Climate in crisis

Unexpected Elements

BBC

Science

4.4 • 570 Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2019

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are largely unachievable says a major audit of commitments to the Paris Climate Accord. Air pollution in Delhi is so bad, breathing the toxic particles has been likened to smoking. Can a scientific assessment of the multiple causes help provide a way forward? We examine a new way of making new plastic – from old plastic. And why sending some stem cells to the international space station might help astronauts travel further. We’re all familiar with the sensation of sleepiness – heavy eye-lid, that warm, fuzzy feeling. But, one listener wants to know, what’s actually going on in our body and brain when tiredness takes over?

We investigate how our psycho-motor skills are affected by fatigue in a driving simulator. And we ask how does sleepiness change with age? Why, when tired, do adults crave a nap but children become ever more excitable? And what the hell’s going on with teenagers? We have some answers.

(Image: Tourists wearing masks to protect themselves from smog in New Delhi, India. Credit: Sushil Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

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
0:04.7	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.
0:34.0	This is the Science Hour with me, Ron Pease, from the BBC World Service.
0:39.5	And first, some advice.
0:41.4	If you're going to drive while sleepy, best do it in a virtual simulator, as Annan Jacketeer's
0:47.2	found.
0:48.3	So I'm taking a lot more risks here, no.
0:50.5	Oh, God.
0:54.2	I think I got overconfident.
0:56.9	So what happened there was I tried to overtake on a hill
1:00.2	and went straight into an oncoming car.
1:03.5	All part of crowd sciences,
1:05.8	investigation into the effects and causes of sleepiness,
1:08.8	which starts in half an hour. Before that, on science and
1:12.3	action, we're digging into one issue that's been dominating the headlines this week. The appalling
1:17.5	air pollution episode Delhi is currently undergoing. On an average, people are exposed to air pollution
1:23.9	levels which are like equivalent to smoking 20 to 50 cigarettes a day.
	...

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