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The Naked Scientists Podcast

An Olympic Effort - Keeping Crowds Safe

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

Natural Sciences, Science, Science Radio, Naked Scientists, Health & Fitness, Engineering, Medicine, Technology, Life Sciences

4.6958 Ratings

🗓️ 30 June 2012

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Later this month, the 2012 Olympics kicks off in London. With hundreds of thousands of people expected from overseas, is this the perfect trigger for a pandemic? This week we're looking at the public health implications of events like London 2012. We discover why an understanding of crowd psychology can avert disasters, and how mathematical models can predict and prevent jams in human traffic. Plus, a new technique to communicate with "locked in" patients, the evidence for warm blooded dinosaurs, and does ice really help to treat an injury? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0

Stripping down science, the naked scientists.

0:07.0

The Naked Scientists. Later this month the 2012 Olympics kicks off in London with hundreds of thousands of people

0:25.0

expected to arrive from overseas and crowds of events containing tens of thousands of people.

0:31.0

Is this the perfect trigger for a pandemic?

0:33.6

And what can we do to keep big crowds safe?

0:37.2

This week we're looking at the public health implications of events like London 2012.

0:41.7

Hello, it's Sunday July 1st, I'm Chris Smith and also with us is Louise Anthony

0:45.4

Hello Louise.

0:46.4

Hello Chris and also on the way news of a new way to communicate with paralyzed

0:50.4

patients who can't move by reading their brain activity.

0:54.0

Plus, on the subject of the Olympics, a new wireless monitoring device to help swimmers to refine

0:59.1

their technique.

1:00.1

A gyroscope is important because the swimmer turns at the end of each length and so you're able to

1:06.6

characterize the position through the tumble turn and you can then analyze the technique. and that's all on the way.

1:16.0

The Naked Scientists Podcast is powered by UK Fast, the UK's best hosting provider on the web at UKfast.co.uk.

1:25.0

One of the things we have to think about when we gather a large number of people into a small space

1:34.0

is the risk of spreading diseases.

1:36.1

We've seen in the past how outbreaks of diarrheal illnesses, like neurovirus

1:40.6

can spread rapidly through hospitals, care homes and even cruise ships.

1:45.0

The UK's Health Protection Agency, HPA, is charged with making sure that we're prepared

1:50.1

for such an eventuality, and to tell us more is consultant in communicable

1:55.0

disease control and also the Olympics lead for the HPA in the East of England and that's

...

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