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BBC Inside Science

Cosmic inflation latest; Indian space success; Science and language; Wax Venus

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.51.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2014

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

BICEP - gravitational waves and dust One of the biggest scientific claims of 2014 has received another set-back. In March this year, the BICEP2 research team claimed it had found a swirling pattern in the sky left by the rapid expansion of space just fractions of a second after the Big Bang. This announcement was quickly criticised by others, who thought the group had underestimated the confounding effects of dust in our own galaxy. And now, new analysis from the European Space Agency's Planck satellite suggests dust found in our own galaxy may have confounded what was thought to be a universal revelation.

India's Mars satellite enters orbit India has successfully put a satellite into orbit around Mars, becoming the fourth nation or geo-bloc to do so. Following a few teething troubles with a planned engine burn shortly after launch on 5 November 2013, and a long journey, the Mangalyaan probe has started sending back images of the Red Planet. It is the first time a maiden voyage to Mars has entered orbit successfully and it is the cheapest mission to-date.

Science of language Professor Steven Pinker talks to Adam Rutherford about the language of scientists and the science of language. He has a new book out, "The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century", discussing how the latest research on linguistics and cognitive science can improve writing.

The Anatomical Venus Adam visits the Wellcome Collection to see an 18th-Century Florentine Wax Venus - complete with removable abdominal organs. He discusses our preoccupation with death, with Joanna Ebenstein. And finds out if these beautiful, if slightly unnerving, statues were the cutting edge of anatomical learning, or a gory sideshow.

Producer: Fiona Roberts Assistant Producer: Jen Whyntie.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.7

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.5

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices.

0:18.0

What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

0:24.6

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

0:29.7

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC

0:35.4

Sounds.

0:36.4

Hello You, this is the podcast of BBC Inside Science, first broadcast on the 25th of September

0:41.8

2014.

0:43.0

I'm Adam Rutherford and those terms and those conditions can be found at BBC.co.

0:48.0

UK slash radio for

0:50.0

The universe, Mars and Venus, Death and Language.

0:53.6

What's not to love on the program this week.

0:56.0

God Particles, Holy Grails, missing links,

0:58.8

these are the hideous cliches of science journalism.

1:01.9

And you'll never normally hear them on this program but I'll be

1:04.4

talking to psycholinguist Stephen Pinker on the language of science and I'll be inspecting

1:09.8

the insides of an 18th century Italian lady which which are remarkably well preserved, all in the name of science and art.

1:17.0

But first, into space. Bicep II, a ground telescope in the Antarctic, staked one of the biggest scientific claims of 2014,

1:25.0

but it's all coming apart at the seams.

1:27.0

In March, the Bicep II team flexed their muscles and announced that they detected

1:32.0

much sought after evidence of the

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