over 9000 residents in Zhejiang province were sampled in the study carried out by KCL in conjunction with the Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province. Participants were asked both about the storage of pesticides at their homes and whether they had ever considered suicide within the 2 years before their interview. To detect the presence of any mental disorders the Chinese version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire was administered and trained psychiatric nurses carried out the interviews.

      Alarmingly the researchers found that those people who stored pesticides at home, and therefore suffered more exposure, were more likely to report contemplating suicide. Easy access to the pesticides was associated with thoughts on suicide and the geographical regions with the highest prevalence of pesticides (the rural areas) also had the highest levels of suicidal thoughts in their populations.

      Although this study made no attempt to quantify the actual pesticide exposure, the findings are certainly interesting with regard to health policies. Pesticides are frequently used during suicide attempts; in fact, pesticide ingestion was involved in 62% of China suicides between 1996 and 2000. But now it seems they might also be subconsciously linked with suicidal thoughts.

      Dr Robert Stewart, from KCL’s Institute of Psychiatry, believes these findings are a cause for concern: “Our research findings that suggest that higher exposure to these chemicals might actually increase the risk of suicidal thoughts provides further support for calls for tighter international restrictions on agricultural pesticide availability and use.”

      With these organophosphates so readily available in countries like China more work is needed to firstly understand the causal mechanisms which lead to increased suicidal thoughts and also how best to intervene in this situation to ensure public health is safeguarded. Hopefully, this work and further research may help convince even people in the UK that chemical pesticides are more harmful than first thought and should be eliminated from food production.

    • Next year marks the 350th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Society – surely something for scientists everywhere to celebrate. As part of the festivities, a one-day conference will be held to discuss the future of science. Called ’Tomorrow’s Giants’, it will bring together scientists and policy makers to help shape the future direction of science in the UK and beyond. And they want input from all of us.

      Following a series of workshops around the UK, the RS will now post questions to the Tomorrow’s Giants forum for feedback. Any bright ideas or opinions might be raised at the conference and reach the ears of the bigwigs who oil the wheels of research output in this country. So please, please, please take a look at their forum and let’s get some discussion going.

      To kick off, here are two questions needing opinion:

      1) Should there be more formal mechanisms to encourage mentoring and does anyone have good examples of how a mentor has helped them to develop their career?

      2) What are your views on how to balance data protection versus accessibility?

    • Blog d’un Anglois aux internautes du monde

      La France est un pays surprenant. Je ne sais d ailleurs qui de la France ou des francois est reellement le plus surprenant. Capable du pire comme du meilleur, ayant oublié qu’ils ont combattu les privileges il y a de cela bien longtemps et s’idealisant encore de nos jours comme un pays ardent defenseur de ces absurdites sur des echasses que sont les droits naturels, il semble néanmoins que ce pays ait enfin commencé a apprendre de mes écrits.

      Il apparait donc que les traductions d’Etienne Dumont aient rendu quelque justice a mon travail sur les Tactiques des assemblées politiques déliberantes et que, par consequent, mon francois n’etoit pas si mauvais.

      J’ai en effet appris durant l une de mes longues promenades quotidiennes sur internet que des députes francois, trois députes socialistes – René Dosiere, Arnaud Montebourg et Jean-Jacques Urvoas – pour etre précis, ont decidé de rendre public les depenses liees à l’enveloppe de frais parlementaires qu’ils percoivent chaque mois (IRFM). Je tiens d ailleurs a signaler que la presse francoise auroit tout de meme pu me contacter ou que l’un de ces deputés auroient pu me remercier de l’avoir guidé dans son action. Mais je ne sais pas si je préfere ne pas être cité ou être tout simplement caricature comme c est le cas dans ce blog.

      Fort heureusement, la reaction du Tribunal de l’Internet ne s est pas faite attendre puisque plus de cent quatre vingt douze commentaires debatent le contenu de cet article.

      Sur cet exposé qui a retenu mon attention, revenons quelques instant et voyons ce dont il est question. Cette publication de l utilisation des dépenses parlementaires vise tres clairement un but de transparence. Comme le signale Jean-Jacques Urvoas: Je veux apporter ma pierre a la transparence necessaire

      Voilà pour les faits. Mais que dire de la suite des evenemens ? Je ne peux que regretter que cette excellente démarche n ait pas été suivi par l’ensemble des deputés. Quant aux reactions des autres deputés, elles sont dommageables. Comme le signale cet article, les reactions sont pour le moins mitigees. Alors que des deputés rejettent totalement la transparence de leurs depenses, d’autres constatent que l on devroit avoir depasser cette question arguant que cela n’est qu’un « coup de pub » ou que « cela ne regarde pas forcément le concitoyen ! La transparence a ses limites. » Arretons la les declarations fallacieuses ! Comment se peut il qu une telle phrase soit prononcee par un deputé elu par le peuple et qui se doit de lui rendre des comptes ? A moins que cette personne n ait totalement oublié ce qu’est reellement sa fonction… Plus encore lorsque deux de ces mêmes deputés socialistes demandent lors du débat sur la reglementation de l’assemblée que les deputés presents en seance soient pointés, que leur répond-on ? « Et l etape d apres, c est le bracelet électronique ? » Mais pensent ils reeellement que c est en se soustrayant au regard du peuple, des citoyens qu ils agiront de la meilleure maniere possible ? Remarquons que la transparence de leurs depenses n en est que le premier pas vers une transparence plus generale de l’ensemble de l appareil etatique. Les deputés et de maniere general l’Etat doivent rendre des comptes aux citoyens.

      L’intuition de ces deputés ne fait que renforcer ma certitude sur la necessité d etablir des regles a l egard de l organisation des debat parlementaires. Les deputés ne sont pas au dessus des lois, leur travail ne consiste pas a elaborer des lois sans aucun respect et sans aucune prise en compte des intérêts du peuple. Pour que l’on lutte contre cette tendance, il faut quelques mesures simples a mettre en place :

      Premiere amelioration. Elaboration d’un code vestimentaire permettant d identifier les deputés presents dans l hemicycle.

      Deuxieme amelioration. Tenue d’un registre de presence imprimé et mis a la disposition du public a la fin de chaque seance.

      Troisieme amelioration. Enregistrement des débats qui seront ensuite mis a la disposition du public.

      Quatrieme amelioration. Incorporation des citoyens dans le débat parlementaire par le biais des ecoles de legislation.

      La question de la transparence depasse donc de loin le simple compte rendu des depenses de l enveloppe parlementaire. Si certains remettent en cause cette derniere, ce seroit cependant une erreur de la supprimer.

      Il me semble que je vais ecrire des aujourd’hui un email au President francois afin de lui faire part de ma position. Il me faudroit d’ailleurs peut-etre pensé a une version moderne de mes Tactiques qui pourroient alors servir de guide a une reforme de la reglementation de l’Assemblée parlementaire francoise.

      Je ne peux que me feliciter que certains deputés prennent maintenant conscience de la pertinence de mes travaux. Comme disent les francois : « Mieux vaut tard que jamais ».

      Votre tres humble serviteur.

    • Science pub quiz at Royal Institution this Monday

      Wednesday, 21 Oct 2009

      Title says it all, really. Please do come along for 60 sci-related puzzlers. It’s like A Question of Sport, only without celebrities and no What Happened Next? round. Oh, and it’s about science not sport. Join co-hosts me and Martin from the RI for a 7pm start. Entry is £2 per person with the winning team scooping the whole pot. Hope to see some of you there. More here


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