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Unexpected Elements

Animals at the Wuhan Market

Unexpected Elements

BBC

Science

4.4567 Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2023

⏱️ 78 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

DNA has revealed potential animal COVID carriers at the Wuhan market, but what does that tell us about the start of the pandemic? Roland talks to two of the experts behind the new analysis: Dr Florence Débarre and Professor Eddie Holmes.

Also, we look into Europe’s grand new space ambitions. ESA director general Josef Aschbacher gives Roland the details of the space agency’s out-of-this-world plans.

And Beethoven's last DNA: a hairy story of his family and genetic afflictions. Dr Tristan Begg shares how the composer’s tresses unlocked new information about his life and death.

Inside our gut lives an entire ecosystem of bacteria and microbes, called the microbiome. In fact, the human body contains trillions of microorganisms, which outnumber our cells by ten to one. This means that technically, we are more microbe than human. But not only do these microbes rely on us to survive, we also rely on them too for vital bodily functions. So what impact do these trillions of microbes have on our health? That’s the question that’s been bothering CrowdScience listener Russell, from Canada.

Presenter Caroline Steel sets out to investigate. She visits the only museum dedicated to microbes in the world to explore what exactly these microbes inside us are, what they do and why we have so many of them inside our bodies. How important is our microbiome for our survival and what impact can it have on our physical health?

Caroline finds out what impacts our microbiome, what we can do to improve our inner ecosystem, and how our microbes can take a disturbing turn on us after we die.

Image credit: Eddie Holmes

Producer: Roland Pease Assistant Producer: Sophie Ormiston

Transcript

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0:00.0

Oh, hello. You have chosen a BBC podcast, but before you listen to it, we thought you might

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like our podcast too. You might. You might. It is called Sightracked with me, Nick Grimshaw.

0:09.2

And me, Annie Mack. And we talk about the week in music. All the news, all the cultural

0:14.0

happenings in the UK and beyond. And great guests. And it's on BBC Sounds. Yes, where you can

0:19.7

also enjoy lots of playlists, music mixes and

0:22.6

live radio. Everything from my six music breakfast show to Radio 3 Unwind. But obviously start

0:29.2

with our podcast sidetrack. Obviously. Obviously. So if you like music, listen on BBC Sounds.

0:35.3

BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts music, radio, podcasts.

0:40.5

The attacker had very good knowledge of banking systems.

0:44.7

$2.1 billion in stolen funds.

0:46.9

Money laundering operations.

0:48.2

The cybercriminal group.

0:49.3

These are smart guys.

0:50.4

From the BBC World Service, The Lazarus Heist is back for a brand new season.

0:54.7

Catch up with season one of the podcast now by searching for The Lazarus Heist, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

1:01.2

And get ready for season two coming next week.

1:06.7

Welcome to The Science Hour from the BBC World Service with me, Roland Pease, at a moment of metamorphosis.

1:14.2

No, there's going to be no improvements in me, but the hour is about to go into an audio cocoon

1:21.2

and will emerge in a month as a glorious new sonic butterfly we're calling unexpected elements. Unexpected, because each week

1:31.4

they will be dipping into the nectar of news and follow the silky threads wherever they lead

1:37.0

into the related science. An element of surprise is guaranteed. Marley Chesterton, a familiar voice

1:44.1

for all of you here on the

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